June 25th: Scream 4

Hi, Ms. Campbell. Could I call you Neve? Big fan. Been one for a long time. You were great in this movie.

Scream 4

Released: 2011

Directed by: Wes Craven

Starring: Neve Campbell, Emma Roberts, Courtney Cox, David Arquette, Rory Culkin, Hayden Panettiere

Scream was the seminal meta-horror film of the 90s. It was a crisply written, tautly directed horror-thriller that changed the way slashers were made for at least the next decade. Neve Campbell — and I will admit right now that I had a massive crush on her in college, so I have a built-in bias toward any of her films — joined Jamie Lee Curtis, Sigourney Weaver, and Heather Langenkamp on the Final Girl Mount Rushmore, with all due respect to Olivia Hussey and Sally Hardesty. The original Scream was followed by two more films, completing the initial trilogy before the franchise returned to Woodsboro in 2011 with Scream 4, attempting to bridge the original era with a new generation.

In the movie, Sidney Prescott returns to Woodsboro fifteen years after the original Ghostface killings. She has written a book in an attempt to separate herself from the Stab movies based on Gale’s books — the set of Stab 3 was the site of the trilogy’s final murders. As Sidney arrives, two high school students are murdered by a new Ghostface. Sidney’s cousin, Jill, is a classmate and friend of the victims. It quickly becomes apparent that someone is attempting to recreate the original Woodsboro murders. Jill and her circle of friends — Olivia, Kirby, Trevor, Robbie, and Charlie — closely mirror the original victims, turning the mystery into a race to discover whether the new killers can perfect their “reboot.”

The characters are balanced between veterans from the original trilogy and a much larger group of newcomers who represent a new generation in Woodsboro. Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, and David Arquette wear these roles like a comfortable pair of shoes. They know exactly how these characters should react, emote, and deliver the humor that has defined the series. Of the newcomers, Kirby and Charlie — Hayden Panettiere and Rory Culkin, respectively — are the most effective. Kirby has the right attitude for most of the film, with a genre-savvy sarcasm that fits naturally within the Scream universe. Charlie is the nerdy but dark movie fanatic. Emma Roberts, as Jill, is stiff for most of the film, but once the twist arrives her performance changes drastically. Even now, I’m not sure whether that transition is effective.

Small Observations:

• It may be weird to refer to the twist as a “Small Observation,” but the reveal is awkward. The identity of the killer isn’t the problem; the motivation is. It feels lame and comes out of nowhere.
• Dewey’s deputy, Judy Hicks, has some weird energy. The film hints that she has an obsession with Dewey and wants to come between him and Gale, but the whole subplot feels awkward and never really goes anywhere.
• Using the Stab movies as a double fake-out to start the film, especially with established stars Anna Paquin and Kristen Bell, was very funny. Add to it that the last film involved the Stab movies directly, and it’s even funnier.
• MCU actors: 0 but 1 from the X-Men films, 1 from a Spider-Man spinoff, and 1 a voice actor in an animated series

Overall Rank: B

I walked into this not expecting much. The story surprised me by being interesting until the twist was a bit of a letdown. But Neve Campbell was in it, so I was never going to be that disappointed. You might want to give it a shot.