Tags
1990's, Courteney Cox, David Arquette, Elise Neal, Horror, Jada Pinkett, Jamie Kennedy, Jerry O'Connell, Laurie Metcalf, Liev Schreiber, Neve Campbell, Omar Epps, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Scream 2, Timothy Olyphant, Wes Craven
Film Title
Scream 2
Director
Wes Craven
Starring
- Neve Campbell as Sidney Prescott
- Courteney Cox as Gale Weathers
- David Arquette as Dewey Riley
- Jamie Kennedy as Randy Meeks
- Jerry O’Connell as Derek
- Liev Schreiber as Cotton Weary
- Timothy Olyphant as Mickey
- Elise Neal as Hallie
- Sarah Michelle Gellar as Cici Cooper
- Laurie Metcalf as Debbie Salt
- Jada Pinkett as Maureen Evans
- Omar Epps as Phil Stevens
Following on from the first Scream movie, Scream 2 is a sequel that doesn’t diminish the impact of the first. Rather it expands on the greatness of the first by fleshing out the characters, making the deaths more elaborate and poking fun at the usual run of bad sequels that follow on from a successful horror movie.
Two years after the gruesome events at Woodsboro, survivor Sidney Prescott is now a college student who is trying to put the pain behind her and start again. This seems to be going relatively well as she is still good friends with movie nerd Randy, has new best friends in the form of funny Hallie and film lover Mickey and a sensitive boyfriend named Derek. She is even excelling at acting and her first production is coming up very soon. This attempt at letting go of the past is shattered by the news of two murders by someone in a Ghostface costume at the screening of ‘Stab’, a movie based on the book by Woodsboro survivor and newswoman Gale Weathers.
The media turn its attentions to the college and Sidney as the body count begins to rise. On top of this, Cotton Weary( the man Sidney accused of murdering her mother) arrives on the scene looking for fame and forgiveness from Sidney. With a copycat killer beginning to replicate the past murders committed by Ghostface, Sidney is still very much the target for the twisted psychopath’s sinister games. Banding together with returning police officer Dewey and the opportunistic Gale, she must once again do battle with Ghostface if she wants to survive the brutal events that surround her. But who can Sidney really trust as the killer continues to strike in increasingly brutal ways? Witty in jokes on sequels, a much higher body count and believable characters make Scream 2 a worthy sequel.
Wes Craven continues to direct with assurance and atmosphere as well as capturing the post-modern ideas of film sequels and the expectations. The satiric script complements this by upping the stakes in terms of the gore and violence in the film, whilst commenting on the debate surrounding whether we are too easily influenced by violence in the media. Ironically, a key scene involves film students discussing the declining qualities of horror sequels. Scream 2 thankfully doesn’t fall into this category because of its mix of dark laughs, elaborate deaths and commendable work from the cast. Whilst the dark humour is kept intact, the horror is perfectly balanced with it and generates some chilling sequences and a genuine shock or two. These include Sidney performing Cassandra as part of her acting major and being stalked by someone who resembles Ghostface and Gale trying to evade the killer in a pulse-pounding chase by hiding in a recording studio as he gets closer and closer. The score once again is an eerie listen with melancholy percussion and strings capturing Sidney’s fear of everything starting again and the resilience she must use to face her enemy the second time around.
Neve Campbell contributes another impressive performance as the heroine Sidney. We see how strong she has become since her first encounter with Ghostface but also the hints of vulnerability that lie beneath the surface. Campbell imbues Sidney with a very human quality that makes her a relatable heroine thrust into these brutal circumstances and trying to find the best way to survive it. Courteney Cox is similarly effective as Gale, who for all her ruthless ambition is actually quite scared underneath it all. Her budding romance with Dewey is a highlight as they bicker with one another but can’t deny the spark. David Arquette is earnestly charming as Dewey, who now walks with a pronounced limp following his almost fatal encounter with Ghostface in the first movie. Jamie Kennedy yet again provides trivia and movie lingo as the lovable Randy, whilst Liev Schreiber is suitably menacing and fame hungry as Cotton Weary. Timothy Olyphant and Elise Neal both make impression in their roles as two of Sidney’s college friends and Jerry O’Connell is sensitive as Sidney’s new boyfriend Derek. Sarah Michelle Gellar has a small but memorable role as the gorgeous sorority sister menaced by Ghostface. Laurie Metcalf is twitchy and fawning as the news reporter Debbie Salt who idolizes Gale. Jada Pinkett and Omar Epps are the two students whose graphic deaths spark the media circus.
