Scream 4 (2011)

Ten years have passed, and Sidney Prescott, who has put herself back together thanks in part to her writing, is visited by the Ghostface Killer.

Director:

Wes Craven

Writer:

Kevin Williamson

Stars:

Lucy Hale, Neve Campbell, David Arquette

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Lucy Hale	...	Sherrie
Roger Jackson	...	The Voice (voice)
Shenae Grimes	...	Trudie
Dane Farwell	...	Ghostface
Anna Paquin	...	Rachel
Kristen Bell	...	Chloe
Aimee Teegarden	...	Jenny Randall
Britt Robertson	...	Marnie Cooper (as Brittany Robertson)
Neve Campbell	...	Sidney Prescott
Alison Brie	...	Rebecca Walters
David Arquette	...	Dewey Riley
Courteney Cox	...	Gale Weathers-Riley
Hayden Panettiere	...	Kirby Reed
Emma Roberts	...	Jill Roberts
Marielle Jaffe	...	Olivia Morris

Storyline

Sidney Prescott, now the author of a self-help book, returns home to Woodsboro on the last stop of her book tour. There she reconnects with Sheriff Dewey and Gale, who are now married, as well as her cousin Jill and her Aunt Kate. Unfortunately, Sidney's appearance also brings about the return of Ghostface, putting Sidney, Gale, and Dewey, along with Jill, her friends, and the whole town of Woodsboro in danger.

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Plot Keywords:

book | murder | sheriff | deputy | author | 

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Taglines:

New decade. New rules.

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Genres:

Horror | Mystery

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong bloody violence, language and some teen drinking

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official Facebook [Spain]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 April 2011 (USA)

Also Known As:

Scre4m

Filming Locations:

Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$40,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£2,061,885 (UK) (15 April 2011)

Gross:

$38,176,892 (USA) (24 June 2011)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Dimension Films, Corvus Corax Productions, Outerbanks Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

111 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital DTS SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

For the first time in the series, a CGI-added knife was used because Wes Craven wanted to avoid using prop knives that are rubber, cardboard and collapsible.

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Goofs

When deputy Perkins is stabbed in his forehead and starts walking out of the police car, it is obvious that the stains all over his police uniform are not blood stains.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Sherrie: [answering phone] Hello?

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Connections

Referenced in The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Episode #19.124 (2011)

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Soundtracks

"Yeah Yeah Yeah"
Written by Jesper Anderberg, Felix Rodriguez, Fredrik Blond, Maja Ivarsson, Johan Bengtson
Performed by The Sounds
Courtesy of Arnioki Records

User Reviews

Reivindicates the saga after more than a decade.

Never before have I seen a horror franchise spawn 4 movies and still be taken seriously, usually when a franchise follows this path it means that the producers are making annual cash-ins trying to milk the franchise as much as possible while it is still popular and relevant (see Saw, Final Destination), well for Scream 4 (or Scre4m)that's not the case, this movie makes an effort to continue a saga which was put to sleep for more than a decade, without it being a re-imagining, re-make or re-boot like the hideous Rob Zombie attempt at a Halloween remake(although the movie makes fun of this in a brilliant way). Scream 4 is more than that, while a sequel, it feels like a complete new beginning, it carried the bad stigma that the failed Scream 3 left behind, yet it proved that the series is still relevant, and with the adequate script it takes off on a delightful new killing spree.

10 years have passed since Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) last encountered the Ghostface killer, she has moved on with her life and now dedicates to writing her most intimate memoirs and book touring the country with her publicist, making her last stop at her hometown of Woodsboro, the place where it all started. Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox) and Dewey Riley (David Arquette) are living their peaceful lives in that town, the same as Jill Roberts (Emma Roberts) Kirby Reed (Hayden Panettiere) and their friends, which, begin being stalked by a new masked killer.

When at it's best, Scream 4 manages to make you laugh hysterically but at the same time, in the same scene, give you heart-stopping scares, other reviewers think that the only characters you care about are the main threesome (Sidney, Gale and Dewey) but in my opinion, it is precisely the "new rules" factor that make you doubt whether they'll make it or not, meanwhile, you start caring about the other characters (specially Kirby Reed, played by "Heroes" cheerleader Hayden Panettiere) who shares her love for horror films with an unusual crush.

While some of the decisions made by characters really fall into the "dumb-blonde-who-goes-upstairs" category, it is precisely the killer that takes credit for this decision making, since you don't know where he'll pop up next, thus making going outside an even scarier choice.

Scream 4 is really better thought out than it's predecessor, there's no doubt about that, this time, the gore is even more gruesome, the body count is larger and the truth is that you'll never guess who the killer is, it really could be anyone, and director Wes Craven really makes this a possibility.

In the end, Scream 4 perfectly combines comedy, horror, action and drama to create a new formula, while not a perfect movie, it's shortcomings become less important by one aspect, it really doesn't take itself too seriously but at the same time it makes a homage of the saga and utilizes itself as a tool to further immortalize the Ghostface killer as one of the most popular icons in the horror genre.