jay waterfield

(2012-05-01 14:04:23)

Great fun and I was pleasantly surprised

Who could forget the first time Drew Barrymore met her end after beinghunted down by ghost face in the original scream film some 15 yearsago. Its been a decade since scream underwhelmed everybody with itslacklustre third instalment and with a fourth on the way I wassceptical about how the fourth would go and how it would affect theintroduction to the review I would to write about it.In my second paragraph, I can now write about how much I enjoyed thefilm and how I can now use my summary in that Scream 4 (or Scre4m)was"great fun and I was pleasantly surprised". I can't begin to tell youhow true this statement is, the plot manages to weave a tidy littleknot of a mystery that comes to a surprising and comical climax. Thebody count is large, making killings in this instalment come thick andfast. Though with a reduced age rating, scream 4 is far more gruesomethan the previous threesome and a lot more in keeping with the currenthorror movie gore fest. To finish off the second paragraph of my reviewI will conclude that Scream manages to stick to its guns, but moderniseitself not unlike the remakes it satirises.Paragraph 3 contains scenes of critical nature. Now the film is pacedvery well, however there are a lot of characters to get through. Anddespite its self aware nature the two-dimensional characters are sounderplayed that its hard to feel much for them as they quickly getstabbed to death. The only characters you feel much dread for is Gale,Dewey and Sidney as familiar faces that you don't want to meet therebloody doom,however the new cast have so little characterisation thatyou really couldn't care less if their stabbed to death and left to dryon their parents lawns. The film also wasn't as scary as the originaland despite the "kids" knowing the rules of the horror movie they werestarring in they all seem to go outside to investigate a strange noisewhen they know they're all being hunted by a killer. Whether this isdone on purpose, as to mock other horror films is a possibility, but tobe honest it would make the film a lot less predictable if they didn'tmake there predecessors mistakes.So my conclusion is gonna be as sharp and concise as a horror movieshould be. Scream 4 is entertaining, funny and thrilling. And one ofthe last lines of one of the survivors is bloody great.

nama chakravorty

(2012-05-01 05:28:59)

Fairly Entertaining...

The fourth installment in the Scream film series, 'Scream 4' is afairly entertaining film, that offers some chilling moments in thegoings-on and manages to sail safe. However, the culmination isn't veryeffective.'Scream 4' Synopsis: Ten years have passed, and Sidney Prescott, whohas put herself back together thanks in part to her writing, is visitedby the Ghostface Killer.Wes Craven's Body Of Work is truly impressive. Right from his DebutFilm 'The Last House on the Left', to his blockbuster cult-classic 'ANightmare on Elm Street' to the 'Scream' series, all have been greatentertainers to watch. 'Scream 4' is amongst Craven's better works, butnot amongst his finest. Reason? The Weak Culmination. Also, when theactual culprit is reveled, it's motive & actions, don't look asconvincing as it ought to have been. But, in all fairness, 'Scream 4'does offer some chilling moments, especially in the first-hour, thattruly hold your interest. Craven's Direction is perfect, as always,while the Writing Material is so-so. And yes, I would like to add, that, 'Scream 4' is NOT meant for thefaint-hearted at all. It's not only the tense moments that leave youscared, but also the gruesome violence. The film is a bloodbath andeach killing is disturbing. Performance-Wise: Neve Campbell plays Sidney Prescott once again, andshe has done well. David Arquette & Courteney Cox also reprise theircharacters from the previous installments, and they also have performedwell. Emma Roberts is fair. Hayden Panettiere is impressive. RoryCulkin is passable. Anthony Anderson & Adam Brody appear in briefroles. Alison Brie & others lend support.On the whole, 'Scream 4' works in parts, but it's definitely NOT meantfor the faint-hearted.

Grae Drake

(2012-04-30 20:07:12)

The Scream movies are generally thought of as horror-comedies, but one of the things that makes them such fun is the fact that they're also mysteries.

Wayne Malin

(2012-04-30 09:28:08)

Funny, bloody and violent--a GREAT sequel!

