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This will go into a spoiler territory so if you haven’t seen Scream 4, then see the BOP Movie Review: Short Version by Tom Douglass.

Back when Scream was released in 1996, it moved up and down the chart at the US box office, surviving on healthy word-of-mouth due to the film’s postmodern take on the horror franchise. With the characters sharing knowledge on horror films, it essentially deconstructed itself, telling the audience about “the rules,” and in some cases, breaking them. The Scream films also inadvertently invented their own rule; that you should never watch a horror film while you’re in one. The fresh take spawned a number of imitators.

“It’s been done to death, the whole self-aware, postmodern meta-shit,” says Anna Paquin’s character in the opening of Scream 4. Maybe it should have taken its own advice. I mean, after Scream 3, was anybody really asking for a fourth instalment? Another horror slasher sequel 10 years later just had an aura of ‘what’s the point?’ about it. While the first two films brought in over $100 million at the US box office, Scream 3 managed to earn just $89 million - proof that the formula was probably starting to wane. However, Scream 3 was not well received. Some would attribute this down to the film being written by Ehren Kruger and not by original Scream scribe Kevin Williamson.

Even if it is wholly unnecessary, Scream 4 is still a worthy watch, explaining to viewers what’s wrong with the crop of horror films that have been released during the last decade. At the same time the film’s mere existence means that it has the opportunity to reinvigorate the genre rather than just talking about. Except it doesn’t.

Scream survivor Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) arrives back at Woodsboro to promote her new book, Out of Darkness. Meeting up with old friends Dewey (David Arquette) and Gale (Courtney Cox), who are now married, she also makes an effort to connect with family relations, her cousin Jill (Emma Roberts) and her Aunt Kate (Mary McDonnell). However, someone (or some people) feels that her appearance means it’s only fitting to put on the Ghostface mask and run around killing people, with the full intention of killing Sidney.

After Scream 3 there were always rumors that a fourth film was in the cards. It wasn’t till the summer of 2008 that The Weinstein Company announced that it was definitely happening. Oddly, this was before anyone was even cast and before director Wes Craven had signed on. In February 2009 came news that Scream writer Kevin Williamson was working on a new trilogy for the franchise. A few months later in September, it was Bob Weinstein himself who revealed that they had managed to rope in Neve Campbell (having initially turned down Scream 4), along with David Arquette and Courtney Cox, and hoped that Wes Craven would direct. Craven didn’t officially sign on till March 2010, after he read Williamson’s script.

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