Scream 2 (1997)

 

While writing the script for Scream, Kevin Williamson actually had two sequels in mind. You would think after the first film that everything wraps up neatly with no sequels attached, but Scream 2 proved to be a much competent successor to the original. This came out a year after the 1996 film, which gave the audience a bit of hesitation, considering how quickly rushed the production was and a leaked script on the internet almost delayed the film. Though as luck would have it, Scream 2 turned out to be a pretty solid sequel. What Scream 2 does best is expanding upon what was established in the first film, which continues the thread of Sidney's haunted past. When I look at the series as a whole, it's sort of like this dark coming-of-age tale about the cycles of trauma. But as with most Hollywood sequels, Scream 2 is broader and grandiose than the first one. Of course, when the filmmakers decided to recruit legendary film composers Danny Elfman and Hans Zimmer, It's bound to be an epic sequel. There are so many memorable scenes in this that, dare I say it, exceeds the first one. But enough small talk, let's explore the ingenuity of Scream 2.

The Story: A year after the Woodsboro murders, Sidney Prescott has finally moved on from her terrifying ordeal, making a new life for herself in Windsor College. But little does she know, that a certain someone is copying the Woodsboro murders, and Sidney, yet again, is the target of the killer's wrath. Not only that, Cotton Weary, the man who was once accused of Maureen Prescott's murder has come back to make amends, however, Sidney's distrust of Cotton grows as the bodies pile up. So with the help of tabloid reporter Gale Weathers and police officer Dewey Riley, Sidney goes out of her way to unlock the mystery behind the madness.

As always, I would like to discuss the amazing opening scene. Instead of a quaint suburban California home, the new setting is located at a very elaborate movie theater with heavy promotion of the movie, "Stab", which is seemingly based on Gale Weathers' penned novel, The Woodsboro Murders.

Now our focus is on a young couple going on a movie date, who is ironically named Maureen and Phil played by the exceptional Jada Pickett-Smith and an incredibly charming Omar Epps. Like with most young couples on a movie night, Maureen and Phil have a bit of debacle on which movie to see. Maureen would rather watch a romantic comedy while Phil leans more to the highly anticipated Stab movie. Although Maureen hates horror films, she goes along with Phil.

When the movie starts, the opening scene is a reenactment of Casey's murder but this time a much-comely actress (played by Heather Graham) fills in her role and as with any other horror movie, she has the inevitable shower scene. Maureen rolls her eyes in disgust, annoyed at how horror films tend to showcase gratuitous female nudity, to which many people, including myself, share the same sentiments. I have nothing against nudity in a film, I'm not a prude, it's in a matter of taste that's all.

Though for someone who isn't into horror films, Maureen becomes more emotionally invested in the scene, loudly calling out the character's stupidity which is, again, something we can relate to. 

But then you start to realize that half of the audience is dressed in similar Ghostface costumes, though there's nothing really suspicious going on...yet. 

Although the scene starts off comically at first, the horror kicks in hard when Phil is quickly and unexpectedly dispatched by the killer in the bathroom stall and Maureen's safety is at risk...

What makes this scene so suspenseful is how the killer can easily blend in with the crowd. The chaotic climax of Maureen helplessly limping through the cheering crowd as the killer continues to stab her is so brutal and disorienting. Just to mention, the crowd is completely unaware of Maureen's distress, thinking it's part of the show. 

But as she steps on the stage, Maureen lets out an agonizing death cry. That's when the audience comes to realize...it's no laughing matter...

What I like about this scene is that Maureen and Phil are actually developed as characters by showcasing the natural chemistry of Jada Pickett-Smith and Omar Epps. The one part that really stuck with me is how Maureen gets repeatedly stabbed by the killer as the crowd cheers on. It's like she's fodder for their entertainment. And although some fans think Maureen's death cry is a bit too much, I still think it's very effective. 

Now let's talk about my next favorite scene, which introduces all of the characters in one setting.

After the opening title, we open with our favorite horror heroine Sidney Prescott as a phone call wakes her up. It seems like Sidney is, yet again, a target of a deranged psycho who has a knife to grind. But it turns out to be a pesky prank caller since Sidney was crafty enough to own caller ID, which was a pretty useful thing to use during the mid-late nineties.

