Scream 4: 15th Anniversary - Lionsgate Limited 4K UHD SteelBook

As my colleague Mr. Duarte already wrote a thoroughly detailed review of the film for the old 2011 Blu-ray release, I’ll largely let his take stand pat. For my sake, I have to admit to some locational biases for Scream 4 as the film was shot in and around my hometown and throughout Southeast Michigan in the summer of 2010. Working in the local mall, the cast and crew were regularly spotted - and pretty damn cool folks to talk to. It’s where I got to meet makeup and gore effects wizard Gary Tunnicliffe and talk with him for a long time about his career in horror gore. It was an exciting summer for Michigander horror fans.

As for the film, when it came out, I thought it was pretty good. Not great, but at least it was better than Scream 3. Small hurdle to jump comparatively, but the film got over the bar with some clever kills and some great twists, with one of the better sequel ghostface killer reveals. 

Sadly, as Wes Craven’s final film, it didn’t exactly light the box office on fire, and the franchise lay dormant for over a decade until 2022’s frustratingly titled Scream (what, was "Screams" taken?) brought Ghostface back to box office dominance. But in the last fifteen years, this third sequel grew in my estimation. Especially after recently watching through the full franchise in the lead-up to the theatrical release of Scream 7. I feel like this one got more right than it was given credit for. Smart commentary about the state of the genre. Fun new characters, returning OG cast, great kills, and a smart twisty finale. And as Mr. Duarte points out in his notes, Campbell gets what is probably the best final line of the entire franchise. Of the franchise, I feel like Scream 4 is the most underappreciated of the pack. 

Now here’s what Mr. Duarte had to say way back in 2011. 

When first hearing about a fourth installment in the 'Scream' series, I wondered why in the world horror-film legend Wes Craven would stoop to such levels, especially after the disastrous, and probably best forgotten, third entry. (I prefer to live in my own alternate universe where garbage like 'Cursed' and 'My Soul to Take' don't even exist.) Watching 'Scream 4' — or as it more commonly publicized, 'Scre4m' — I started thinking 'why the heck not?' In fact, why didn't Craven and franchise creator Kevin Williamson make this surprisingly fun thriller much sooner? The series was, of course, always originally intended as a trilogy, so no surprise there that we never saw another movie. But frankly, and despite not being as good as the first, this twist on a modern slasher favorite is a marked improvement and makes a far better closing chapter.

Granted, Williamson's script runs through the usual plot devices which inch us closer to that shocking final reveal — and quite the unexpected, well-played twist it is. It's one that informs us again that kids watch too many scary movies and act like answering trivia questions is a sign of film knowledge rather than just plain geekiness. But it also tells us that Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) comes from a really messed-up family, one with lots of secrets, and she probably is the Angel of Death incarnate since people tend to die when she's around. No surprise here, 'Scream 4,' follows the franchise's signature, now-clichéd tropes of being über-meta, self-referential, self-aware and critically deconstructive of the genre it gleefully aims to celebrate and adopt. So what's new exactly?

Well, nothing, which is part of the point. In this age of endless remakes, reimagining and reboots, it's depressingly difficult to find anything that feels new, fresh, and original. The opening sequence cleverly addresses this issue through its movie-within-a-movie repetitiveness, recognizing its importance for establishing the mood while equally acknowledging its drawbacks. The best thing to do then is have some fun with it by showing two television stars (Anna Paquin and Kristen Bell) break down its effectiveness as silly drivel. It even takes a stab (pun intended) at the 'Saw' franchise as proof of underdeveloped, wooden characters meant as fodder for a gorefest and not a genuine horror title that scares. Ironically, this sets the tone for the rest of the movie, a quasi remake/reboot of the first that humorously works with convention and audience expectation.

Once that's said and done, we finally jump into the real meat and potatoes of 'Scream 4,' and again, the murder of two popular high school girls gets the ball rolling. Coincidentally, Sidney (Campbell) returns to her hometown of Woodsboro that same night on a promotional tour for her new book about moving on with her life. As we catch up on old times with Dewey (David Arquette), now sheriff of the town, and Gale (Courtney Cox), now a retired housewife, we follow through the list of usual suspects. My money is betting on either Trevor (Nico Tortorella), the two-timing boyfriend, Deputy Judy (Marley Shelton), an overzealous peace officer, or possibly Kate (Mary McDonnell), Sidney's strange aunt. While Emma Roberts does fairly well as Sidney's cousin Jill, the real standouts are Hayden Panettiere and Rory Culkin as horror movie buffs.

The fourth film in the 'Scream' series essentially tries to recapture the same feel and energy as the first, which reignited audience, as well as box-office, interest in a fledgling genre. It doesn't completely succeed in that area, but it does bring that same level of witty smarts and clever insight, examining where the horror genre is presently while also turning a critical view towards its viewers and moviegoers in general. That's where Craven and Williamson leave a winning impression, with several funny, quirky remarks about the latest Hollywood filmmaking trends, especially the current stagnant stench of remake mania. 'Scream 4' knows what it's doing with its revisit to part one — the quasi reboot/remake approach — but it does so in a fun and amusing fashion while remembering, as Sidney so eloquently put it, "You don't f**k with the original."

