Released in 1996 Scream not only resurrected Wes Craven’s career as a horror director it also launched the career of Kevin Williamson and revitalized the horror genre at mainstream cinemas. The film was essentially a celebration of clichés that had become the standard plot devices in horror films. It was self-aware, witty and more fun than it was mean spirited. Scream spawned a pair of successful, but increasingly watered-down, sequels before waltzing off into its blood-soaked skyline. The joke, despite all its initial originality, just wasn’t funny or necessary anymore.
In Scream’s wake audiences were offered a decade of Scary Movie, a host of re-makes and torture porn. A decade of nonsense that was ripe for dissection. So, Williamson and Craven, along with series regulars Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox and David Arquette, dusted off the Ghostface Killer for another round of murderous behavior.
The story finds Sidney (Campbell) finishing off a successful book tour in her hometown of Woodsboro. But Sidney isn’t the only person returning to Woodsboro. After an extended absence Ghostface returns to terrorize a new group of teenagers including Sidney’s cousin Jill (Emma Roberts).
A decade of silence did wonders for the franchise in terms of material but the film failed to recapture its box-office glory. Scream 4 came and went like a whimper (it did have a fairly impressive run internationally). A shame, considering the film was the second best entry in the series.
The Blu-ray release of Scream 4 is fairly impressive. The audio and video faithfully recreate the look and feel of the theatrical presentation. The supplement material is a bit on the fluffy side but offers a decent look behind the scenes. The best bonus being the collection of deleted and extended scenes (including an alternate opening and extended ending) with commentary from Craven. Here Craven gives some insight to the production process and how the film changed at the request of the film’s producers. Some of this material is also covered in the film’s audio commentary but in that commentary Craven tends to be pushed aside as stars Emma Roberts and Hayden Panettiere ramble on and on without ever actually saying anything. Neve Campbell does chime in from time to time but because she is on the phone, rather than actually being in the room with the others, she tends to be mute. There’s also a fairly decent making-of featurette.
If you missed Scream 4 in theaters (which most of you did) I’d highly recommend giving the film a chance this Halloween season. It’s far better than most of the schlock that I’ve been digging through the last few weeks.