Movies
BD Review: David Harley Not Amused By ‘Scream 4’
Taking an opposing side to Dimension Films’ Scream 4, David Harley was NOT amused with Wes Craven (interview) and Kevin Williamson’s slasher sequel, in theaters tomorrow.
In fact Harley was so in “meh” about Ghostface’s return to theaters that he gave the film a whopping “this is a film” out of 5. Yikes.
Read below for his full review (or click the title for Mr. Disgusting’s thoughts), and don’t forget to return this weekend to write your own and tell all of BD what YOU thought!
When Scream came out in 1996, it was the shot in the arm horror needed while it was flopping around in a sea of mediocrity. With the tremendous writing talents of Kevin Williamson at his disposal, Wes Craven directed what was possibly the last truly great film of his career, completely tearing down the genre by poking fun at the contrivances that had made horror the butt of many a bad joke. But, if the original played with conventions and used them for comedy and scares, Scream 4 instead mimics them while being smug about being smug. You see, even though Craven and Williamson’s latest collaboration does make some observations about the genre in general, it’s more self-reflexive of the original film than anything.
Like the original trilogy, the formulaic plot of Sidney (Neve Campbell) trying to escape her past with the help of Dewey (David Arquette) and Gale Riley (Courteney Cox), as well as an assorted cast of new faces (i.e. cannon fodder), acts as a springboard for the lampooning so it’s business as usual as the story plays second-fiddle to the banter and familiar characters which we’ve (hopefully) come to love.
The film starts out strong, with a meta opening that mirrors ideas heavily touched upon in Scream 2 and a few fun cameos. Stepping onto a soapbox from which it never really gets down from, it proceeds to lob out complaints about sequels, reboots, “torture porn shit” and little Asian ghosts as it quickly raises the body count before the opening credits roll. If there’s one thing Scream 4 is, it’s violent and gory in an era where many studio horror films are purposely watered down in those departments; in that aspect, it succeeds pretty well.
But it seems as if they played their trump card early, because it takes a big dive afterwards. The bloated second act does the red herring routine, playing up the “everyone’s a suspect” while characters old and new join forces and discuss what the film’s tagline “New Decade, New Rules” really means in order to figure who is behind The Woodsboro Massacre 2.0 (it actually employs technology quite well, though references to Twitter, Facebook and iPhones will undoubtedly date it). Like Scream 3, cameos and an unnecessary large roster of characters are a big issue; seeing Carrie Fisher was great the last time around, but once Jay and Silent Bob show up, you suddenly realize one too many winks might just mean you have a lot of sand in your eye.
As it lurched toward the third act, I felt like the film reached into the audience and slapped me. See, there’s one particular subject that it discusses fairly often – and to be fair, it’s warranted – but there’s a point in the film where I suddenly realized that it wasn’t using it as a mechanism to develop something different off of; Scream 4 actually becomes what it’s trying so desperately not to be. To me, the twist of Craven’s latest isn’t really who the killer is, it’s what the film as a whole actually is. In an attempt to avoid spoilers and all that, try to think of it like this: imagine if Scream made fun of how predictable and uninteresting slasher films were and then once it reached the finale, you realized that it was just another by-the-numbers flick. That is, in essence, what Craven does here.
While it has its fair share of witty dialogue and a few bright spots (Cox and Arquette are still as fun as ever, and Panettiere is well cast), Scream 4 feels like a beleaguered epilogue to a story that should have ended after the second film. The reveal and motive, while relevant to today’s pop culture climate and fairly satisfying overall, could have given birth to a new trilogy, but instead overstays its welcome and leads to a finale which, as one character puts it, should have ended back at the house and I couldn’t agree more – this thing is the Return Of The King of slasher films. Overly concerned with how meta its approach is and how many times the word can be used (characters riff on how meta their lives are the entire time), the highest praise I can give it is that it’s better than Scream 3.
Score: This is a Film/5
This week’s big new horror release is of course Evil Dead Burn in theaters later in the week, but you don’t have to wait until this weekend to inject fresh nightmares into your eyeballs.
Five brand new horror movies have already released at home this week.
Here’s all the new horror that released on Tuesday, July 7, 2026!
Director André Øvredal’s (The Autopsy of Jane Doe, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, The Last Voyage of the Demeter) new movie Passenger is now available on Digital at home.
Here’s the synopsis for Passenger: “A few weeks into their van life adventure, a young couple witnesses a horrific accident that leaves the driver dead. Soon they’re being pursued by a demonic stalker who’s impossible to outrun and follows them wherever they go.”
