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SCREAM 4Movie Reviews
Horror tale about a woman who returns to her hometown on the last stop of her book tour, where she is revisited by the Ghostface Killer who haunted her youth. Cast:Neve Campbell, David Arquette, Courteney Cox Arquette, Emma Roberts, Hayden PanettiereDirector:Wes CravenRelease Date:April 15, 2011DVD Release:October 4, 2011From:Dimension FilmsRating:RLength:1 hr. 43 min.
Scream 4 played to good not great reviews. Reviews were mixed. • Andrew O'Hehir wrote for Salon, "...somewhat entertaining, occasionally scary and only sporadically migraine-inducing... almost really cool..." • And Michael Phillips wrote in the Chicago Tribune, "...moderately entertaining... I jumped a few times. I loved the prologue. I hope Craven gives us a taste of something new sometime soon." More Reviews Below...
Rennie Dyball, People: MODERATE(cg) "...a lot bloodier than the last three... while horror fans will enjoy the twisted ride, '4' could use more of that in-on-the-joke comedy that made the original great."(See all of Rennie Dyball's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 143 words, 04/14/11
David Germain, Associated Press: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...a decent beginning, a mushy midsection and a killer ending... slathers on winking, self-referential banter about the conventions of the franchise..."(See all of David Germain's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 612 words, 04/14/11
Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly: GOOD(cg) "Some of the riffs are really funny and/or expertly scary. Others have the feel of awfully snappy dialogue crafted by middleaged people..."(See all of Lisa Schwarzbaum's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 691 words, 04/15/11
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone: MODERATE(cg) "Between a diabolically funny start and a surprise climax... offers nothing more than a series of gory deaths that grow tiresome with repetition."(See all of Peter Travers's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 383 words, 04/15/11
Claudia Puig, USA Today: MODERATE(cg) "...skewers the horror genre with snarky wit. But it's hard to sustain that cheeky meta humor... devolves into a string of gruesome, but unoriginal, slayings."(See all of Claudia Puig's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 462 words, 04/15/11
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: MODERATE(cg) "...provides exactly what its audience will expect: one victim after another being slashed, skewered, stabbed, gutted and sliced, with everyone in on the joke."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 698 words, 04/15/11
James Berardinelli, Reel Views: MODERATE(cg) "...offers little more than a group of familiar characters wandering around a horror movie setting and uttering self-referential one-liners as the body count mounts... and mounts."(See all of James Berardinelli's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 831 words, 04/16/11
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (14 Reviews)
Mike Hale, New York Times: POOR "...replaces the values of storytelling and suspense with the value of being in on the joke.... the joke has gotten pretty old.... a clever idea that was worth one movie."(See all of Mike Hale's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 365 words, 04/15/11
Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News: WEAK(cg) "Craven and Williamson have done little to renew their model, so for all its clever self-awareness, this once-sharp franchise now feels noticeably dated."(See all of Elizabeth Weitzman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 360 words, 04/15/11
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: VERY GOOD "The kills themselves are both bountiful and bloody, the movie references are brilliant and bloody, the funny is very frequent and very frequently bloody..."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 832 words, 04/15/11
Kyle Smith, New York Post: MODERATE(cg) "...provides strong evidence that the meta thing has gone about as far as it can go... the rhythm is smirk, smirk, shriek."(See all of Kyle Smith's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 676 words, 04/15/11
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...a moderately entertaining exercise in running in circles... I jumped a few times. I loved the prologue. I hope Craven gives us a taste of something new sometime soon."(See all of Michael Phillips's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 474 words, 04/15/11
Rafer Guzman, New York Newsday: VERY GOOD(cg) "...smart, funny and genuinely scary, even if it can't shatter conventions... It's impressive enough that 'Scream 4' manages to feel relevant in a post-'Scream' world."(See all of Rafer Guzman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 298 words, 04/15/11
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: MODERATE(cg) "...provides exactly what its audience will expect: one victim after another being slashed, skewered, stabbed, gutted and sliced, with everyone in on the joke."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 698 words, 04/15/11
Nick Pinkerton, Village Voice/LA Weekly: WEAK "...unengaged and overlong... The enjoyable moments are limited to Alison Brie, funny as Sidney's publicist, and the final recasting of the movie as a backstage diva drama."(See all of Nick Pinkerton's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 217 words, 04/13/11
Peter Howell, Toronto Star: MODERATE(cg) "The sardonic laughs are mostly gone in this wheezing cash cow and the cries don't resonate.... doesn't have the nerve to up the ante..."(See all of Peter Howell's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 567 words, 04/15/11
Rick Groen, Toronto Globe & Mail: WEAK(cg) "...as predictable as the predictability it once lampooned. So the fun has gone along with the frights... Not even the smug irony endures..."(See all of Rick Groen's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 591 words, 04/15/11
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: WEAK(cg) "...none of it's actually scary. Craven pulls off a couple of tense moments, but that speaks to the strengths of the formula, not to our investment in the characters."(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 332 words, 04/14/11
KEY CITIES (13 Reviews)
Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post: WEAK(cg) "How long can Craven and Williamson milk the same shtick -- mocking B movies and being one -- before the audience catches on that they're running around in circles?"(See all of Michael O'Sullivan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 618 words, 04/15/11
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "For genre geeks, this can be fun - although nothing in it is quite as clever as the filmmakers seem to think it is."(See all of Steven Rea's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 398 words, 04/15/11
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel: WEAK(cg) "...fitfully amusing, not remotely scary... refuses to take its own advice, one drilled into our heads (not literally, praise be) by the movie itself. 'Don't (bleep) with the original!' "(See all of Roger Moore's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 608 words, 04/15/11
