Scream 4 (2011)

 

In July 2008, The Weinstein Company announced that a fourth Scream movie would be in the works with Wes Craven taking the directing seat once again. Though it wasn't until two years later that Kevin Williamson made his grand return, this time, with the recycling of his first outline of the third film. But the production had a rocky start. 

In May 2010, Cathy Konrad, who produced the first three films, filed a $3 million lawsuit against The Weinstein Brothers. The suit accuses the Weinstiens of unscrupulous behavior and a scheme to force her to walk away from the Scream franchise without compensation and cutting the cost of hiring someone else to produce. Judging by their notorious reputation behind the scenes, I'm totally on this woman's side. 

But anywho, the show must go on and once again, Craven and Williamson recruited The Triumphant Trio to make the fourth Scream film. Williamson picked up the leftover notes he made for Scream 3 but with an entirely new spin. You see, this was at a time when horror remakes were running rampant (and still are), so, Willamson reinforced this commentary into his script, blending in the old cast with the new cast. Furthermore, Williamson and Craven made sure that this time the production was not going to have any more mishaps like they had in the previous two films. 

And the final results turn out to be...a pretty solid sequel. It may not be as good as Scream 2, but I found myself really enjoying this and I thought the final twist was very effective. I was definitely impressed by the breakout performance of Hayden Panettiere, who stole the show in my opinion. There seems to be a perfect balance of humor and horror that leans into a parody at times but an affectionate parody nonetheless. I would say that this is one of the more comedic Scream films but it still handles its serious moments well too. 

So, overall, I dig this movie. It may not be at the top of my list but I still think it's a fun time. 

The Story: After the events of Scream 3, Sidney Prescott, now a successful author of her autobiography, has returned to her hometown of Woodsboro during her press tour. Coincidently, it just so happens to be the 18th anniversary of the Woodsboro murders. Unfortunately, this incites the murders of two high school girls, which ties back to Sidney when the evidence is found in her car. She then retreats to the residence of her long-lost cousin Jill, who, along with her friends, becomes the killer's main target. With the help of her longtime companions, Dewey and Gale, Sidney must face The Ghostface Killer once again. 

In this go-round, we have not one, not two, but three opening scenes:

The first opening scene starts with two young girls being targeted by the killer with...Facebook messages of all things. When I first saw this I was like, 'Oh my gosh! This is going to be a hoot!' But thankfully, it turns out to be a Stab sequel as a meta-joke. The two young girls are hilariously played by Shenae Grimes and Lucy Hale, who were known for their popular teen dramas such as Degrassi, 90210, and Pretty Little Liars, respectively. 

This jump cuts to Anna Paquin (Sookie from True Blood) and Kristen Bell (the titular Veronica Mars, The Voice of Gossip Girl, and Eleanor from The Good Place). Anna and Kristen are two types of film critics: The Cynic and The Optimist. Anna is harshly critical of the movie's nonsensical plots and meta-humor. Kristen, however, likes how the film adapted a true story and did its own thing. 

  Tired of Anna's constant criticism, Kristen pulls out a knife and stabs her! While Anna slowly dies, Kristen simply turns on the movie and eats her popcorn. Bravo! Comedy Gold! 

But it turns out to be yet another Stab sequel when we jumpcut to the actual opening scene with two high school girls, Jenny Randall, and Marnie Cooper. They're similar to the girls in the first scene, except they're blond and portrayed more realistically. Also, the two girls share the same dynamic as Anna and Kristen, the cynical film critic and the optimistic film critic but their friendship is genuine.

Jenny, who's an avid fan of the Stab franchise, innocently pranks Marnie but suddenly, Marnie is attacked through the phone. 

Jenny frantically rushes down the stairs to save her friend but it's too late. Marnie's corpse crashes through the window. 

Out comes the Ghostface Killer, closing in on Jenny and she dashes to the garage. Of course, Jenny trips and falls, crawling her way to the garage entrance but the Ghostface Killer gives her a painful rendition of Tatum's death scene, only this time, the garage pins down her spinal cord, leaving Jenny totally helpless before the killer makes his/her final stab. Yet another clever twist on the opening scene, only this time it's three. 

