Scream has many magnificent movies. It’s one of the best horror movie franchises because the series only has a few duds. Scream and Scream 4 are my favorites and the best movies in the film series. Though I had only seen Scream 4 once, it instantly became a favorite.
I have toyed with the idea of rewatching it for years to see if it still lived up to the entertainment and excitement of the original viewing. I can confirm that it’s just as fun and even better the second time. I noticed so much more watching Scream 4 again, including the movie’s clues about Ghostface.
Warning: Scream 4 SPOILERS are ahead. Proceed with caution.
Kirby Spoils The Twist In The First Few Minutes
One of the first scenes in Scream 4 involves Kirby (Hayden Panettiere) driving up to Jill (Emma Roberts) and asking her not to kill her... before knowing that Jill is Ghostface, I easily viewed this as just something friends say to one another. It made sense in the context of their conversation since they were talking about Jill’s cheating ex-boyfriend, Trevor (Nico Tortorella). However, in hindsight, it was Scream 4’s clever way of spoiling the killer.
It also foreshadows that Jill doesn’t kill Kirby. Charlie (Rory Culkin) stabs her, but she survives to return, due to popular demand, in Scream 6. Jill being outed as the killer in one of the film’s first scenes is a prime example of the cleverness we have come to expect from the Scream movies.
The Film Makes It Clear That It Will Break The Rules
All (or most) of the Scream movies have a scene about the rules of horror films. A horror film geek or geeks start sprouting their monologues about the rules of scary movies. Charlie and Robbie (Erik Knudsen) are the horror movie nerds of Scream 4. During their scene with the film club, they explain what makes a remake different from the original. They talk about breaking the rules of the first film.
That’s basically what Scream 4 does, and how it originally tricked me about Ghostface’s identity. At first, Scream 4 wants viewers to think it’s paying homage to Scream. A lot of the new characters feel like the original team. Charlie seems like a Randy (Jamie Kennedy) character, Jill is the new Sydney, etc. Scream 4 made me confident that I knew what to expect because it’s just copying Scream, but with new characters. Everything seemed so apparent and standard.
I believed Scream 4 could be what Scream 5 became, the sequel that restarts the franchise with new characters. Instead, it became more of a straightforward sequel since Sydney remained the true final girl.
After knowing that the rules were being broken, I became more aware of not trusting my instincts with these characters. Scream 4 leads you to believe Trevor will be the killer because he fits into the new Billy Loomis (Skeet Ulrich) role. Jill, Charlie and Scream 4 screenwriter Kevin Williamson collaborate to manipulate the viewers in the film and the film’s audience. They make us expect the obvious.
I can only realize Jill is behind everything when I let go of the rules outlined in the original three Scream movies.
Scream 4 Makes It Obvious The Killer Is A Stab Fanatic From The Beginning
The opening sequel shows three sets of similar hair-colored women being murdered. Two of them are part of scenes from the movies. The final one happens in real-time in Woodsboro. The fact that the final murder pays homage to the two in the Stab films shows someone is trying to honor or copy the movies.
While talking to the film class, Charlie and Robbie also point out that the killer loves the Stab movies. The popularity of these films means that almost all the teens in this world are fans of them. However, I could eliminate anyone who hasn’t watched the Stab movies. Anyone who is a huge fan of them also immediately becomes suspicious. We know that Charlie is a huge fan and that Jill watches them. Charlie, Robbie, Jill, Kirby and Trevor become prime suspects as fans of the Stab franchise.
This Stab fan knowledge is a major clue that Charlie or Robbie may be involved in these murders. However, you need to know that the rules of Scream don’t apply to Scream 4, During my initial viewing, I automatically assumed that Charlie was harmless. I thought he would become another victim of Ghostface or one of the few survivors, similar to Randy’s path.
If I had paid more attention to the breaking the rules speech, I would have been more suspicious of the seemingly innocent film geeks, like Charlie.
Jill Often Mirrors Sydney
One of Scream 4’s funniest moments involves Jill lying on the floor after beating herself up. The whole scene is hilarious, but the added layer of hilarity comes when she lies next to what she presumed is a dead Sydney and mimics the way Sydney lays. This is the first time it’s blatantly obvious that Jill wants to mirror Sydney.
However, when you know Jill is the killer, you notice how she mirrors Sydney often. The first obvious way is how she styles herself to look like Sydney. She also tries to embody Sydney’s signature innocence and demeanor. Her speech patterns also, at times, seem close to the way Sydney speaks.
Then there is one scene when Jill and Sydney are talking, and I notice Jill purposely standing, folding her arms, and making faces that resemble Sydney’s expressions. It’s so subtle that I only noticed it during my second Scream 4 viewing.
Jill’s dedication and quest to become the new Sydney is one reason why she is one of the most interesting Ghostface killers.
Ghostface Clearly Shows Resentment Towards Sydney in Scream 4
The first phone conversation between Sydney and the new Ghostface feels hostile. Some of the other Ghostface killers are more playful in their conversations with her. It’s a fun game for them. This one seems to hold some resentment and jealousy towards Sydney.
This Ghostface seems to be someone with a vendetta, which wouldn’t make them the first. However, it doesn’t feel like revenge as much as spite. The Ghostface seem to feel wronged by Sydney, but just for existing. This killer in the initial conversation with Sydney sounds and feels pettier than some of the previous Ghostfaces. This makes sense after knowing Jill’s motivations behind the murders.
This Ghostface's Desire To Go Viral Eliminates Some Suspects
Charlie and Robbie help Sydney and Gale (Courteney Cox) realize that the killer wants to go viral. This puts a spotlight on Robbie because he films everything. However, the major takeaway from this information is that the killer is probably one of the teens. At one point, Officer Judy Hicks (Marley Shelton) gets the red herring treatment as a killer.
The teens (and just that generation) are obsessed with going viral. Hicks doesn’t seem like a Ghostface, unless she has some viral ambitions never discussed. This viral component made me see that Ghostface could only be someone part of the younger generation in Scream 4.
The Opening Scenes Give A Lot Away, Including That There Will Be Two Ghostface Killers
The opening scenes with the three murders give a couple of different clues. The main one is that there are likely two Ghostface killers. The first scene shows the girls killed by two of them. This isn’t shocking given that many Scream movies involve two killers, but it is worth noting.
Then these three sets of murders show women who could be considered clones of each other. They have similar physiques and hair colors and styles. This seems like a nod to Jill trying to clone Sydney by turning herself into the new version. The scene with Kristen Bell and Anna Paquin's Stab characters also ends with Bell killing Paquin. The shock of this seems to hint that the killer could easily be someone unsuspected. It’s a funny scene because she does it out of annoyance but it could be another clever foreshadowing moment by Kevin Williamson.
Scream 4 is one of the best Scream movies. It’s made better knowing that it cleverly hints towards Jill being the killer throughout. Scream 4 really is one of the greatest slasher movies of all time.
