Sixth or seventh viewing:

(Scroll down for reviews from previous viewings). 

Extended fan cut:

This is the fourth time I’ve watched this in the past 2 or 3 months but I still love it. The reason I’m rewatching it again tonight is because I wanted to watch the extended fan cut that included some of the deleted scenes and Spyglass had made it unavailable to watch on YouTube in the USA so I wanted to hop on that before it happened in the UK too. My review for the actual film can be found down below so this review will just be for the fan cut. 

This version of the film did make it feel a lot more complete. There were lots of little things said in the theatrical cut that seemed like they were somewhat significant to something else that happened but of course they were all cut in the deleted scenes. I can see why the scenes were cut because they don’t add an awful lot, except that fountain scene, but I was disappointed that they didn’t add the scene were Dewey talks about Tatum, it’s a real emotional scene that would have benefited the emotional punch of the movie.

I will also admit that it as a weird viewing experience, it’s hard to explain. The quality of the edit was great (not in terms of picture quality because that shit was 480p and looked terrible) but it was edited together so seamlessly, and I had scenes those deleted scenes before and they didn’t have any music or anything, but the music added to them by the editor fit so well. I also noticed that they removed the ‘fucking’ from ‘fucking morgue’ which is one of my favourite lines in the film which wasn’t fun. It also had great pacing for a 2 hour+ movie and was never boring. 

Here’s the link if you wanna watch it: youtu.be/5OdEkfVEJpU

Solid 4 out of 5 stars

Fifth or sixth watch:

I’m rewatching the films for the second time this month because my sister wanted to rewatch them. My opinion for this film has stayed the same pretty much. My sister liked the film and still loves Gale and Sidney, she also liked Hayden Panettiere too. She remembered the ending and that there was a fake movie opening, although she thought Jenny and Marcie’s was also fake. She did laugh a few times too, but at the parts she was actually meant to, which was good. This was my first time watching my UK blu-ray that I picked up in Poundland, I would always watch the German blu-ray that came with the steelbook. There’s quite a few differences in the film but it’s all mostly extra ADR put in to help explain things to some more clueless viewers. I did notice that they removed one of my favourites lines from the film though, it’s the scene with Olivia at the start where she says that Sidney belongs in the Final Destination franchise. It’s just such a funny reference and I don’t know why it was cut. None of the cuts were for censorship purposes and is the same version that’s available on American Pay-per-view.

I also don’t know if I mentioned this in my last review but this is the most distant feeling film to the original in the whole franchise. The original trio are kinda sidelined big time and look of the film, and to a lesser degree the tone, all just feel so different. I also mentioned in my last review that I’m my first viewing of a Scream movie was when I spied on my family watching Rebecca’s death in Scream 4 from the kitchen. So when that scene was coming up I decided to go into the kitchen and watch the scene from behind the counter (I was watching the film in the same room I first seen it in back then) to get the nostalgia. Sadly I didn’t get deja vu or anything but it’s fun to say that I’ve come full circle, considering that scene scared the shit out of me then and I worship these movies now. 

Also, I checked my diary and I watched both Scream 3 and Scream 4 on this exact day last month (then=30th June 2020 - now=30th July 2020) and I also watched both of them tonight too!

Third or fourth watch:

(Up half a star from previous rating).

I’ve always loved this sequel.

This is actually technically the first Scream movie I ever saw. Although, it wasn’t a proper watch. I was pretty young and I remember coming down the stairs late one night and my parents and sister were watching Scream 4. Obviously I didn’t want to watch it but I remember hiding in the kitchen and peeking at the film. I didn’t watch the whole thing, only the one scene with Alison Brie but oh boy, it scared the shit out of me and stuck with me. I left straight after that and went up to bed, where I probably didn’t sleep. I specifically remember having many different nightmares about ghost face and even one time I thought I fucking saw him in my room and ran downstairs screaming. Turns out it was just my black bed covers poking out of my bed but whatever, I was young. The scene I did see, with Alison Brie, was the one I would always tell people. I specifically told two different people that I knew, who were way younger than me, about that one scene when telling scary stories. I also remember that my older cousin, who lives far away from me, came to stay at my house one night and he was kind of a horror fan. He was 14 at the time and couldn’t see the film were he lived because there was only one cinema and the film was rated 16. So of course when he came up here he had to see it because there’s like 10 different cinemas in my city and it’s rated 15 here too so there was a better chance of him getting in. Well, he went to go see it and he was terrified. And then when he came back he told me that Emma Roberts was the killer and was killed with a hairdryer. At the time I was a fan of her from Wild Child and I always just imagined Poppy Moore getting whacked over the head with a hair dryer. He also had to sleep in the same room with me and my sister because he was too scared to sleep on his own. So it’s safe to say that this film had quite the effect on me. 

