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News broke that the Weinsteins were bringing Scream back to the masses, ten years after the last one. It actually got a lot of folk excited. I had forgotten what a good film Scream was and just filed it in ‘don’t give a shit’ with most of the horror remake/sequel offerings announced. Then we heard Williamson was writing (he ended up out again), Craven was back, and the original three, who all had at some point swore they would not return, had signed to come back with a new cast full of Generation Y lambs to the slaughter.
It was this reviewer’s fear that the original actors would be token guests in an all new show of youngens. What a dang relief it was to see them take centre stage again.
Sydney Prescott is now a well-adjusted woman (considering) returning to Woodsborough for the first time in many years to plug her new novel. Of course, things turn to shit all too quickly, and Sydney’s cousin, Jill, and her chums, are terrorized by a new killer in town. Battle hardened Sydney tries to steel one of her only remaining family members against the carnage, and quickly bring to an end this new terror.
This is what the third film should have been. There is progression in the arcs of the characters we know and love; there are new, disparate supporting characters that are enjoyable to follow; and there are some good moments of tension. Unlike a lot of reviewers, I didn’t like the opening: it was all gimmick, no emotion, and had me expecting a pile of ding for a film. Thankfully, it improves quickly and steadily from there. I still pegged who the killer/or killers was/were before it was revealed, but on the whole, I enjoyed it immensely—far more than the third entry.
What the fourth entry doesn’t do is justify its relevance. It doesn’t triumph in capturing a fresh approach for a new generation, like the original did, because, well, it isn’t original. IPhones and a few referential mentions to the remake situation do not elevate this to a new type of horror film: it is simply more of the same with a new coat of paint. It’s enjoyable, but it’s hardly necessary beyond the fiduciary motives of its makers.
Unlike the first run of Scream films, this one didn’t fare well at the box office, so if I were a betting man, I wouldn’t expect to see another instalment… until they remake it.
MPAA Rating: 
