For some reason, one unknown to me, Australian Scream fans have gotten a look at an official teaser trailer of sorts for Scream 4 before anyone else in the world. This ain't some video filmed on a mobile phone at an awards show with screaming audiences in the background, it is an actual HQ trailer that the studio has released. Now, it's an exclusive look over at YourMovies.com.au so anybody who is not located in this lovely country of mine shouldn't bother (although I've since heard that UK residents can also view it so maybe it's not so country locked).
A decent medium quality version has shown up on YouTube, which you can watch below, and I would certainly rather watch it on there than the constantly buffering (ugh, is "buffering" not one of the worst things about the internet?) video player that the YourMovies website uses.
This teaser goes much more into the Scream traditions that we know and love. Rory Culkin and Erik Knudsen seem to be doing their best Randy Meeks and explaining the rules to a classroom (that include Sidney Prescott!) and, it appears, virgins can die and death scenes must be "way more extreme" (which I guess is different to "much more elaborate", one of Randy's rules from Scream 2). We also get to see more of the banter than the franchise is known for. I particularly like that dialogue exchange at the end "It's for you."
And, look, Veronica Mars Kristen Bell speaks! I still can't quite tell whether she and Anna Paquin are in the "Scream Universe" or the "Stab Universe", but it's fun to speculate. Meanwhile, I earlier suspected that the woman in gray was Ms Bell, but now I'm not sure. Another woman is seen putting a gray top on, but it isn't long sleeve. Oh my, see! This is what happens to me. I spend far too long going over every frame, even so far as to read far too much into whether someone is wearing a long or short sleeved top. Of course, everyone can tell who the opening victim is from the trailers because it is the one person whose costume never changes. Perhaps they have grown wise and are doing things to not make it so obvious.
If I have one complaint (okay, too) it's that, firstly, Gale's big moment of "Go ahead if you've got the guts" was such an awesome way to end any footage. Secondly, this whole "version 2.0"/"next step is psycho slasher innovation" is a bit silly, no? I thought we'd gotten past this whole reality TV-in-horror stuff. Hopefully its utilised a bit better here than, say, Halloween: Resurrection (not that that should be at all hard).
The big nagging question at the end of all of this though is... who is that falling on the news van during the press conference? That looks like a doozy of a way to go!
By the way, I am perfectly aware that I am talking about this movie too much, but what can I say? I'm a Scream fanboy of the highest order. This is my Scott Pilgrim or Batman. Be like Mandy Moore and learn how to deal!
More footage from Scream 4 has been released, this time at the Scream Awards, which are sort of American people's choice awards show that honours horror/sci-fi and other genre filmmaking. Scream being one of only maybe two truly iconic horror franchises of the last 20 years - the other being Saw, am I wrong in saying this? - any new footage was bound to find a place right at home in such a location.
The awards show doesn't air on TV until Tuesday so we won't get a good quality version of the footage until then, but this mobile phone footage, posted at Scream-Trilogy.net, has been on a repetitive loop since it was put on YouTube. After this footage there is an official teaser trailer to be released in November, which I imagine will look mostly like this footage. As for now, four things immediately stand out to me in the below footage.
**NOW UPDATED WITH BETTER VIDEO!**
1. Uh-oh! They really are trying to make it look as if Gale Weathers is going to meet her maker, aren't they? After the first official image showed Gale being stalked amongst a stack of hay bales whilst holding her own Ghostface mask. The footage above shows Gale before and after that image. First it shows her removing said mask and then it shows a couple of shots of her being hunted down in the barn that it is believed the Woodsboro Stab-a-thon is being held. That final shot of her being towered over by the killer as she says "Go ahead if you have the guts" is a doozy that definitely says "hi, I'm Gale, and I'm about to die."
I do, however, think it's one massive red herring. Even if Gale does bite it (probably not until "way after ten"), I can't imagine that they'd give it all away half a year before the movie is even released. In my mind, Gale is safe... for now.
2. That shot of Anna Paquin and Kristen Bell (0:21 in the video) is tantalising beyond belief. They appear to be watching a movie (Paquin is pressing a button on a remote) so it might make one assume that they are watching a Stab film. Could they be the opening victims? It sounds weird to say that I hope they are, but... well, I hope they are. It would certainly be a great bit of casting if they were.