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star-Tribune: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...slash-tastic, a multidimensional masterpiece fusing shock and satire. There's plenty of fresh blood left in this series."(See all of Colin Covert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 514 words, 04/15/11
Wesley Morris, Boston Globe: MODERATE(cg) "...spends most of its running time in a state of antic self-justification, explaining how the slasher-genre rules that the series so cleverly enumerated now mean nothing..."(See all of Wesley Morris's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 747 words, 04/15/11
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle: VERY GOOD(cg) "...a strange concoction, clever and self-knowing in the extreme and yet operating in primal ways that bypass wit. Something about it feels very modern."(See all of Mick LaSalle's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 708 words, 04/15/11
Kevin C. Johnson, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: VERY GOOD(cg) "...has just about everything a fan could want out of the 'Scream' series -- and that's just in the first 10 minutes.... As smart as it is sick..."(See all of Kevin C. Johnson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 427 words, 04/14/11
Tom Long, Detroit News: VERY GOOD(cg) "...a total hoot.... equal parts cheap thrills and pretzel logic perspective. It's a lot of fun considering how many people die."(See all of Tom Long's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 513 words, 04/15/11
Nick Pinkerton, Village Voice/LA Weekly: WEAK "...unengaged and overlong... The enjoyable moments are limited to Alison Brie, funny as Sidney's publicist, and the final recasting of the movie as a backstage diva drama."(See all of Nick Pinkerton's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 217 words, 04/13/11
Eric Eisenberg, Cinema Blend: VERY GOOD(cg) "...a bit messy at times... [but] ultimately successful.... Though some fans from the 90s may still find parts of 'Scream 4' tedious, newcomers are sure to be excited..."(See all of Eric Eisenberg's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 750 words, 04/12/11
S.T. VanAirsdale, Movieline: GOOD(cg) "...the perfect 'Scream' film for the Charlie Sheen age, a bloated, overhyped folly trading the intelligence of its origins for empty calories and dull platitudes..."(See all of S.T. VanAirsdale's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,219 words, 04/14/11
Nick Schager, Slant: WEAK(cg) "...uninspired.... an exaggerated movie-within-a-movie-within-a-movie-within-a-movie gag that bluntly speaks to the tiredness of such 'self-aware postmodern meta shit.' "(See all of Nick Schager's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 611 words, 04/13/11
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: WEAK(cg) "...none of it's actually scary. Craven pulls off a couple of tense moments, but that speaks to the strengths of the formula, not to our investment in the characters."(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 332 words, 04/14/11
MaryAnn Johanson, Flick Filosopher: POOR(cg) "...sorta sad to watch.... feels like some long-lost attempt at meta horror comedy from the late 1990s.... The story is the same as always."(See all of MaryAnn Johanson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 684 words, 04/18/11
HIGHBROW PRESS (4 Reviews)
Mike Hale, New York Times: POOR "...replaces the values of storytelling and suspense with the value of being in on the joke.... the joke has gotten pretty old.... a clever idea that was worth one movie."(See all of Mike Hale's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 365 words, 04/15/11
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: VERY GOOD "The kills themselves are both bountiful and bloody, the movie references are brilliant and bloody, the funny is very frequent and very frequently bloody..."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 832 words, 04/15/11
Josh Levin, Slate: GOOD "...skillfully conceived and entertaining in its preposterousness. It's amazing that Williamson and Craven pulled it off... the studio shouldn't push its luck with another..."(See all of Josh Levin's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 835 words, 04/15/11
Andrew O'Hehir, Salon: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...somewhat entertaining, occasionally scary and only sporadically migraine-inducing... almost really cool, without quite being really cool."(See all of Andrew O'Hehir's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,007 words, 04/13/11
MOVIE INDUSTRY (5 Reviews)
Dennis Harvey, Daily Variety: WEAK "Overblown, overlong and overstuffed with genre self-referentialism, yet undercooked in terms of credibility, worthwhile new characters and memorable scares..."(See all of Dennis Harvey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 697 words, 04/13/11
Todd McCarthy, Hollywood Reporter: WEAK "A scattering of amusing bits and clever twists can't forestall the terminal self-deconstruction that dominates... more of the same old and Craven thing..."(See all of Todd McCarthy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 578 words, 04/13/11
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: VERY GOOD "The kills themselves are both bountiful and bloody, the movie references are brilliant and bloody, the funny is very frequent and very frequently bloody..."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 832 words, 04/15/11
Emanuel Levy, Cinema 24/7: MODERATE(cg) "...feels like a class reunion of the participants of the former episodes, brought together for an event that lacks a distinct goal, a unified vision, a sense of fun."(See all of Emanuel Levy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 637 words, 04/13/11
Mike Hale, New York Times: POOR "...replaces the values of storytelling and suspense with the value of being in on the joke.... the joke has gotten pretty old.... a clever idea that was worth one movie."(See all of Mike Hale's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 365 words, 04/15/11
20.2 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Scream 4's reviews are separated by an average 20.2 percentage points. The norm for this measure is 18.4 percentage points. Less than 18.4 indicates more consistent reviews; greater than 18.4 indicates more mixed reviews. In the chart below, each dot represents a review, with the dots at the top more positive than the dots at the bottom. From left to right, the dots represent reviews in big, bigger and biggest publications. Roll over each dot for more detail.
Scream 4 (46 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Scream 4's reviews cover 91.6% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 25,833 words involume (average is 20,172 words). Length:The film's reviews average 562 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Reviews Broke 9.4 Hours Before Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Scream 4's reviews on average broke 9.4 hours before opening. Norm for this measure is 1.2 hours before. The chart below shows reviews on opening day and the days before and after opening; the left side is earlier and the right side is later. The red bars extending above the horizontal mid-line represent more positive reviews, and the red bars extending below represent more negative reviews. The white space/red bar in the middle is Scream 4's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
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