Scream 4 (2011)

I’m doing something a little different tonight. I’m watching a sequel. I gotta be honest, I didn’t really have much interest in this. Both when it was announced, when it premiered, and even when I considered this challenge. I felt the same way about Scream 4 that I feel about the upcoming Halloween movie. I want to be excited, but it just feels unnecessary and I know not to trust sequels. Or reboots for the most part. I realy loved the first Scream. It was an original movie made by probably my favorite horror movie writer and director Wes Craven. It was perfect. It was different, but familiar and furthered some of the meta ideas that Craven started exploring in New Nightmare, the final Nightmare on Elm Street movie.

But what about Freddy vs Jason?

THE FINAL NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET MOVIE.

The more I thought about it though the more I wanted to watch this. It was Wes Craven’s final film before he passed away. I really do want to see what they do with Sidney’s character, and I’m a completionist. Plus, I still have an undying 90’s nostalgia fueled crush on Neve Campbell.

*Swoon*

Sidney has always been one of my favorite Final Girls. I think that’s why it took me so long to watch this. I just didn’t want to see them do to Sidney what they did to Laurie Strode. I guess the new Halloween recitifies this, but still. I’VE BEEN HURT BEFORE, DAMN IT.

I watched it. Verdict: It’s not as bad as I thought it was going to be. It wasn’t good, but it wasn’t that bad. It definitely had it’s moments. Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell/Bae) returns to Woodsboro after ten years while touring for her book. Her book is about (You guessed it!) the Woodsboro murders. The other 2/3 of the original trio are also here and they’re exactly how you would’ve predicted them to be 10 years later. Dewey (David Arquette)  is the town sheriff and Gayle (Courtney Cox – Sans Arquette) is a failed reporter/writer who’s miserable. They all nail their performances and the one of the things I did enjoy is that this actually felt like it existed as a real Scream movie. The addition felt real within that universe. Not many decades later sequels actually feel like they belong. Of course Ghost Face shows up to terrorize Sidney again and also a new group of teenage girls that mirror all the old stereotypes. Honestly, I didn’t give much of a shit about any of the newbies except Hayden Panettiere’s character. I forget her name. It doesn’t matter. Even when she’s bad ass and has short gelled hair she’s still Claire Bennet to me.

Save the edge lord, save the world!

The meta commentary is on full display, but this time it launches a full on assault against Reboots and Remakes. I respect the shit out of that considering Wes Craven was one of the biggest victims of having his work rebooted and neutered (Last House on the Left, The Hills Have Eyes, freaking NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET, etc.).

Honestly though the only real reason to watch this is to see Sidney. No! Not just because I have a huge crush on her…

But because she’s everything I could have asked for from a Final Girl, but ten years later. Ghostface shows up and starts terrorizing everyone and Sidney hands him the business over and over again. She kicks the killer down the stairs, slams doors on him. Sidney is over this shit. In fact she delivers my favorite line in the whole movie:

“You forgot the first rule of remakes. Don’t fuck with the original!

From what I heard this was supposed to kick off another trilogy, but Wes Craven’s death put an ax (or knife, I guess) to that. I’m both surprised and glad they didn’t continue with it. This was not the greatest movie, but it was a good end to Sidney’s character. Sid will forever go down as one of my top 5 final girls and Wes Craven will go down as one of, if not, my favorite Horror pioneers. I give it a 5.5 out of 10.

I’m exhausted, so this is where I leave you. I’m heading to bed and I’m going to dream of a world where Rob Zombie’s Halloween never existed and Hell Raiser stopped after Hell Raiser 2. Good night and stay spooky, everybody.