Scream 4, also known as Scre4m, is a 2011 American slasher film and the fourth installment in the Scream film series. Directed by Wes Craven and written by Kevin Williamson, writer of Scream and Scream 2, the film stars an ensemble cast which includes David Arquette, Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, Emma Roberts, and Hayden Panettiere.

The plot involves Sidney Prescott returning to Woodsboro after ten years as part of her book tour. As soon as she arrives, Ghostface once again begins killing students from Woodsboro High, including her younger cousin's friends. Prescott, Gale Weathers-Riley, and Dewey Riley once again team up to stop the murders, but not before having to learn from a new generation the "new rules" of surviving horror films.

Originally, the series was intended to be a trilogy, but after ten years, Bob Weinstein thought it was the right time for another film. Depending on the box office, Scream 4 is intended to be the first of a new trilogy. Williamson had to leave production early due to contractual obligations and Ehren Kruger (Scream 3) was brought in for re-writes. Campbell, Arquette and Cox are the only returning cast members from the previous films and were the first to sign on to the film in September 2009. Panettiere and Rory Culkin were the first of the new cast to sign on in May 2010. Ashley Greene was initially the choice of the lead character, Jill, but the role eventually went to Roberts. Filming took place in and around Ann Arbor, Michigan in June 2010 to September 2010, with re-shoots in early 2011.

Scream 4 was released on April 15, 2011 to mixed reviews. It took in $19.3 million its opening weekend in the United States and Canada, making it the second-lowest opening since the first film.

Plot[link]

On the fifteenth anniversary of the original Woodsboro murders, high school students Jenny Randall (Aimee Teegarden) and Marnie Cooper (Brittany Robertson) are attacked and brutally killed by a new Ghostface.

The following day, Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) returns to Woodsboro to promote her new book with her publicist Rebecca Walters (Alison Brie). Sidney becomes a suspect in the murders after evidence is found in her rental car, and she must stay in town until the murders are solved. Her cousin, Jill (Emma Roberts), who is dealing with the betrayal of her ex-boyfriend, Trevor Sheldon (Nico Tortorella) gets a threatening phone call from Ghostface, as does her friend Olivia Morris (Marielle Jaffe). Jill and Olivia, alongside their friend Kirby Reed (Hayden Panettiere), are questioned about their calls by Dewey Riley (David Arquette), who is now the sheriff of the town, and one of his deputies, Judy Hicks (Marley Shelton). Meanwhile, Dewey's now-wife, Gale Weathers-Riley (Courteney Cox), is struggling with writer's block.

Sidney stays with her aunt Kate Roberts (Mary McDonnell). Later that night, Olivia, who lives next door to Jill, is attacked and murdered by Ghostface as Jill and Kirby watch in horror while Sidney was interrupted by a scream while reading her book. Sidney and Jill were injured in their attempt to save Olivia, and are taken to the hospital, where her publicist Rebecca is murdered in the parking garage. Gale, trying to solve the murders, enlists the help of two high school movie geeks, Charlie Walker (Rory Culkin) and Robbie Mercer (Erik Knudsen), who explain that the killer is using the rules of movie remakes to murder. Charlie concludes that the killer will likely strike at a party being held that night.

Gale goes to the party to investigate, but is attacked and injured by Ghostface, who flees as Dewey arrives. He takes her to the hospital, and shortly afterwards, at Jill's house, policemen Anthony Perkins (Anthony Anderson) and Ross Hoss (Adam Brody) are found dead. Sidney discovers that Jill has left and gone to Kirby's house, and goes down to tell Kate, but the killer arrives and chases them, where Kate is killed. After Deputy Judy Hicks arrives, Sidney rushes to Kirby's house to save Jill on her own.

