As I sit contemplating what the hell to write about Scream 4, I have to face an uncomfortable and weird fact — this is the horror series of my generation. I’m 28 now; I was 14 when the first movie came out in theaters. Though I’d seen a few horror and slasher films (my parents were very laissez-faire about ratings, as the best parents always are), it’s safe to say that I saw Scream before I’d saw a lot of the classics. I’m probably not alone in that.
Scream actually scared me, too. The opening gave me nightmares, and I hurtled out of a bathroom convinced I saw a black cape. I also remember seeing Scream 2 on opening night for my sister’s birthday. It was really exciting. We were geeky teenagers feeling super badass to be going to such a rowdy screening. My parents were kind of worried about letting us go. Visions of stabbings, I suppose, but our neighborhood was still suburban enough that everyone just yelled at the screen.
Despite that awkward realization — and a few goofy memories — it’s not like I have a lot of nostalgia for this series. So I’m not desperate for Scream 4. Hell, I didn’t even see Scream 3.
But it seems like a lot of people are wound up about it, and now that I’ve come to realize a lot of 20-somethings grew up on this, it makes sense. It also explains why it could get a pretty good cast as actors and actresses in this age bracket. They’re flocking to befriend Neve Campbell’s Sidney onscreen. It’s a fannish dream come true.
I can actually appreciate what the trailer is trying to do. It’s aware of itself. I’m not going to praise it as incredibly smart or scathing, but I can at least get behind it. It’s kind of cute, especially since I remember many a horror fan and critic wondering what the hell would become of the slasher genre after Scream punctured it so humorously. This is proof nothing (not slasher flicks, not Scream, not even David Arquette’s career) really dies.
Wow. I wrote more about Scream than I thought possible. Anyway, enjoy the trailer. Do you think Anna Paquin will get a shrieking close-up? And do you think she’ll ever get sick of them?