You have to have a sequel !!!

Rating: 8/10 (5 June 2001)

***SPOILERS*** ***SPOILERS*** ... as Stew said in the original Scream . This movie was a complete story by its own . But after the success of Scream the continuation chapters were inevitable . Although Scream 2 obviously does not compare with the first part it has some major improvements . The first is that the plot unfolds much more continuusly than the first. There is not an inch of dead time since the non action scenes are used for the dramatic development of the characters like the theater scenes . In Scream the parts where Sidney (Neve Campbell) was whining about her mother were kind of annoying . Also Jamie Kennedy was kind of irritating as Randy the last time . Here he is more mature and reliable without overacting and screaming . Also (thank God) there are less quotes from other movies just the necessary amount .
PLOT : 2 years after the gruesome murders in Woodsborow the events of Scream were made a movie called "Stab" based on the best seller book by the reporter Gail Weathers (Corteney Cox) . During the avant premiere a gory murder takes place in the most tragic way ( I won 't say more than this is better than the Drew Barrymore opening!!) Soon it becomes clear that a psychopath has decided to be the successor of the killer in Stab and has focused on the University campus where Sidney and Randy are now students . He is a copycat killer following precisely the same methods . The threatening phone calls , the black costume with the ghostface mask and the knife-using bloody slasher killings. Gail Weathers arrives on the scene to help the police and fulfil her own ambitions as well . The story is very good and the cast reunion is effective. The psychological horror is once again inherent : the maniac can be literally anyone . An obsessed movie fan who sadistically wants to poke his fun to Sidney by reviving her worst nightmares . It is very chilling since most of us have suppressed fears and subconciously always live in the sheer terror they might resurrect . Apart this psychological factor the writer made sure to give a motive almost to everyone . Even the most unconfessed motives are apparent . For example Dewey (David Arquette) and Randy are never exposed for their possible obscure motives but anyone with a common sense of logic can guess their motives for being the killers . Despite a few original scenes there are more chliches than the last time , unfortunately . E.g. Cicy is a supporting cast so you know she doesn 't stand a chance to live . The trapped in the car scene no matter how suspensful , it is contrived and very stupid . And finally the ending : the biggest flaw is that the killer 's motive is stupid or even better inexistant . There is a shocking revelation but it does not compensate for the bad taste the ending leaves us . It is not only disappointing but it is unrealistic and , even worse , not suspenseful. As soon as the killer is unmasked the agony freezes . In Scream that point was simply the beginning for the edge-of-your-seat climax .
I will have to warn you though that the fault is not the writer 's , at least totally . Kevin Williamson 's original draft is rumoured to be darker , had a different killer and better ending with a cliffhanger to be answered in #3 (it is obvious the obsession of Williamson with the Star Wars trilogy) . Probably the director or the producers changed it for PC reasons . Overall Scream 2 is a good sequel . It is worth seeing to keep up with the story . It has some good scenes but it is utterly destroyed by the ending . Bewarned . I haven 't seen Scream 3 but I hope it will restore the memory of the series .
SCREAM II 7.5 / 10