Scream 2
Reviews
John Chard
Wonderful bedfellow to the first film. I'm just not buying into the bad rating for this film, in 1996 Wes Craven's Scream reinvigorated an ailing genre and got fans back into the horror groove. The love for that film, I feel, tends to skew opinions of the second instalment in what became the Scream foursome, Scream 2 seams perfectly from its starting point to up the daring ante, and plonk tongue even further into its cheek in the process. Sidney Prescott has moved on from the horrendous murders in Woodsboro and is at college getting on with her life, but the peace and hope for a bright future is quickly shattered because the Scream killer is back for more carnage... The film's opening perfectly sets out the tone for the entire picture, we see a cinema full of fake knife wielding youths dressed as the Scream killer, the film they are watching is Stab, the story of the Woodsboro murders. It's a wry commentary moment from Wes Craven, but in truth it's just one of many he makes in the film, the in jokes about sequels never gets tired, and the boo jump scare moments are all there to enjoy. Red Herrings come and go, and all the great characters who survived the first film are back again. Dewey & Gale get fleshed out a bit more, and one time caged innocent (and chief suspect) Cotton Weary is now a major character just begging us to find out if he's hero or villain. This is a sharply scripted piece of work, it knows its aims and delivers what it sets out to do, it benefits from a brilliant sound mix to emphasise the mayhem, and Craven is something of a master in racking up the tension. To laugh and be scared is the order of the day, so sit back and enjoy a film that to me proves that not all sequels suck. Oh the ending does not disappoint at all either I have to say. Scream 2 is a very worthy and enjoyable companion piece to the first film, very much so. 8/10
CinemaSerf
So, moving along two years from the first carnage, "Sidney" (Neve Campbell) has moved into the Omega Beta Zeta frat house and is getting on with the her life. Well, that is what she hopes anyway but after a few minutes of this derivative and unimaginative sequel, we are back to square one when she learns on television that the grim reaper is back taking out fans at a sneak preview of "Stab!" - a film based on her first terrifying experiences. Then her friends start to drop, one by one - slasher style. Can she and reporter "Gale Wethers" (Courteney Cox) stay alive long enough to find out just who - or whom - is behind these ghastly crimes? I'm sorry, but this is just a straight and pretty shameless rip off of the first film. It's entirely devoid of menace or originality and the concluding twenty minutes are borderline farce. Wes Craven has a magic touch when it comes to gory action-horror films, but here he left it on the bathroom floor. This is just poor and repetitive and despite a competent cast just left me yawning after twenty minutes. Two hours is simply ninety minutes too long. I'm certain there will be a "Scream 3" - but I don't hold out high hopes.
Nathan
**_Scream 2_ starts off strong with a fantastic first act, but slowly stumbles into mediocrity with a lackluster finale.** The beginning of this film was exhilarating, it was so messed up seeing how infatuated people were with this real-life killer and their seeming lack of awareness that a woman was being brutally murdered in their presence. They crank up the gore from the original, leading me to believe that we were going to be in for a treat, but I was wrong. The first act was really strong, and I enjoyed the college campus setting with some exhilarating scenes in the sorority houses. But towards the end of the second act, the film starts to drag on, with too much down time spent on character development and lackluster chase scenes. I think the main killer’s motivation is pretty weak. They try to pull off a _Friday the 13th_-type reveal with Billy Loomis’s mom, but it just doesn't land. She abandoned her child before the first film, and all of a sudden, after he becomes a killer, she wants to get revenge on the victim? It just does not make sense. I did enjoy Mickey, as he was the only interesting new addition to the film. This story had a lot of potential, but I can't help but feel it was slightly wasted. Our performances were mixed this time around. Neve Campbell and Courtney Cox were fantastic; they are the true stars of the franchise, and their characters have such a nice arc here that I really appreciated, especially Cox. Jamie Kennedy was also great as the only character who truly realizes what is going on in this horror film, his commentary going forward will be missed. David Arquette was again pretty weak; I do think it mainly had to do with poor writing, as the crimpling walk he had to perform felt weird and in poor taste. Jerry O’Connell was corny and forgettable. Liev Schreiber’s character stinks. Timothy Olyphant was the only new addition that I genuinely enjoyed. The direction from Wes Craven was still great overall, with some fantastic scenes, particularly in the sorority house, that I thoroughly enjoyed. This may be personal taste, but I still think this franchise can push the horror and gore more. I feel they are giving us a tease in every film of what they are truly capable of. Overall, _Scream 2_ left a lot on the table for what could have been a really great sequel. It is still somewhat enjoyable, but it is hard to deny the massive step back it took from the original. **Score:** _63%_ **Verdict:** _Decent_
Movie Recommendation
Scream 32000-02-04While Sidney Prescott and her friends visit the Hollywood set of Stab 3, the third film based on the Woodsboro murders, another Ghostface killer rises to terrorize them.More...
