I felt a pang of nostalgia when the phone rang in the opening of Scream 4. Although it has been six years since I first watched the original Scream, this scene brought me back to my first encounter with the dreadful voice that asked, "What's your favorite scary movie?" This question caused many of us to fear the ringing of a telephone or to be in a house all alone. Now, 11 years later, the return of Ghostface is what we needed to satirize the film industry's onslaught of unnecessary reboots, remakes and uninspired sequels.
Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) is finally getting her life back together after facing several tragedies. She has penned a self-help book based on her experiences, and hasn't been harassed by a certain killer in years. As she's returning to her hometown for the last stop of her book tour, she reunites with her two fellow survivors of the Woodsboro murders, Dewey Riley (David Arquette) and Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox), who are now married. This isn't a case of home-sweet-home for Sidney, however, since her return sparks the murders of two neighborhood girls, both by the knife of none other than Ghostface. With the help of a new generation of teenagers, they soon have to find out who is the one donning the notorious white mask and black cloak, while at the same time learning the "new rules" on surviving a scary movie.
In spite of the lengthy hiatus, the three main Scream actors fit comfortably back into their roles. Campbell asserts her girl-power status as the heroine who doesn't hesitate when the time comes to protect her friends and family. We are drawn to her because she immediately taps into her survival instincts when Ghostface is near, and isn't afraid to challenge the killer. Courteney Cox brings the thunder again as Gale Weathers. Her feisty and doesn't-take-no-for-an-answer attitude makes her another tough female character for the Scream saga. Gale will put herself in danger if it means she will grab the latest news story. As usual, she gets many of the film's best lines, and they're a hoot. David Arquette resumes his role as the dimwitted, yet loveable Officer Riley.
The franchise's latest group of pop culture-savvy teenagers includes Jill (Emma Roberts), who plays Sidney's cousin; Hayden Panettiere as Kirby, a secret film-enthusiast; Rory Culkin as Charlie, the brains of the new rules of horror movies; Erik Knudsen as Robbie, a sort of new-age voyeur with his head-set video camera; and Nico Tortorella as Trevor, Jill's mysterious and untrustworthy boyfriend. Each young star contributes to what is a melting-pot of hip high school personalities.
The script by Scream scribe Kevin Williamson retains the terror, albeit less so, and the comedy aspects that have mixed well in these films. After an 11 year gap in between the third and fourth installments, I was very much looking forward to this entry, especially the opening sequence. While nothing can compare to the spine-chilling beginning of the original Scream, I still had my hopes up for this one, given the considerable amount of time there was to create it. There isn't a doubt that it's carried out in a clever fashion, but it is lacking to some extent in the scare department. There are some decent frights throughout, but others fall into predictability. Luckily, it isn't easy to figure out who the killer is; because, just like the three other installments, Scream 4 persists in its guessing game that we as an audience love to play. The tongue-in-cheek dialogue and dark humor are the film's strong areas. Williamson successfully made this sequel relevant to today's media-obsessed populace, incorporating features such as Facebook and video-blogging to serve its plot.
Scream 4 is superior to most recent horror sequels, and it has been hinted that it might be the start of a new trilogy. Hopefully, the writers have in mind a scarier and more suspenseful future for the saga. If so, then I'll be in the theater, ready to jump out of my seat. If not, then they should end it here and give Sidney the peaceful life that she deserves, lest this narrative spawns more pointless follow-ups. I'm looking at you, Saw series.
Final grade: B
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