Scream 4

Scream 4 was released on April 15, 2011, and is the fourth entry in the popular horror franchise, Scream. It was directed by famous horror director Wes Craven, written by Kevin Williamson, and stars Neve Campbell, David Arquette, Courtney Cox, Emma Roberts, and Hayden Panettiere. And of course, Roger L. Jackson as the voice of Ghostface.

I've always had a particular fondness for the Scream films, mainly Ghostface, the three main characters, and the self-awareness of the films. It's one of my favorite horror film series, with Scream 1 being one of my favorite horror films of all time. I also love the fact that Scream 3 has a cameo from Jay and Silent Bob, as well as Heather Matarazzo and Patrick Warburton, as well as Parker Posey's role as Jennifer Jolie, but that's beside the point. Overall, I do love the Scream trilogy, very much so. So I was very excited when they announced the fourth one, but not as excited when I found out that this one would be using remakes for it's self-awareness, as opposed to the continuation of the series, into ridiculous territory, like the later Friday the 13th, Halloween, and Nightmare on Elm Street films. But oh well, I was still excited to have another Scream film. But does it hold up?

It does. I wouldn't say it's the worst, but it certainly isn't the best. (I'd probably say Scream 3 is the worst, regardless of the cameos.) It is good, but not as good as the others, namely the first two. First, the pros.

The return of Neve Campbell, David Arquette, and Courtney Cox is great. It's also quite hilarious seeing David Arquette and Courtney Cox as a happy couple, despite divorcing recently. However, it is good to see the ol' gang of survivors again. Also, the film has a strong supporting cast, including Emma Roberts, Hayden Panettiere, Erik Knudsen, Rory Culkin (yes, the younger brother of Macaulay and Kieran Culkin), and Marley Shelton. Yes, Marley Shelton is in this film, and apologies for this spoiler, but she does survive the film. (Yay!)

The writing is great, and just as self-aware as the previous films. It's also hilarious at times. There do seem to be 1 or 2 continuity errors, but nothing important. The directing by Wes Craven is great, as usual. He is the greatest horror directors of all time, and he still knows how to scare the shit out of you. Also, the revealing of the killer, without spoiling here, is a nice little combination of the last 3 film's killers, and their motivations. That's all I'll say.

Now, the cons: The film is very predictable. Iwas able to figure out the killer roughly halfway in the film, but there still was a bit of a twist there. I earlier mentioned continuity errors, namely the fact that Dewey lost his limp. I'm not 100% sure, but I don't think you would just completely lose a limp. Like I said, I'm not 100% sure, so for all I know, he could've lost the limp, but oh well, pish posh.

Without Jamie Kennedy as Randy Meeks, the film does feel like it's missing something. It gives us two new film nerds (Erik Knudsen and Rory Culkin), but without Randy, the film does feel like it's missing something. Remember, despite dying in the second, he was in the third for a short while, thus becoming a mainstay of the series. Wes Craven said that he didn't put him in this film, because it would be like he didn't die, but without him, the film suffers.

Overall, it's very enjoyable, but without Randy, it feels like it's missing something. I give this film a 7.5/10, check it out if you liked the first 3 (you probably already have.)

P.S. Shame that Hayden Panettiere didn't have her regeneration powers. :(