Now let's examine our cast of characters. First, let's start with our new cast of characters who somehow share similarities to the cast of the original. 

First and foremost, we have Olivia played by Marielle Jaffe. I just don't think she was developed enough as a character. Nothing against the actress, she's good with what she's given, which is very little. But she does get a really brutal death scene, which I found to be incredibly intense.

Adam Brody and Anthony Anderson are just cameos in my opinion. They play the stereotypical bumbling cops who get easily dispatched. They are supposed to be comic relief but their dialogue is not really all that funny.

Now, this is when the characters get a tad bit more interesting...

We have Puesdo-Final Girl Jill Roberts, who seems to have issues with her cheating boyfriend, Trevor.

He's played by the very sexy Nico Tortorella. He's more akin to Billy, sexy, and smooth, but with a dark side. However, in this case, it's a "playboy" side. 

Now back to Jill. As if deja vu is starting over again, she gets threatening phone calls from the Ghostface Killer because of her connections to Sidney but I'll get back to Jill later in the review since she is a really special case in this situation. 

As we go along, we have Woodsboro Film Club President Charlie Walker and his tech-savvy best friend Robbie Mercer as the pseudo-Randys. The movie plays around the notion that they might become the next Billy and Stu but it's fairly subtle. They really get into the heavy facts about the Stab franchise and how it connects to real-life murders with Charlie hosting a screening party of the first Stab movie. 

In the film's more comical moments, Robbie comes out as gay, thinking it would save himself from the killer...

Spoiler Alert! It doesn't and Robbie sadly meets his end. 

There's more than meets the eye with Charlie...we'll get to him later. 

Then we have a pseudo-Dewey who becomes a female counterpart in the form of Judy Hicks, played by the underrated Marley Shelton. She is the town deputy and Sidney's former classmate. She means well but her lack of social skills and her offbeat personality makes Sidney suspicious of her. But it turns out that she is a hero after all and saves the day. 

Then we have the pseudo-Gale Rebecca Walters played by the very talented Alison Brie. She's probably way worse on the bleed-if-it-leads mentality and the ironic thing is Rebecca is a big admirer of Gale Weathers. Though by this time, Gale has evolved into a well-rounded character and, at this point, Gale doesn't stand for Rebecca's bullshit, striking her down with her natural Gale prowess. And when it's clear that Sidney can see through her callousness too, she promptly fires Rebecca on the spot.

She gets a rather stupid death scene where she could've easily survived but I felt like the script made her stupid on purpose. 

But at least Alison Brie did a stellar performance as the hilariously catty Rebecca.

Last but not least, we have the honorary scene stealer Hayden Panettiere in the breakout role of Kirby Reed. She's sort of like a mashup of Randy and Tatum but it's done to great effect. I'll even go so far as to say she is the best thing about this movie. What's appealing about Kirby is that she has this too-cool-for-school attitude but is also an avid film buff with a keen knowledge of classic horror films. 

I have to say, Hayden Panettiere killed it in this role. Her snarkiness and comic delivery are so spot on and I was here for it. But there is this one particular scene where she really shows off her acting chops but, unfortunately, this scene involves a major spoiler. So, I'll save it for later. 

Now let's catch up with the triumphant trio, shall we?

First, we have Gale Weathers, now living the simple quiet life in the suburbs in a "seemingly" happy marriage to Dewey but there's something missing. And that's her sense of excitement. 

Not only is she jealous of Sidney's success as an author but Gale also suspects that Dewey might have the hots for, none other than, Deputy Judy Hicks, his female counterpart. How ironic. 

But that's not the only problem in the Riley-Weathers clan. Now that Dewey is the town sheriff that sort of leaves Gale as the sheriff's wife and not The Gale Weathers. 

She finds herself writing mystery novels but they're nowhere near as successful as The Woodsboro Murders series, which causes Gale to have a serious case of writer's block.