Vital Disc Stats: The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray 
Ghostface gets a 2160p Dolby Vision facelift when Lionsgate Limited sharpens its Collector’s Edition 4K UHD SteelBook for the 15th Anniversary of Scream 4. A two-disc 4K UHD + Blu-ray + Digital release - the 4K is pressed on a BD100 disc with a Region A BD50 disc serving up the 1080p edition and the bulk of the extras. The SteelBook packaging is a slick piece of work, dialing in that Ghostface/knife motif. Each disc loads to an animated main menu with standard navigation options.

The film was shot on 35mm by Scream 2 and Scream 3 cinematographer Peter Demming (he also shot Lynch’s Lost Highway and Mulholland Dr. among other great flicks) and was originally finished on a 2K digital intermediate. Nothing I’ve found around the olde interwebs indicates that Lionsgate went back to the roots and grew a new native 4K master from the ground up. Assuming this is an upscale, it’s pretty damn good. Fine details, costumes, and gore makeup enjoy a respectable uptick in overall clarity. The difference maker against the old 2011 Blu-ray can be seen with the new Dolby Vision HDR grade. In general, colors are more vivid and life-like, skin tones are healthier, and primaries all see appreciable gains. No surprise, Red enjoys the most prominent pickup. Black levels and shadows are nicely accented with the image picking up some better white balance along the way for an image with a stronger sense of depth and dimension. Overall, a welcome upgrade. 

Not to leave the audio wanting, Lionsgate also props up Scream 4 with an impressive Dolby Atmos mix. Not necessarily a game-changer mix, but very effecgive. If you thought the film sounded good in DTS-HD MA 5.1, you’ll like the accents you’re getting here in Atmos. The soundstage spread remains nice and wide and fluid, letting those creepy creaky sounds fill the surrounds and overheads. As with any Scream movie, when the horse-hockey hits the fan, the action picks up nicely for maximum impact. Screams of terror, small dialogue exchanges, and the big thundering Marco Beltrami score fill the track beautifully. The squishy stabby-stab sounds are appropriately heightened, as has been the default for the franchise. Maybe not the biggest apples-to-oranges upgrade, but an appreciable one all the same. Interestingly, the UK alternate dialog is available on Dolby TrueHD 5.1 - as I understand it, it’s mostly just language swaps, obviously nothing visually different. I haven’t gotten to spend much time with this track, but it’ll be fun to go back through to hear what was changed. 

Now, because there are two releases of this film on 4K UHD, they are not all made equal. Beyond just throwing out a stylish SteelBook, Lionsgate Limited also delivered some exclusive on-disc extras. Of the Lionsgate Limited exclusives, we get a pretty cool sort of interview/video essay with author Ashley Cullins about the franchise's meta nature within the genre. There’s a really cool retrospective with some of the cast, given this is the film’s 15th Anniversary, and we also get an appreciation piece for the Ghostface voice, along with a brief set of talking points from Wes when he was in post-production. Then we move into the legacy extras, which deliver everything from the old Blu-ray along with expanded EPK materials, giving fans nearly three hours of solid material to cut through before the excellent audio commentary. The only thing I think is missing is a promo for the Scream smartphone game - which, if I remember well enough… not much of a loss. 

4K UHD/Blu-ray

• Lionsgate Limited Exclusives:
• The Meta of Scream (HD 16:49)
• Rebooting the Franchise: Scream 4 Revealed (HD 16:29) 
• Ghostface Revealed! (HD 7:25)
• Wes Craven: The Maestro of Scream (HD 9:54)
• Legacy Special Features:
• Audio Commentary featuring Wes Craven, Emma Roberts, Hayden Panettiere, and Neve Campbell
• The Making of Scream 4 (SD 10:30)
• Deleted/Extended Scenes w/ Optional Craven Commentary (HD 26:02)
• Gag Reel (HD 9:21)
• EPK B-Roll (SD 17:23)
• EPK Soundbites (SD 32:55)
• Junket Interviews (SD 18:44)
• Trailers 
• TV Spot

Scream 4 - or Scre4m if you prefer - may not be the best sequel of the franchise, but I think it’s a damn good one. A long rest after the third (and still the worst) film of the series was a good break. Of the sequels, I think this is the film that time has been the kindest to. Wes Craven and Kevin Williamson cooked up a sequel that was ahead of the game, skewering the range of soulless remakes before we ever got into the idea of "elevated horror," "requels" or “legacy sequels” that avoided the narratively problematic entries of various franchises. It’s also got one of the best Ghostface reveals of any sequel, especially against the last three films, which have rapidly progressed into becoming cartoonishly silly Scooby-Doo-level reveals. Now, 15 years later, and thanks to Lionsgate Limited, we have a new 4K UHD of Scream 4 to enjoy. The new Dolby Vision/Atmos A/V presentation delivers a suitably effective upgrade that’ll please fans hungry to replace their 2011 disc. This Lionsgate Limited edition also features about 50-ish minutes of exclusive bonus content and includes all of the archival extras in a slick, stylish package, giving you the full value experience. Highly Recommended