It's been 10 years since Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) fought thelast Ghostface killer. She returns to her home town (Woodsboro) topromote a book she wrote about surviving and dealing with the attacks.Her old friends Sheriff Dewey Riley (David Arquette) and GailWeathers-Riley (Courtney Cox) are married and still in town. Sidneystays at her neices Jill Roberts (Emma Roberts) place---and Ghostfaceattacks and threatens Sidney, Jill and her two friends Olivia (MarielleJaffe) and Kirby (Hayden Panettiere). Also Jills ex Trevor Sheldon(Nico Tortorella) won't leave Jill alone.This opens with a VERY bloody and (purposely) very funny parody of"Scream" and other horror movies and then goes full force into itsstory. It moves quickly and is easily the bloodiest of the "Scream"movies with a huge body count. The dialogue is sharp and witty, theviolence bloody and frightening and, for the most part, the acting isgood. The script goes careening out of control at the end--but all WesCraven movies are like that. As for the acting--Campbell, Cox andArquette are great. Newcomers Panettiere, Roberts and Jaffe are alsogood. Tortorella is terrible--but he has nothing to work with. He'sjust there to stand around and look handsome which he pulls off. Thisis as good as "Scream" and "Scream 2". Thank God it isn't the disasterthat "Scream 3" was! I give this an 8. I got a good laugh out of thedirectorial credits for "Stab"!

Camrun Farrokhy

(2012-04-30 12:10:05)

SCREAM 4 Better Than SCREAM 3

SCREAM 4 starts out in lackluster fashion... or so we are meant tothink. All the same elements from the first film's are there, whichplays out as clichГѓВ© now. But then it pulls the rug out from under us.What seems like a serious, albeit lazy, attempt from director WesCraven and screenwriter Kevin Williamson turns into a parody of itself.It's not our film's opening sequence. It's STAB 6's opening sequence.It turns out two young women are watching STAB 6, complaining aboutit's staleness. Then, in a fresh turn of events, then reviles itself asSTAB 7. The filmmakers set the tone with self- parody and wittyconversations. Quick and cleaver. Totally appropriate and very muchexpected from Craven and Williamson.Then things get sloppy. The following scenes don't seem to abide by anytype of structure. They have a death in a house, then in another house,then in a squad car. And although we are told the Ghostface Killer isrecreating the events of the first STAB movie, all we are shown israndom killings of various young girls. It doesn't seem to happen toanyone of any significance. Especially since we are talking about afictional movie no one has ever seen.The end takes too long to get to the point, and then it keeps going tothe point the characters are laughing at the story's reluctance to end.Had it gave us a plausible or somewhat believable conclusion itwould've been worth it, but it ends up being better sold on it'sinteresting characters and their mostly cleaver dialog, but not on the"whodunit" aspect.

KidDrehmann

(2012-04-30 05:45:55)

Return of the Horror King

Since his start as a director, Wes Craven has captivated audiences andleft them at the edge of their seats with his suspenseful andnightmarish films. From the particularly gruesome tortures of Krug andhis associates to the horrible suffering and murdering of Nancy and hercolleagues in their dreams, Wes Craven has instilled our minds all ofhis terrifying visions of fear and terror and it has bestowed itselfinto our deepest and darkest nightmares. The trials and horrors ofSidney Prescott are no exception to this.Spanning over a 15 year period, the savage and brutal attacks on thelife of Sidney and her friends has continuously remained both horrificand surprising throughout the years. Whether it was vengeance,jealousy, or just complete psychopathy there was, as Randy put it inthe original masterpiece, "always some stupid bullshit reason to killyour girlfriend." In the most recent installment of this iconic franchise Sidney findsherself returning, after writing a successful book, to her home town ofWoodsboro, the spawn of the dark side to her story. And with her returnbrings about the revival of Ghostface. The very night she came back,two teenagers met an untimely demise at the hands of someone looking toremake the story of the Prescott family. And as the body countcontinues to rise the famous trio learn how the rules they havefollowed to survive before are no longer the rules of horror moviesthat the world abides by. With a fresh new cast supporting the three returning ones, the fourthfilm in this series proves to be just as creative and clever as allthree of its predecessors. And with a revelation just as shocking as inthe movies before it, it will leave you begging and demanding for more.

Mahmoud_Buttrumps

(2012-04-27 18:08:04)

Wise not to "Scream 4"!

