Directed by WES CRAVEN
Starring NEVE CAMPBELL, DAVID ARQUETTE, COURTNEY COX-ARQUETTE,
EMMA ROBERTS, HAYDEN PANETTIERE, and MARY MCDONNELL
Trailer
What can one do with the Scream franchise except clinch your teeth, close your eyes, and giggle. The best thing about this franchise is that it doesn't take itself too seriously. I remember when I saw the first film in 1996. It wasn't your average horror flick. Scream was a witty hybrid of When a Stranger Calls and the original Halloween. Prior to 1996, horror films were in a downturn, in fact many went straight to video. Scream single-handedly reinvigorated the horror franchise, not because Scream was so great, but because it turned the genre itself into a parody. Of course the unintentional result of Scream were a slew of copycat films, including the (still terrible) I Know What you Did Last Summer, seven disgusting Saw films and two horrendous Hostels. That said, Scream 4 is bloodier than the previous Scream films, as are most sequels, but it sticks to it's slasher roots. There are no prolonged torture scenes or elaborate killing mechanisms, it's a simple formula-- a guy in a mask with a big knife. I should note that there is a cameo at the beginning of the film and the two actresses need no introduction.