André Øvredal told Bloody Disgusting in an exclusive chat, “It’s a road movie, which is what I really fell in love with. It’s totally unique for me as a horror movie. Bridging the road movie with a haunting, essentially, on the road. I think it’s the scariest movie I’ve made.”
The cast includes Jacob Scipio, Lou Llobell, Melissa Leo, Tony Doupe, Bonni Dichone, Devielle Johnson, Jessica Cruz, Miles Fowler, and Alan Trong.
The screenplay is written by Zachary Donohue (The Den) and T.W. Burgess (Mister Howl). Former Warner Bros production executive Walter Hamada, who steered the Conjuring and It franchises, is producing via his 18hz as part of his first-look deal with Paramount. It screenwriter Gary Dauberman is also producing via Coin Operated.
Supernatural horror, psychological suspense, and an eye-catching creature take center stage in The Leaching, now available on Digital from Dark Star Pictures and Uncork’d Entertainment.
“After waking up in a grave on her father’s isolated forest property with no idea of who she is or how she got there, Vivian must use her limited memory to piece together the nightmarish truth, all the while being tormented by the undead, a giant leech monster, and her ‘father.’
“Over the next few days, she will uncover the framework of a truly nefarious supernatural scheme, but will it be too late?”
The Leaching is written and directed by Evan Showalter (Ante Mortem, Bad Music Terry).
“The Leaching is an exploration of faith, the loss of self, and the monsters (literally) that emerge when people surrender themselves to something greater than they can understand,” says Showalter. “It’s an isolating horror film that plays with a very uncomfortable question.”
A film student finds herself trapped in a giallo nightmare in lo-fi horror movie City Wide Fever, which is now streaming exclusively on the Midnight Pulp streaming service.
The meta horror movie is from debut writer/director Josh Heaps.
In City Wide Fever, “Sam, a young film student, discovers a USB detailing the life and career of forgotten Italian horror director Saturnino Barresi.
“As she begins to investigate his mysterious disappearance, Sam finds herself pulled into a violent conspiracy eerily similar to those of the films she adores.”
Diletta Guglielmi, Angelica Kim, and Nancy Kimball star with Onur Tukel (Summer of Blood), Larry Fessenden (You’re Next), Carolyn Farina, and comedian Ian Fidance.
Paul Lê wrote in his review for Bloody Disgusting, “This isn’t just a case of throwback filmmaking that’s been achieved with contemporary technology; the director used era-authentic equipment to help create this striking and nostalgic piece of modern horror. The end result is a movie… teeming with enough verve and style to make it feel fresh.”
A Gen Z slasher that pays homage to ’90s teen slasher movies, You’re Dead to Me is now available on Digital outlets at home courtesy of distributor Dark Star Pictures.
In the slasher film, “Three high school seniors skip prom for a secluded weekend party free from parents, school, and responsibility, but their escape turns terrifying when they learn one of their classmates has been brutally murdered.”
Denise Richards (Valentine) stars alongside Siena Agudong (Sidelined: The QB and Me, Sidelined 2: Intercepted), Jessica Belkin (“Baywatch” ), Ella Anderson (“Henry Danger,” Song Sung Blue), and Conor Husting (“Boo, Bitch”, Hollywood Stargirl).
The film was directed by Juan Pablo Arias Munoz.
You’re Dead to Me was co-written by Sarah Howard and Terry Castle, the daughter of the legendary producer and filmmaker William Castle (House on Haunted Hill, The Tingler).
Steven Quale (Into the Storm, Final Destination 5) directed the supernatural thriller Black Box, which has now taken flight on Digital outlets courtesy of Aura Entertainment.
The film is based on the short film The Vessel, and an original screenplay from horror writer Stephen Susco (The Grudge, The Grudge 2, Texas Chainsaw 3D, Hell Fest).
Black Box (Flight 298) follows the supernatural events surrounding Vero Airlines 298 from New Orleans to Seattle.
Tom Brittney, Holly Leena White, Betsy Blue English, Dane Whyte O’Hara, Kaja Chan, Asa Ali, Boadicea Ricketts, Ceallach Spellman, Georgina Leonidas, Molly Belle Wright, Hanneke Talbot, Danny Mack, and Weronika Rosati star in Black Box.
Hammerstone Studios’ Alex Lebovici (Barbarian, Boy Kills World) and Jon Oakes (Drive, The Guilty) will produce alongside Capstone’s Christian Mercuri and David Haring (Bill & Ted Face the Music), Warren Zide (The Final Destination, American Pie), and Susco. Ruzanna Kegeyan and Roman Viaris of Capstone, and Clark Baker (Vessel) will executive produce.
What happened to Flight 298? Find out on Digital outlets now.
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