As she begins her usual morning routine, Sidney is greeted by her trusty friend and college roommate Hallie who is concerned about her emotional state. Considering what Sidney has been through in the last movie, you couldn't put it past her. Though Sidney insists that she is fine and the past is behind her. But when she turns on the news and hears about the double murder of two Windsor College students during the screening of Stab, the eruption of Sidney's past begins to jeopardize the normalcy she yearns for.

The scene shifts to Randy in film studies class, looking new and improved. while finessing his film knowledge to the other pupils. Let's just say that Randy has much more of a bravado this time around. 

When Sidney goes to fetch him, you think they might be a couple by now, due to their shared experiences...

Nope! Just as they walk around the campus, here comes Derek, Sidney's strapping and handsome new beau, lovingly wrapping his arms around her protectively to Randy's dismay. It's a perfect "d'oh" moment that adds to the movie's subtle humor. This leads us to the aforementioned scene.

Sidney and the gang are suddenly ambushed by a swarm of reporters, which is led by the one and only Gale Weathers, looking quite new and improved herself, trading in her frosty blond highlights for a more appropriate firey red. Once Sidney goes over to confront Gale about the commotion, a certain someone from Sidney's past steps out from the crowd...Cotton Weary, the man accused of Maureen Prescott's murder. Sidney puts two and two together. Along with her scathing description of Sidney's testimony regarding Cotton, Gale also rallied up all of the media press so that Sidney could make a public apology to Cotton. 

Sidney. Is. Not. Having it. And that's when she gives Gale an EPIC bitch slap. This is the moment where the movie really begins...

Now that we have all the characters at play. Let's introduce them, one by one. As always, I will save the best for last. 

First, let's start with Randy. No longer is he the awkward, gangly geek from his high school years. Now, living life as a college man, he has filled out a little more, got a cool haircut, a sexy goatee, and some stylish new clothes. 

Though for some reason, Randy just doesn't seem to have any luck with the ladies. What he does have, however,  is full knowledge of horror films, which is essentially a part of his character.  Though unfortunately, our time with Randy is shockingly cut short. You would think it would be a solid quartet but sadly only Sidney, Dewey, and Gale are left to defend themselves. Sure, this might count as a spoiler but considering how Randy doesn't show up in the next movie, it's pretty obvious that he doesn't last that long in this one.

For the main character to survive so long near the midpoint of the movie, Randy's death was truly shocking and just came out of nowhere. This is where the movie subverts the audience's expectations. If Randy dies, who would be the next in line?

But through the character's last moments, Jamie Kennedy takes it in stride, going off on an epic rant before his demise. It just shows how Jamie is so committed to the character that he's willing to go down with the whip of his tongue. The scene is funny but sort of tragic at the same time, too.

So here's a salute to one of the most memorable characters of the franchise. 

Hallie McDaniel played by Elise Neal is something of an audience surrogate. She's the voice of reason and, dare I say it, much more level-headed than Tatum.

Elise Neal was infectiously charismatic, giving Hallie a personality that was bubbly and relatable. Now I don't have a lot of detail of how Hallie was originally portrayed in the script but seeing how she's handled in the final take of the movie, she comes off as a much more likable character.

And then there's Derek Feldman, Sidney's handsome, suave new boyfriend. He's everything a girl could ask for. He's clean-cut, funny, nice, helpful, and a good singer.

He seems like he could be the perfect match for Sidney. Or is he too perfect? This makes Sidney wonder if she's having Deja vu. But in actuality, Derek turns out to be a pretty good guy.

 Though, I have to point out the really cringy scene where Derek serenades "I Think I Love You" to Sidney. 

Fun Fact! Actors who auditioned for the part were asked to perform "I Think I Love You" in Acapella style. And yes, this scene is actually in the script. Eventually, Jerry O'Connell won the role, and even though I think this scene seems out of place in a bloody, gory slasher film, I do think Jerry O'Connell was the perfect choice for Derek. 

Just by looking at him, he would be the type of guy that would break out in a song to profess his love and I do think it's the sweetest thing.

Jerry O'Connell was really earnest in his performance, turning Derek (a role that could've been dull and uninteresting) into a rather lovable and endearing character. 

