Scream 2
"Sequels suck!" explains Randy (Jamie Kennedy), one of the survivors from last year's surprise box office hit Scream. Scream was a breakthrough film, spoofing the very horror films of the 70s and 80s which caused the demise of the horror genre. The characters in Scream had seen those same slasher films and were familiar with them. They discussed the cliches, and at the same time, Scream used those cliches by renewing and updating them. Director Wes Craven had a lot of fun slamming the genre he helped create, which was ruined by countless and inferior sequels. But that doesn't mean that there aren't good sequels. The characters in Scream 2 openly discuss superior sequels (Aliens, The Godfather, Part 2, Terminator 2), but this also puts pressure on Craven and writer Kevin Williamson to create a good enough sequel as to not become one of the sequels made fun of in the Scream saga.
And Scream 2 delivers. Again, characters are put into a situation of terror, but while Scream had more broad humor, Scream 2 is focused more on the satirical edge of the Scream franchise. The sequel to the hit Scream talks about sequels openly, but what is lacking this time around is genuine scares, which made the original a hit. Many of these moments were everyone's favorite: the "jump" moments. I love these moments, because... well, it scares me. Scream had many of these moments. What makes them so effective isn't the sudden appearance of some unexpected person in the shot, but the loud musical chord that accompanies the action on screen. These moments are incredibly scary, making viewers literally jump in their seats. Scream 2 has fewer of these than its predecessor, and those it does have aren't as scary.
Scream 2 begins in the same way Scream did, but much less scarier, and more satirically. It opens in a movie theater showing a sneak preview of Stab!, a filmed version of Gale Weathers' best-selling novel The Woodsboro Murders, which is based on the murders from the original film (in essence, we have the movie Scream on the screen in Scream 2). We meet two characters standing in line (Jada Pinkett and Omar Epps), who discuss the teen slasher genre. Both characters are black, and Pinkett points out that black people are no where present in horror films of this kind (as a result, Craven places many black characters into the film). In the theater, Ghostface costumes are handed to every audience member, most of whom don the costume for the film. However, lurking in the theater is a real killer, wearing the same costume. Trying to guess which one it is is the most suspenseful moment in this scene. Pinkett's comments are perfect and exactly what most people said to the original film. During the opening scene of Stab!, Casey Becker (Heather Graham) gets phones calls just like Drew Barrymore did in the original film. Pinkett yells at the screen, "Hang up and Star-69 his ass!" In the end, two people end up dead, and the serial killings begin once again.
With the two recent killings, reporters begin showing up, and among them is Gale Weathers (Courtney Cox), who has now gathered a small fan club (including Laurie Metcalf from TV's "Roseanne"). Also to show up is Dewey "Dwight" Riley (David Arquette), who now walks with a limp due to his stab wound a couple years earlier. Weathers has a new cameraman (Duane Martin) who has no idea of the events which occurred a couple years before. As sequels go, "the body count is always higher," and so a bigger cast is introduced. There is Randy (Kennedy) from the original film, along with his new film freak buddy Mickey (Timothy Olyphant). Derek (Jerry O'Connell) is Sidney Prescott's (Neve Campbell) new beau, and Hallie (Elise Neal) is Sidney's roommate. Accompanying Weathers is Cotton Weary (Liev Schreiber), the wrongly accused killer in Scream. Surprisingly, all these characters are developed rather nicely, but you pretty much realize that many of them will be gutted. Smaller roles include Helen (Sarah Michelle Gellar) as a designated driver and, in the Stab! film is-wouldn't you know it?-Tori Spelling as Sidney! That tricky Williamson... he did that on purpose (Neve Campbell remarked that Spelling would most likely play her in a film).
Scream 2 may not be as scary as the original film, but it sure maintains a high level of suspense throughout. My heart almost never stopped pounding. Most of the suspense comes from us knowing something is going to jump out from behind a corner by the framing of the shot. When and who is what makes us hold our breath. Will it be the killer, or just a friend? Sometimes nothing happens, but we still remain in a tense state, and just as we begin to let our guard down, something scary occurs on screen. Unfortunately, it just isn't as scary this time around, and it's hard to understand why. The musical chords are there, and the people jumping out from behind dark shadows is present, but for some reason, it just doesn't work as well this time. Does that make it a lesser film? Well, actually, yes. Perhaps a lot of the blame could be put on the bigger budget, as the original relied on genuine scares instead of elaborate set pieces. Scream 2 has an incredibly impressive set design, with some set pieces which are sure to astound audiences. In fact, the only bad thing about Scream 2 is that lack of scariness. But what it does make up for is in its technical aspects.
