Just as the original Scream trilogy reinvented the horror genre in part by spoofing the ’80s slasher flicks that preceded it, Scre4m uses equally clever techniques and cameos to revitalize the franchise for a new generation. And with the horror genre having changed since Scream‘s mid ’90s debut, the rules played by the film’s characters have also changed a little. With new fodder, including recent trends such as the Saw franchise, newer communication techniques such as Facebook and Twitter, the rash of horror remakes of the past few years and even the first three Scream films, director Wes Craven and writer Kevin Williamson are clearly back in their element with this new film.
Set 15 years after the original Scream killings, Scre4m finds Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) returning to Woodsboro to promote her empowering self-help book. But it turns out she’s not the only one who has been overcoming the horrific events that inspired her to write the book. Now a local celebrity, it’s not long before Sidney is reunited with Sheriff Dewey Riley (David Arquette) and reporter-turned-author Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox) to figure out who is killing the friends of Sidney’s teenage cousin Jill (Emma Roberts).
From the infamous Ghostface costume to the town’s obsession with the events of the first three movies (and the ridiculous series of Stab movies they’ve inspired), Scre4m is constantly poking fun at itself and bringing the audience along for one inside joke after another. And the suspense builds as it becomes more and more clear that the killer is obviously in the midst of those being killed, causing everyone from cocky ex-boyfriends to Sidney herself to become suspects. But when it comes time for the climactic twist that has become a staple of the Scream series, the rules have changed ever so slightly yet again, allowing for more than one surprise as the mystery unravels.
Scre4m. Directed by Wes Craven. Starring Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, David Arquette and Emma Roberts. Rated R. www.scream-4.com.
Review by Jonathan Williams