- Directed by Wes Craven
- Written by Kevin Williamson
- Stars Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox, David Arquette
- Run Time: 1 Hour, 51 Minutes
- Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKRtyVLWV-E
Spoiler-Free Judgment Zone
It was okay. More of the same sort of thing as the first three only not quite as good. Or maybe we were just getting a little tired of them. Our friends are brought back from the previous movies, and again it’s pretty necessary to see the previous films to fully enjoy the experience.
Synopsis
Two girls talk about Jigsaw and the film Saw 4. One girl has a Facebook stalker. The phone rings, and it’s “The Voice.” The doorbell rings and there’s nobody out there. Two separate Ghostfaces kill both girls.
Rachel and Chloe turn off the movie; they were watching “Stab 6.”. “These sequels don’t know when to stop! They just keep recycling the same old shit,” whines Rachel. Chloe stabs her, “Did that surprise you?”
Jennie and Marnie turn off the copy of “Stab 7” they were watching. Jenny explains that it’s like a movie within a movie. Still, it is based on a true story, which happened right here in Woodsboro. The phone rings, and Marnie answers– it’s just Jenny playing a joke. Jenny comes downstairs and finds Marnie’s body–the chase is on. A very short chase. Actual Credits Roll– for “Scream 4”, if you weren’t quite sure anymore.
Sidney is planning on going to a book signing tonight; it’s for her own title.. Dewey and Gale are still married, and he’s the sheriff now. Kirby, Jill, and Olivia are annoying teenagers that are probably going to be this film’s fodder. Jill is Sidney’s cousin, and she gets the call from the killer, asking about her favorite scary movie. They go to high school with Robbie Mercer and Charlie, who are movie nuts.
Dewey crashes the book signing with all the cops. They’ve traced a phone involved with a crime to the bookstore. It’s in the trunk of Sidney’s car, along with a bloody knife and posters of Sidney. Deputy Judy went to school with Sidney, but Sidney doesn’t remember her. Gale and Deputy Judy don’t get along. Sidney’s manager, Rebecca, is totally thrilled at the publicity. Jill’s mother, Kate, is Sidney’s dead mother’s sister. Jill’s ex-boyfriend, Trevor, sneaks into her window; she doesn’t want him around, but he’s insistent.
Jill calls Olivia, but she doesn’t fall for the impersonation. Still, the voice can be done with an easy-to-get phone app, so anyone can sound like Ghostface. Trevor calls using the voice, and Kirby answers. He says he’s standing in the closet. Maybe it’s not Trevor. He jumps out of Olivia’s closet and kills her in front of Jill, Kirby, and Sidney. They run next door and battle Ghostface, but as always, he gets away. Trevor runs in and takes Jill to the hospital.
Gale confronts Charlie and Robbie, the movie experts. Sidney fires Rebecca because she doesn’t approve of the greed. Five minutes later, she’s the next victim. The film club suggests that the latest thing would be for the killer to livestream his murders. The “reversal has become the new standard,” they explain. They talk about the new, updated rules of modern horror films. The movie marathon, “Stabathon” is tonight. Sidney and Jill bond over their trauma.
Gale goes to Stabathon in disguise. Kirby and the movie geeks are there as well. Gale places not-too-subtle video cameras all over the place. She goes out to her car and watches the cameras go out, one by one. She goes inside to fix her camera and finds a camera watching her. Gale gets stabbed, but tells Dewey what’s going on, “This time, he’s making the movie.”
The cops on patrol talk about new rules for cops in horror movies. They… prove themselves right. Aunt Kate gets stabbed right through the mail slot. Deputy Judy calls it in, but Sidney runs out looking for Jill. Jill is with Kirby and the movie geeks. Trevor’s there too, being creepy as before; he says he was texted from Jill’s phone, which she now notices is gone.
Kirby and Charlie make their move for each other before Trevor interrupts. Robbie dies for his art. Sidney arrives, and Ghostface attacks. Charlie is tied up and Kirby has to play movie trivia to save his life. Charlie then stabs Kirby. As Sidney runs from Charlie, Ghostface appears and takes his mask off; it’s Jill. Charlie and Jill plan to frame Trevor for the whole thing. They want to get famous for livestreaming murders.
Charlie tells Jill to stab him a little so he can look like a victim. She stabs him right in the heart; no surprise, it’s a double-cross. Jill wants to be the sole survivor this time around. “I don’t need friends, I need fans,” she gloats. She rants a bit about Internet fame before stabbing Sidney.
She sets up Trevor with some incriminating evidence and then stabs herself on purpose. She finishes up by passing out next to Sidney.
Dewey, Judy, and every other cop in town arrive to find the carnage.
Jill wakes up in the hospital with Dewey there. Dewey reveals that Sidney is in the ICU; she might be fine. As soon as he leaves, she gets up and heads to the ICU to finish off Sidney. Sidney puts up more of a fight than she expects. Dewey gets beaten down with a bedpan. Gale comes in and almost gets shot until Judy rescues her.
Judy does get shot, Gale starts talking, and Sidney fries Jill with the defibrillator paddles. She gets up again, so this time, Sidney simply shoots her. Judy gets up; bullet-proof vest.
All the reporters outside talk about how Jill saved everyone by putting an end to the “Woodsboro Massacre.” They don’t know about this final attack yet.
Commentary
That ending though. There are apparently no nurses, orderlies, or security in this ICU? None that would hear all the gunfire, screaming, and bedpannery?
These films do have a knack for introducing a whole bunch of new characters quickly, so the suspect pool is always large in the beginning.
So, as before, there are two Ghostfaces. Neither of these two were huge surprises.
It wasn’t terrible, but it was far less inspired than its predecessors.