Review of Scream 4 (2011) by Lisa D — 17 Sep 2012

Eleven years is a long time to wait for a sequel, but in the case of the "Scream" quadrology, the wait has proved to be more than worth it. The years since the slightly underwhelming "Scream 3" have given the original creators- director Wes Craven and writer Kevin Williamson- fresh fodder for another distinctive entry in the franchise, and it shows amply right from the film's diabolically funny beginning.

Besides being an intriguing whodunit, part of the fun of the "Scream" series was its self-referential cleverness, and "Scream 4" is no different. It begins with two teenage girls (Lucy Hale and Shenae Grimes) choosing which horror movie to watch for the night- among them "Saw 4", which one of the girls mocks for having 'no character development'- before receiving a phone call asking them about their favourite scary movie and promising to slice them up before the end of the night.

But surprise, surprise- before this sequence ends, we learn that these girls are no more than mere fictive characters in "Stab 6", the slasher series in the "Scream" universe based on the Woodsboro killings; and watched by another pair of girls (Anna Paquin and Kristen Bell) in "Stab 7" who discuss if the "Stab" series should be updated by way of Facebook or Twitter. And who's watching "Stab 7"? Well, a third pair (Aimee Teegarden and Brittany Robertson), this time from the supposedly real world of Woodsboro, whose deaths mark the return of Ghostface.

Delivered with the right amount of shocks and giggles, these multiple false openings are just the start of a movie which shows both Williamson and Craven at the top of their game. Both are acutely aware of how quickly things have changed within the last decade, especially how social media and technology would have since changed the rules of the stalking game that they had once so cleverly turned on its head in the original "Scream" (remember that Drew Barrymore opening?).

And so amidst countless other slasher sequels that have come along since the last "Scream", Williamson and Craven ensure that each one of the killings here remain as sharp, fresh and thrilling as ever in this era of iPhones, caller IDs, weblogs and live streaming. Indeed, two of the most suspenseful moments in the film are thanks to the latter- first, when our favourite goofily charming sheriff Dewey watches a live feed of Ghostface appearing right behind his wife Gale; and second, when one of a pair of high school nerds (Rory Culkin and Erik Knudsen) gets his strapped-on camera turned 180-degrees to film what's behind him.

These last two characters are part of a new group of young nubile teens which Williamson introduces as fresh blood to spill, including Sidney's cousin Jill (Emma Roberts) and her two BFFs, Olivia (Marielle Jaffe) and Kirby (Hayden Panettiere)- of course, no "Scream" is complete with the original survivors, Dewey, Gale and Sidney Prescott who returns to Woodsboro to promote her new self-help book a decade after the last Ghostface murders.

Nevertheless, the challenge of balancing screen time between the new and the old characters means that there are less opportunities for the previous generation of "Scream" fans to catch up with Dewey, Gale and even Sidney, whose roles are much less defined than in the earlier films. Though his latest films have been lacklustre, "Scream 4" shows a rejuvenated Craven that recalls the best of the horror master's career.

The first rule of remakes? "Never f**k with the original," says one of the characters in the film. Nicely said, superbly done.