Scream 4 (2011)

The critic praises the return of writer Kevin Williamson for keeping the satire sharp and meta, while noting that the film lives up to its gory past with new terrors enabled by modern media. It values sarcasm alongside scares but delivers jump scares and clever references.

The review calls it a pretty fair hall-of-mirrors horror ride that opens wittily with a terrific climax and killer reveal, though much of the middle is a dead zone of red herrings. It singles out the graphic, sadistic violence—crunchy stabbings and one particularly cruel murder—as what keeps viewers engaged despite the campy self-awareness.

The film manages to be more than a mere slasher curtain call with devilishly smart tricks, offering a wickedly entertaining dissection of internet fame and horror reboots. The meta jokes are funny, death scenes deliver post-Saw gore, and the twist is strong, though visuals are soupy and the script struggles with its large cast.

Scream 4 mixes murder, mystery and self-awareness to adequate if not exceptional effect as a piece of diversionary puzzlebox entertainment, but doesn’t pack the wallop of the best moments of its forebears. It succeeds on its own terms yet doesn’t really work or hold together as a scary movie in the conventional sense.

The critic finds the film tries hard to recapture the original's self-referentiality but the over-cooked script fails to properly integrate modern horror trends or technology. It lacks the courage of its potentially subversive convictions and dissipates into a series of stabs in the dark.

The critic finds Scream 4 fun but more clever-clever than fiendishly ingenious. The film descends into familiar territory that circles until the horror-obsessed movie disappears up its own assiduity.

The critic finds that the meta-joke at the heart of the series has grown stale after eleven years, with the film relying on movie references and chases that feel flatly staged. Some flashes of wit appear in the opening sequence.

The review notes how meta the film gets and questions if more meta means better. It finds the result far too self-regarding and artificial to cut deep, though Craven’s cat-and-mouse game with expectations elicits a few titters.

The review finds Scream 4 returns to business as usual with tech-savvy elements and a decent twist, but it rarely terrifies and lacks the edge of its predecessors.

The critic finds the film tediously self-referential and overly long, dominated by insular genre gags and a clockwork killing spree that fails to build suspense effectively. He notes some amusing bits and clever twists plus decent final revelations, but criticizes Neve Campbell being underused until the climax.

The critic sees the film as a redundant studio-driven sequel that fails to recapture the original's postmodern spark. It offers sporadic fun with social media references but ends up predictable and underwhelming.

The critic calls the film overblown, overlong, and overstuffed with tired self-referentialism, lacking credible new characters and memorable scares compared to earlier entries. It delivers expected goods but feels like the series has run out of wit.

The critic finds Scream 4 the best of the sequels, praising its self-referential postmodernism, inventive opening sequences, and gripping whodunnit structure while noting it remains focused on the original cast.

The critic finds Scream 4 well-written and well-directed, with a conclusion that stays true to the franchise's spirit while addressing fame and celebrity and playfully mocking remake conventions. They single out the satisfying mystery element and the meta opening sequence for praise, though noting the killings are predictable.

The critic calls it a familiar but improved entry with more tech-savvy parody and inventive plotting, crediting new cast members like Hayden Panettiere for fresh energy while retaining the series' signature dread and jump scares.

The critic finds the film mixed, praising its timely and provocative ideas about fame but criticizing how the twist undermines suspension of disbelief. They single out the implausible physical feats by the killers as a major flaw.

The review finds Scream 4 a bitter and resentful entry that fails to deliver quality scares or a compelling mystery while attacking modern youth culture and the franchise's own irrelevance. It singles out the occasional successful humor, particularly from Courteney Cox's Gale and Alison Brie's publicist character, as the film's one bright spot.