If you are expecting Scream
4 to make you scream out loud,
then you should go back and
watch the first three movies
again. While most horror
flicks of the new generation
get too carried away with using
blood and guts to evoke the
fear inside of you, Scream 4 is
a throwback to a better time for
horror movies when less was
more. The original Scream
movies were not traditional
“slasher” movies in the frame
of “Nightmare on Elm Street”
or “Friday the 13th,” but legendary
director Wes Craven
once again shows us his
expertise in the genre.
At many parts, Scream 4 seems
eerily similar in plot to the
original Scream movie. In
fact, if Neve Campbell, David
Arquette, and Courtney Cox
did not appear so early in the
film it would almost feel like a
remake. The movie follows
Jill Roberts (Emma Roberts)
and her
friends as her
c o u s i n
S i d n e y
(Campbel l )
returns to
Woodsboro
to promote
her new
book. When
S i d n e y
r e t u r n s ,
Gh o s t f a c e
does as well.
H a y d e n
P a n e t i e r r e
plays Jill’s
best friend,
Kirby, and,
despite her
e x t r eme l y
short and distracting
haircut, she does very
well. Erik Knudsen and Rory
Culkin play the film buffs who
relay the “rules” of the new
generation. The movie is filled
with action and fun twists but
the most surprising element of
Scream 4 is humor. Don’t be
mistaken- this is not a comedy
or spoof like “Scary Movie.” It
does, however, have parts
where it seems to poke fun at
the previous Scream movies.
The comedy is not overwhelming,
and does not take away
from the mood of the movie. It
simply adds a little bit of
humor, making it that much
more fun to watch.
All things considered, the plot
of the movie is very good and
the blending of old and new
characters adds to it. For
those who only watched the
original movies in hopes of
seeing Neve Campbell or
Courtney Cox nude, don’t hold
your breath. While it is rated
R, there is no nudity to speak
of. However, the cameos of
Kristin Bell and Anna Paquin,
while brief, and the presence of
Hayden Panetierre, do provide
some eye candy. Scream 4
relies upon the skill of the
actors to drive home the feel of
this movie. For the most part,
the acting is very good, but the
villain is not portrayed as well
in Scream 4 as in its predecessors.
This is why I give this
movie the rating I do: 7.5 out
of 10.