Even though I am Indo-Caribbean and do like watching films just toconnect with motherland,I do feel that we shouldn't judge a book byit's cover.We will make films like Saw VII and the Elm Street Remadebigger hits overseas than good films like Paranormal Activity 2.Iwaited two years to get this because I wasn't interested and because itgrossed $2 million in USA and films that gross over $300,000 getpirated the fastest.Mr Wes Craven sure knows how to make the perfect formula.Put sixattractive stars (and hide one) all over on trailers and posters andcd's and then only have Lucy Hale and Kristen Bell (the hidden one)steal the show from the females Alison Brie and Courteney Cox,which isdisappointing because all four are talented,but Courteney Cox only gets12 lines and Brittany Robertson,probably 15.Then for our males...DavidArquette's name is first and he only gets 10 lines where Justin MichaelBrandt and Erik Knudsen steal the spotlight anyways.Even the supportingartiste get more lines and even the children get more scope,allSalman,Brie and Paquin get to do is stand in the background and blush.Well, only good track is 'The Scream 4 suite'.It has a really goodrepeat value because I have seen it three times and if you like it,thenyou must not like films with high meaning like Shawshank,X-MenX-Men,Dil Se or Astivta,and Tabu won best actress awards for ChandniBar and Astivta.Glad she did the crossover into art films because sheis not going to waste herself any longer in silly commercial masala!6/10

Philip Keenan

(2012-04-27 14:54:01)

They Finally Did It!

I grew up with the Scream films since I was 8 - which was when I firstwatched Scream 1996. By the time Scream 2 released on DVD I had vividnightmares of Ghostface stalking me outside my house. When I wentthrough my faze of horror movies Scream was always the one that Iloved. The start is the most memorable part of the film. It left me speechlessand shocked with it's complex and playfulness and self aware humor thatit played with. When we are finally reintroduced back to Woodsboro withSidney, Gale and Dewey I was suddenly in my element. I felt as though Iwas back in the 90's; not only are we reunited with the iconicGhostface and the stars, Neve, Courtney and David, but the film alsolooks, feels and sounds like a 90's film without being outdated. Its warm cinematography, tight shots, dutch tilts, catchy soundtrackand the genius of Kevin Williamson's script flowed together creatingthis satisfying sequel which was worth waiting for. Sidney Prescott is now much stronger in this film; this time shebattle's Ghostface, confronting his first appearance and helping ournew younger characters as she knows the tricks and suspicions of trusttowards the other sinister characters. The new characters fit well into place, Emma Roberts, Hayden Peneteire,Nico Tortorella, Marley Shelton, Rory Culkin, Alison Brie, Adam Brodieall deliver the most pleasing comedic performances. The twist caught me off guard; you will never guess who the killer is!Although it felt anti-climatic and almost too-soon of a revelation, itstill made it worth watching as our killer handled his/her post-revelation-performance even more twisted and even funny at the sametime. The film is not like Halloween 4, Saw VI, Nightmare on Elm St 4 orFinal Destination 4. It honors the original very much and its one ofthe few sequels that have left me feeling satisfied, scared, thrilledand inspired. Scream 4 left me speechless and lost for words. Everynow and then Ipick up the DVD and think "oh my god... they actually finally did it."Thank god Neve, David and Courtney returned with Wes and Kevin.The film is satisfying on its on. I don't mind is Scream 5 neverhappens, but I'd love for it to happen.

dylan-walker1

(2012-04-26 17:18:39)

a very good movie best scream since scream one

i was very happy walking out of scream 4 i could not stop thinkingabout the first kill it was funny and brutal this movie was made by thesame people that made pariah 3D that movie was horrible but this was agood way to start fresh. this movie being directed by the mastermindWes craven the director of all the other screams the 3rd one may havebeen bad this one was 10 times better even maybe 100 times. There arestill problems in this movie like how the end drags a little thedialogue could have been better at some points and right after theamazing opening seen it tries it inter dose all the characters againwhich takes awhile also the kills are all stabs not like saw wherebones and blood are flying everywhere. To me i liked the stabbings morethan death traps in saw. This movie brings back slashers and putsparanormal activity back in the trash this is good old fashion horrorsand the best scream movie and it is better than most reboots which thisis. so in the end i have one thing to say go watch SCREAM 4

Jim Lane

(2012-04-26 08:17:28)

The self-reference that looked mildly clever in 1996 is getting downright masturbatory...

reeceda

(2012-04-26 17:52:46)

SCREAM 4 Best of them all since the original !