Scream 42011-04-13Ten years have passed, and Sidney Prescott has put herself back together thanks to her writing. However, her return to Woodsboro sparks the return of the Ghostface Killer.More...
Scream1996-12-20A year after the murder of her mother, a teenage girl is terrorized by a masked killer who targets her and her friends by using scary movies as part of a deadly game.More...
Tower of Terror1999-11-01A disgraced reporter investigates an abandoned luxury hotel where five people mysteriously disappeared sixty years earlier.More...
I Know What You Did Last Summer1997-10-17After an accident on a winding road, four teens make the fatal mistake of dumping their victim's body into the sea. Exactly one year later, the deadly secret resurfaces as they're stalked by a hook-handed figure.More...
Hello, Frisco, Hello1943-03-26In turn-of-the-century San Francisco, an ambitious vaudevillian takes his quartet from a honky tonk to the big time, while spurning the love of his troupe's star singer for a selfish heiress.More...
Kangaroo Jack2003-01-17Two childhood friends — a New York hairstylist and a wanna-be musician — get mixed-up with the mob and are forced to deliver $50,000 to Australia, but things go all wrong when the money is lost to a wild kangaroo.More...
Lake Placid1999-07-15When a man is eaten alive by an unknown creature, the local Game Warden teams up with a paleontologist from New York to find the beast. Add to the mix an eccentric philanthropist with a penchant for "Crocs", and here we go! This quiet, remote lake is suddenly the focus of an intense search for a crocodile with a taste for live animals...and people!More...
Cool Runnings1993-10-01When a Jamaican sprinter is disqualified from the Olympic Games, he enlists the help of a dishonored coach to start the first Jamaican bobsled team.More...
The Descendants2011-09-09With his wife Elizabeth on life support after a boating accident, Hawaiian land baron Matt King takes his daughters on a trip from Oahu to Kauai to confront a young real estate broker, who was having an affair with Elizabeth before her misfortune.More...
Scream VI2023-03-08Following the latest Ghostface killings, the four survivors leave Woodsboro behind and start a fresh chapter.More...
Scream2022-01-12Twenty-five years after a streak of brutal murders shocked the quiet town of Woodsboro, a new killer has donned the Ghostface mask and begins targeting a group of teenagers to resurrect secrets from the town’s deadly past.More...
Halloween H20: 20 Years Later1998-08-05Two decades after surviving a massacre on October 31, 1978, former baby sitter Laurie Strode finds herself hunted by persistent knife-wielder Michael Myers. Laurie now lives in Northern California under an assumed name, where she works as the headmistress of a private school. But it's not far enough to escape Myers, who soon discovers her whereabouts. As Halloween descends upon Laurie's peaceful community, a feeling of dread weighs upon her -- with good reason.More...
The End of the Tour2015-07-31The story of the five-day interview between Rolling Stone reporter David Lipsky and acclaimed novelist David Foster Wallace, which took place right after the 1996 publication of Wallace's groundbreaking epic novel, 'Infinite Jest.'More...
Patrick2018-06-29A woman's chaotic life becomes more complicated when she inherits her grandmother's dog.More...
Swimfan2002-09-06Ben Cronin has it all: the admiration of his many friends, a terrific girlfriend, and he's on the fast-track to an athletic scholarship. Ben's rock-solid, promising future and romance are turned upside-down with the arrival of Madison Bell. Madison, the new girl in town, quickly sets her sights on the impressionable Ben. While their first few meetings are innocent enough, the obsessive and seductive Madison wants more ... much more.More...
Vegas Vacation1997-02-13The Griswold family hits the road again for a typically ill-fated vacation, this time to the glitzy mecca of slots and showgirls—Las Vegas.More...
Without a Paddle2004-08-20Three friends, whose lives have been drifting apart, reunite for the funeral of a fourth childhood friend. When looking through their childhood belongings, they discover a trunk which contained details on a quest their friend was attempting. It revealed that he was hot on the trail of the $200,000 that went missing with airplane hijacker D.B. Cooper in 1971. They decide to continue his journey, but do not understand the dangers they will soon encounter.More...
Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves1997-03-18The joke's on absent-minded scientist Wayne Szalinski when his troublesome invention shrinks him, his brother and their wives so effectively that their children think they've completely disappeared. Of course, this gives the kids free rein to do anything they want, unaware that their parents are watching every move.More...
The People Under the Stairs1991-11-01Trapped inside a fortified home owned by a mysterious couple, a young boy quickly learns the true nature of the homicidal inhabitants, and secret creatures hidden deep within the walls.More...
