A Decent Entry
Scream 4 is a turning point in the franchise. It’s the halfway point between the original trilogy and the Samantha Carpenter saga of Scream 5 and Scream 6. Thus far, it’s the last film where Sidney Prescott is the central protagonist and the first in the series to feel like it was made for a twenty-first century audience.
I don’t love Scream 4, but I like it. It’s not a disappointing film by any means, but it isn’t an outstanding one either. However, it does feature one of the best murders in the series, an epic third act, and my favorite killer behind the Ghostface mask.
High Points of Scream 4
The Premise
It takes place eleven years after Roman’s murder spree in Scream 3. Sidney has become a successful author. Her latest work is a memoir about the events of the previous three films. She returns to Woodsboro as part of her book tour. Immediately, a new killing spree begins. This time Ghostface is targeting Jill Roberts, Sidney’s cousin, and Jill’s friends.
It’s a nice set-up, the only drawback is Woodsboro isn’t an ideal setting. It’s a small town and we spent the previous two entries in Hollywood and at Windsor College. But this film does explore parts of the town we didn’t see in the first film, like the large, red barn where Charlie and Robbie host their Stab movie marathon and the local hospital. Thankfully, both of these places become sites of admirable suspense and action sequences later on.
The Characters
The original trio are all alive and well. Sidney is still the resilient hero she’s always been. Dewey is still a modest goofball, and Gale is still an ambitious, urban professional with a no-nonsense exterior.
Most of Jill’s friends are relatable teens. Olivia is a popular, stylish girl that isn’t as mean as she you would expect her to be. Robbie is a tech wizard that has a fixation on vlogging his high school career. Charlie is another variation of the cool nerd character type. He’s in love with horror movies and runs a cinema club after school. He also has a crush on Kirby. Kirby, played by Hayden Panettiere, is Jill’s best friend. She’s high-spirited, also a huge horror fan, knows how to have a good time, and slightly badass.
The Third Act
Most of the third act takes place at an after-party at Kirby’s house. The killer reveal happens during this section and it leads to a bloody and violent conclusion. By the time Dewey and the cops arrive, nobody is left standing, not even Sidney. The last few minutes of the film take place at the hospital, where one of the killers tries to finish off Sidney and Gale.
There are a lot gripping moments in this act. To name a few, Ghostface chases Sidney and Jill upstairs into Kirby’s bedroom. Jill avoids him by hiding under the bed, but he pursues Sidney outside onto the roof of the house. He also ties Charlie up outside and forces Kirby to play a game of horror movie trivia to keep him alive. It’s an obvious homage to the opening scene in the first film, but it’s unique enough to stand on its own without coming off as something rehashed.
Ghostface
Ghostface is once again striving for originality. This time he’s filming his murders and planning to upload them online. He’s creating a real life Stab movie and wants his crimes to be immortal. It’s a very modern M.O.
One of Ghostface’s best kills happens in this movie too. He takes out Olivia while she’s on the phone with Jill and Kirby. As soon as he bursts out of her closet, he shows no mercy. He kicks and tosses her around the room, stabs her multiple times, throws her out the window, and then guts her.
It’s an intense, brutal scene. Jill and Kirby are watching the entire murder through Jill’s bedroom window while Sidney races across the street to save Olivia. But Sidney arrives too late, stumbling upon one of the bloodiest crime scenes in the franchise.
Ghostface also says one of his darkest lines in this movie. Which one? The one he delivers to Sidney shortly after Olivia’s murder. “I’m going to slit your eyelids in half, so you don’t blink when I stab you in the face. You’ll die when I want you to, Sidney. Not a moment before. Until then, you’re going to suffer.”
Pure evil.
Low Points of Scream 4
Fake Out Opening
The opening scene includes two fake out sequences. The first one is a lame murder scene from Stab 6 starring Lucy Hale and the second one is a murder scene from Stab 7 starring Kristen Bell. In the first scene, Lucy and her friend receive creepy texts from a mysterious Facebook stranger. Two different Ghostface killers show up and kill them both. In the second one, Kristin argues with her friend about horror movies. She gets tired of listening to her, so she tells her to shut up, and stabs her in the stomach.
The filmmakers should’ve devoted this time to Jenny or Marnie. Marnie’s death would’ve hit much harder if she wasn’t killed offscreen. Jenny’s death sequence should’ve been more intense. Ghostface simply chases her into the garage, breaks her back with the door, and stabs her twice. It’s not very exciting.
Rebecca
Rebecca is Sidney’s publicist. She’s selfish and insensitive. She doesn’t care about Sidney or the fact people around her are dying. She cares about her career. Nothing else.
Usually, I enjoy asshole characters, but Rebecca is the rare one I don’t. She isn’t very likeable. She’s slightly stuck-up and annoying. When Ghostface finally kills her, you wonder what the hell took him so long. Alison Brie, the actress who plays her, is actually one of my favorite stars. Her talent was wasted on this terrible role.
Trevor
Trevor is Jill’s ex-boyfriend. His character is similar to Billy Loomis. He’s reserved and mysterious, a bad boy. None of Jill’s friends like him. But I do. Unfortunately, he’s only in a handful of scenes. He hangs in the background for most of the movie. When he shows up, he’s either talking to Jill, annoying her friends, or looking suspicious.
He should’ve had a few more scenes with Jill and her friends to develop his backstory and have an opportunity to display the full range of his personality. A scene or two between him and Sidney, Gale, or Dewey wouldn’t have hurt either. It might have made him appear more like a believable suspect. Come on, did anyone really actually think he was the killer? I didn’t.
Jill Roberts: The Anti-Final Girl of Scream 4
Jill is my favorite character in the Scream series. She takes everything we know about final girls and turns it upside down. She starts out as a caring, good-natured girl, but by the end of the film she reveals she’s actually one of the killers!
From the moment she reveals her true nature, she’s unrecognizable. The angel is gone. She’s been completely replaced by a heartless, devious, self-centered, psychopath. She’s quick-tempered too and even turns on her partner-in-crime, stabbing him directly in the heart when he least expects it. Despite this, she somehow becomes more alluring the more evil she becomes.
Jill’s motivation is a hybrid-remix of Mickey’s in Scream 2 and Roman’s in Scream 3. She’s attention hungry, jealous of Sidney, and wants to become famous. She’s driven by the fact that being “sick is the new sane” and the media loves “sole survivors.” That’s right. She actually planned a murder spree just so she can gain a reputation as a survivor girl and become a household name.
Jill will do anything to get what she wants. She stabs herself and beats herself up to stage a fake crime scene and appear like an innocent victim. She’s insane! And that’s a wonderful thing. The crazier villains are the more entertained I am.
