2020 October Horror Challenge #80: "Scream 4"

 

I saw this movie back when it first came out in theaters, and there was some problem with the movie, so it cut off 10 minutes before the end. I got to see the big reveal, but not how it ended, so I had my friend Ed tell me what happened. I haven't watched it since back then, so I'm excited both to check it out again and to finally get to see the last 10 minutes of the movie.

This movie takes place many years after Scream 3 and the final end of the Ghostface killer saga. To help her overcome the traumatic events, Sidney Prescott wrote a self-help book that has become a best seller. She returns to her hometown to reconnect with her family and friends and to promote her book. Unfortunately, someone wants to resurrect the Ghostface legacy, and teens start being horribly murdered after receiving phone calls reminiscent of the taunting Ghostface calls from the original movies. Can Sidney and her friends Gail and Dewey survive another round of Ghostface killings?

I'm glad to see the witty dialogue that exemplified the original movies is still in place here. I still crack up when the killer says:

"Do I *sound* like a Trevor to you?"

And when Sidney's teenage cousin tells her boyfriend she's staying in a house with Sidney, her boyfriend says:

"What are you doing in the house with Sidney Prescott? That's like being on Top Chef with Jeffrey Dahmer."

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

The killer is MEAN this time around. He taunts Sidney about making money off the murders while not caring about the town she left behind to rot. While the police (with Sheriff Dewey) are giving a press conference talking about how they are following several leads and they feel things are under control, he throws a dead victim off a roof and into the crowd. Jerk.

I love the contrast between the original survivors, who are all approaching middle-age now and the teens being targeted by the killer, who are all around the age they were when these murders started once upon a time. This exchange between Gail and Dewey captures that feeling perfectly:

"This party is all about the "Stab" movies! How meta can you get?"

"...how what-a can you get?"

"I don't know, I heard them say it!"

Like it or not, these movies are a part of my life history. The original movie was one of the first horror movies I watched with my mom back when it came out (on VHS!) And the sequels were awesome fun when I watched them back in college. They reminded me why I love slashers so much. I've watched the original three movies many times over the years, and they're always a ton of fun. I was excited to see a sequel come out when I heard about part 4, and I was just hoping they didn't shit all over one of my favorite series, and I don't think they did. In fact I think they nailed it.