Scream
4
Get ready to start dancing the Macarena again because Scream 4
is spearheading 90's nostalgia with a vengeance.
On the 15th anniversary of the Woodsboro murders (and the 15th
anniversary of the first Scream movie), Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell)
triumphantly has returned to her hometown on the last stop of her book
tour (people still read books?). Of course, trouble has followed as
well.
Someone has taken on the guise of the Ghostface Killer, and he's
recreating those murders that took place 15 years ago. While Sidney is
put under 24-hour protection, the local high school kids, including
Olivia (Marielle Jaffe), Kirby (Hayden Panettiere), Sidney's cousin
Jill (Emma Roberts), Charlie (Rory Culkin) and more are trying to avoid
being the next victim.
Can Dewey (David Arquette) and Gale (Courtney Cox) find the killer
before it is too late?
Who will live and who will die?
Writer Kevin Williamson and director Wes Craven have recreated the
magic we loved the first time around. Sure, they are still embracing
and mocking horror movie rules, so it's not all that original, but we
get plenty of surprises, some campy moments, some funny moments and I
bet you won't be able to predict the identity of the killer. It's a
mélange of horror, satire and comedy, and Williamson and Craven
know exactly when Scream 4 needs to be each of those.
Williamson and Craven also know when to let go of the nostalgia. Sure,
we get some inside jokes about Cox and Arquette being married, and
plenty of references to the original Scream trilogy, but Scream
4 can stand on its own. If you have never seen a Scream
movie, Williamson and Craven explain enough to let you know about the
history, but they also entertain us with a well written, fast paced,
exciting and scary movie.
In fact, my favorite actor in the movie is Panettiere. She's awesome
with all of the right amounts of sass. Of all of the young actors in Scream
4, she has the most confidence and screen presence. For that,
Panettiere gets the best lines in the movie, and knows how to deliver
them. Alison Brie comes in a close second as the tough and brassy
agent.
Scream 4 is perfect for those who like a sick,
twisted sense of humor, or those who want to be shocked. I guess I felt
a special kinship with this film when they started ripping on the Saw
movies.
Scream 4 is rated R for strong bloody violence,
language and some teen drinking.
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