Just to squeeze this in here, I have some special mentions:

We have Joel, Gale's newly hired cameraman who is rightfully cautious about the going-on's at Windsor College. Okay before I continue with Joel, I would like to mention Kenny the Cameraman from the first movie. I never really got a chance to focus on him because he really wasn't that much to focus on. He was just...there and unceremoniously killed without a moment's thought. Though, unlike Kenny, Joel actually has personality and is not much of a pushover either. Eventually, Joel leaves Gale high and dry once he sees Randy's dead body in his van, a decision that ultimately saves his life. Good for him.

Duane Martin was quite hilarious as Joel and added a certain spunk that made the character pop out. 

Cici Cooper played by Sarah Michelle Gellar is not your typical sorority house ditz. She's actually very responsible, thoughtful, and intelligent. She's also very loyal to her sorority sisters where she stays at home and housesits while the rest of the girls go to a party nearby.

But unfortunately, this doesn't save her in the end and she is, quite brutally, dispatched by Ghostface.

Sarah Michelle Gellar would play a similar role in I Know What You Did Last Summer, as the typically vain beauty queen, who in the course of the movie, turns out to be a likable character that we've come to root for. This correlates to her iconic role of Buffy Summers, the subversion of the blond horror victim, although Sarah's characters in these two movies play it straight. However, it's not without saying that Sarah Michelle Gellar was the go-to girl for subverting horror stereotypes. 

And here we have Joshua Jackson in a cameo just one month prior to Dawson's Creek series premiere. During this time, he was known as that kid from The Mighty Ducks films. So in retrospect, you have two stars from the WB in the same classroom. How fetching!

Speaking of Cameos...

Fun fact! When Tatum asks who would play her in a movie, Sidney jokes that Tori Spelling might be a candidate. Guess what happens here...

Shout out to Tori Spelling and Luke Wilson for nailing spot-on impressions of Sidney and Billy.

Lastly, we have Lois and Murphy, the overly chipper sorority girls who are portrayed as comic reliefs. Special shout out to Rebecca Gayheart who auditioned TWICE for Scream and Scream 2, one for Tatum, and one for Hallie. Although Rebecca lost out on both roles, the filmmakers gave her the minor role of Lois. Another special mention is Portia De Rossi who would later star in Arrested Development, which is now a cult favorite.

So are Lois and Murphy relevant in the movie? well...yes and no. On paper, they seem like shallow throwaway characters but Rebecca Gayheart and Portia De Rossi added some much-needed charisma that was required for the roles. 

Now let's get to the main characters:

Gale Weathers is at her most badass. She's more passionate, hard-edged, and with a healthy dose of character development. Her character arc starts with the publicity surrounding the screen adaptation of her novel, The Woodsboro Murders. Since Gale is the catalyst for controversy, she teams up with the formerly accused Cotton Weary to sustain more media press. 

But as the murders start to happen, Gale begins to feel actual, genuine remorse. Though the best part of her character development is her relationship with Dewey, who seems to bring out the best in her.

Besides being the best horror couple ever, Gale and Dewey are quite crafty with their investigative skills, making them a much more formidable team than the detectives on the case. Gale continues the thread of character development where she is affected by the sensationalism she caused surrounding the recent murders. This is proof, that deep down, Gale has some semblance of humanity, unlike the typical tabloid reporter who goes by the analogy of If It Bleed, It Leads. This is why I find Gale to be one of the most fascinating female characters in horror. 

Courtney Cox rocks as always. She really puts in her all by, exploring the layers of Gale's personality balancing between her iciness and softness, bringing in this air of likability that makes the character admirable.

Dewey is back and he's adorable as ever. It's just something about David Arquette's performance that makes the character so earnest. But there is probably one issue I have with the writing of this character: the film didn't take much time to dwell on Dewey's grief over Tatum. It could've added more towards Dewey's determination to stop the killings but to each its own.

Although he's not an expert on self-preservation skills, you have to give it to the guy because he gets beaten up and stabbed pretty badly yet he's still a trooper through and through. 

Once again, David Arquette adds that layer of benign sincerity that makes this character so loveable.

We have the notorious Cotton Weary, who was previously a minor but important character in the first film. Cotton is built up as a red herring, which makes sense because he really does have a bone to pick with Sidney. 

