When Scream hit theaters in 1996, it was noted for its sharp wit and the way it poked fun at the conventions of horror movies. Now, fifteen years later, the series is back with a fourth installment and this time they have decided to tear apart the landscape of modern day horror. The film’s opening scene examines how horror has become nothing more than a gory shock-fest, forgoing character development for cheap scares. Another jab made in the opening was made at the countless number of sequels that keep churning out for movies, each one being worse than the last (Saw comes to mind in this instance). But the main target of Scream 4 was the remake. We all know that this has become something of an epidemic in Hollywood these last few years. It seems as if all originality has left the building and every producer, screenwriter and film company seems to be keen on the idea of taking something old and making it new again. Fans of the horror community have been in uproar as they feel that many classic movies have been ruined by remakes.
Scream 4 comments on the remake craze several times throughout the film, noting that the killer seems to be following the pattern of the killings from the original Stab film (the movie-within-a-movie based on the events of the Scream films) in attempt to create their own remake. Perhaps one of the best scenes in the film takes place towards the film’s climax, when Hayden Panettiere’s character is on the phone with the killer. He begins to ask her a question, telling her to name a remake and before he can finish the question she starts rattling off every possible remake that has been done within the last several years. Needless to say, she rattles off quite a list. However, the absolute best part of the movie was the end, when Neve Campbell makes a remark to one of the killers about the first rule of remakes being not to mess with the original. The sentiments of the film were lost on a lot of people, who thought that the movie was a weak attempt at bringing back what was thought to be a dead franchise, but I thought the message was spot on. It’s time for Hollywood to get creative again, come up with something original instead of rehashing the same stuff whether it’s with a remake of an old movie or putting out a twentieth sequel. This movie was one of the best that 2011 has had to offer because the message it sent was a refreshing one, one that Hollywood will hopefully listen to.
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