Scream 4

Description

In Scream 4 , Sidney Prescott, now the author of a self-help book, returns home to Woodsboro on the last stop of her book tour. There she reconnects with Sheriff Dewey and Gale, who are now married, as well as her cousin Jill (played by Emma Roberts) and her Aunt Kate (Mary McDonnell). Unfortunately Sidney’s appearance also brings about the return of Ghost Face, putting Sidney, Gale, and Dewey, along with Jill, her friends, and the whole town of Woodsboro in danger. The newest installment in the acclaimed franchise that ushered in a new wave of horror in the 1990s is written by series creator Kevin Williamson and directed by suspense master and director of the first trilogy, Wes Craven. The film stars Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, David Arquette, Emma Roberts, Hayden Panettiere, Rory Culkin, Anthony Anderson, Adam Brody, Mary McDonnell, Marley Shelton, Nico Tortorella, Marielle Jaffe, Kristen Bell, Anna Paquin, Lucy Hale, Shanae Grimes, Aimee Teegarden and Brittany Robertson. Without a refresher viewing, the details of Scream , the 1996 collaboration between horror-meister director Wes Craven and writer Kevin Williamson (who also famously chronicled the ways of wayward teens without so much bloodshed as creator of the TV sensation Dawson's Creek ) might be a little hazy. But even through the fog of memory, it's a pretty sure thing that texting, Facebook, live video streams on smart phones, and references to the Saw movie franchise were not major narrative devices. Even so, there is a common thread that yanks this inventive resurrection of the series back to life and ties it quite cleverly to the first, second, and third Scream installments. Summed up, that reach is captured in the word meta , which is pretty much what makes Scream 4 such a hoot as it scampers along on such a high plane of conceptual ingenuity. That several characters use the word in describing the action they're participating in makes the entirety of circular plot points, referential dialogue, and general level of self-reflexive action all the more exuberant. There are a few causes for honest screams in the action, even though the obvious raison d'être for Craven and Williamson's reteaming is to make audiences yelp with delight that trumps genuine fear pretty much every time. Original cast members Courteney Cox, David Arquette, and Neve Campbell have all returned for the reunion, which also introduces (and largely kills off) a new set of young but very familiar faces recruited for the festivities. The sizable ensemble cast includes Anna Paquin, Kristen Bell, Alison Brie, Hayden Panettiere, Marley Shelton, Rory Culkin, Adam Brody, Mary McDonnell, and Heather Graham, among many others who make up visitors or inhabitants of the imaginary town of Woodsboro, USA, scene of the meta-movie carnage that began 15 years ago. The excuse for this round of action is the return of original surviving victim Sidney Prescott (Campbell), who is making a hometown stop on her book tour. As the heroic survivor of the various incarnations of Ghostface, the knife-wielding killer in Scream 's first trilogy, Sidney has become a celebrity and purposefully shrugged off the victim label, but still lives on as a folk hero. Turns out she's especially popular with Woodsboro's high-school population and the many horror film buffs who constantly analyze their every activity in relation to the behaviors of movie characters and the rights and wrongs of what to do when there's a killer on the loose. It therefore surprises no one that Ghostface has returned to haunt Sidney, including retired reporter Gale Weathers (Cox), her now-husband Sheriff Dewey Riley (Arquette), and the assortment of teenage dopes who saturate the entire venture with theatrical gouts of gooey, black blood. The movie-within-a-movie franchise Stab is also a major player in Scream 4 . Its sequel count is now up to seven as we discover in the briskly crafted and very funny opening scenes. In fact, Scream 4 is constructed with smarter precision than any of its predecessors and would require a lot of brain power for someone who feels up to the task of trying to figure out who Ghostface is this time and why the killing has started again. But taking the story seriously pretty much defeats the purpose of the absurdly entertaining formal achievement that Craven and Williamson have created. All the stabbing and screaming and intricate (il)logic of horror movie conventions are simply part of the mysterious amusement of a concept that will not die, now delightfully retooled for a new generation. --Ted Fry Review: A true