However, before I start sounding like a hyper fan, I want to give a bit of a synopsis of the film. Ten years have passed since Sidney's final encounter with Ghostface, and now things have changed. Sidney is now a very popular author publicizing her newest book on her life, Out of Darkness. Her last stop on her book tour is back in her home town we have not seen in 15 years. However, with her return comes a ghost from the past. Not only does the new generation take the bloody history of Woodsboro as a sick but entertaining gimmick, but Ghostface has also returned to kill on the anniversary of the original Woodsboro murders. Meanwhile, Dewey is the chief of police and Gale, his wife, is retired and finding it incredibly difficult to write her next book. Furthermore, Sidney can't just protect Gale, Dewey, and herself, she also must fight to protect a group of new teenagers that very much resemble the original cast of Scream. Meanwhile, Ghostface holds nothing back and produces a trail of carnage forcing Sidney to suffer and watch as people around her die brutally.
First of all, this is by far the goriest film in the entire Scream franchise. For example, there are rooms drenched in blood and even disembowelment. It is very horrifying and brutal to watch because it shows that after 15 years, Ghostface has evolved his tactics to fit the newest rule of this new decade - the kills are much more elaborate and ten times more brutal and horrifying. Furthermore, the body count in this film is higher than any Scream film, with a grand total of 15 deaths in the entire film. Meanwhile, speaking of the new rules, this film does exactly what the first one did with the presentation that this decade, the Horror genre has developed new rules and regulations. Now anyone can die, happy endings are very unlikely, and to quote one hilarious line, "to survive a modern horror film, you basically have to be gay." What is even more perfect about the film, is its criticism on the remake, as there is clear parody of not only the original Scream but also the Hollywood trend of remaking films for clear money grabs leaving no room for original ideals.
Meanwhile, another factor to point out is the film's clever combination of bloody horror and excellent sarcasm and comedy. Three characters do this excellently. First, Gale Weathers Riley has shown herself as the absolute best at delivering one liners as she gave lines that were so hilarious the theater was nearly in stitches from laughing so hard. Next, there is Kirby Reed, played by Hayden Panettiere, who is the smarter and funnier version of Tatum from Scream. She knows all about Horror films and loves them, and she even has a collection of amazing classic Horror films. Meanwhile, she is the perfect portrayal of an awesome sarcastic teenage girls. She was amazing at delivering one-liners while even being scared out of her wits. Finally, there is Sidney's publicist, Rebecca, played by Alison Brie, who is the modern equivalent to Gale in the original Scream. She starts off sympathetic, but soon becomes a bitch that you absolutely love to hate and love to laugh at.
The next major feature of importance is the opening scene. The Scream films are known for very impressive and clever openings, and this opening has to be the second best opening after the superb and infamous opening with Drew Barrymore. It meshes the first Scream opening with the opening in Scream 2 and does it so cleverly and shockingly, that by the end of it I was in complete awe. It was absolutely beautiful and had one of my favorite lines in the movie. The usage of current day celebs in the opening made it absolutely brilliant and frightening and twisted. Moreover, the ending has to be one of the best endings to a Scream film ever. The reveal was an amazing twist, and the explanation was probably one of the most disturbing and truthful outlooks on this generation. However, this film is also extremely heartbreaking in that one moment literally had me and some others I saw close to tears due to shock. Meanwhile, the ending to this film is also extremely satisfying in that it has a possibility of producing a sequel, but Scream 4's ending can easily also be seen as very worthy ending to the franchise.
There is a clear full reference to the original Scream and then some throughout the entirety of the film. This film is a very worthy sequel for Scream and it is the best sequel since Scream 2. In fact, it is equal and also much better than Scream 2. Meanwhile, though it is a clear sequel, this film also shows itself as being a reboot as well. However, this is not a bad thing. Wes Craven and Kevin Williamson knew exactly what they were doing when they were making this, and it works 100%. The presentation of the film as a sequel/reboot of the franchise was brilliantly done. Furthermore, this clearly reflects the criticism on the Hollywood remake fetish. However, this film shows that sequels can do much better when adding originality as we can see with the amazingly clever writing of Kevin Williamson. As for the master of suspense, Wes Craven, he has completely outdone himself this time, as this is his best film to date since the original Scream films. Meanwhile, this film is also one of the most original sequels to a horror franchise that I have seen. Craven has proved himself as the master of suspense in producing a film with terrific scares, clever kill shots, and plenty (and I mean PLENTY) of blood shed.
The characters - old and new - were all amazing and meshed well in the film. I very much liked these new characters because they are relatable to modern society. Meanwhile, the old actors, especially Neve Campbell, make this film even more impressive. Neve Campbell carries this film throughout and shows Sidney as a strong and much more powerful heroin. She is not afraid anymore and will fight back no matter what the cost. I have my complete respect towards her as an amazing actress. Courtney Cox and David Arquette were the perfect team of keeping the comic relief available when needed. They were amazing at keeping the film's Horror and comedy balanced. Finally, there is the amazing voice of Ghostface, which is done exquisitely by Roger Jackson. He is absolutely chilling in his voice as he is very crisp, clear, and insane. He gives Ghostface, while unknown, the perfect horrifying identity and really makes the part shine as not only does he deliver frightening lines but he is not afraid to get clever and present funny and scary lines together.
The last thing to point out is the music of the film. Scream 4 has my absolute favorite soundtrack as not only are songs that have a 90's nostalgia feel, but the scores from the original Scream films is also used and taken to an even further and darker level. Thus, we see another way in which this film can be seen as a sequel and a remake. The soundtrack has some amazing songs - my favorite being the one during the beginning of the ending credits.
In conclusion, Scream 4 is absolutely the best sequel in the franchise in that it ties and simultaneously outdoes Scream 2. The acting is superb, and the characters were hilarious and likable. The deaths were brutal and horrifying, while the black comedy was sharp and clever making Scream 4 a surefire success. The twists and turns in this film were insane making it into a complete roller coaster ride. Scream 4 is the sequel that people have been waiting for and it exceeds those expectations tenfold. Finally, with all of its brutality and disturbing content, this film has the best message of any Scream film - "First rule of remakes - don't f**k with the original!"
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Fixed the comment problem!
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