Scream 4 (2011)

 

Genre: Horror/ Slasher

Time: 1h 51mins

Director: Wes Craven

Quick Summary: Ten years have passed, and Sidney Prescott, who has put herself back together thanks in part to her writing, is visited by the Ghostface Killer.

Admittedly, I think this is more for fans of the series which isn't a bad thing, it's just I'm not overly keen on the whole franchise. It's nowhere as good as the first, but it is so much better than the previous two so that's a bonus.

Honestly, I did really like how much this pokes fun at horror films, almost mocking them and making them a massive joke throughout this. It does talk about the good sides of it too though. The returning main cast was pretty solid as they always are throughout these Scream films, but I did like the new characters within this too. They had a lot of potential and were actually interesting enough for me to care if they died.

The twist this time around I very much enjoyed too, as it actually had some weight to it for once instead of just being a surprise (that never really makes sense).  Ghostface too I felt was better as well, their motives actually kind of made sense for once, and honestly, they did make a pretty point, especially for modern-day life. There was some emotion to the deaths too, as I somewhat cared for the characters and some of them do get really fucked over. 

I'm not too sure if I liked the amount of blood in this or not, as it seemed excessive, especially for just stabbings? Might just be me but a whole room doesn't need to be covered in blood from one person. As well, it was pretty easy to tell when someone was going to die or not, which is a shame as it then loses the surprise or paranoia these films were pretty good at. At least the deaths were brutal.

One thing I want to note is the character called "Judy" who was absolutely terrifying. I'm not sure if it was done on purpose or not, but she really creeped me out. From how she said things down to her body movement. In one scene she is just talking to another character standing half in the dark in the hallway, casually and it's just such a creepy vibe.

The plot is a little bit flimsy, like why would Sidney come back to her hometown where she was almost murdered three times? Gale and Dewey are somehow still together even though they really shouldn't be. It just feels like any other scream film at that point. Like oh no, another Ghostface killer has arrived now that Sidney is back. What a surprise.

If you like the scream films, you'll like this one probably. It pays homage more to the original with some modernisation to it which is a nice change. I'm so glad Gale finally got a normal haircut too.

7/10

"One generation's tragedy is the next one's joke."

"Why is Sidney Prescott staying with you? I mean, that's like being on Top Chef with Jeffrey Dahmer."

"A bunch of articulate teens sit around and deconstruct horror movies until Ghostface kills them one by one. It's been done to death. The whole self-aware postmodern meta-shit. Stick a fork in 1996, already."