Scream 4 Review: A Relevent Whodunit That Skips On Scares

Confession time: I’m not a diehard Scream fan. I don’t even know if I’ve ever watched the original all the way through. I can barely remember anything about the 2022 reboot/sequel/whatever-that-was.

So this review of Scream 4 comes from a place of near-total isolation—no nostalgia goggles, and very few expectations. I’m looking at SCRE4M pretty much as a standalone movie. I would argue that this gives me a fairer lens through which to watch the film. It’s one that is not coloured by comparisons or expectations from previous films.

In this review, I’ll dig into the film’s themes, how well it works as a horror movie, and what I think it gets right… as well as where it falls flat.

Scream 4 Review

Scream 4 was released in 2011, and it mirrors the gripes and anxieties of internet culture that started to show their ugly buds, as millennials grew up into their twenties. By far, the most overt themes are those of clout chasing – desperate attempts to go viral – are front and centre. This was a time when the dream of becoming ‘internet famous’ became a real possibility, as YouTube moved from its awkward beginnings into cultural dominance.

The Late Y2K Era and the Dark Side of Internet Culture

The late 2000s and early 2010s marked a dark turning point in internet culture. This was the era of the Chris Chan trolling saga, Hunter Moore’s notorious revenge p*rn site, and the peak of 4chan’s infamy. Whether through recklessness or outright malice, people were willing to do almost anything to get noticed. That same chaotic hunger for fame—no matter the cost—is at the heart of Scream 4. The ills of obsession with internet fame and social media are present throughout the entire film. However, they’re handled in a way that is both meaningful and consistent with the genre.

I also liked that this theme naturally entwined with that of edgy humour. Early on in the film, pranksters adorn street lamps with Ghostface balloons, which Officer Dewey and his team are seen taking down. This is portrayed as that, bad taste. Yet, this kind of humour is ubiquitous with the internet. The scene appears as a nod to how an outsider (or normie) may view such jokes.

If this scene wasn’t direct enough, to quote Officer Dewey (David Arquette): “One generation’s tragedy is another’s joke.” This line highlights not just the generational gap and differing perspectives on the Woodsboro massacre in the movie, but also the difference between those who observe cruel online humour and those in on the joke.

Scream 4’s Performance as a Horror

Tonally, Scream 4 is what I expected. It has the same meta awareness the series is known for, along with measured and controlled scenes of violence. Gore is not gratuitous, and the film throws out red herrings like candy.

SCRE4M indulges in a string of fake-outs that kept me guessing until the very end. Taking into account the lack of gore, this whodunit is wrapped in the veneer of a slasher. There’s just enough blood to justify its horror label, but it’s arguably more at home in the thriller camp.

Despite the lack of gore and the somewhat tame violence, there is the constant tension that anyone could be the killer. No one feels truly safe, which helps to keep the stakes high. That unpredictability makes the movie fun, even if it’s not especially scary.

And that’s where the cracks start to show—if you’re coming for horror. The tension is there, but this is not a scary movie. Knowing the formula of these films, it’s a safe bet that the killers are teens, which—for me as an adult viewer—takes away some of the threat. The danger doesn’t feel visceral; it feels performative. There’s a reliance on jump scares and chase scenes. For a seasoned horror fan, it plays more like a rollercoaster than a descent into fear.

Final Thoughts

While Scream 4 may be one of the tamer entries in the horror genre, it succeeds in making sharp commentary on the digital anxieties of the late noughties and early 2010s. It’s entertaining and unpredictable, though if you’re hoping to be scared, you may be waiting a while!

What are your thoughts on the movie? Let us know in the comments!