Scream 2 (1997)

Two years after the events of the first film, a new psychopath dons the "Ghost face" costume and a new string of murders begin.

Director:

Wes Craven

Writers:

Kevin Williamson (characters), Kevin Williamson

Stars:

Jada Pinkett Smith, Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox

5 wins & 8 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jada Pinkett Smith	...	Maureen (as Jada Pinkett)
Omar Epps	...	Phil
Paulette Patterson	...	Usher Giving Out Costumes
Rasila Schroeder	...	Screaming Girl Up Aisle
Heather Graham	...	'Stab' Casey
Roger Jackson	...	The Voice (voice) (as Roger L. Jackson)
Peter Deming	...	Popcorn Boy
Molly Gross	...	Theater Girl #1
Rebecca McFarland	...	Theater Girl #2
Neve Campbell	...	Sidney Prescott
Elise Neal	...	Hallie
Liev Schreiber	...	Cotton Weary
Kevin Williamson	...	Cotton's Interviewer
Sandy Heddings	...	Girl in Dorm Hallway (as Sandy Heddings-Katulka)
Dave Allen Clark	...	Reporter Outside Theater

Storyline

It has been two years since the tragic events at Woodsboro. Sidney Prescott and Randy Meeks are trying to get on with their lives, and are currently both students at Windsor College. Cotton Weary is out of prison, and is trying to cash in on his unfortunate incarceration. Gale Weathers has written a bestseller, "The Woodsboro Murders," which has been turned into the film, "Stab," starring Tori Spelling as Sidney. As the film's play date approaches, the cycle of death begins anew. Dewey Riley immediately flies out of Woodsboro to try to protect Sidney, his "surrogate sister." But in this sequel to the 1996 horror film, the number of suspects only goes down as the body count slowly goes up!

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Plot Keywords:

college | murder | play | costume | college student | 

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Taglines:

Gorier, Sexier, Funnier

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Genres:

Horror | Mystery

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language and strong bloody violence

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 December 1997 (USA)

Also Known As:

Scream Again

Filming Locations:

Santa Clarita, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$23,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£2,493,950 (UK) (1 May 1998)

Gross:

£8,114,241 (UK) (26 June 1998)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Dimension Films, Konrad Pictures, Craven-Maddalena Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

120 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Sarah Michelle Gellar signed up for the movie before reading the script.

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Goofs

When the killer talks to Randy on the phone, he mocks Randy about not being the leading man, to which Randy replies "Fuck You!" But when Gale and Dewey watch the killer's tape, Randy says "Fuck You!" before the killer mocks him.

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Quotes

Cici: Drink with your brains, that's our motto.

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Crazy Credits

There are no opening credits.

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Connections

Spoofs Broken Arrow (1996)

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Soundtracks

"The Swing"
Written by Art Alexakis (as Alexakis) and Everclear
Performed by Everclear
Produced by Art Alexakis (as A.P. Alexakis)
Courtesy of Capitol Records

User Reviews

Film Planted Firmly in Cheek

Wes Craven is back again at the helm of Scream 2, his followup to the mega-successful Scream. As sequels go, one could do a lot worse than this film. Sure, it has a pretty silly story trying desperately to cling to the original source material, but it never ever takes the story too terribly serious. How does Craven do this? He laces the film with all kinds of film references and humour directly tied to the film industry and actors involved. Several mentions of "Friends" cast members abound whilst having Courtney Cox return in her signature role as Gail Weathers. Craven also brings back the rules to horror films - now horror sequels; these rules are right on mark too(wish we had heard the most important!). In fact my favourite scene in the whole movie is in a classroom where students debate the inferior sequel to the superior original. Excellent examples are given to support one argument that sequels are better: Aliens and Terminator 2, and of course, The Godfather 2. Naturally this small cross section seems great when none of the hundreds of truly bad sequels are mentioned. Purposely I am sure! Is Scream 2 better than Scream? No way. It doesn't have nearly as much punch to it. The opening scene this time takes place in a movie theater, but it is not as powerful as the opening scene with Drew Barrymore in the original. The story is really something unto itself as well...but any kind of examination of plot other than a cursory one would give too much away. Not that that would be any great pity. I did like the acting in this one more. Arquette returns as Dewey affecting some kind of limp and pinched nerve in hand. He does a fairly nice job. Cox is lovely as ever and also is good in her role. Campbell is OK, as is the rest of the cast with Jamie Kennedy again standing out as nerdy movie maven Randy Weeks and, in particular, Liev Screiber doing a wonderful job as Cotton Weary(the man who had been accused of killing Sidney's mama). This sequel has more blood, more deaths, and more jokes. Like the original, I too enjoyed this film for its entertainment value if nothing else.