12. Scream 2 (1997, Wes Craven)
By Eivind Langdal
6th October 2009

Ah, sequels. What internet forum hasn’t been filled to the brim with discussions about whether they actually can surpass the original or not? Even one not primarily dedicated to movies is bound to have one at some point. Of course, if there is someone who knows about sequels, it’s someone who watches horror movies. After all, by the time Freddy Kreuger and Jason Voorhees faced off in Freddy vs. Jason, they had collectively starred in a whopping 15 sequels. Surely Wes Craven would follow up his monumental hit Scream with a film that primarily dealt with that subject, no?

Indeed he did. The result was Scream 2, which some people found better than the original, while others found it to be the opposite. So what about me then? What do I think? Well, that actually depends on when you ask me. If you had asked after I saw it for the first time, I would have said yes, the sequel is better. However, if you asked after I saw it again, I might have given a different answer. Why the sudden change? Hard to say, really. They are both good films, but the original has the advantage of being, well, the original.

Still, Scream 2 is anything but a retread. If the subject of the first were horror films, the second one builds on that and tries to ask: what are the characteristics of a horror sequel? Notice the absence of the word “good” there (after all, the movie world has seen a fair share of sequels that have deserved a lot of other adjectives than “good”). In a speech by the series’ greatest character, Randy the film geek, we learn that horror sequels always have to be a step up from the original in terms of what they deliver (you can pretty much interpret that as that they have to be gorier).

The problem with the film is that it is anything but that. Okay, so the point with the Scream series is that the rules (which were stated clearly in the original) don’t always have to be followed, but I couldn’t help but wonder what exactly the point of making the second film so similar to the first was. Sure, there is a new setting and some new characters, but in the end, there aren’t a lot of differences. There is one, though: the first film didn’t have the disadvantage of following a groundbreaking film.

What’s really strange is that it’s like the series has started all over. Those who survived the first film are scattered across all over, and when they eventually get together again, a strange sense of familiarity starts to kick in. Indeed, before the half hour mark is reached, Sidney has already punched Gale in the face again, and soon enough, it is revealed that, although Gale and Dewey hit it off by the end of the first film, they’re separate again here. Care to take a guess if they get back together again?

The plot goes like this: the events of the first movie have been turned into a movie (cleverly titled “Stab”). Those who paid attention the first time will notice the clever in-joke: Sidney is not played by Meg Ryan, but by (you guessed it) Tori Spelling. During a sneak preview of the film, two teenagers are brutally murdered. The crowd is cheering too much to notice, but eventually, it becomes abruptly clear what has happened. And then it’s time to put on the running shoes for Sidney and friends again.

Despite the film’s flaws, there is much in Scream 2 that deserves to be commended. While the film, like the other two in the series, occasionally succumbs to some clichéd chase scenes starring the killer (still wearing the ghost face mask) and some soon-to-be-hacked-to-death victim, it still finds some odd ways to stay fresh. One scene, for instance, sees two characters separated by a soundproof window. Director Wes Craven injects that scene with some masterly done tension, and engages the audience by having us scream in sync with the characters to turn around and face the killer.

The best scenes in the movie are undoubtedly those belonging to Randy. Just about every scene the guy is in is a killer, so it is a shame he is sometimes left to be nothing but a slightly extended cameo. Still, scenes like the one where he and the rest of a college film class tries to find out if a sequel has ever bettered an original is simply mesmerizing to watch. Kevin Williamson, the film’s screenwriter (he also wrote the first), has a great ability to write catchy and hip dialogue that is as funny as it is realistic (you know, in how teenagers in movies talk).

Another great scene involving Randy sees him, Gale and Dewey trying to find the killer, whom they know is at the campus. How do they know that? He has phoned Randy and is making it pretty clear he’s watching them. While Gale and Dewey have to run around frantically trying to find the killer (basically, everyone with a cell phone is a suspect), Randy has to keep him on the line. At one point in the scene, the killer asks him what his favorite scary movie is. The response, which I won’t reveal here, is both hilarious and unexpected.

I found the film to be unbearably tense the first time I saw it, and many of the scenes felt much longer than they did the second time. This is not a film to see twice, at least not if you remember too much from it. Even though the reveal of the killer is hardly the world’s most shocking twist, there is fun in trying to guess who it is (which, understandably, is quite easy when you’ve already seen the movie).

Scream 2 is a silly little film, but it is still a lot of fun. It has the ability to have that “holier than thou” attitude without ever feeling pretentious. It is not as trashy as the films it lampoons (and tributes), but it is not exactly art house either (and it knows it). Fans of the original should see this film and decide for themselves if, in some strange meta moment, the film class in the beginning in the movie would list the movie they are currently starring in as a sequel that’s better than their original.