Wes Craven's Scream 4 satirizes horror remakes yet cut its best references to the original. Released in 1996, Scream is credited as revitalizing horror, using meta-humor to poke fun at genre clichés while retaining a chilling atmosphere through its iconic death scenes. In an unusual feat, Craven directed every sequel until his passing in 2015, with each installment commenting on different horror movie tropes and societal issues.
The fourth film sees Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) finally return to Woodsboro to promote her self-help book, 15 years after the original massacre. She reunites with married couple Sheriff Dewey Riley (David Arquette) and Gale Weathers (Courtney Cox) and they find themselves embroiled in another wave of killings. Scream 4 provides Ghostface with a new generation of victims, including Sidney's cousin, Jill (Emma Roberts), and her high school friends.
Jill and the film-obsessed Charlie (Rory Culkin) are eventually revealed as the killers, hoping to find fame as the new Sidney and Randy (Jamie Kennedy), the only survivors of the second Woodsboro massacre. Unfortunately, Scream 4 doesn't fully capitalize on its remake angle, coming into play much later in the story than initially intended. Deleted material featuring crime scenes and the relative of the very first Ghostface victim would have directly referenced the original film, emphasizing the killers' plan and resonating with Sidney and Dewey as they come face to face with the past.
High schoolers Jenny (Aimee Teegarden) and Marnie (Britt Robertson) are murdered in Scream 4's opening sequence. The aftermath doesn't receive much attention in the final film, but a deleted scene depicts Dewey and Deputy Judy Hicks (Marley Shelton) overseeing the blood-splattered crime scene. Wes Craven wanted the bodies specifically arranged to resemble the original Scream's infamous opening sequence. One corpse hangs from a ceiling fan to mimic how Casey Becker (Drew Barrymore) was found dangling from a tree, while the other body is sat in a chair to reference the murder of Steve Orth (Kevin Patrick Walls). Craven was disappointed the scene was removed, telling Dread Central that Ghostface's pattern of emulating the original killings "was a huge theme" that was sadly "minimized throughout the editing process". He was correct in arguing the imagery would have immediately underscored the severity of the murders, with the gruesome discovery particularly affecting David Arquette's Dewey, who struggles to remain composed and professional.
Another deleted crime scene sees Judy enquire about a “pet door frame” hanging around a victim’s neck. This prompts Dewey to recall the murder of his sister, Tatum (Rose McGowan), who was crushed by a retracting garage door when trying to squeeze through a cat flap. Tatum only receives a brief mention in the second and third films, so for Dewey to relive a family tragedy would have added greater pathos to his character arc. It's this callback that causes Dewey to realize Ghostface is crafting a remake and would have furthered his determination to catch the killer. The underrated Scream 4's cut references don't stop there, as Sidney's injuries were originally going to be treated by Dr. Orth, Steve's older brother. He is surprised Sidney even remembers their family, bitter about how quickly Steve's death was forgotten: “Generic victim #1. Not even part of the story.” This would have highlighted the human cost of Ghostface’s rampage, reminding Sidney of the tragedy that befalls everyone around her.
Scream 4 explores the idea that Sidney doesn’t know what life is truly like for Woodsboro's residents, and these references to the first film would have shown how deeply Ghostface scarred the town. The deleted scenes aren't crucial to the plot, and Scream 2's killers also patterned their actions after the original, albeit via victims' names over visual cues. However, they would have better defined Jill's remake ploy and provided another personal aspect to make Sidney and Dewey's stories all the more potent.
