Fowler's Frights 2015: Scream 2

Scream 2 (1997)
Starring: David Arquette, Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox
Directed by: Wes Craven


Alright guys, it's time to change things up a bit. I've been doing the same routine with my layout and it's frankly getting a bit old. I'm gonna try something new here this month, no plot summaries, shorter paragraphs, and keeping my ratings justified, yet brief. It feels appropriate for me to introduce the change in October, since it was the month where I implemented the first of my themed months. I love horror films, and reviewed a handful of the best within my first year of the blog, most notably my favorite horror film of all-time, Scream. This month, I'm looking at some of the sequels and remakes of my favorite slasher franchises, kicking it off with Scream 2. As far as sequels go, it's probably one of my favorites in the horror genre. The stakes are elevated, but it's very much contained in a way that says the original is still the better film. It's a very tongue and cheek approach to movie sequels in general, delivering in the type of meta humor that Scream popularized in the late '90s. So let's take a look at Scream 2.

Our favorite characters from the first movie return, this time with much more development from horror stereotypes to actual people. We see Sidney, played by Neve Campbell, continue to mature and grow as an adult. Her development's probably the weakest in the most extreme of terms, since she doesn't really need to change at all. The biggest growth is in Gail, played by Courtney Cox, as she grows to actually care for her friends rather than try and get a good story out of all of it. She also grows n her relationship with Dewey, played by David Arquette, as they inch their way closer and closer to being a couple. Their stuff is often a brilliant blend of sweet romance and awkward humor. Randy, played by Jamie Kennedy, also gets some subtle development in his resentment for being the stereotypical sidekick. He wants the girl (Sidney), he wants to save the day, and he wants to be taken seriously. That's some pretty compelling and often humorous stuff that often wouldn't be looked at in an average horror film. But then again, the Scream franchise aren't your average horror films. At least, to me they aren't.

We have some great new characters joining the cast, including Sidney's new boyfriend Derek, played by Jerry O'Connell, and classmate Cici, played by Sarah Michelle Gellar. Here's a great indication of how popular Scream was at the time. Gellar was one of the top young stars on the planet, and Cici isn't even that big of a role. She's in two scenes, but she's remembered due to her casting. As for Derek, he's nice and always does the right thing, but his boyfriend status makes him an obvious red herring for the killer's identity. But my favorite addition to the cast is the expanded role of Cotton Weary, played by Liev Schrieber. You can tell he's having a great time and his quips are to die for. I really love Cotton Weary, just ask my wife. It was my catchphrase while watching the film.

Scream 2 establishes the concept of movie sequels in two really memorable scenes. The first is an ongoing debate Randy has with his film class about how sequels always suck. Franchises from Alien to Terminator to Godfather to Star Wars are debated heavily, with no one really coming to an overall conclusion on whether or not a movie sequel can be better than the original. The other is a great scene between Randy and Dewey where they go over the rules. It's established that the body count is always bigger, the death scenes are more elaborate, and if you want to make sure your franchise is a success...we actually don't know that rule since Dewey interrupts Randy before he can finish. Nicely done guys. Kevin Williamson's writing and Wes Craven's directing really shine through here, and the film knows how to elevate the stakes, create more gore, and still have some fun with it. Meta humor has always been a favorite of mine, and this film has plenty of it.


Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Higher stakes, good new characters, and very self-aware, Scream 2 tries very hard to be one of the best movie sequels in film history. While I can't say it's on the level of The Empire Strikes Back or The Dark Knight, it's still a great sequel as far are horror movies are concerned and if you like Scream, you'll have just as much fun watching the sequel.

Scream 2 and movie images are copyrighted by Dimension Films