Jill, Kirby, Charlie, Robbie and Trevor are at Kirby's house when Ghostface appears and murders a drunken Robbie. Sidney arrives at the house. Kirby is forced to answer horror movie trivia to save Charlie, who is tied up outside. Sidney goes upstairs to find Jill, promising to return to Kirby. Believing she has won Ghostface's game, Kirby goes outside to untie Charlie, but he stabs her in the stomach and reveals himself as Ghostface. Sidney is confronted by Charlie and a second Ghostface, who is unmasked as Jill. She explains that she wants the attention Sidney got, and that the pair want to become famous for surviving the murders, intending to frame Trevor as Ghostface; she then pulls Trevor out of a closet and executes him with a shot to the head. Jill then betrays Charlie and kills him too, to pin him as Trevor's accomplice, making her the sole survivor. Jill stabs Sidney in the stomach twice and mutilates herself to make it seem as if Trevor attacked her, while Dewey, Judy, and the rest of the police stumble upon the carnage.

Jill is then taken to the hospital. After discovering that Sidney had survived, she goes to Sidney's hospital room and attempts to murder her. Just in time, Dewey, Gale, and Judy intervene, having been clued by a detail about Gale's injury that Jill somehow knew. Jill subdues Sidney's rescuers, which gives Sidney the chance to shoot her in the chest, killing her. Dewey calls in all police units, as media reporters outside confirm Jill as the "sole-surviving hero".

Cast[link]

Production[link]

Development[link]

Scream 4 was announced by The Weinstein Company in July 2008,^[2] with Wes Craven saying that he would not mind directing the film if the script was as good as Scream.^[3] In March 2010 it was confirmed that he would indeed direct^[4] and stated that, "I am delighted to accept Bob Weinstein's offer to take the reins on a whole new chapter in Scream history. Working with Courteney, David and Neve was a blast ten years ago and I'm sure it will be again. And I can't wait to find the talent that will bring new blood to the screen as well. Kevin is right on his game with the new script – the characters and story crackle with energy and originality – to say nothing of some of the most hair-raising scares I've seen in a script since... well, since the original Scream series. Let me at it".^[5]

In May 2010, Cathy Konrad, who produced the first three films in the series, filed a $3 million lawsuit against The Weinstein Company, alleging that they violated a written agreement that entitled her company, Cat Entertainment, first rights to produce all films in the series.^[6] The Weinsteins argued that this contract required Konrad's services be exclusive to the franchise, which Konrad calls "false pretext". claiming the previous film did not require this condition.^[6] The suit accuses the Weinsteins of surreptitious behavior and "a scheme to force Plaintiffs to walk away from the Scream franchise without compensation,"^[6] enabling them to cut costs by hiring someone else to produce (Craven's wife, Iya Labunka, not named in the suit).^[7] In April 2011, it was reported that the Weinsteins had settled out of court with Konrad, the details remaining confidential, though it was claimed that she would receive a cash payment plus a percentage of the profits from Scream 4.^[8]

Writing[link]

Craven stated that within the ten years that have passed between Scream 3 and Scream 4 there have been no "real life" Ghostface murders but have been numerous sequels to the film-within-a-film Stab. He also commented on the life status of Sidney Prescott, "She's done her best to move on from the events that occurred in the previous films, even releasing a successful book". Craven said that endless sequels, the modern spew of remakes, film studios, and directors are the butts of parodies in the film. The main characters have to figure out where the horror genre is in current days to figure out the modern events happening to and around them.^[9]

In an early draft of the script, Gale and Dewey had a baby, but was changed after it was decided bringing a baby into the film would make shooting "impossible". In another early form of the script, the opening scene involved Sidney going head-to-head with Ghostface and being left for dead. There would have been a two-year gap in the story while she recovered, however, Bob Weinstein feared it would slow the pace of the story and bringing in young characters would work out best.^[10]

Scream 3 writer, Ehren Kruger, was brought in during production to do re-writes. Craven said, "Look, there was a bumpy period when things shifted over from Kevin to Ehren. I signed up to do a script by Kevin and unfortunately that didn't go all the way through the shooting. But it certainly is Kevin's script and concept and characters and themes".^[11] It was reported that the actors were not given the 140 pages long script^[12] past page 75 in order to protect the identity of the Ghostface killer.^[13]

Casting[link]

