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Opening against Rio was likely a factor too. Those who were teenagers when they watched Scream in the 1990s probably had children themselves now, and they weren’t going to take their little ones to see someone getting stabbed to the point of visible intestines. Audiences were also starting to get their horror thrills from found footage malarkey such as Paranormal Activity and its sequel and The Last Exorcism, films that actually cost less than Scream 4 yet ended up outgrossing it at the US box office.

Many of the writers at Box Office Prophets have taken a dig at Scream 4, calling it “a missed opportunity” largely because of that ending. There have already been a few pieces published here highlighting the film’s conclusion. This was stressed to the point where BOP even put up that aforementioned review for Scream 4 (Short Version) by Tom Douglass, which discards the conclusion and reviews the first “ninety-four minutes and twelve seconds” of the film, and we seem to agree that this is the film Scream 4 should have been.

If Scream 4 had ended with Sidney finally slain by Jill, then it’s quite possible that the film would be looking at largely positive reviews due to completely breaking the formula. Word-of-mouth would be difficult to ascertain. Audiences would be let down on how the film doesn’t have a happy ending (the Scream franchise has always had them), but they would share that Scream 4 has an ending that people simply will not see coming. Sure it would end on a downer, but it would have been the start of an interesting new franchise. Hell, it worked for Saw and that ended up becoming a seven film franchise! Oh God, I’ve probably just ruined Saw… um… if you haven’t seen Saw… oh, screw it.

The original film tried to teach us that it’s a lot scarier when there’s no motive, but ultimately everyone has their reasons. However, the reason behind Jill’s killings manages to be frightening only because it’s sublimely stupid. Jill wants to be as famous as Sidney. “I don’t need friends,” she says. “I need fans.” Yes, the film tells us that if kids want to be famous then forget hard work and talent, just start killing people (unless you feel that there is a talent to killing). It’s an awful reason from a deranged teenager that tries to appear relevant in the light of today’s reality TV shows and YouTube stars. She even goes so far as to killing her own mother, which she describes as “no great loss.” That’s right Moms, be wary of your fame addicted teenage daughters.

Despite the disappointment, I did enjoy Scream 4. I feel it makes for a nice bookend to the franchise, but in some cases the film seemed more interested in talking about the Internet and celebrity culture along with the current state of horror films rather than being a horror film itself. It raises valid points but they seem to be a substitute for the scares. And to not feature Red Right Hand by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds? I mean, what’s up with that? Ultimately, if Scream 4 had ended 15 minutes earlier then I probably wouldn’t have written this What Went Wrong and we’d all be talking about the release of Scream 5 instead.

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