Do you notice that it looks like they're sitting on the very same couch that Wes Craven tweeted covered in blood? Even if they inevitably prove to just be victims in Stab, we will at least see a bit more of them than a Jay and Silent Bob style walk on cameo, like in Scream 3.
3. Speaking of Stab... much like the trailer for Scream 2 featured clips of Heather Graham as Casey Becker in Stab, I think this footage is also playing tricks on the audience by using footage from whatever number of the Stab series they are up to by now. The shot of the woman (I think she's the one from 90210) at 0:18 springs to mind purely because the Scream franchise has never been known to be so obviously tits-out. Also, the shot at 0:28 of a woman in a yellow suit. I say that purely because we haven't seen any behind the scenes footage taken of anyone wearing that outfit so I can't help but assume it's a small role. Of course, I could be wrong (I most likely am).
4. Who is that girl in the grey top? She is seen in close proximity to Ghostface at 0:30 and can also be seen hiding behind something at 0:25. Whoever that is certainly has a Cici-Cooper-alone-in-the-sorority-house vibe, don't you reckon? Still, I can't quite figure out who it is.
Having now seen the better quality version (still not HQ) the woman in grey looks to me like Kristen Bell! Could it? If so, how...?
I am clearly a glutton for spoilers and when the HQ footage arrives later in the week I am sure I will have a whole new swag of theories. As for now, I'm just going to keep watching this and salivating like the addicted Scream fan that I am. Bring on the mayhem!!
In this project I attempt to review the entire Scream trilogy scene by scene in chronological order. Heavy spoilers and gore throughout!
SCENE 22 Length: 3mins 39secs Primary Characters: Sidney Prescott, Tatum Riley, Deputy Dewey, Gale Weathers, Kenny the Cameraman, Randy Meeks and Stu Macher Pop Culture References:
The Evil Dead and Hellraiser (Randy takes a vote on which to watch)
The Fog, Prom Night and Terror Train (All referenced as movies starring "The Scream Queen")
Jamie Lee Curtis (the aforementioned "Scream Queen")
Can you feel that? The end is in sight! We're at the final night of Billy and Stu's rampage of terror. But don't we're slowing down. Oh no! Plenty to discuss yet. This scene features two very excellent songs on the soundtrack. The one right now is Birdbrain's "Youth of America" and later on is Republica's "Drop Dead Gorgeous". I never did figure out why the latter isn't on the soundtrack. Remember Republica? I'm not sure many people do. Watch the video for "Youth of America" below. It's set inside Gale Weathers' van and features clips from the movie. There's even a cameo by Ghostface! This really does look so much like 1996!
Okay, let's carry on.
I love this bit. It takes the cliche of the stalking killer and, as this franchise is wont to do, makes it comical. In most movies this shot would be followed by one a hand holding a knife or something to that effect, but in Scream?
A pack of chips! (or "crisps" for you Americans, right?) That Kenny the Cameraman is such a litterbug!
Remember when high schoolers wore shirts and chinos to a house party? No?
There's a few moments throughout this party sequence that I like because they show these characters as just a bunch of friends. They usually go unnoticed, like this moment here of Sidney actually smiling as she leaves Dewey's car to go to the party. Despite all the shit that she's been/going through she still just wants to hang around with her mates.
Do we think this set is a reference to Psycho? I err on the side of yes, but there's also the fact that they just needed a house in the middle of nowhere so people could run around screaming bloody murder and nobody would notice. Is it an homage if it's also a necessary plot point?
Should I be focusing on the beer funnel action, Stu's delightful red dressing gown or that atrocious denim vest/high-waisted pants ensemble on the chick to the left? Yikes!
Meanwhile, Gale and Kenny sneak up to the party under the cover of darkness. Thick as thieves, these two! Also? We're exactly one hour into the movie! That feels like an accomplishment and a half.
There's a hilarious sitcom spin-off between these two waiting to happen.