The technical aspects of Scream 2 are equal, if not superior, to its predecessor. The set design is spectacular, which adds a lot of suspense by itself. A highlight involves a Greek play starring Sidney, but as she is rehearsing for it, she begins to see the killer on the stage. The surrealistic portrayal of this scene is very effective, as the camera spins around, blurring all the Greek masks together, but you can distinctly see the Ghostface amidst the crowd. The music, written by Danny Elfman (for the Greek scenes only), is the best in the film. Another impressive scene involves a police car, the killer, and Sidney and her roommate. It leads up to one of the film's most genuinely suspenseful moments. However, after watching Scream 2, I got to feeling that bigger is not always better, because Scream had a pretty small budget (in Hollywood's terms) and the scares were created by skillful film making instead of elaborate sets. Scream 2 does contain a few "jump" moments that work, but they are all when the killer jumps out. When it is a friend, it seems as if Craven didn't put as much energy into the shock value as he does with the actual killer. The Drew Barrymore scene this time around is a good example. It involves Helen (Gellar) who is stuck in her sorority house alone because she is the designated driver for the rest of the girls. She begins getting calls, and she goes through the same errors that Barrymore did. This scene mounts to some incredible tension, but it ends very quickly, and the possible scares are lost.
The writing of Scream 2 is a big highlight. Kevin Williamson is a terrific writer, and after the second sequel, he will probably put his talent towards writing some great comedies or great dramas. His satire is some of the best in film, making fun of many other films, while giving sequels a good name. The dialogue is witty, and very realistic. Most of the characters talk exactly the way your average person would talk about movies. Of course, he does include some stereotypical "dumb blonds," but only for the laugh. He doesn't put them in there as actual characters, but as characters in a horror film. They know they are in a slasher film, and they act like people who deserve to be slashed. Surprisingly, many of the people who get slashed are the ones we like the most. Williamson also gives another surprise ending, which I never guessed. This film makes you guess, but if you do get it right, it's only by chance. As for the direction, Wes Craven does a masterful job, and he is probably the only director who takes this genre seriously. He may spoof it and slap it around, but he takes it seriously. He is the most skillful horror director available, with a long list of the best slasher films to back him up (Nightmare on Elm Street, Wes Craven's New Nightmare). Craven doesn't do as good a job as he did with Scream, but it is still a good job.
The cast is the best aspect of Scream 2, giving terrific performances all around. Neve Campbell again stars as Sidney, and she does a great job. She is probably the best actress in teen slasher history. Her kick-ass persona is a major improvement over the frightened, weak Jamie Lee Curtis of the slasher genre. Courtney Cox gives an equal performance to Campbell, but her role is more developed here than in Scream. Cox provides many of the film's tense moments, including an extended chase sequence through film school. Jerry O'Connell gives a very good performance as Sidney's boyfriend. This is a major improvement over his "Sliders" television show. David Arquette gives another good performance as Dewey. Unfortunately, his character has matured a little, and it's actually a little disappointing. Jamie Kennedy provides one of the most shocking moments in the film, and also some of the funniest lines ("Showgirls," his response to what he thinks is the scariest film he's ever seen). Sarah Michelle Gellar has a small role, but she gives one of the most believable performances in the film. Duane Martin is hilarious as the cameraman who fears for his life when he learns about the fate of Weathers' ex-cameraman. Laurie Metcalf gives a very good over-the-top performance in her small role. Timothy Olyphant is extremely effective in his limited role, but his discussions with Randy are perfect and reasonable. Liev Schreiber gives a nice performance as Cotton Weary, and his obsession with being famous could easily be a motive for killing the teens who accused him of murder. And surprisingly, Tori Spelling gives a rather good performance in her semi-spoof of herself.
Scream 2 is rated R for graphic horror violence and gore, and language. Again, Scream 2 leaves out unnecessary nudity, which Williamson comments on in his screenplay (Jada Pinkett complains about Heather Graham stripping in Stab!). Scream 2 marks one of the best sequels ever created, and probably the best for the teen slasher genre. While it may not approach the scariness of the original, it adds many other elements which make it a very entertaining sequel. Overall, it isn't as impressive as Scream was, but it will surely rake in the money at the box office. In fact, it will most likely surpass the original's grosses due to a high interest in the Scream franchise spawned by the re-inventing Scream. Watch for it to break records its first weekend (but it will drop rapidly due to the release of the much anticipated Titanic opening next week), and remain strong.