Kevin Williamson

CHICAGO – This upcoming Halloween will give you dozens of options in theaters and on Blu-ray to choose from for your scary dollar. You may have dismissed Wes Craven’s latest entry in the most influential franchise of the last twenty years. Don’t. Sure, the “Scream” movies are over the hill, more so than I think The Weinstein Company expected as evidenced by the pathetic box office returns (less than 50% of the last “Scream” movie and less than $100 million worldwide (the first three broke $150), but this is a fun genre flick. If you wrote this movie off in theaters, you might be surprised to learn that it’s worth a rental.

CHICAGO – In our latest horror/mystery edition of HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Blu-ray, we have 5 Blu-rays up for grabs for the home entertainment release of Wes Craven’s “Scream 4” starring Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, David Arquette and Anna Paquin!

CHICAGO – Audiences are too smart for “The Secret Circle.” Sure, they bought in when The CW presented “The Vampire Diaries” on the heels of the “Twilight” phenomenon but that is a fast-paced, sexy, and sometimes-clever show. You can hook them by piggybacking on a trend, but then you better have some meat on the hook. There’s no meat in “The Secret Circle,” the struggling network’s least-likely shot at a new hit.

CHICAGO – Wes Craven’s legendary franchise returns this weekend with a decade since its last installment and to a genre that has been almost entirely bereft of creativity since its director started to lose his prominence as one of its best. Can “Scre4m” rejuvenate the slasher genre like the first film did or will it fall victim to the rule that horror sequels almost always suck?

CHICAGO – Filming for the fourth installment in the “Scream” franchise will start sometime in April or May as the first of a new trilogy, with Wes Craven as the director, Bob Weinstein has reported. In addition to Campbell’s return as Sidney Prescott, “Scream” regulars Courteney Cox and David Arquette will reprise their roles as Gale Weathers and Dwight “Dewey” Riley.