Scre4m has to be the best in the series since the original scream hitcinemas back in 1996 , its got its gore like any-other scream movie butalso its funny side the film is fresh , smart , and it was great seeingthe 3 original cast members back for more and the new cast was great aswell if you love the scream movies then you will love scre4m and youwill be left breathless when the killer (killers) are unmasked .finally its great to see the work of Wes Creaven and Kevin williamsoncome together again these two men know how to make a killer horror filmand there are also plenty of twist and turn to keep you guessing to thevery end , and there are plenty of cameos by some of Hollywoods greatrising stars to look out for as well.Enjoy Scre4m and have a SCREAM !

Claudio Carvalho

(2012-04-26 08:00:47)

The Soul Survivor

The writer Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) returns to Woodsboro torelease her new book ten years after the horror provoked in town by theGhostface killer. When she arrives, the teenagers Jenny Randall (AimeeTeegarden) and Marnie Cooper (Brittany Robertson) are brutally stabbedby the Ghostface.Sheriff Dewey Riley (David Arquette) investigates the murder with hisassistant Deputy Judy Hicks (Marley Shelton) and they find the murderweapon in the truck of Sidney's car. The writer is forced to stay inthe house of her cousin Jill Roberts (Emma Roberts) while her oldfriend and Riley's wife Gale Weathers-Riley (Courteney Cox) snoops thecase using her skill of investigative reporter. When Jill's friendOlivia Morris (Marielle Jaffe) and Sidney's press release assessorRebecca Walters (Alison Brie) are murdered by the psychopath, Galefollows her instinct and teams-up with the members of the local CinemaClub since she believes that the killer is featuring remakes of theprevious murders."Scream 4" is another flick of the good franchise that should havefinished with the trilogy. Maybe it is time for the former Master ofHorror Wes Craven to respectfully retire since his last works are notin the level of his fame. One of the best American directors of thehorror genre, John Carpenter, is still refreshing in his last works.But Wes Craven's last films are deceptive."Scream 4" is an average horror film that uses the usual clichГѓВ©s of thegenre and Sheriff Dewey Riley is probably the most ineffective policeofficer of the American cinema industry, missing his shots and arrivinglate whenever he is summoned. The conclusion, with the revelation ofthe real killer and her motives is quite absurd and ridiculous. Theshape and beauty of forty-seven year-old Courteney Cox is impressive.Now even the killer also remakes murders reflecting the status-of-artof the American cinema industry of remakes. My vote is five.Title (Brazil): "PГѓВўnico 4" ("Panic 4")

nicole18

(2012-04-23 05:33:46)

Entertaining

Scream franchise has a simple formula. It shows lots of fast paced"victim vs the killer" scenes until the series' trademark "No way?!"moment, which you found out who is the killer, and it's always the oneyou least expected. That's what we love about Scream movies, and Scream4 does it best since the original movie. Even though some "newgeneration" characters are unforgettable, it's still a good movie, andan entertaining ride that you can enjoy with your friends or alone.Saying/Writing anything more about Scream 4 would be a waste, since themovie itself knows its purpose and audience so, it's a refresher to thehorror genre, which went awkward and weird since couple of years... Andthat's it... :)

Gary Dowell

(2012-04-22 21:01:44)

Though director Wes Craven and screenwriter Kevin Williamson don't quite generate the lightning-in-a-bottle energy that made their first Scream movie a hit, they manage to awaken a 15-year-old slasher franchise that has been dormant for a decade.

terminatorjenkins

(2012-04-21 03:31:46)

Scream 4 Fools You Only Once

I did not have high expectations for "Scream 4," but I went to see itat the theater on opening night. The movie did its job entertaining andI enjoyed the pieces of wit laced throughout that felt Kevin Williamsy.In that first viewing of the movie the lack of real characterdevelopment ala some people are merely caricatures, more like one notecartoon folk, did not detract from the experience. However, when thismovie came out on Blu-ray I gave it another watch and: I was bored outof my mind. The second time through all of the flaws were too much towant to sit through and the charm it had on the first viewing was allused up.This is a must see for Scream fans, as it brings back all of thebeloved characters, and it is rental worthy for sure. However, it justdoes not hold up for repeated viewing in my opinion and truly the onlyones that do for me are part 1 and 2. Would I go watch a Scream 5? Yes.Would I watch "Scream 4" again? No.

kakihara83-717-174032

(2012-04-20 15:54:01)

How come Wes Craven makes crap like Cursed and masterpieces like Scream 4?