Similar Movies
Freddy vs. Jason
2003-08-15Freddy enlists Jason to kill on his behalf on Elm Street, after realizing that he can't haunt dreams because people no longer fear him.Character
2021-06-11A kind man aspires to become a manga writer, but villains and evil deeds do not come easily to him, for he has little experience or natural inclination for them. Things take a surprise turn when he comes across a family who were described as idealized that are no more. He uses the real-life situation for his work.Arlington Road
1999-03-19Threats from sinister foreign nationals aren't the only thing to fear. Bedraggled college professor Michael Faraday has been vexed (and increasingly paranoid) since his wife's accidental death in a botched FBI operation. But all that takes a backseat when a seemingly all-American couple set up house next door.Hannibal Rising
2007-02-06The story of the early, murderous roots of the cannibalistic killer, Hannibal Lecter – from his hard-scrabble Lithuanian childhood, where he witnesses the repulsive lengths to which hungry soldiers will go to satiate themselves, through his sojourn in France, where as a medical student he hones his appetite for the kill.How She Caught A Kill...
2023-09-16Inspired by a true story, rookie detective Linda Murphy (Sarah Drew) is fresh out of the police academy when she hears her boss, detective David Goodman (Eric Keenleyside) talking about a serial killer in the area who seems to be targeting sex workers. Teaming up with FBI agent Neil Carter (Jamall Johnson), Linda fights to go undercover to help solve the murders and, if all goes accordingly, capture a serial killer.Spiker
2007-10-16A nightmare come to life, the Spiker is a massive pink-eyed albino and a maniac killing machine whose physical endurance borders on the fantastic. He escapes from an asylum and returns to the small town he terrorized years before, where he slashed his victims to pieces with railroad spikes and buried the bodies under the train tracks outside of town. When a group of local teens decide to camp out at an abandoned house, they are attacked by the Spiker and discover a web of terrible secrets hidden there.Hostel
2006-01-06Three backpackers head to a Slovakian city that promises to meet their hedonistic expectations, with no idea of the hell that awaits them.The Devil's Rejects
2005-07-22The murderous, backwoods Firefly family take to the road to escape the vengeful Sheriff Wydell, who is not afraid of being as ruthless as his target.Copycat
1995-10-27An agoraphobic psychologist and a female detective must work together to take down a serial killer who copies serial killers from the past.Inland Empire
2006-12-06An actress’s perception of reality becomes increasingly distorted as she finds herself falling for her co-star in a remake of an unfinished Polish production that was supposedly cursed.Godzilla Raids Again
1955-04-24Two fishing scout pilots make a horrifying discovery when they encounter a second Godzilla alongside a new monster named Anguirus. Without the weapon that killed the original, authorities attempt to lure Godzilla away from the mainland. But Anguirus soon arrives and the two monsters make their way towards Osaka as Japan braces for tragedy.Coffintooth
2024-10-01Coffintooth returns from Beneath the Old Dark House to stalk new victims on Halloween!Se7en
1995-09-22Two homicide detectives are on a desperate hunt for a serial killer whose crimes are based on the "seven deadly sins" in this dark and haunting film that takes viewers from the tortured remains of one victim to the next. The seasoned Det. Somerset researches each sin in an effort to get inside the killer's mind, while his novice partner, Mills, scoffs at his efforts to unravel the case.Christmas Party Massa...
No data for this movieWhat better way to liven up a Christmas party than with a good ol' massacre!Halloween
1978-10-24Fifteen years after murdering his sister on Halloween Night 1963, Michael Myers escapes from a mental hospital and returns to the small town of Haddonfield, Illinois to kill again.Elder Island
2016-11-16Based on the true events revolving around Beaver Island, Michigan and King James Strang--Elder Island, 1856. Peter Wiggenstein turned to the men of the five island families around him and warned: "Tell nothing of this" as the men all looked at the body of their former Reverend--gunned down just outside his own home--and a decision was made. They secretly buried the body on Graves Island, and the reign of America's first and only king ended; but for every end, there is always a new beginning, for an evil was born that night. Five families have always controlled the Island. Five families share the Island's fortune; five families share its curse.Feed Me
2022-10-06Following the death of his wife, a broken man spirals into an abyss of night tremors and depression and finds himself in the home of a deranged cannibal who convinces him to take his own life in the most horrific way imaginable.Allegiant
2016-03-09Beatrice Prior and Tobias Eaton venture into the world outside of the fence and are taken into protective custody by a mysterious agency known as the Bureau of Genetic Welfare.Malignant
2021-09-01Madison is paralyzed by shocking visions of grisly murders, and her torment worsens as she discovers that these waking dreams are in fact terrifying realities with a mysterious tie to her past.Escape Plan 2: Hades
2018-06-05Ray Breslin manages an elite team of security specialists trained in the art of breaking people out of the world's most impenetrable prisons. When his most trusted operative, Shu Ren, is kidnapped and disappears inside the most elaborate prison ever built, Ray must track him down with the help of some of his former friends.