Scream 4 (2011)

Directed by: Wes Craven
Starring: Neve Campbell, David Arquette, Courtney Cox

Overall Rating: 64.8

After an 11 year layoff, Wes Craven returns to the universe of the Ghostface killer with "Scream 4".  While staying true to the 90's slasher flicks made famous by the franchise, "Scream 4" manages to throw some a few curveballs to seeming cliched horror scenes to not only parody itself, but also to keep the audience guessing.

The 4th installment picks up with the famous survivor of the first three films, Sidney Prescott (Campbell), returning to Woodsboro for the anniversary of the first murders and to promote her new book.  To absolutely nobody's surprise, as soon as Sidney arrives in town, people start dying.  This time, the latest incarnation of Ghostface seems to want to torture Sidney by killing everyone around her, rather than go directly after the heroine. 

Included in those being targeted is Sidney's cousin, Jill (Emma Roberts) and the newest class of all-good-looking, no-minorities-in-sight class of Woodsboro High.  Back once more are "Scream" staples Sheriff Dewey (Arquette) and wife/reporter/writer Gale (Cox) to try to use the pattern of the first killings to hunt the newest killer.  Only this time around, the stereotypical murder patterns that the Scream franchise became famous for mocking are all backfiring on the investigators, as Ghostface always seems to be one step ahead.

While "4" does manage to turn the founding principals of the first 3 installments on their heads, it still ends up a bit cheesy overall.  One of the big problems is the fact that the body count seems to be much higher this time around than in previous films.  The original was truly revolutionary because it wasn't "how is this person going to die", but "will this person die?"  In "4", the focus seems to be more on the killings than the characters, and that causes the overall tone of the movie to shift from the slasher movie roots to the cheap jumpy thrills.  While the overall theme of the film is focused on upgrading the slasher genre into the new millennium, we still get the same cliched kills and each victim can be seen coming well in advance.

While it's somewhat of a nice change of pace from the super-serious horror films of today, I can't help but feel that the brightly lit colors of Woodsboro could have changed their tones ever so slightly.  While it's been over a decade since we last saw Sidney Prescott run from knife-wielding maniacs, "Scream 4" still feels like it was made in the late 90's.  In some ways, it's a nice retro feel, but in others, it just feels played out and unnecessary.

Individual Ratings
Enjoyment Factor: 6
Dialogue: 5
Acting: 4
Direction: 6
Audio/Visual: 6