{"id":78608,"date":"2024-04-19T10:23:14","date_gmt":"2024-04-19T15:23:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/?p=78608"},"modified":"2024-04-19T10:23:17","modified_gmt":"2024-04-19T15:23:17","slug":"retro-review-scream-4","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/?p=78608","title":{"rendered":"Retro Review: Scream 4"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By JOHN CARTER JR<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tiger Media Network<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

(This review contains spoilers for \u201cScream 4\u201d and the \u201cScream\u201d franchise)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s your favorite scary movie? When actually considering this iconic line nowadays one might say Jordan Peele\u2019s \u201cGet Out,\u201d Ari Aster\u2019s \u201cHereditary,\u201d or Ti West\u2019s \u201cX.\u201d Each generation has a plethora of excellent and iconic horror films that could be used as an answer to this question. \u201cPsycho,\u201d \u201cHalloween<\/a>,\u201d \u201cAlien<\/a>,\u201d \u201cThe Shining<\/a>,\u201d \u201cNightmare on Elm Street,\u201d \u201cI Know What You Did Last Summer,\u201d \u201cAmerican Psycho,\u201d \u201cSaw,\u201d \u201cInsidious<\/a>,\u201d and more are among entries that come to mind from over the years. However, it is the 90s slasher film that produced the aforementioned piece of dialogue that I would give as my answer: Scream. Throughout my time writing film reviews for Tiger Media Network, I have examined every film in the Scream franchise (Scream<\/a>, 2<\/a>, 3<\/a>, 5<\/a>, and 6<\/a>) except one. Penned by Original \u201cScream\u201d screenwriter Kevin Williamson and the last installment by horror legend Wes Craven, Scream 4.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Gale meets Sidney\u2019s Publicist<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

\u201cScream 4\u201d was released more than a decade after the series\u2019 last installment, \u201cScream 3\u201d, a film that I had previously written, was the worst film in the franchise. Giving the franchise a significant break was beneficial as it gave time to revitalize interest in seeing Sidney and company return to the big screen. This also allowed the characters to age into new roles and problems. While Sidney establishes herself as an upcoming self-help author, Gale (who is now married to Sheriff Dewey) struggles with a bout of writer’s block with her new fiction writing ventures. When news that a new Ghostface killer is on the prowl, Gale becomes interested in uncovering the story. As for newcomers, a younger cast is introduced. Stand-out additions include Emma Roberts as Jill (Sidney\u2019s cousin), Hayden Panettiere as Kirby (Jill\u2019s best friend), and Deputy Judy Hicks (played by Marley Shelton). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s get some common criticisms out of the way with a brave yet controversial opinion: I like the \u201cScream 4\u201d glow effect, and I don\u2019t hate the opening of the film. The glow effect gives the film a mid-2000s look. Seeing pre \u201cThe Good Place\u201d Kristen Bell and Lucy Hale of \u201cPretty Little Liars\u201d fame adds to that vibe of the film as well. Here it feels like the 2000s is bleeding into the 2010s. The film has two prominent colors I made note of while rewatching various scenes. A yellow tint that sometimes veers a bit orange is used often throughout this film to great effect and is often saturated. It is frequently used in moments of great intensity and fear. This can be seen when Jill\u2019s Neighbor Olivia is slain with her body laid out on a yellow comforter with yellow light. We see it again when Ghostface attacks Sidney\u2019s publicist in a parking garage which is lit eerily by yellow lights that I wouldn’t want to walk under at night. Finally, we see it again when Gale is attacked while investigating the murders during the Stab-A-Thon party that takes place in a hay-filled barn. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The second is a blue hue, which we see earlier in the film and towards the end. The blue lighting during the real opening kill, Gale\u2019s iconic blue dress, Sidney\u2019s blue cardigan she wears in the final act, and, of course, the blue palette of the hospital scenes at the end of the film. This use of color elevates the hospital as a set. It is a color I associate with another horror franchise from this decade, \u201cInsidious.\u201d That being said, it isn\u2019t cold, but feels haunted. It especially feels this way when Jill is on screen. The slash marks on her face and her bloodshot eyes make Jill\u2019s self-injured body appear possessed.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n

