3/10
Despite all the post-modern window dressing, this is still just a nasty slasher movie, and what's more, it's a very long-delayed installment in a franchise that has outlived its sell by date. There is really nothing to recommend it.
The first three Scream movies were released between 1996 and 2000, so the 11 year gap is a sign a) that everyone figured that the story was played out and b) that the film makers and actors have returned to the scene of the crime in the absence of anything else happening in their careers. So we have Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) coming back to town to promote her new book about surviving the whole range of knife-wielding, mask-wearing psychos. Then there is Sheriff Dewey (David Arquette) now married to Gail (Courtney Cox) who was involved in the solving of the previous crimes.
And of course, there is some younger blood, literally. Emma (niece of Julia) Roberts is one, but there are a number of unmemorable young women, whose main purpose is to talk to each other on their mobiles, behave stupidly, and then get murdered; or more precisely, stabbed. Meanwhile, there are endless smart ass horror film references, in which favourite horror films are discussed, as well as what's going to happen next based on the stereotypes of horror movies. It's a horror movie about horror movies, including a seven film franchise called Stab, which is first cousin to Scream.
I think this is meant to be clever or ironic or something, but mostly it serves to conceal the fact that there isn't any plot. Simply a series of murders, and at least one murderer who is able to be everywhere at the same time, while the police rush from one place to another, always arriving far too late. I don't pretend to like horror films, but if you've got to have them, surely they should at least be scary. This isn't, it's just annoying. The level of self-conscious post modernism is not just shallow and puerile, but it also removes any tension, since we know that lots of people will get stabbed, and then finally we'll discover who the killer(s) was/were, but we won't care, because they're all ciphers anyway. It's just lazy thinking, writing, directing and acting to revisit old haunts, with nothing new to say, trading on name recognition to part a few punters from their money. Keep your dosh in your pocket.