Satirical and bloody in equal measure, Scream 2 is proof that sequels don’t necessarily herald the death of a franchise.
This is my favorite of the whole series, as well as one of the better horror movie sequels too. Good review Vinnie.
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Thanks for commenting, in terms of horror sequels this is definitely high on my list of favourites.
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At this point it was all still going so well… what a pity it didn’t last!
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I haven’t seen Scream 3 in ages, I need to rewatch it. As for Scream 4, I have yet to see it.
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Saw the first one and liked it but am suspiscious of sequels. I shall have to give this a go.
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Watch it, it’s definitely a worthy sequel to the first one.
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Pingback: Scream 3 | vinnieh
Ok I guess this did alright too in terms of a sequel, but I still preferred its predecessor. Sorry 🙄
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A lot of people prefer the original, but I think this did well considering the usual declining qualities in movie series.
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Scream 2 is the definition of a solid sequel – scary and a lot of fun! The whole scene with Sarah Michelle Gellar is just brilliant.
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Thanks, that is a well-executed scene( pardon the pun).
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awesome horror sequel. up there, for me, along with Friday The 13th Part II. good post!
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Thanks, definitely an amazing sequel.
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I love the first Scream so much, and I remember how pleased I was that the sequel lived up to the original. Solid review here, I agree, this is definitely a worthy horror sequel.
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Thanks, it’s always refreshing to watch a sequel that gets it right.
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Pingback: Do Horror Sequels Destroy the Genre? – vinnieh
A perfect example of how sequels can sometimes outshine the original.😊
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And I dig the irony of the film class sequence as they debate how sequels are never good.
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The epitome of irony!
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Such a cool sequence.
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I was going to ask, are you feeling any better Kim?
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No. I’m dealing with a sinus infection, that’s triggered a hellish migraine. Thanks for asking though Vinnie. You’re such a sweetheart!
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That sounds terrible. Take a rest and get back to full health.
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Thank Hon. I did a quick Killer Clowns post, but I think that’s it for me this weekend.😙
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Ill check that out. In the meantime, relax and get better.
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I just realised that I was thinking the other day about the fact that a good horrorsequel does not exist. Somehow I completely forgot about this one.mit has been quite a while since I last saw this one. For the life of me I can’t even remember who the killer for this one was. Maybe it’s time to rewatch this entire trilogy again. Although I have seen the first part quite recently.another great review. Fun to revisit these great classic movies😊
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It’s a rare horror sequel that builds on the first movie and is champion at being ironic. I would love to read your reviews of the trilogy, I say go for it man.
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I moght do that somewhere in the coming weeks. There arena couple of other things I have lined up. I will be attending an Animecon in two weeks time, where there will also be a Korean horrormovie shown that I have been really looking forward to: train to Busan. But ofcourse also some anime had to be reviewed. Also currently in the middle of revisiting Resident Evil. But Scream will be reviewed in the future: you can count on it 😊
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Exciting times for you then. I await the Scream reviews as I know you will do them justice.
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Plus, I love the scene of film students deriding the lack of good horror sequels. So funny.
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Another excellent review on a film which is without a doubt my favourite horror sequel and one of my favourite slasher films of all time. I agree with your analysis that Scream 2 upped the ante but captured the spirit of the original as well as expanded on it. The satire and critique of the horror genre, the sequel and franchise is spot on and the characters are well developed and have grown since our first encounter with them. The new characters are memorable and also hold their own. The death scenes are creative and one in particular unexpected and heartbreaking. Scream 2 is by no means a weak link and is fearless in the risks it takes while remaining a strong installment.
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I loved the satire on how sequels often suck, with Scream 2 being an exception. Character growth is also key, especially when it comes to Sidney. And the death scenes where very inventive and elaborate, plus that very shocking one that I never saw coming.
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I have always thought about writing a piece on my top horror sequels and I think this hands down would take the top spot for all the reasons we’ve discussed! I have a post on my top 10 death scenes that you might be interested in checking out. https://mshayleyr1989.wordpress.com/2016/05/18/fifth-anniversary-review-hayleys-top-10-favourite-horror-death-scenes-of-all-time/
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I’d love to check that post out. Just bookmarked it to read later.
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Thank you so much.
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Just checked it out and commented. Very interesting post.
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Awesome, thank you!
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Anytime.
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