Emma Roberts at the premiere for the film

In September 2009, Variety reported that Neve Campbell, David Arquette, and Courteney Cox would return.^[14] Craven briefly explained their roles in a later interview with Entertainment Weekly, saying "It's a total integration of those three and new kids. The story of Sid, Gale, and Dewey is very much a part of the movie."^[9] At a press conference for Repo Men, Liev Schreiber — who played Cotton Weary in the first three films — stated there were no plans for his reprisal.^[15] In an interview with FEARnet, Williamson continued to deny a rumor of Jamie Kennedy returning, "I would love nothing more than to have Jamie Kennedy in the film. However to have Randy in the film, it sort of just takes it... I mean Scream 2 was a lie, you know? It's a false move. So I just won't do it. I can't do that. I just won't do it."^[16] In April, over 12 casting sides were released to the public to buy for auditions of the film.^[17]

In May 2010, Hayden Panettiere and Rory Culkin signed on.^[18] Ashley Greene was offered the role of Sidney's cousin, Jill, but the role later went to Emma Roberts.^[19] Lake Bell was to play Deputy Judy Hicks, but dropped out four days before filming due to scheduling conflicts, the role went to Marley Shelton.^[20] Nancy O'Dell reprises her role from the second and third films as a reporter.^[21] Roger L. Jackson returned as the voice of Ghostface.^[22] Lauren Graham was to play Kate Kessler, the mother of Roberts' character, but dropped out a few days into principal photography.^[23][24] Craven, like in the previous three films, has a cameo and took to his Twitter to ask fans to pick his role.^[25] The Hollywood Reporter reported that Anna Paquin and Kristen Bell have cameos in the beginning of the film akin to Drew Barrymore and Jada Pinkett Smith in the first and second Scream.^[12] Shenae Grimes and Lucy Hale also have cameos in the film.^[26]

Filming[link]

Cast of Scream 4 on the set in July 2010

On a budget of $40 million, principal photography began on June 28, 2010.^[9] Filming was scheduled to end on September 6, after a 42-day shoot, but instead concluded on September 24.^[12] Filming took place in and around Ann Arbor, Michigan.^[27][28] Some scenes for a flashback sequence portraying a school featured in a previous Scream film were shot at Woodworth Middle School in Dearborn, Michigan.^[29] The former 16th District Court in Livonia, Michigan was used as a police station.^[30]

In April 2010, while scouting for a bookstore to use in the film, Craven spotted a new bookstore that had not yet opened in downtown Northville, Michigan named Next Chapter Bookstore Bistro. Craven instantly loved the building as well as the name and decided to use both in the film. He also hired the owner's chef to prepare the food and pastry for a scene in the film. The scenes were shot the first week of July.^[31] After the test screening in January, Craven and Weinstein did not think two scenes played well for the audience. Aimee Teegarden and Alison Brie returned to Detroit in late January and early February for four days of additional shooting. The scenes involved Teegarden's character who is stalked at her home and Brie's character who is attacked in a parking garage.^[32][33][34]

The film also extensively used computer-generated imagery (CGI), for the first time in the franchise. For example, instead of using a "collapsing knife", the knife's blade was added during post-production with CGI effects.^[35] Anderson's death was shot with 30 cameras at different angles. His particular death scene in which he is stabbed in the forehead and walks a few feet while talking before finally falling to his death, was not in the script but was inspired by a "real-life medical emergency" Craven had seen in a documentary about a person being stabbed through their head and walked into an emergency room. He thought it was "extraordinary if somebody was stabbed in the head and still be alive for a while". Craven also did not tell the studio that he was taking this approach for the death scene, jokingly saying he hoped he would not be fired the next day.^[36]

Music[link]

The Scream 4: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack was released on April 12, 2011 by Lakeshore Records.^[37] A score soundtrack was also released, on April 19, 2011 by Varèse Sarabande.^[38]

Release[link]

A test screening took place in Pittsburgh on January 6, 2011.^[39] The Hollywood premiere took place on April 11, 2011 at the Grauman's Chinese Theatre.^[40] The film was released on April 15, 2011.^[5]

Home media[link]

