Scream 4

SCREAM 4 (CINEMA)
Dimension Films 

Release date: April 15th 2011
Certificate (UK): 15
Running time: 110 minutes

Director: Wes Craven

Cast: Neve Campbell, David Arquette, Courtney Cox, Emma Roberts, Hayden Panetierre, Nico Tortorella, Marielle Jaffe, Erik Knudsen, Rory Culkin, Adam Brody, Marley Shelton, Mary McDonnell, Anna Paquin and Kristen Bell

Official Movie Site
Exclusive Interview Scream: The Inside Story

Beginning with a terrifying phone call 15 years ago, the Scream movies have gone on to single-handedly change the face of the horror slasher genre forever.

But now, more than 10 years after the trilogy ended, writer and producer Kevin Williamson and director Wes Craven team up for a spree of new killings, set once again in the quiet leafy suburbs of Woodsboro, where the events of the first film took place.

Scream queen Neve Campbell reprises her role as Sidney Prescott, now a successful author returning to her home town on the last stop of her tour to promote her self-help book “Out of Darkness”Her arrival is timed with the anniversary of the Woodsboro killings which went on to make the town famous and the place where 7 of the Stab movies were set.

But where Sidney goes, psychos soon follow. As it’s a new decade with new rules, Scream 4 has to contend not only with reflecting on remakes and reboots as well as sequels, but also catching up with a lot of today’s slang, gadgets and social networking sites.

It introduces us to a young new cast of characters including Sidney’s younger cousin, Jill Roberts (Emma Roberts), the smart and confident horror fanatic, Kirby Reed (Hayden Panetierre), Jill’s brooding ex-boyfriend, Trevor Sheldon (Nico Tortorella), Miss Popularity and school beauty queen, Olivia Morris (Marielle Jaffe), and the two film geeks who run the cinema club, Robbie (Erik Knudsen) and Charlie (Rory Culkin).

Thankfully, Sidney gets to see a couple of familiar faces too, Dewey (David Arquette) is now the town’s sheriff. When the bodies start piling, it falls on him to find out who’s holding the bloody knife. His wife, Gale Weathers (Courtney Cox), is no longer a TV reporter, but a somewhat bored housewife suffering from writer’s block. The new killings give her a chance to get back to what she’s good at; snooping around and getting caught in the crossfire.

Scream 4 is not only scary, sexy and incredibly smart; it’s also very funny and the most entertaining horror thriller in the past 10 years.

Does it top the first film? Well, no, but it’s good enough to run alongside it, easily surpassing its 2 predecessors by heavily playing on the idea of being true to the original when it comes to sequels, remakes and reboots. For anyone wondering what Wes thinks about the recent Nightmare On Elm Street (2010) reboot, they’ll get their answer!

Although it will definitely leave you with a few questions, such as “Where does it go from here?”, there’s no denying that Scream once again proves that just when you think the genre has bled itself dry, there’s always some new blood to spill.

Patrick Samuel & Jonahh Oestreich

Patrick and Jonahh are the Editors in Chief at Static Mass.

Patrick is a composer and music producer with a philosophy degree. Static Mass is where he lives his passion for film and writing about it. A fan of film classics, documentaries and World Cinema, Patrick prefers films with an impeccable way of storytelling that reflect on the human condition.

Jonahh is a photographer and journalist who has been working in the media industry for over 15 years, mainly in television, design and art. As a boy, he made his first short film with an 8mm camera and the help of his father. His obsession with (moving) images and stories hasn’t faded since.

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