Wes Craven's most mature film

Rating: Null/10 (2 January 1999)

Director Wes Craven is best known as the master of suspense and horror. Many of his films are extremely inventive, but they have failed in many ways- do to unbalanced dialogue and acting. In my opinion Craven's films were neither suspenseful or horrifying, except for how bad they were. I had made up my mine that Wes Craven was a very over-rated horror director, producing more 'bombs' than 'five-stars'. However, I viewed SCREAM and was surprised at how the inventive camera angles and creative script had made me tense throughtout the entire film. Even more so in SCREAM 2, which is a film that changed my viewpoint on the director. Studying the film many times, I have come to understand many of the human emotions that Wes Craven has incorporated into it. Horror movies must be more than just blood and gore to make it scary, you need the human emotion. If you can't feel or relate to a character, "who cares if they die?" In SCREAM 2, you do feel for and relate to the characters and are horrifed (hopefully- or problems may be setting in!) when they get killed off. Unlike the opening scene of the first SCREAM, nothing in this movie was as disturbing, which made it more entertaining. There are many scenes in SCREAM 2 which are bound to become classic and imitated time and time again. The camera angles are well done, the acting is definitely convincing, and the music is tense. If you appreciate these qualities in a horror film, then you will enjoy SCREAM 2, and understand why it is (in my opinion) Wes Craven's most mature film and has truly established him as the master of his craft.