Wes Craven is well known for some of the most outstanding horror filmsof the last decades, which are shamefully being remade one by one! TheLast House on the Left has to be one of the best exploitation filmsever, A Nightmare on Elm Street gave birth to one of the creepiestvillains in horror history and, of course, Scream has an undeniableimportance for the slasher genre. He also made a lot of weird andsometimes awful b-movies. Cursed quickly comes to mind, but there aremany more that I just forget at the moment! But now, in 2011, aftermany years of uninteresting projects, Scream 4 appears. I guess it'sfair to say I had all the reasons to believe it would be a totaldisaster, a disappointing failure of epic proportions. Hell was Iwrong! This has to be one the cleverest, most entertaining andsurprisingly rewarding horror films in years. Like the previous films,it is totally self-conscious, it knows just where it belongs, it makesfun of the genre and the whole movie industry without pretending to beabove it. It is a lot of surprises, plot twists, laughs, blood andawesome quotes that I won't spoil! Unfortunately Scream 4 is a flawedmasterpiece, but really who could be stupid enough to look forperfection in a teen-slasher film? To me only John Carpenter'sHalloween can be labelled as ''perfect''. So get in with an open mindand you'll just be seduced. It's nothing but nearly 2 hours of goodtime! Many thanks to Wes Craven and Kevin Williamson for bringing backthe franchise to life with such wit!

moviecroc

(2012-04-17 19:12:51)

Yes, it's THAT good!

I saw Scream back when I was six and nearly pooped my pants. Terrifyingmovie. I saw Scream 2 when I was thirteen and loved it. Scream 3 rightafter, it was meh.Wait 2 and a half years and now we have Scream 4.Characters that are fleshed out, a clever and funny opening, and greatkills make on HELL of a fun ride.The opening was fantastic. Some people criticize it, but I loved it.The kill right before the title card was amazingly haunting. Everythingwas perfect.The rest between the scene after and the Stab-a-Thon was a littlerushed, still was good. There could have been a little more characterdevelopment.The finale was crazy. It was intense, surprising, and was just a mindfvck. I loved every second of.SEE THIS MOVIE.

Alicia Spelay

(2012-04-17 15:38:50)

Unique Kill scenes.

Not bad but I noticed a few things ,as other people have previouslymentioned , that where not carried over from the previous screammovies. Also as you get into the movie you start seeing plot holes,more as you go along through the story. I think they needed to spendmore time on the script. Also combining data from previous Screammovies might of made this a pretty solid movie. Alas the movie wasrushed through production and now we have a sloppy story to follow.They definitely tried to make it more unique of slasher movie; withmore gore, a "twist" and a few unique death scenes. All in all it's aregular slasher movie with a poor, rushed script. 5 out of 10

Glenn Kenny

(2012-04-17 07:18:12)

It's not a disgrace -- indeed, it's not bad if you like that sort of thing -- while not particularly good, and yet it's one of the better horror films I've seen in a long time.

PennyDread

(2012-04-16 14:44:25)

Successful passing of the torch!

Teenage movie experts: Check Creepy boyfriend: Check Desperate famewhore: Affirmative Slightly inept but lovable cop: Yup Oh, and all theoriginal cast members we love so much: You betcha!As always, Wes starts with a bang and just keeps going from there...thecentral theme and feel of the Scream franchise is back in perfect tunewith possibly some improvements. The plot is not at all tired whenpicking up where the last film left off - it's totally believable,whatever that means in a horror film, and was pretty unexpected. Atfirst, I hated the ending, but the more it played out the more I got onboard. The plot is not only relevant to the Scream saga, but also packssome serious social commentary, making it relevant to today's popculture. Scream 4 is a rare victory in the genre of horror, but really,what did we expect from the series that changed the game forever?