Neve Campbell in "Scream 4"

When filming “Scream 4” in Michigan last year, star Neve Campbell enjoyed her time in Ann Arbor.

“I really liked it. I thought Ann Arbor was really beautiful. The vibe was great and the people were really nice,” recalled Campbell, 37, during a phone interview from London. “It reminded a lot of home because I’m from Toronto. It had the same kind of atmosphere and I actually ended up driving up to Canada to see my family quite a bit while I was there too.”

Asked if she’d come to Michigan again to shoot a movie, Campbell answered with an enthusiastic “Yeah! Absolutely!”

Her fondest memory of her time in Michigan is “just being in Ann Arbor in the summertime and some of the lakes around there. I actually ended up renting a cottage (outside Ann Arbor) and invited all the cast and crew up there a couple of times for some weekends — and it was quite beautiful.”

“Scream 4” — which opens today — was filmed last year in Michigan, particularly in Ann Arbor and various cities in Wayne County. The filmmakers took advantage of the state's financial incentive program for movie filming, which Gov. Rick Snyder is proposing to nearly eliminate as part of budget-balancing efforts — something Campbell was saddened to learn.

“I’m really sorry to hear that,” she said. “I thought (the film tax incentive) was really great, considering how challenging things have been for Michigan in the last few years. I thought it was wonderful that so many films were shooting there.”

Apprehension about resuming iconic role

Campbell had misgivings about resuming her role as Sidney Prescott, which is now an iconic role in the horror genre when debuting as the central character of 1996’s “Scream,” That movie became a surprise blockbuster hit that gave the struggling horror genre a shot in the arm at the same time it satirized it, opening the door for a slew of new horror films and remakes.

However, when Kevin Williamson, the screenwriter who penned “Scream” — which won him a Saturn Award for Best Writing — and 1997’s “Scream 2” (Ehren Krueger was credited for writing the screenplay to “Scream 3” and was brought in to polish some of “Scream 4”), pitched his ideas for a fourth installment to her, Campbell was convinced.

“I had been apprehensive at first because 11 years ago, I swore up and down that (‘Scream 3’) would be the last only because I thought we did such a good job with the first three, I thought we should leave it at that and not push it,” explained Campbell. “But when they came to me with it… it really came down to Kevin Williamson’s pitch. I thought what he pitched to me — his new concept for the film — was really fresh, really original, and new and up-to-date for this generation. Also, the fact that (director) Wes Craven was jumping on board, as well as Courteney Cox and David Arquette again, I became enthusiastic.”

Sidney has been tormented by the killer — sometimes, killers — called Ghostface, who usually ends up turning out to be someone close to her throughout the “Scream” saga. In “Scream 4,” Sidney, now an author of a best-selling self-help book, returns to the fictional town of Woodsboro, Calif. (a good chunk of which was filmed in downtown Plymouth and Northville) on the anniversary of the murders of “Scream” to promote her new book, “Out of Darkness.”

Upon arrival, a new incarnation of Ghostface begins to torment her and targets those closest to her, including Sheriff Dewey Riley (Arquette) and his wife Gale (Cox), the former reporter who is now an author. Campbell, Cox, and Arquette are the three mainstays of the “Scream” franchise, as is renowned horror movie director Craven, who helmed all four films.

“It’s a fun dynamic between the three characters. It was fun to revisit that,” said Campbell. “I absolutely love working with Wes. It’s funny — at this age, he’s really at the top of his game. He’s really bright. He knows how to create suspense in a film and knows how to get the audience to engage with the characters and feel something for them, and — obviously — he’s really great with horror and scaring people as well. He’s got a great sense of humor, too, and you put all that together and he’s quite capable of making good projects — and he does. He’s got a really sweet demeanor, considering the films that he makes but he’s super-intelligent and creates a great atmosphere on the set. I really enjoyed the experience.”