When the murders start to happen again, it reignites her flame. Gale Weathers is back on the call! However, her independent nature almost gets her killed such as sneaking into Charlie's screening party where she gets attacked by the killer. But she gets better eventually. 

After Gale's close call brings Dewey back to his senses and the  Riley-Weathers clan has come to a rejoicing.

Courtney Cox is a force to be reckoned with. She has fully embodied this character and then some. This will go down as one of her most iconic roles ever and that is a worthy achievement. 

Next, we have Dewey Riley who has upgraded to become the sheriff of Woodsboro. Dewey has come a long way from being the put-upon dogged nice guy, and eventually, being praised and rewarded to become the Protector of Woodsboro. And that is truly awe-inspiring. Now that Dewey is enjoying the perks of his career path, Gale finds herself shoved into the background. We all know that their dynamic together is papable but now that they're living the married life, there seems to be trouble in paradise (which sadly bleeds into real life as David Arquette and Courtney Cox were going through a divorce at the time).  On top of that, Gale begins to suspect that Dewey has a 'thing' for Deputy Hicks since they have such strong similarities to each other. 

Though eventually, when Gale gets injured at the screening party, here comes Dewey to the rescue to defend her honor. And therefore, the ballad of Dewey and Gale lives on again. 

David Arquette is a one in million. Throughout the series, he has explored many facets to this character. From being the put-upon, clumsy goof to a respectable town hero, which makes him an interesting subversion of the Cops are Useless trope. He still has the loveable, affable traits that he's known for but he can definitely hold his own as a competent leader. 

Last but not least we have our all-time favorite final girl Sidney Prescott. Sidney's transformation has now been completed. From Lost Little Girl/Tortured Victim to full-on Zen Survivor. Sidney has finally overcome her demons, transmuting them into a creative endeavor. 

She is now the best-selling author of her self-help book, Out of Darkness. In contrast to Gale Weathers' sensational The Woodsboro Murders, Sidney incorporates her actual experiences and uses that to help others, which is a true testament to her character. Sidney has completed her final stages of trauma: acceptance and re-evaluation.

Both Kevin Williamson and Wes Craven have reconstructed the Final Girl into a three-dimensional character, making her less interchangeable than usual. One of the earlier examples was Nancy Thompson in Wes Craven's A Nightmare on Elm Street. She's introduced as the typical, goody-two-shoes Final Girl but as we look deep into her home life, it's not as perfect as it seems. Then we move on to Sidney Prescott who has become quintessential in her role as the Final Girl. Sidney will always be the glue that holds this series together. With the exceptional writing of Kevin Williamson and the amazing performance by Neve Campbell, Sidney Prescott has made her mark as one of the most definitive final girls of all time. 

She has become clever, crafty, and can easily outsmart the killer. And in this sequel, she puts those skills to good use. Sidney Prescott is a prime A warrior woman, solidifying her status as a Zen Survivor and she sums it all up in this kickass one-liner...which I will save for later in the review. 

The directing this time is...okay. It just looks very glossy looking and it feels like I'm watching a TV movie. Don't get me wrong, Wes Craven is still a master at his craft here but I just didn't think the directing was as strong as in the previous films. However, The deaths in this movie are hella brutal, specifically Oliva's, which I can't show because it's really that graphic. I mean the girl's guts were literally hanging out. Good Lord! 

Kevin Williamson's writing is still in its top form here. Although there are a couple of humorous moments that didn't work for me, the sharp dialogue and witty banter still have their perks. Also, mixing in the old and new characters elevates the film's commentary on horror remakes, however, the new characters are just as interesting as the legacy characters and the mystery is just as palpable. It adds to this mirror effect that keeps me invested throughout in which the who-done-it aspect of the story still works here and keeps you guessing about who's behind the Ghostface mask.

Speaking of, this leads to the main antagonist. Who's behind the mask you may ask? Well, let me start by telling you about the insane climax. Spoiler Alert!

So, the killer has trapped Kirby into their web, in a recreation of the Casey Becker opening scene where her new boyfriend Charlie is tied up in a chair. The killer gives her the horror movie challenge but this time, Kirby gets every single answer right. Not to mention, Hayden Panettiere acts her ass off in this scene, which adds to the intensity of the situation. 

