scream 2 is n't quite as clever as its predecessor , but it fills the gap with a cutting wit .
death -- even gruesome , bloody death -- can be funny if handled the right way
( some will be offended by this statement , but you need look no further than pulp fiction for an example ) .
and , while there 's plenty of horror to go around in scream 2 , the latest ' 90s slasher flick incarnation , there are also a few laughs to be had .
scream 2 is a slice - and - dice movie for those who do n't take their horror too seriously .
the success of the original scream took everyone in the industry by surprise .
the unexpected blockbuster , whose gross soared over the $ 100 million mark during its six month release window , opened just about a year ago and turned into one of the most profitable horror films of all time .
a sequel was inevitable ; fortunately , nearly the entire creative team has returned for scream 2 , including director wes craven , screenwriter kevin williamson , and actors
neve campbell , courtney cox , david arquette , jamie kennedy , and liev schreiber .
as stipulated by one of the " rules of sequels " uttered by a movie- obsessed character in the film , the body count in scream 2 is higher than that in the original .
paradoxically , there 's a lot less gore .
there is blood , of course , but nothing excessive by slasher - movie standards , and there are no depictions of spilled entrails .
craven has remembered that scares are more important that graphic displays of human insides and bodily fluids .
a second strength of scream 2 is that it features a gallery of legitimate characters rather than a group of cardboard cut - out stereotypes lined up for slaughter .
after all , we 've known some of these people for two movies -- it 's almost impossible not to care about them at least a little .
scream 2 opens approximately two years after the original .
as in the first picture , there 's a slick , self - mocking prologue .
this time , the victims are jada pinkett and omar epps , whose characters are visiting a local theater for a preview screening of the movie stab ( which is based on the " true life " events of scream ) .
some of the smartest dialogue comes during this sequence as pinkett bemoans the lack of african american participation in horror films ( it 's surely no coincidence that , in addition to pinkett and epps , scream 2 features two black characters ) .
shortly thereafter , she and her boyfriend have been gutted , signaling the beginning of a series of copycat murders .
craven lets loose a burst of tongue - in - cheek creativity for the " movie within a movie " sequences .
they give him an opportunity to openly parody scream --
an act that he accomplishes with great panache .
stab features heather graham in the " casey becker " role ( played in the original by drew barrymore ) and tori spelling as " sidney prescott " ( neve campbell ) .
sadly , we only see a couple of scenes from stab .
it would have been a little more fun , i think , had craven used joe dante 's approach from matinee and shown lengthy excerpts from his satirical production .
following the prologue , we are re - introduced to sidney prescott , who has left her sleepy hometown to go to windsor college .
her friend randy ( jamie kennedy ) is a student there as well , and he 's just as knowledgeable about horror films as ever .
once the double murder at stab becomes big news , the media converges on windsor , looking to interview the original victim .
at the head of the flock of vultures is gale weathers ( courtney cox ) , who has a little surprise for sidney .
she has brought cotton weary ( liev schreiber ) , the man sidney falsely accused of murder , with her .
also arriving at the college is deputy dewey ( david arquette ) , who is there to act as a big brother to sidney during this latest round of tribulations .
in addition to the survivors from the original scream , the field of potential victims is well - populated .
there 's a blond co - ed named cece ( sarah michelle gellar , who has now appeared in two of williamson 's movies -- this one
and i know what you did last summer ) ; sidney 's requisite boyfriend , derek ( jerry o'connell ) ; a local newswoman ( laurie metcalf ) ; gale 's new cameraman ( duane martin ) ; a british drama teacher ( david warner ) ; and several sorority sisters and would - be sorority sisters ( portia de rossi , rebecca gayheart ,
elise neal , marisol nichols ) .
ultimately , there are lots of attractive corpses .
from the stab scenes to lines like " brothers do n't last long in situations like this , " craven and williamson are clearly having a lot of fun with scream 2 , and the movie is enjoyable , if a little overlong ( the livelier first hour is better than the second ) .
their resolution to the obligatory " whodunit ? " is less of a letdown than it could be , and knowingly offers a wink and nod at past unmasking scenes .
( " nice twist , " quips the killer .
" did n't see it coming , didya ? " )
one senses , however , that , by the end of this picture , the overall concept of a hip , self - referential slasher film has been played out .
supposedly , there 's going to be a scream 3 , but , if the film makers do n't come up with something radical , we could end up with a classic case of sequel overkill .
the movie is enjoyable some of the smartest dialogue comes a second strength it features a gallery of legitimate characters fortunately has remembered that scares are more important clearly having a lot of fun an act that he accomplishes with great panache it fills the gap with a cutting wit