Scre4m

The first unnecessary follow up and the fourth installment to the 1996 film sensation that redefined the horror genre. SCRE4M hardly takes the lead in this one, but rather follows. All the films have been about clichés and many a homage--this film has plenty, and within universe nods--but this is the most violent of all SCREAM films, almost as if it's trying to compete with SAW or HOSTEL; really separating itself from the other three films. Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) has returned to her hometown Woodsboro, and people suddenly start dying… who didn't see this coming? Dewey Riley (David Arquette) is now the sheriff not the deputy, but he's still as useless and foolish as ever. Courteney Cox's beloved bitchy character, Gale Weathers, has now turned into an ex-reporter and housewife--this subplot just begs for an excuse to have Weathers in the film. Something is very askew when the three returning characters (and the only three returning characters) are less interesting than the materialistic and twisted kids that are either getting butchered or doing the butchering. Brie, Jaffe, Knudsen, Panettiere, Shelton and especially Rory Culkin are all terrific in their roles. Keep an eye out for Nancy O'Dell as the reporter interviewing Sidney about her new book--she was also a reporter in SCREAM 2 and SCREAM 3. Williamson returns as the screenwriter (he wrote all but SCREAM 3), developing the most charismatic characters since the original and a very interesting plot that starts to ware thin. If the series has done anything perfect, it's the opening scenes. The opening scenes to all four films have been fantastic. Still, once the plot starts flying, you begin to realize how unnecessary this film is. Also, despite handfuls of salutes to the first three SCREAMs, the fact that the series is all about continuity--plus more importantly, Sidney wrote a book about her bloodbath of a life!--lends the story to have many open windows into the past. Yet, not a single reference to Cotton Weary (Liev Schreiber), a backbone in the Prescott family history. Thank God there were indirect references to Tatum Riley (Rose McGowan) and Steve (Kevin Patrick Walls), and the obvious references to Randy Meeks (Jamie Kennedy), Billy Loomis (Skeet Ulrich), Stuart (Matthew Lillard) and Casey Becker (Drew Barrymore). All-in-all, pointless but memorable--it serves its purpose as entertainment, but there's really not much other purpose besides that. Yes, some of filmmaking is about business, but SCRE4M is pretty much all about the money; kind of lame.