When you think about it, he does have his reasons. Yes, Sidney did wrongfully accused Cotton of murdering her mother, which of course served him a couple of months in prison just as well as the media scrutinizing him. But Sidney was a confused and scared teenage girl who was trying to figure things out herself and seeing that Cotton was having an affair with her mother, who was a married woman by the way with no intention of leaving her husband, Cotton was undoubtedly the only suspect she could point out to.

Now that Cotton is a free man, he's cleaned up his image. No longer is he the long-haired, grungy-looking guy from the first film. He's now slick and clean-cut, thanks to the promotion and publicity Gale Weathers have given him. This time around, the media press changes its tune on Cotton, turning him into a tabloid superstar. 

Cotton's personality is kind of ambiguous. Sometimes he would come off affable and charming but, on the second go-round, he's threatening and menacing. Since he is set up as a red herring and ties into the film's theme of revenge, Cotton could easily be the killer but as it turns out...he's not. And from then on, he becomes an unlikely hero by the end of the movie. 

Liev Schreiber was very engaging as Cotton. He steps between the line of infectiously charismatic to dangerously intimidating at the same time. Even if Cotton wasn't accused of murder, he would seem like a pretty cool guy to hang around. But when he's pissed, he is PISSED. With that cold glare in his eye that makes you wonder...And that's why I think Liev Schreiber is so perfectly cast in this role. 

Last but not least, we have our signature heroine of the series, Sidney Prescott. Surviving the events of the first movie, Sidney still suffers from the emotional scars of her high school years. She's always looking over her shoulder, not knowing who to trust. Her desire for a normal life is shattered by the constant paranoia of her past.

But Sidney refuses to be a victim, using every trick of the trade from the Final Girl handbook. She is much more resourceful and intuitive than before and not above kicking some ass either. In this go-round, she refuses to let her past define her. 

She tries to have some semblance of a normal life, but there is a certain ghost (Ghostface in particular) that seems to follow her every move. Like most horror sequels, the killer in question has a personal vendetta against the main heroine. 

But the heroine of this story doesn't go down without a fight. She is tired of hiding, and charges head-on to confront the demons from her past. This is the movie where Sidney Prescott finds her awakening...

Neve Campbell as Sidney Prescott. Need I say more? Neve Campbell is a testament to this character's strengths.

Vulnerable but fierce, doubtful but determined. Neve Campbell conveyed every emotion Sidney is going through and her performance was glorious from start to finish. Not anyone can play Sidney Prescott like Neve Campbell does.

Now we have moved on to the legacy character known as Ghostface. Though in all accounts, Ghostface is not entity, he is simply a man (or men in this case) behind a mask. So let's take a peek at who's underneath it. 

Lo and behold, it's...Mickey! You know, Mickey, Derek's friend, who is a major film buff?.... Yeah, that's all I know about him. Not that I want to make a comparison here, but Matthew Lillard brought a unique zaniness to his performance that made the character of Stu quite memorable. He was the type of character that wanted your attention and didn't fade into the background. Mickey, on the other hand, fades into the background. There is just nothing interesting about the guy other than being a film buff, so he's basically Randy 2.0. but a lot less funny and not much engaging. 

Nothing against Timothy Olyphant, I think he's a good actor and all but he doesn't have much to work with here. Maybe it was intentional for the character to be less focused as it soon turns out that he's the killer, but his motive is just as underwhelming. Earlier in the film, there was this subplot about how the killer would target people who coincidently have the same names as the murder victims from the first film. Somehow I believe that this was Mickey's doing. 

However, his plan is about actually getting caught, but the catch is once he gets caught and has all of this new press surrounding him, Mickey would blame his mental illness on violence in the media...It's just not interesting. And on top of that, it's very predictable coming from a character like this.  Judging from how Billy and Stu were obsessed with horror movies, It would be too obvious for one of the characters to take their love of horror movies too far and who it be but the guy (besides Randy) who would point out the most obvious movie references. That's all I have to say really. Mickey just wasn't that memorable.

But fortunately, in the tradition of the first movie, there are two killers and unlike Mickey, this one leaves a lasting impression...

Enter Mrs. Loomis, played by the phenomenal Laurie Metcalf. But before we praise the legendary Mrs. Metcalf, let's step into the psyche of Mrs. Loomis. 

