If there is anything that Hollywood is famous for, it’s taking a successful idea and ruining it with a thousand sequels. The first Scream came out a year prior and was so profitable that Scream 2 was rushed into production.
The story skips ahead an extra year where we find Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) in college. Sadly, just when she thought the worse was over, she’s been stalked again, and the bodies are piling up. One by one, people die, and no one has a clue who’s behind the mask. They are concerned since the two killers from the first movie are dead.
One of horror’s great story angles is following a killer’s bloodline. If the bad guy in any film dies, the sequel usually involves someone from that person’s family seeking their own revenge on someone. That’s what is going on in this one, so you may be surprised at who the killer is, or you may just shrug it off as being predictable.
One of the biggest takeaways from Scream 2 is the survivors’ list. This sequel lays the groundwork for the story’s main characters, including Sidney, Gale Weathers (Courtney Cox) and Dewey Riley (David Arquette).
The writers try to throw you several curveballs, making you really question who the killer is this time around. Is it someone from the first movie, like Cotton Weary (Liev Schreiber) or a new character like Mickey (Timothy Olyphant)? No matter who you think the killer is associated with, you are probably wrong. It’s quite a surprise, which is the only thing this sequel had going for it. 5/10
Ten Stars or Less 