It's proof to Wes Craven's abilities that even these sort of boo machine scares (character's entry into frame matched to a big loud sound effect) still actually kinda work. But, there in lies the comedy, because you laugh as soon as you jump when you realise "oh, it's only Dewey!" and the makers know this. Still, I think at this stage of watching Scream I was still terrified that they were going to kill off Courteney Cox and, as I've previously stated, I was a huge Courteney Cox fan at the time. Don't believe me? I once watched Commandments.
It's these sly moments of character that make rewatching these films so enjoyable. I love that in spite of the abuse that Gale sometimes lumps onto poor Kenny the Cameraman, they still clearly have a great working relationship and know each other so well. This look of "we've made it" that Gale gives to Kenny, who is all "yeah, we rule" in his nonchalance, is just one of many examples.
"All right." "Yeah, I'm fine. Oh!"
Hah. Oh, Dewey! So adorable.
Did you see on Twitter just today that David Arquette has "just wrapped on Scream 4." It's getting closer, y'all!
"The Fog, Terror Train, Prom Night... how come Jamie Lee Curtis is in all of these movies?" "She's the scream queen"
I am sure there was a devoted following of Jamie Lee Curtis' early career as a horror actress, but was she always known as the "Scream Queen" or was it a more modern title given to her once she matured into an actress and could look back on the days of making cheap Canadian horror movies.
I know almost any moment where Sidney smiles can be counted as positively endearing compared to the rest of the time when her character can be hard to like (at least in the first one, anyway), but this is another one of those very brief little moments that can go by unnoticed that just enhance the film because it does add to the atmosphere of this group of high school friends. This moment as Sidney sits and can't hold in her laugh and "oh yeah?" as Randy talks about how Jamie Lee Curtis was nominated for an award for Terror Train (what Randy doesn't say is that she was nominated for a Saturn Award) that feels so organic and real. I'm sure most people reading this have had moments similar of yammering on and on about what awards this more or that movie were nominated for to friends who don't really care, but indulge us anyway.
BEER WENCH!!
In the comments of scene 21, "JJ" said "You can totally tell Tatum beat the shit out of anyone who picked on Sidney growing up", and you totally know that's true. Just look at the expressions on her face when Stu says Gale Weathers has shown up at his party.
Meanwhile, let's focus our attention on the girl in the background in the baby pink overalls who kinda looks like those people in the audience of Oprah when she gives away a toaster oven that burns pictures of Hello Kitty onto the bread. Am I crazy or does that actually look like Veronica Mars herself, Kristen Bell?
There she is again. Let's go in for a close up!
Seriously. Am I crazy?
Everybody knows by now that Kristen Bell has been cast in Scream 4. Her casting announcement came alongside the casting announcement of Anna Paquin, which leads one to think of 3 possibilities.
They're joint opening victims,
They appear as actors in the film-within-the-film Stab 7, or
They play two old friends (or "friends") of Sidney's from Woodsboro High who show up, say "Hi Sid! Remember us?" and then leave.
I tend to think it will be option number three, something akin to the Jay and Silent Bob cameos in Scream 3. If it does turn out to be option number three (although I am hoping it is option #1 because, let's face it, how amazing would that be?) then I like to think of it as wildly coincidental that there is a girl right here in Scream the first that actually kinda looks like Ms Bell. Anna Paquin on the other hand... well, I haven't spotted her lookalike yet!
Next to the word "Adorable" in the dictionary should be this image of David Arquette. For reals, just look at him!
If planting this camera was Gale's plan all along, I'm not sure why she and Kenny needed to be so quiet when arriving to the party. How else was she going to do?
I mean, sure, he was addicted to hard drugs at the time, but look at him! Adorable.
Aw, look at Tatum go. Walking away towards the garage to get more beers, little does she know that she is about to meet an untimely end. Poor gal. It's actually quite sad to think that there's only one more scene of this project in which I will be able to gaze upon Rose McGowan as Tatum Riley. Such a shame.
For some reason, one unknown to me, Australian Scream fans have gotten a look at an official teaser trailer of sorts for Scream 4 before anyone else in the world. This ain't some video filmed on a mobile phone at an awards show with screaming audiences in the background, it is an actual HQ trailer that the studio has released. Now, it's an exclusive look over at YourMovies.com.au so anybody who is not located in this lovely country of mine shouldn't bother (although I've since heard that UK residents can also view it so maybe it's not so country locked).
