Scream 4

Hayden Panettiere and her Hitchcock-Lady hairstyle is the highlight of the film for me. :-) This juicy slasher tops the previous installments by increasing the body count as well as the number of jokes and film references (both in the dialogue and in the form of posters on the walls). Too bad it came out eleven years after the third Scream and thus serves only as a nostalgic reminder of the famous franchise. The tastes of today’s horror audience have evolved since then. (08/05/2011)

A pleasant meeting with old friends and a much better film than could be expected after My Soul to Take; I liked it as much as the first part. Craven and Williams deliver a pretty effective reflection on the last decades in horror, without altering the spirit of the franchise. It’s still playful and full of references to the genre, some of which are fun, while others are tense. It also makes quite some sense and has a pinch of social satire. I have to say that without that “alternative ending” I would have been shocked and would have admired the courage of the creators, not only to reboot the series, but actually to update it to a 2.0 version. As it is, I’m “only” a satisfied viewer. (14/04/2011)

0% fear, 100% playful (sub)genre tongue in cheek. If Craven and Williamson hadn’t missed the European train, or else if they had had the courage to work with it, this could have been better. Much better, if they had left out the superfluous “alternative ending". They aren’t resuscitating the American teenager slasher with this, they are simply proving that it is long since dead and can’t be approached otherwise than by making a comedy. (14/04/2011)

After a very long hiatus, the regular fourth film has indeed arrived. It’s not a reboot, but a normal old-world sequel. And while no one would have expected it, the film works well as a standalone horror film and as a new installment in a long-running franchise. The film series Stab got its seventh sequel, and the times have changed, but the main thing has remained the same. The main trio works well together. Sidney has written a new book, Out of the Darkness, and it serves as the perfect reason to come home. The younger generation can't do without their phones anymore, everyone is online 24/7, and the dynamics of killing are changing. Excellent supporting roles are played by Shenae Grimes, Anna Paquin, and Kristen Bell. Of the newcomers, Hayden Panettiere and Emma Roberts are very good. And it looks like there will be a regular fifth film after the series. Maybe in 2022. (14/04/2011)

It's entertaining, even for the fourth time, even though I'm not a huge fan of this crazy franchise. Wes Craven plays the same notes over and over again, but technically, he does it well, he can make fun of himself and combines it with good references to tons of movies trying who knows what, but not entertaining. The cast isn’t impressive either, so we are basically where we were some years years ago. A solid dose of fun purely for a single viewing. I really couldn't find a deeper meaning or any other reason to watch this film again. (20/12/2011)

"I'm gay, I'm gay! If it helps?" A bit predictable at times, but still a solid throwback to the good old days with the classic cast and some killer one-liners. Wes, I’d love a sequel, but remember... don't fuck with the original! :) 80%. (30/07/2011)

One of the bloodiest horror franchises is back, and compared to the previous two installments, Scream 4 exuded the terrifying and unforgettable atmosphere of the very beginning of the series. The killer is bolder this time around, the murders are much bloodier, and the participation of old and new acquaintances is enticing. From top to bottom, Scream 4 is riddled with references to its predecessors or other horror films, and it's all topped off with new but effective ideas. I had high hopes for this sequel, and my expectations have been fulfilled to perfection. Wes Craven is still on fire (leaving aside a couple of previous flops) and he staged the return of the masked killer as best he could. (25/04/2011)

I liked the more technically bloody and visually better murders and the shocking revelation of the killers at the end – you have to give this franchise that, for the fourth time the viewer has no idea who it is until the end of the film. What's a bit of a downer, though, is the somewhat impersonal approach, where the 1st and 2nd parts were much better in terms of characters, here they are typical boilerplate skeletons without personality, and the behaviour of the victims is a bit ridiculous at times. All in all, though, another decent entry in a cult franchise. And now to number five, I'm looking forward to it like a little kid and expecting a five-star, bloody carnage. (17/01/2022)

Old good Scream is back and I am glad that I can see horror in red colors here on csfd, there are plenty of them like saffron. I really enjoy this genre in the relaxation column and the fourth part of this cult series is very successful. So hooray for five, Wes! (05/06/2011)

Finally, a quality leap compared to its predecessor. The fourth installment is like a breath of fresh air for the series! The new characters are fantastic (Hayden Panettiere is brilliant!), and the thrilling pace is non-stop. Most importantly, the final reveal of the killer is shockingly incredible. I really enjoyed Scream to the fullest! We'll see what the next installment brings. For me, the fourth one earns a solid 7/10. (09/02/2023)

There's a lot of things to highlight here (again, the supremely evocative and increasingly gory murders, the perfectly working old/new casting, or the very imaginative pop culture references), but I honestly appreciated the topical commentary on the online environment the most. "Depravity has become the new norm" is an almost painful statement about the ideological emptiness of our times. I wouldn't have expected a now classic 90's horror film to get this good an update, providing a satirical look at today's (post-factual) society in addition to being entertaining again. Kevin Williamson and Wes Craven have pulled it off in a way they certainly have nothing to be ashamed of. They may not have generated the mass response of the latter half of the 90s, nor have they spawned a new phenomenon, but as a nostalgic close to the franchise, Scream 4 works reliably well. (27/10/2020)

Undoubtedly the best part of the whole series. When I was checking this high rating published here, I didn't believe it would be this good. Honestly, I thought it would be "crap and nonsense to the umpteenth degree." To my pleasant surprise, it was great. A great collaboration of familiar actors who did not disappoint and played their roles wonderfully. I don't like slasher movies, but I would include Scream 4 in the list of the best Teenage Stab USA. The plotlines were top-notch. And the so-called alternative ending also appealed to me. The controversy of the final killer didn't convince me much, because we encounter such psychos in every other horror movie, but every pig meets its butcher eventually. (30/12/2011)