I've come to notice that fans don't really care for this character and I can see why. She starts off as this overly chipper reporter with the alias of Debbie Salt who seem to constantly gush over Gale's presence but once her true identity is revealed, the characters are surprised by her transformation. Sure, after leaving her husband and abandoning her only son, it would be likely that she would focus on her looks, though, I would call this a selfish endeavor.

Mrs. Loomis would seem like a sympathetic character at first, considering how her husband had an affair behind her back. But when you look past that, she deliberately abandoned her son Billy, which probably left him so emotionally scarred that he would go on a killing spree. Not that I'm excusing Billy's actions but it's pretty apparent that Mrs. Loomis played some part in her son's psychotic breakdown. Though it's obvious this family suffers from mental illness to the point when something goes wrong in their life, they just sit there and go, "Welp, it's time to go kill somebody," which basically shows how they have no regard for human life. If anything, this woman seems to make excuses for killing people, particularly using the death of her son as a crutch for her unrelenting bloodlust. I don't know if I'm the one to diagnose somebody but Mrs. Loomis might be on the tipping scale of a sociopathic psychopath. Though in all honesty, I do see her as the ultimate big bad of the series and a much better villain than the one in the next movie.

Laurie Metcalf is outstanding! For the little screentime she has, she definitely left a big impact. The way she raises her eyes in a chilling fashion while charging in with this animalistic ferocity catapulted into this extraordinary performance. Though I can't help but say that she reminds me of an evil version of Jackie Harris, where Metcalf can channel the neuroticism of that character and expand it to a homicidally unhinged level. It is truly, truly awesome. And for that, I'll give Mrs. Metcalf a gracious bow to her achievements.

The writing and directing are fan-freakin-tasti!. Of course, when you combine the writing prowess of Kevin Williamson and the mastery of Wes Craven, it's a match made for perfection.

And in the tradition of most horror sequels, the deaths are bound to be bloodier and gorier than the first film. The most brutal of deaths in my opinion are Cici Cooper's and Officer Richards.

Though my main focus is on these three specific scenes that are now considered to be my most favorite of the franchise:

First and foremost, we have Sidney's rehearsal scene. I swear it's like something out of another movie. It's just so incredibly EPIC! The setting, the costumes, the choreography, the bombastic score orchestrated by the one and only Danny Elfman. It comes off less like a standard community college stage play and more like an elaborate Broadway show with high production values. It is simply glorious. Not only that, it's highly suspenseful as one of the killers might be hiding underneath the costumes to which Sidney wonders if it's real or an illusion. Ah-mazing!

Then there's the scene where Gale gets her first and only chase sequence. Its dripped with high tension but was also very heartwrenching when Gale, trapped in the sound, is forced to witness Dewey's supposed "death" (he gets better).

And finally, there is a scene that might be close to a tie-breaker with Sidney's Rehearsal and it's the one where Sidney and Hallie get trapped in the cop car with the killer. Oh man, this scene was intense! It starts off with a bang when the killer slits Officer Andrews' throat and throws Officer Richards from the car. When the killer starts the engine, in a state of urgency, Officer Richards jumps on top of the car as the killer takes off and then...CRASH! Officer Richards is impaled by steel pipes in a very gory fashion. This leaves Sidney and Hallie, who are trapped in the backseat, to escape the police car before the unconscious killer wakes up. INTENSE. Hands down, the most chilling moments of the film.

Now let's discuss a little bit about the leaked script. This may contain spoilers but who cares at this point? It was twenty-odd years old since this script was leaked and everybody pretty much knows about the big twist ending that was originally planned. It's revealed that Derek and Hallie were the killers and that Mrs. Loomis was the mastermind behind it. To be honest, I haven't read the script but I think the re-writes were, in fact, necessary. Hallie's friendship with Sidney turns out to be genuine and Derek turns out to be the love of Sidney's life. So by making these changes, their relationship with Sidney is built on sincerity and shows how she has a lot more to lose when they become the target of the killer. Plus, the filmmakers did a good job of not replicating the original because from what I can tell, the twist felt like a complete rehash of the first movie.

I feel what came out of the script re-writes was a much better movie than it was intended to be. Therefore, Scream 2 turns out to be one of my favorite horror sequels. It just goes to show that fate has a funny way of turning lead into gold. 

My final word: It's a definite Yes. It's the best!