Never Too Late to Scream

Fear is a fascinating thing. Even more fascinating is the fact that for some unexplainable reason, people just love to feel scared. Hence the spawning of the lucrative horror movie genre. These days filmmakers are finding ever more ways to scare the living daylights out of their audiences. From these movies come sequels, prequels, remakes and spin-offs, proving you simply can't put a good formula down. Enter Scream 4 (aka SCRE4M), the forth installment from the rather successful Scream franchise. A slasher franchise which has not seen a sequel in 11 years. The filmmakers say it helps bring Ghostface it to a new generation of audiences. Some argue it is a ploy to generate some quick bucks. Others believe there is no longer a place for it in the horror movie scene. I say the result might surprise you.



Scream 4 isn't afraid of making fun of itself, and/or the horror genre altogether. the film starts of with a number of false starts that poke fun on cliches of the genre, summed up with the 'Stab' movie-in-a-movie franchise. After all the teasing the movie flows seamlessly to an actual killing from the story. That moment will have you thinking, "Damn, Ghostface still has it in him".



Set in real time after the events of all the previous chapters, the film once again centers around Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell), who has since become quite a celebrity after getting herself back together and writing a book on her experiences.



But 11 years is never too long a time as the Ghostface killer returns once again to haunt her (and slaying a new generation of pretty teens while he's at it). Also returning are Dewey Riley and Gale Weathers, played by real-life husband-and-wife David Arquette and Courteney Cox.



Those new to the story include Jill Roberts (Emma Roberts) and Kirby Reed (Hayden Panettiere). There are also cameos by Anna Paquin and Kristen Bell.



In keeping with the times and the new decade, the killer this time doesn't follow the rules, like not killing gays or virgins, making it things more unpredictable. New twists include filming killings and streaming them live over the internet, but Ghostface is still traditional when contacting his victims - thru his eerie voice via the phone!

With horror maestro Wes Craven at the helm, you can expect a helluva good slashing time. Craven's still has his grip on cinematography, as we see cameras swoop following victims, and plenty of interesting angles that just keep you on your toes. With the trend of horror flicks often using sudden shocks and loud noises of late, its quite refreshing to see Scream 4 getting its scares from what's important - the killer.



Although time might have caught up to Ghostface (he does seem rather goofy in this time and age with the mask and long robe), his ruthless pursuits are still intense and keep the suspense running. There's just something really terrifying about a guy in a mask chasing you with a knife. And the killings and gore aren't overblown, they are pretty much appropriate and merciless. The acting ain't too shabby either, especially Panettiere who stood out as horror movie fan Kirby.



And yeah, what makes (or breaks) a slasher flick like Scream is who the killer is in the end. And without spoiling anything, I'd like to say that it's rather well-played and you'll never guess the twist at the end.

What Scream 4 has that many recent flicks lack of late is something relatively simple: fun. The movie doesn't take itself entirely too seriously. Characters occasionally seem to know they're in a horror movie. It's this nice blend that sets it apart from the crop. Sometimes after hordes of ridiculous horror methods, sticking to the basics proves effective. Scream 4 shows that a simple proven formula still works if you update it in the right places. While die-hard horror fans might find it lacking kick (or enough gore), it is scary enough for an average moviegoer like me.

3 1/2 Stars