The film itself is actually really good. I like that the decision to go back to its roots in Woodsboro. I’ve always thought that the return to Woodsboro was such a breathe of fresh air, especially when I marathoned the franchise a couple years ago. It also doesn’t help that the sequels all have this very 90s semi-blockbustery look to them that has quite a dark colour scheme, but here there’s lots of colour and it really pops. That’s just a quick side note and in no way diminishes the previous films. The script is also pretty clever, not as clever as the first but still pretty clever. The meta humour is actually a lot more unsubtle in its approach but I still really like it. This is actually the first film in the franchise where they mention the term meta and I thought it was a pretty funny way at poking fun at itself. Although, like Scream 3, it does kind of sideline Sidney’s story in favour of showing a lot more of the new teens, understandably. It’s pretty ironic though because you’d think that the reason they spend so much time with these new characters is so they can appear in future instalments, but they fucking kill them all anyway. I actually think it was a good way at subverting expectations but I do wish that Sidney has a bit more to do. The pacing is also pretty good too. It has a strong first act but it does slump a little in the middle. It’s not a major quality drop but it’s just not as intriguing as it maybe could have been. With all that being said though, it’s third act makes it for it big time. Seriously, that final act is fantastic. I literally can’t, it’s just perfect. It’s really tense, it looks beautiful, there’s so many twists and turns and that self mutilation scene is just (chef’s kiss). I’ve actually heard a lot of people hate on the ending at the hospital, I actually like it though, it added something different to the usual predictable final acts the franchise is famous for. Side note: Kirby’s house is fucking gorgeous, inside and out, it’s literally my dream house. 

This sequel probably has one of the best twists in the franchise. Billy and Stu are of course iconic, Mrs Loomis was quite surprising, Roman was stupid, but Jill was a big shock. Of course, I had already known she was the killer going into this for the first time but even watching it on repeats it’s still shocking. It completely goes against every single fucking rule set in the franchise and subverts every expectation. I’m sure some people probably guessed it but I’m sure nearly everyone was surprised. And Jill’s reason is so fucking relevant to today’s society. Everyone is so obsessed with their online presence and all of their followers and their likes. I’ve always found it so fucking stupid but it is addictive. I honestly believe that someone would actually do this, someone probably already has actually. People are just so obsessed with getting their 15 minutes of fame and will do anything to get it. Charlie’s reason is pretty eh, I’ve already forgotten it to be honest with you. Charlie generally is just pretty eh, he’s a ripoff of Randy and Stu but he’s alright, Jill is perfect though.

The characters in the film are great too. Of course, I’m talking about the original trio mainly. As I’ve already mentioned, Sidney is sidelined here but she still does a fantastic job. She’s still the strong fighter that she was in the original trilogy but this time she’s grown a lot. I know it’s minor but I’ve always loved the bit where she pretends that Jill is running away from Ghostface and she’s all like, “Go, keep running Jill.” It just shows how selfless she is, as well as showing how fucking smart she still is. Gale is also really good but again, is sidelined. She doesn’t have as many cool bitchy lines here but she still delivers a fanatically fun performance. I know this is a common opinion but Hayden Panettiere is definitely the standout as Kirby. She’s Randy 2.0 but like way cooler (no hate on Randy by the way, I love him). One of my favourite moments in the film is where she’s on the phone with Ghostface and she’s listing basically every horror remake made up until that point. It gives me goosebumps every time because not only is it so satisfying to see as a horror fan but Hayden Panettiere’s delivery is so perfect. Emma Roberts is also amazing as Jill, definitely the second standout. And I know that I’m slightly bias because Emma Roberts is my second favourite actress of all time but her performance really is fantastic. And to be honest, she’s pretty eh in the first two acts. She’s not overly memorable but as soon as she takes off that mask, oh boy does she deliver the goods. One of my other favourite scenes is the self mutilation scene where Emma Roberts is just going around stabbing herself and running into frames and falling on tables. This is actually the first time she played an evil character. This was pre-Chanel Oberlin and pre-AHS in general. She seriously steals the show after that reveal and I love her even more because of it. The rest of the teen cast are kinda eh, they are just kinda there to get killed and that’s it. Judy Hicks is pretty good though, I’ve always thought that Marley Shelton is a criminally underrated actress and Scream 4 once again proves that. Although, one thing that I’ve never understood is the rule that the only way to survive a modern horror movie is to be gay. When has that ever been a thing? There virtually no gay characters in horror cinema so unless that’s what they meant, it made absolutely no sense. 

The kills are also probably the goriest and most brutal of the franchise, which is ironic considering it’s the only movie rated 15 in the UK (to be fair though the original trilogy hasn’t been rated since 2000). Olivia’s death is definitely the most brutal and definitely without a doubt the goriest if the franchise. Like those intestines just lying on her bed was so sick. And what’s kinda funny about it is that none of her friends seem to give a shit that she died. I don’t necessarily blame them because she is such a bland and boring character but I just found it hilarious that she the day after her death all of her friends are just going to party’s and not giving her brutal murder a second thought. The death of the cop, Deputy Perkins, is also a highlight. Alison Brie’s death of of course great too and the build up to it was pretty tense. The opening scenes (or should I say scenes) are probably the best though. I’ve always fucking adored the movie within a movie within a movie opening. It takes meta to the next level. I think the first opening with Lucy Hale and Shenae Grimes is probably the best of the three, just in terms of blood and the chemistry between the two (it also helps that I loved Pretty Little Liars and 90210). I actually also prefer the alternate opening with Britt Robertson being the last dead, I really don’t know why they didn’t go with it because it miles better than the one we got. The scene at the Stabathon (which was a great idea by the way) where Gale gets stabbed is also a great scene in terms of tension and another favourite of mine. 

Also, this film used to have a 59% (rotten) percent on Rotten Tomatoes and I just checked there now and it’s officially up to 60% (fresh)!

Overall, Scre4m is a really well made sequel with fantastic twists and turns and some great tense sequences.

Extreme borderline 3.5/4 out of 5 stars
 
(Now solid 4 out of 5 stars)