--- title: "Scream 4: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/scream-4/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/scream-4" critics_score: 53 critics_reviews: 17 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Scream 4 (2011): what the critics said Critics' score 53 from 17 reviews: 3 positive, 10 mixed, 4 negative. Most critics land in the middle. The reviews agree the opening sequence is the sharpest stretch and that the jokes about reboots, internet fame and horror conventions still raise a laugh, even from those who tire of them later. Several count the final reveal a strength, and the stabbings are noted as crunchier and crueller than before. Warmer praise goes to Kevin Williamson’s script and to the newer cast members, with Hayden Panettiere and Alison Brie singled out for energy. The reservations gather around the same self-awareness: a good number find it stale after eleven years, the middle stretch a run of red herrings, and the film too long and rarely frightening. The Hollywood Reporter adds that Neve Campbell is underused until the climax. The spread is wide, from Eye for Film calling it the best of the sequels to Collider finding it bitter and resentful. ## Los Angeles Times — Betsy Sharkey Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 15 April 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. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2011-apr-15-la-et-scream4-20110415-story.html) ## Vulture Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 15 April 2011. 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. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/2011/04/movie_review_the_clever_bloody.html) ## Radio Times — Josh Winning Rating 3/5. 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. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-vcvr23/scre4m/) ## Screen Daily Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 14 April 2011. 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. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/scream-4/5026215.article) ## Time Out — Nigel Floyd Rating 3/5. 14 April 2011. 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. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/scream-4) ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw Fi1m's normalised score 55/100 (inferred from the text). 17 April 2011. 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. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2011/apr/17/scream-4-wes-craven-scre4m) ## The New York Times — Mike Hale Fi1m's normalised score 45/100 (inferred from the text). 14 April 2011. 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. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/15/movies/scream-4-movie-review.html) ## The Times Fi1m's normalised score 45/100 (inferred from the text). 16 April 2011. 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. [Read the review](https://www.thetimes.com/article/scre4m-l7pjxsftfbr) ## Total Film — James Mottram Fi1m's normalised score 45/100 (inferred from the text). 14 April 2011. 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. [Read the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/scream-4-review/) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Todd McCarthy Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 13 April 2011. 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. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/scream-4-review-177968/) ## Empire — David Hughes Fi1m's normalised score 35/100 (inferred from the text). 21 May 2010. 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. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/scream-4-review/) ## Variety — Dennis Harvey Fi1m's normalised score 35/100 (inferred from the text). 13 April 2011. 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. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2011/film/reviews/scream-4-1117945018/) ## Eye for Film — Anton Bitel Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 22 August 2011. 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. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/scream-4-film-review-by-anton-bitel) ## Den of Geek — Ryan Rating 4 out of 5. 15 April 2011. 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. [Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/scream-4-review/) ## HeyUGuys — Lisa Giles-Keddie Rating 3/5. 14 April 2011. 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. [Read the review](https://www.heyuguys.com/scream-4-review/) ## The Wrap — Michael Lee Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 1 May 2011. 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. [Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/scream-4-it-was-best-screams-it-was-worst-screams-26956/) ## Collider — Matt Goldberg Rating D+. 15 April 2011. 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. [Read the review](https://collider.com/scream-4-review/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/scream-4.md