surprise for a 4th chapter! I loved it! - This is a review of the Bluray version. I just watched Scre4m and I must say, I was shocked. . .at how good it was! It is the best since the first, and I dare say, as good as the first. It's scary, very witty, clever, and surprisingly well acted with a terrific cast and a first-rate screenplay by series creator Kevin Williamson. The story follows the ten-year anniversary of the Woodsboro murders (the events which comprised the first)and Sidney Prescott (reprised by the lovely Neve Campbell) has written an autobiography about her experiences of the the first 3 stories and how she recovered from these events. Campbell is still one of the most likable, heroic, and role-model worthy heroines in horror history. She's by turns tough and fearless and soft and vulnerable...refracted beautifully though Campbell's uncommon grace and talent. Also returning are Courtney Cox as Gale Weathers-Riley, who steals most of her scenes, and David Arquette as now Sheriff Dewey Riley. It's nice to see the old gang we rooted for so strongly across 3 films back together again. I can see why the filmmakers would have done anything to preserve the central cast, as it would not be the same without them. We also have a band of fresh faces and cameos from Hayden Penetierre (another scene-stealer), Emma Roberts, Anna Paquin (True Blood). Rory Culkin (Signs), among others. Ghostface is also back for the 10th anniversary and has his knife sharpened to cut through many of the new cast, and director Wes Craven's brilliant hide and seek direction is still thrilling and he has managed to make it feel both familiar and fresh. The unsung hero of Scream 4 is Kevin Williamson, who has written a sharp, observent, hysterically self-referential and his observations and insights on the last decade of horror films is absolutely brilliant and gives the film its octance, since he is really the first to comment on it in any meanigful way, much the way he did with the entire horror genre thus far in the first film. He plays with the tsunami of horror remakes, the new technologies and social networking sites, and ever shifting rules of the genre to brilliant ends, as it allows for some truly imaginative chase and kill scenes. He even pokes some hilarious fun at himself, as he more or less invented the "opening scene murder mini-movie" which the series was known for starting with Scream 1's terrifying opening minutes with Drew Barrymore. The ending is a true jaw-dropper and a genuine surprise and one that makes more sense than the last two sequels did. Once again Williamson ties it into current media culture deftly and skillfully. The Bluray presentation is superb. The 1080p PQ is razor sharp and wonderfully filmic. The grain structure is kept beautifully intact but it is never obtrusive. Colors are bright, skin tones are natural, and fine detail is superb...every kill reveals every drip of blood and piece of flesh...so enjoy that! The DTS-HD MA 5.1 lossless soundtrack is awesome. It's loud, pounding, has terrific and scary ambient surrounds...the rear channels and subwoofer get quite a workout. Dialogue is crisp and clear. Especially nice is Marco Beltrami's terrifying score which heightens the tension. The package includes a standard definition DVD and a digital copy for your mobile device. The special features are a tad light. There's a making of documentary, deleted scenes(w/ optional commentary), and cast and filmmaker commentary. I would have liked more of a breakdown of each area...casting, score, editing, make-up effects, etc. Scream 4's box office ws tepid, which is unfortunate and surprising to me, given how strong the movie is, but I think it fell victim to (ironically) an oversaturated market...the horror blitz has been non-stop since the first Scream hit back in 1996 as it re-invigorated the genre single-handedly. It was also marred by a poor trailer and TV spots which did not even glimpse how good the film is. It also had a crappy release date. This should have been a summer movie. It would have made perfect counter-programming to the 500 superhero movies released this past summer. It's worldwide gross was excellent, but it still makes the likelihood of future sequels uncertain. I hope Craven and Williamson keep going as this territory is more than fertile for a new trilogy, and Scream 4 proves there's lots of life and fresh ingredients to keep it going. Here's hoping Ghostface will return for a 5th entry, and (hope, hope) a 6th, as this is the first in a proposed new trilogy. Ghostface has kept his blade sharp with Scre4m. Review: Good Product - Good Product