scream 2 has a titillating little scene that lays down the unwritten law of horror movie sequels quite well .
during a film - class discussion , windsor college students articulate what these inevitable laws are , and why sequels never live up to the originals .
a few rare exceptions are noted , but they left out one . . .
scream 2 !
1996 's surprise horror blockbuster scream became an instant hit and developed an obsessive coterie of fans which included almost every teenager in america !
a sequel was unavoidable , but luckily the re - teaming of writer kevin williamson and director
wes craven gives us nothing to fear in the way of lost entertainment .
in fact , at the risk of sounding sacrilegious to all the adorning fans of scream , i would say that scream 2 might even be the better film !
sidney prescott ( neve campbell ) , the sinuous heroine who survived a series of murders in woodsboro , ca in the original scream , is now two years older and off to college , majoring in theater .
meanwhile , tv journalist gale weathers ( courtney cox ) , who covered the murders in the first film , has since written a book about the dreadful events ; a book titled " stab " , which has been developed into a major motion picture .
as scream 2 opens , a crowd of overzealous teenagers are piling into a crowded movie theater for the premiere of " stab " , and before long , a young couple are butchered to death , unnoticed in the midst of hysteria .
this marks
the beginning of a new murder spree as an unknown " copycat " sets out to repeat what 's been done . . . and finish what has n't !
of course the killer is just as obsessed with movies as the killer in the first film , and yes , movies play a huge role in the bizarre psychological outlook the murderer holds as he /
she goes about slaying an assortment of gorgeous twenty year olds , but this * is * a sequel , and without deviating from the original groundwork we are still given a fresh outlook on horror movies .
this is in large part due to williamson 's deliciously written script , which will easily leave you satisfied . as much as the film condemns the use of cliches , it is riddled with them , but it is done so effectively , and with skillful direction by craven , that you 're not bound to complain .
i will note , however , that the " whodunit ?
" did wind up being the first person i suspected , but believe me , i kept changing my mind as i tried to stay one ahead of the movie .
all the actors outdo themselves here .
we 're not talking oscar performances , but cambell , cox , david arquette as dewey riley , and jamie kennedy as randy
all give surprisingly satisfying performances
that go beyond their last outing .
the characters remain true to their roots , and yet show a clear sign of development over the last two years .
we can see how the events in the first film has affected them , but we do n't lose any of the luster that made them such a delight to watch in the first place .
the nice thing about scream 2 is that it does n't seem off - kilter from it 's predecessor .
it 's a natural , smooth , and believable ( as far as horror films go ) transition from film to film .
we skip two years , but there does n't seem to be any holes or shortcuts taken in connecting the two flicks .
it flows so well that you feel more like you 're reading chapter two of a book ( long chapters , eh ? ) than just revitalizing a cast of familiar faces .
while main characters are usually the only connection in sequels , scream 2 's entire plot structure correlates * completely * with the first , making for immediate fondness and absorption .
as i said before , scream 2
easily lives up to , if not surpassing , it 's precursor .
the only reason scream will likely be hailed above scream 2
is because it was the first .
this does n't mean that it overcasts the unique , whimsical humor or overall caliber of it 's sequel , it just means that scream will forever be known as the movie that mocked it 's own while maintaining it 's sought - after qualities .
if ever a film followed it 's original
so well , it would be scream 2 , and it makes this a definite must - see for all those unbridled scream fans out there .
scream 2 fits snugly alongside scream , and will hopefully receive as many high remarks .
it would top off the series quite well , if it were n't for the fact that two movies do n't really make a series .
it 's unlikely to assume that a scream 3 wo n't appear in the next few years , but if they do decide to turn this into an undeniably acclaimed horror - trilogy , let 's hope they can keep up the fantastic work
.
like they say , do n't mess with perfection .
.
.
but when a money - making smash - hit is almost guaranteed , who 's gon na listen ?
Output: P