Scream 4 was first released on DVD and Blu-ray in Mexico on August 5, 2011. ^[41] It was released in the United Kingdom and Ireland on August 22, 2011.^[42] It was released in Canada and the United States on October 4, 2011,^[43][44] and in Australia and New Zealand on October 13, 2011.^[45] Scream 4 has made $3,865,424 in DVD sales in the United States, bringing the film's lifetime gross to $100,994,110.^[46]

Reception[link]

Box office[link]

Scream 4 was released in 3,305 theaters on 4,400 screens and grossed over $1 million in its midnight opening,^[47] grossing an additional $8.7 million on Friday and another $7 million on Saturday,^[48][49] opening at second place for the weekend.^[50] According to "industry experts", the film's $19.3 million opening weekend was "disappointing",^[48][51] experiencing the second-lowest opening of the Scream franchise.^[49] In its first weekend worldwide the film took $37.3 million from 30 territories, behind only Rio which took $53.9 million from 62 territories. The film topped the box office in the United Kingdom taking over £2 million, came in second in France, third in Mexico and fourth in Australia.^[52] In its second weekend, it fell in fifth place, taking in $7.2 million. Scream 4 has grossed $97,138,686 at the worldwide box office.^[1]

Critical reviews[link]

Scream 4 received mixed reviews, although it has been considered an improvement over its predecessor. Review aggregate Rotten Tomatoes reports that 58% of critics have given the film a positive review based on 165 reviews, with an average score of 5.8 out of 10.^[53] Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average score out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, gives the film a 52 based on 32 reviews.^[54] CinemaScore polls reported that the average grade moviegoers gave the film was a B- on an A plus to F scale.^[51]

Roger Ebert gave the film two out of four stars, criticizing the film for using the clichéd formula of the slasher genre.^[55] Michael O'Sullivan of The Washington Post gave the film a negative rating of one and half out of four stars saying "the problem is, the movie doesn't really care if we are laughing with it or at it".^[56] Empire gave the film two out of five stars, criticizing the film's old-fashioned formula and lack of scare factor.^[57] The New York Daily News thought the film was "dated" and that "relying on obvious clichés doesn't seem ironic anymore, just easy."^[58] The Toronto Sun gave the film a mixed review, writing that "this installment is nowhere near the hip, serrated-edge blast of newness the original was in 1996. Suddenly, it's the horror thriller that, like, your parents are excited about"; however, the review praised director Wes Craven.^[59] Colin Covert of the Minneapolis Star Tribune gave the film a perfect score of four out of four stars, praising the combination of scares, comedy, and twists.^[60]

The Boston Herald wrote that the film is "often amusing" but too long.^[61] Lisa Kennedy from the Denver Post stated that Scream 4 "pays plenty of homage to their 1996 original", but that it is not close to its greatness.^[62] Lisa Schwarzbaum of Entertainment Weekly praised the film, stating "It's a giddy reminder of everything that made Scream such a fresh scream in the first place,"^[63] while Betsy Sharkey of the Los Angeles Times wrote that "Scream 4 finds a way to live up to its gory past while it carves out new terrors in new ways."^[64] Peter Travers of Rolling Stone gave the movie two out of four stars, criticizing the comedic overtones.^[65] Eric Goldman of IGN gave the film four out of five stars stating, "The first film is still the best, but this is much more in line with (and perhaps even better than) the fun of Scream 2 and the drab Scream 3. Scream 4's conclusion also works as a strong series ender."^[66]

In June 2011, Scream 4 was nominated for a Teen Choice Award for Best Horror Movie but lost over Paranormal Activity 2.^[67]

On March 2, 2012, Scream 4 won the award for Best Horror Movie, and Ghostface came in third place for Best Villian at the Virgin Media Movie Awards.^[68]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Scream 4 at the Internet Movie Database
• Scream 4 at AllRovi
• Scream 4 at Box Office Mojo
• Scream 4 at Rotten Tomatoes

v t e Scream Films Scream • Scream 2 • Scream 3 (soundtrack) • Scream 4 Characters Ghostface • Sidney Prescott • List of Scream characters • List of Scream cast members Book • Category