There’s one way of having a successful movie genre franchise, and that’s to have it under the Horror category. (Think Nightmare On Elm Street, Halloween, Friday The 13th, Saw)
The slasher films were getting tedious, until in 1996, Scream was released, re-writing the slasher horror genre. An instant hit, this also spawned off rip-offs (I Know What You Did Last Summer, Urban Legend) and parodies (Scary Movie). With the success of Scream, and the fact it was written by horror geniuses Wes Craven and Kevin Williamson, Scream 2 and Scream 3 were rolled out, including the original cast of Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox and David Arquette. When watching Scream 3, you’d think the safe option was Campbell’s character Sidney was bad luck.
Yeah, you’re right.
The beginning starts with 2 stereotypical teens receiving a phone call at home, while the other girl receives messages on her Facebook from her “stalker”. With stories mimicking the first film, it turns out we’re watching Stab 6 (or Stab 7?) which ends up being parodied and discussed saying that the slasher genre is predictable. We then skip to the entrance of Woodsboro School – 15 years after the original Woodsboro murders, Sidney Prescott (Campbell) returns home to promote her new book, based on the survival of the stabbings. Just as there’s minor catching-ups to do, Sidney ends up being a suspect of 2 new murders, slaying of high school students. Sheriff Dewey (Arquette) forces Sidney to stay put, while Gale Weathers (Cox) swings by and tries to solve the murders while having writers block. We’re introduced to the younger, more hip group of future victims, with the murders unraveling around Sidney.
The story within a story is constantly frustrating, where the start of the film dampens the horror part, which I couldn’t take seriously at all. Scream 4 is more of an ego stroke and a message to the younger generation that the Scream slasher films are the older brother of today’s more modern flicks. The film is mainly for the fans of the Scream trilogy, just to see what they’ve done.
[xrr rating=3/5]
