The original Scream movie is tough to improve upon. It's got it all: a memorable premise (a teenage girl is stalked by a killer and haunted by her mother's murder), a dream cast (Neve Campbell and Drew Barrymore, to name just a few), and it makes fun of the horror genre and lets audiences know that it's fully aware of the tropes that are part of these types of films. Scream is seen as the best film when compared to other slashers from the '90s.
When looking at every film in a franchise, fans often love the original the most, thanks to the character development, premise, and other elements. While fans like Scream 2, the third and fourth movies aren't always showered with the same amount of praise. However, a case can definitely be made for 2011's Scream 4 as the best movie in the franchise.
While some could say the '90s were a bad horror decade, it's hard to argue with many people's argument that Scream is one of the best movies from the genre. Although Scream 4 doesn't often get as much attention as the other films in the franchise, it can be seen as the most well-crafted and most interesting movie because of one aspect: the character of Jill Roberts (Emma Roberts). While it's interesting that Sidney comes back home for a book signing for her inspiring memoir about the tragedies that she has survived, Sidney only stays because of her young relative. It would be easy for her to want to run as far away from her hometown as she can given her trauma.
Without Jill, Sidney Prescott's niece who lives in Woodsboro, the movie wouldn't have a clear link to the other three that came before it. Jill totally carries the movie and makes Sidney want to stick around, even as people are being killed in Woodsboro once again. Sidney cares about Jill and her teenage friends Kirby (Hayden Panettiere) and Olivia (Marielle Jaffe). But as fans know, Jill is the killer this time around along with Charlie (Rory Culkin), who she has been dating while hiding the relationship from everyone. Scream has aged well and Scream 4 still holds up because Jill is such a solid addition to the film franchise. Right away, audiences are brought into her world of teenage angst and complications, and it feels like there is a lot going on besides the murders, which adds a fascinating layer.
Sometimes slasher movie reboots don't work, but a common feature of TV reboots is adding a character who is the son or daughter of an original character, and that's why it works so well that Jill is in Scream 4. The movie has a smart Ghostface with a clear motive, as Jill is mad that her ex-boyfriend Trevor (Nico Tortorella) cheated on her, and she wants to blame the murders on him. It's also interesting that Jill was in a bad relationship as in Scream, Sidney's boyfriend Billy (Skeet Ulrich) is not only terrible but also one of the killers. Right away, audiences care about Jill, knowing that she's related to Sidney and that Sidney loves her. It also feels like Jill's survival is tied to Sidney's. A good sequel has to include returning and new characters, and Scream 4 introduces Jill and her pals while allowing fans to see familiar faces like Dewey (David Arquette) and Gale (Courteney Cox).
While Sidney is an adult in Scream 3, Scream 4, and the 2022 movie, the 1996 movie thrives on the fact that Sidney and her friends are high school students. Scream 4 works perfectly because Jill is a teenager as well, which allows the movie to look at her complicated love life, her friendships with Kirby and Olivia, and her supposed wish for Sidney to think that she's cool and grown-up. Jill is likable, seemingly sweet and scared about what's going on, audiences and Sidney alike want to protect her.
Jill's place in Scream 4 also allows the movie to look at the idea and meaning of the "final girl." Laurie Strode and Sidney Prescott are famous final girls, and Jill is incredibly envious of Sidney's fame. At the end, when Sidney learns the harsh and cold truth, Jill thinks that she will survive and that she will become super famous. Instead, Sidney kills her and everyone will soon know what really happened. Sidney is now the final girl once again, setting up Scream (2022). This is exactly what fans want as it's impossible to imagine Sidney dying. The addition of Jill also makes Sidney's continued story even more terrifying since it's clear that she can never get away from what happened in Woodsboro when she was younger and she isn't even safe from her own family.
