Scream 4

A trilogy is always a difficult franchise to master and there are very few movies that are successful in achieving such mastery.

The original Scream is certainly worthy of being considered a classic. It has everything from the chill factor to romance to Super Sid kicking ass. It was a movie that left you checking your cupboards before bed to make sure no surprises were lurking within. It never gets boring no matter how many times you've seen it. Billy and Stu were classic psycho killers who left you chilled to the bone and wanting to hang on to your virginity for as long as possible.

Scream 2 introduced an interesting twist in the form of Billy's mother being the cold blooded killer out for revenge on everyone's favourite victim. The death of Randy was devastating and Cotton's anger pointed all of the suspicion towards him. Only the most super of sleuths would have guessed that Mrs Loomis and Mickey were the killers, and Gale and Dewey's affection for one another offered that light hearted romance that took the edge off slightly from all the murders. Would Sidney ever be safe and free from her constant terror?

That brings us to Scream 3. Who on earth could be left wanting to bump Sid off once and for all? Ahhh, of course...the illegitimate half-brother, Roman, that she never knew she had. Again, we were pampered with the electric affections between Dewey and Gale. At least this time it ended with a proposal once the three protags had once again saved the world from that clutches of Ghostface!

That brings us eleven years later with the fourth instalment, taking it from a trilogy to a...quadrilogy?!? With the third film being more comical than the first two, this movie had the potential to lose its chilling charm if it would follow in its footsteps. You can imagine my relief when it turned out to be just as scary as the original.

There were plenty of murders and each was as surprising as the previous. The characters from the new generation complemented the presence of the original three (Cotton Weary got it right when he said Gale has more lives than a cat) as Emma Roberts played Sidney's cousin Jill. Ghostface came after Sidney and Jill and her friends got caught up in the firing line also. If all bets are off in a trilogy, then anything goes in the fourth instalment. Trust no one and expect the unexpected!

Hayden Panettiere's character, Kirby, is indeed a scene stealer. She expresses comical value with an underlying sense of fear. It's spot on. Emma Roberts is impressive as Sidney's somewhat vulnerable cousin. And as for the original three? Well, let's just say it's good to see them back on the silver screen.

One big let down from the film though? The absence of the song "Red Right Hand" - very disappointing.

Word of advice... Go and see this film! Especially if you are a Scream fan.

Loula's Rating: •••••


- Loulabella posting from her iPhone