Director: Wes Craven
Screenplay: Kevin Williamson
Producers: Wes Craven, Kevin Williamson, Iya Labunka
Starring: Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox, David Arquette, Emma Roberts, Hayden Panettiere
Year: 2011
Country: USA
BBFC Certification: 15
Duration: 111 min
Cliché. The film is all about the cliché’s. In fact, even the characters talk about the cliché nature of the whole situation. Some of them are funny, some are slightly cheesy, and the rest aren’t very good. However, I feel that the plot is quite clever, with twists and turns, and a number of suspects cropping up everywhere.
The film did have me guessing over and over who “Ghostface” was. I admit, I was extremely shocked when the killer (Or killers?) was revealed. I do like the idea of using the internet as a way to keep the crime alive. Although, it does seem like the writer/producers are trying to be “Down with the kids” by using modern terms and modern influences (Facebook, Twitter, Webcam)
The film does have a great combination of thrills, chills, and laughter, the teen cast providing most of the laughs. It does hint that it is trying to live up to the original, but is still inventive and fairly exciting. With so many poorly made reboots hitting the cinemas lately, Scream 4, or Scre4m as it has been stylized, is a breath of fresh air from the slasher-with-no-story-number-16.
I enjoyed Scre4m, it kept me laughing, it kept me on the edge of my seat, and it kept me wondering, however, I wasn’t terrified, the one thing the movie lacked, terror.
By Eammon Jacobs