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Deputy Judy offers Sheriff Dewey her lemon squares<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Historically, what has made \u201cScream\u201d so appealing to fans is the characters. Among the newcomers, it is Jill and Kirby that stand out the most. This film feels like it was meant to set up Kirby to have more main focus in potential sequels. The character is like a fusion between qualities you would find in both Sidney and Randy from the original \u201cScream.\u201d She is witty, emotionally compelling, and very well-acted. Hayden Panettiere plays an unsuspecting yet inevitable survivor who you root for while she plays the opposite of these killers, masked as her friends. While we eventually got her reappearance years later, I can\u2019t help but feel we were robbed of more of her during this era. While Officer Judy Hicks gets some good comedy and eerie moments in darkly lit scenes, It is Jill that steals the show. Whether it is playing the opposite of Jamie Lee Curtis as Chanel Oberlin in \u201cScream Queens\u201d or saying, \u201csurprise b*tch, I bet you thought you\u2019d seen the last of me\u201d to Jessica Lange as Madison Montgomery in \u201cAmerican Horror Story Coven.\u201d Emma Roberts serves shade, melodrama, and is a perfect foil to Horror Icons. Not only does Roberts portray the entitled Mastermind in a way that conveys a true threat, but also is hilarious in the delivery of one-liners from the simple \u201cHello Sidney, surprised?\u201d To the well-paced \u201cYou just won\u2019t die, will you? Who are you? Michael f*cking Myers?\u201d While a lot of people refer to this film as being camp, I would say that it\u2019s more melodrama and the ending of the film felt so eerie in the way it refers to Jill as an American hero.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While \u201cScream 4\u201d wasn\u2019t initially received with high ratings, It has accrued much deserved praise by fans over the years since its release. A lot of this can be attributed to the performances by both Roberts and Panettiere; however, the love for this installment has also grown as the returning cast was used excellently in this film. While Dewey is probably the least used among the veterans, his interactions with Gale and his heart-to-heart with Sidney are an excellent showing of his character. He is still bumbling, but with an air of maturity, David Arquette brings a welcomed sense of familiarity. The \u201cScream\u201d franchise wouldn\u2019t be the same without Gale Weathers. Like the best American Horror Story characters (i.e., Constance Langdon or Myrtle Snow), Gale is smart, entertainingly shady, and cunning. She is the most dynamic among the original survivor trio and she is the quickest to get back into the action. <\/p>\n\n\n

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Kirby and Jill hang out with friends<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Her interactions with the students, Deputy Judy, Dewey and Jill specifically toward the end demonstrate not only Courtney Cox\u2019s range as an actress but also her understanding of who Gale is. Her scenes at the Stab-A-Thon looked stunning and demonstrated all the facets we love about Gale. Whether she\u2019s shady, sweet, sleuthing, or surviving, Gale Weathers is a true final girl and icon we admire. Finally, Sidney Prescott is played and written in this movie at her strongest since the original. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is Sidney\u2019s movie. Sidney in \u201cScream 4\u201d feels like a fully self-actualized human. Rather than her past haunting her, she uses her wisdom to guide and take care of newcomers. Still, through Neve Campbell\u2019s performance, the character realistically conveys fear, pain, and defiance. The character is not numb to the trauma in front of her but she doesn\u2019t allow it to walk over her. Her best moments are Jill\u2019s reveal scene, Kirby not letting Charlie in, and her final scenes in the hospital. However, I\u2019m also partial to the scenes where she is trying to protect Jill either from seeing Olivia after she was attacked or when she acted as a diversion out on the roof of Kirby\u2019s house. She is proud and a survivor. \u201cShe is an icon, she is a legend, and she is the moment, now, come on now.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

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Don\u2019t f*** with the original\u201d – Sidney Prescott<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

\u201cScream 4\u201d is among the best in the franchise. Its use of color and its iconic cast (newcomers and veterans alike) allow the film to feel like a fully fleshed-out sequel. Jill, Kirby, Gale, and Sidney were the best-portrayed and written characters in this film. The film is an excellent slasher and its melodrama allows for superb shady one-liners. No one in this film feels outshined or out of place. Overall, what makes Wes Craven\u2019s last \u201cScream\u201d film so special is how it blends fresh ideas while returning to its meta slasher roots seamlessly. It is among the best slasher sequels for its villains and heroes alike.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I give this film 10\/10 masks for its characters, colorful imagery, and story.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By JOHN CARTER JR Tiger Media Network (This review contains spoilers for \u201cScream 4\u201d and the \u201cScream\u201d franchise) What\u2019s your favorite scary movie? When actually… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":142,"featured_media":78609,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":false,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[56,3391,3505,55],"tags":[12587,12231,14181,14371],"class_list":["post-78608","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arts-entertainment","category-movie-reviews","category-local-movies","category-opinion","tag-john-carter","tag-john-carter-jr","tag-retro-review","tag-scream"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Scream-Feature.jpg?fit=512%2C288&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78608","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/142"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=78608"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78608\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":78615,"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78608\/revisions\/78615"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/78609"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=78608"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=78608"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=78608"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}