When Kirby rushes to save Charlie, in a sadistically cruel twist, he stabs Kirby. I knew there was something off about Charlie but oh no, it doesn't end there (by the way, Kirby is still alive and kicking when Charlie leaves her).

As Sidney goes to look for Jill, out of nowhere, the Ghostface Killer stabs her in the stomach. And then, the second killer unveils their mask...

It's none other than Jill herself. Holy cow! So, Jill starts gloating to Sidney about her big grand plan: she wants to be the Final Girl that Sidney is and she just hates being overshadowed. So, she goes out of her way to get her friends killed, including her own mother, seduces Charlie to join in her plan, frame her boyfriend, and to become victorious in the end. 

She pulls out a bound and gagged Trevor, shoots him right in the ballsack and straight to the head, execution style. Woah boy! this girl is brutal!

Then she turns over to Charlie and says, "Sorry Charlie, there's only one survivor in this story and that's me!" and proceeds to stab him to death. This girl does not play!

Last but not least: Jill faces off with her competition, Sidney Prescott, and gives her one good final stab in the stomach. She falls down to the ground and slowly bleeds out...Could this be the end of Sidney Prescott? Well...let's talk about Jill for a moment. 

Out of all the Ghostface Killers, Jill Roberts is a bonafide Sociopathic Narracist. Now the previous Ghostface Killers had shades of narcism but not on the same level as Jill. Her whole entire plan is about her jealousy of Sidney and how she gets all this press for being a victim. The truth is, Jill wants a piece of that fame pie, too. First of all, who the hell would want to be in Sidney's shoes. Time and time again, this woman has been hunted by psychos, had to change her name, and eventually go into a security hideout to avoid danger. That is not an easy life to live and Jill must be seriously off her rocker if that's her whole entire goal in life. So yeah, Jill is the definition of a narcissistic sociopath, casting anyone aside so she can have the spotlight herself.

To demonstrate this, Jill has to make herself look injured. This leads to one of the most darkly comedic scenes of the movie. This girl scratches herself, gets her dead ex-boyfriend to pull out her hair, stabs herself, runs into a wall, and finally crashes on top of a glass table. Holy moly! This girl is committed!

When the police rush in at the scene of the crime and the paramedics cart off Jill to the hospital, a stampede of news reporters and cameramen horde around Jill, giving her the attention she oh so craves for. While at the hospital, Gale and Dewey pay Jill a visit. She makes a wry comment about sharing matching scars with Gale, to which Gale lets it sink in for a moment. But when Jill hears that Sidney is still alive, she is not having it. She quickly gets out of her hospital bed like a woman on a mission. 

When Jill breaks into Sidney's room, she's like, "Fuck it!" and starts to choke her out. But Sidney gets the best of her and puts up a good fight. Once Gale realizes that her and Jill has the same exact  "scars," she tags Dewey along to save Sidney. 

Deputy Hicks comes in just in time but Jill swoops in, grabs the gun, and shoots her. Dewey is no match for Jill either and she quickly subdues him. She holds Gale at gunpoint, ready to make her aim but Sidney incapacitates Jill with a defibrillator. And with this, gives her a word of advice:

Hell yeah! Sidney has never said any better. Deputy Hicks pops out of nowhere, revealing her bulletproof vest and she seems to be doing fine. As for our fearless trio, they may be a bit battered and bruised but they're still triumphant, living to see another day. But that pesky little Jill just keeps going and going and going. I'm telling you, this girl is made of steel! I mean she's like the freakin' terminator at this point.

But Sidney swiftly turns around and shoots her dead. Just like that. Therefore, Jill lies there lifeless, succeeding in her life's goal of being admired, even through death. 

Oh boy! What a sequel! I never thought I would enjoy it as much as I do now. Again, it may not be as good as the first two movies but it's a total step up from Scream 3 and the writing is still top-notch. This is by far one of the better sequels in the franchise. 

My last word: give it a go. it's totally worth your time.