Scre4m

SCRE4M

Director : Wes Craven

Year : 2011

Genre : Horror

Rating : ****

After a drop in both quality and originality with such conventional fare as 'Cursed' and 'My Soul To Take', Wes Craven deservedly retrieves his crown as the true master of horror with 'Scre4m', the fourth movie in the hugely popular postmodern franchise which originally revitalised the virtually dead slasher subgenre in the 1990's and sees Craven back on top form. With the help of great dialogue, meta humour and fantastic, scary set pieces, 'Scre4m' is not only the best installment in the series so far, but is also one of the best horror movies of the decade so far along with 'The Cabin In The Woods', 'Frozen' and 'Berberian Sound Studio'.

'Scre4m' takes place 10 years after the original Woodsboro murders. The original survivor of the case Sidney Prescott is returning to promote a book that she has written about the killings. However, her return to her hometown sets off a new chain of Ghostface copycats and soon the population of Woodsboro is severly diminished. With the help of Gale Weathers, Sheriff Dewey and a group of horror fans, Sidney tries to put a stop to the murders before she and those close to her are killed.

With films such as 'The Last House On The Left', 'A Nightmare On Elm Street' and 'The Hills Have Eyes', Craven has creating some of the scrungiest, nastiest and iconic movies in the history of the horror genre. Along with John Carpenter, Tobe Hooper, David Cronenberg, George A. Romero and Dario Argento, Wes Craven can be seen as one of the initiators of the modern horror movie. Creating such icons as Freddy Krueger, Krug Stilo and Pluto, Craven's horrors have become some of the most iconic and best loved films in the genre. 'Scre4m' reminds us all that he truly knows how to produce high quality horror without the use of over the top gore or needless and mysogynistic nudity. The movie is directed fantastically and while the murder scenes aren't as overly gory as previous 'Scream' movies, the tension created and the build up to the stabbings are surprisingly tense and the final half an hour where the murderer is finally revealed contain some of the best slasher set pieces I have ever seen.

'Scre4m' reunites the regulars from the original trilogy; Neve Campbell, David Arquette and Courtney Cox as well a fresh bunch of teenage/young adult talent including Kieran Culkin and Hayden Panitierre. As a unit, the characters work well together and the dialogue written by Kevin Williamson is witty, sardonic and has the usual meta/post-modern humour that made the original 'Scream' trilogy so entertaining for horror fans alike. While commenting on horror and the conventions of slashers and sequels, 'Scre4m' also makes statements about the entertainment industry, social networking and the eternal search for fame; the current zeitgeists that are engulfing our world right now. Like all of Craven's movies, 'Scre4m' is very much of it's time. The trends and parodies on screen really do emphasise the decade in which it is set and while we may be used to the conventions of modern horror right now, I can imagine in a few years time when the boring  found footage subgenre has run it's course and died a horrible death, we will watch 'Scre4m' and realise just how pointless and lazy those movies really were.

For horror fans who know the genre inside and out, 'Scre4m' is a fantastic commentary on the state of the genre and the jokes, send ups and parodies will entertain immensely. It is a cleverly written, tense and enjoyable film that will endure through repeat watchings and 'Scream'athons. For those who are not too fond of horrors, I would still recommend 'Scre4m'. As mentioned, the film is not overly gory and some of the scenes will make you laugh as well as scream. For me; a die hard slasher and Wes Craven fan, 'Scre4m' is a well made, fun, surprisingly intense film that reminds me just how brilliant the director is and why I fell in love with movies such as 'A Nightmare On Elm Street', 'The Last House On The Left' and 'The Hills Have Eyes'; films that turned me into the complete horror geek I am today.