Scream 4
Review
by Anthony Morris
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Scream 4
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Reviving a franchise a decade or so after the last film isn't
usually a sign that there's a pressing artistic need to continue the
story.
But far from being a quick-buck cash-in trading on old
glories, Scream 4 manages to be as frightening and as funny as any of
the previous films. That said, your enjoyment of this will
reply on a large extent on how much you know and love slasher movies,
and that's a genre that hasn't been relevant in horror since, well,
Scream 3. The meta-comedy gags are back in full force here,
with an opening fifteen minutes that's more than happy to keep on
twisting back on itself before we finally get to the "real" start of
the story. Which, in fairness, is the same story as every other Scream movie.
So
here it is - a mysterious yet often kind of clumsy knife-wielding
Ghostface Killer is once again gutting the sexy teens (and the
occasional adult) of Woodsboro. Coincidentally (or not),
Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) is back in town promoting her new book,
while Sheriff Gale (David Arquette) and his wife, ex-newshound Gale
(Courtney Cox) quickly find themselves draw back into the cycle of
killings. You pretty much know the rest : there are a bunch
of suspects, a bunch of movie references, a few decent stalk'n slash
sequences and a story that wraps up when there's pretty much no-one
left to kill. It's nice to see the old cast back, and
there's a bunch of the series' trademark comedy / tv cameos to keep the
energy levels up, so despite there being basically nothing all that
surprising or new going on here it still manages to hold together as a
satisfying watch. That said, if you are a horror movie
buff, a lot of the jokes here are gold : this is that rare film that
works bets if you either know nothing about the series at all (so the
twists'll seem fresh) or have been a fan from the start. 3.5 out
of 5
Scream 4
Australian release: 7th April,
2011
Official
Site: Scream 4
Cast: David Arquette, Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, Emma Roberts, Rory Culkin
Director: Wes Craven
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