When I first heard that there was going to be a Scream 4, I hoped it was just a rumour. When it became evident that the film was going to be a reality I couldn't help but feel a little disappointed.
See I liked the first film, and didn't really mind the two sequels that followed, but the thing I loved about it was the way it turned the horror genre on it's head. Something the Scream movies can't continue to do if they become a franchise. My concern is that the Scream movies are going down the multi sequel route of so many other horror franchises which were good and iconic when they started - Friday the 13th, Halloween, Nightmare on Elm Street and Saw, I am looking at you! - but which churned out so many sequels they became laughable and predictable in the end.
I was also slightly concerned that I would have no-one to watch the film with as I can only count 1 horror fan amongst my closest friends in Brighton. Quite a contrast from when I lived up north where practically everyone I knew was a horror fan. Luckily for me, one of my friends has a lovely new girlfriend who happens to love cheesy horror movies as much as I do. And she similarly knew no-one who would see the movie with her. So we teamed up to check out Scre4m, eager to find out if the originality which made the previous movies so smart and funny had been lost.
This slice (see what I did there? ;0) of the action is set 10 years after Scream 3 - which it is in real life too - and although the people closest to the horrific happenings of the last movie, Sidney, Gale and Dewey have moved on, the town of Woodsborough is still stuck in the past. To prove how 'over it' she is, Sidney, now the author of a tell all book, returns home for a book signing. And soon the killings start all over again.
For my money, as nice as it was to see the characters again (kinda like seeing old friends - no pun intended), they could have stopped at Scream 3. Scre4m didn't really bring anything new to the table and I don't really see the point in making movies for the sake of it. However, I will admit that despite my trepidation, Scre4m did make me jump 5 times (yes I did keep count) but it didn't make me scream. And for the record, nor did my companion. I was happy to discover that the killer/killers was/were not obvious. At least not to me. So for now, the Scream franchise is still semi fresh, the idea's not new but they're managing to keep predictability at bay for the moment.
My only major problem with Scre4m (and this issue was also aired by my companion) was that Dewey seemed to be much more of a characature in this movie. Maybe it's because I've seen Scary Movie since I last watched Scream but David Arquette definitely seemed more Doofy that Dewey in this one.
I think Hollywood needs to come up with some new ideas and leave the scream mask where it is. Or mark my words, Scream in space will be next! 7 out of 10.
Viewing Date - 26th April 2011
UK Release Date - 15th April 2011
Cast Overview:
Neve Campbell ~ Sidney Prescott
Courtney Cox ~ Gale Weathers-Riley
David Arquette ~ Dewey Riley
Emma Roberts ~ Jill Roberts
Mary McDonnell ~ Kate Roberts
Hayden Panettiere ~ Kirby Reed
Marielle Jaffe ~ Olivia Morris
Rory Culkin ~ Charlie Walker
Erik Knudsen ~ Robbie Mercer
Marley Shelton ~ Deputy Judy Hicks
Anthony Anderson ~ Deputy Perkins
Adam Brody ~ Deputy Hoss
Anna Paquin ~ Rachel
Kristen Bell ~ Chloe
Director ~ Wes Craven
Writer ~ Kevin Williamson
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