You might be asking why the original Scream is not the movie
of my teens instead of it’s sequel? A couple of reasons. I did not get to see
Scream at the cinema. It also came out of nowhere and I knew nothing about it,
so there was no hype or expectations. When Scream 2 hit cinemas less than two
years after the first film, every teenager had seen the original slasher flick
hailed as a landmark film in the genre, and you could buy a Scream mask from
any “What’s New?” store. So, I went into the theatre to watch Scream 2, and I
was very excited by that.
What Scream did so exceptionally well was a number of things
First, it was a top notch thriller, with well drawn characters, good plot
twists and clever references to other movies. It was also what you’d call a
“self-aware” movie, firmly establishing its own rules, breaking them and
setting the stage for every other slasher flick to follow in its wake. So
director Wes Craven and writer Kevin Williamson, both reeling in the success of
the first Scream and “I Know What You Did Last Summer” re-teamed and wasted no
time in getting a sequel to Scream on the go. It would be a tough job; matching
the brilliance of the first film, while also staying true to its roots, and
also breaking new ground in the process. And did they achieve that? Gladly,
yes.
Scream 2 is just as self aware of itself as it’s
predecessor. In an insane opening scene, set in a movie theatre, the entire
audience is dressed in the black cloaks and masks worn by the killer from the
first film. Gail Weathers, the determined reporter who survived the attacks in
Woodsboro, has written a book about the ordeal, which is then handed over to Hollywood
and made into a movie called “Stab”. It’s cheesy and mediocre at best and its
own opening scene is a recreation of the killings of Casey Becker and her
boyfriend, the victims from the start of Scream. So, at this point, you’re at
the movies (or watching at home) viewing characters go to the movies, to watch
a movie about incidents that happened the year before. To them, the incidents
were real, but now as a movie, it just seems like another horror flick. But the
reality for these characters is about to become it’s own horror movie, as
amidst the chaos and craziness of Stab’s premiere, a young college couple are
brutally murdered in the theatre, and no one does a thing because they think
it’s just a publicity stunt for the movies. Talk about art imitating life,
imitating art. And it’s the perfect cover for a new killer, wearing the same
mask and black cloak, to become a copycat, and the murders start all over
again.
From that outlandish and over the top opening scene, we’re
whisked away to the fancy grounds of Windsor
College, where Sidney Prescott
(Neve Campbell) our surviving girl from the first film, is trying to live a
normal life. She’s also joined by fellow Scream-survivor Randy, as well as new
boyfriend Derek, new bff Halle, and
Derek’s friend Mikey. It doesn’t take long for the news of the Stab movie
premier murders to reach the college grounds, as the murdered couple were
students there. And this also brings Gail Weathers back on the scene in full
force reporting the carnage and promoting her book-into-a-movie phenomenon
which was the setting for the murders. Then out of the woods, Duey shows up,
still limping from the injury he sustained in Woodsboro. The whole gang is
reunited, and how perfect that is for the new killer(s) to start carving up new
victims and send Sidney running for
her life.
As the original scream was aware of its place as a movie about
scary movies, Scream 2 tackles the enigma of the Sequel. In a discussion in
Randy’s film class, the students are discussing the murders and claim the new
killer is trying to make his own real life sequel. “Stab 2? Who would want to
do that?” Randy asks “Sequels suck!”. This sparks a debate amongst the
passionate film students of course, who then go into a full on argument over
the movies sequels that surpassed their originals. It’s a fun scene to watch,
especially for any movie buff. And Randy is the quintessential movie buff, who
also steps in like he did in Scream to clearly lay out the rules of the sequel.
Rule #1 – The body count is always higher.
Rule #2 - The death scenes are always much more elaborate.
More blood more gore.
So in essence, the first movie set the rules. Scream 2 sets
out to bend the rules, and just as
Randy predicted, more people are killed and in much more elaborate ways. The
suspects also go through the roof, with all eyes on Sidney’s
new boyfriend. But then… just to mix things up even more, Cotton Weary shows up
on the scene.
WARNING – SPOILER ALERT - For those of you not familiar with
the Scream storyline, Sidney’s
mother was murdered two years before the events in this film. The man arrested
for her murder was Cotton, who she was also having an affair with. Sidney
identified Cotton leaving their home the night her mother was murdered, so he
was charged and sent to jail, awaiting the death sentence. But then, Sidney’s
boyfriend and his pal (who were the killers from the first Scream) confess they
were the ones who murdered Sidney’s
mother, and framed Cotton. Once the events of the first murders are over and Sidney
survives, Cotton is released, and gets straight to work on trying to position
himself as a celebrity with a story to tell. As he arrives on the grounds of Windsor
College, he makes his motivations
known to Sidney, which is to get an
exclusive TV interview with her. When she’s say no, he gets aggravated and
shows he still has a dark side, regardless of being an innocent man.
One by one, most of the films characters are picked off by
the killer(s). Ghostface’s trademark phone calls with the raspy voice are back,
as well as jumping out of closets and disappearing into the shadows. Sidney
escapes death more than once, and tries to keep her sanity while she is
pursued, and those around her are being murdered.
What made Scream 2 stand out for me as a movie in my teens
is just how well it captured the excitement of the franchise at its peak. The
first sequel came out quickly after the original, which in some cases can
result in a bad film, but even with its rushed production, this is a smashing
sequel. It doesn’t top the original of course, but it gets pretty bloody close.
It’s also lots of fun. I was blown away by its opening scene, with hundreds of
movie goers sitting in a theatre wearing the hottest scary mask in the world.
Shortly after seeing this film, I went and bought my own Scream mask. And I was
totally a little jerk with it. I used to scare my younger sister constantly,
usually waiting till she walked home from school (as I would get home just a minute
before her) put on the mask and be waiting at the front door for her. She hated
it, and I probably traumatised her. I know I scared the crap out of one her
good friends, and eighteen years later, she still recalls the time I scared her
with my Scream mask. She hasn’t forgotten it. Sorry (you know who you are). But
you’ve got to admit it was pretty funny.
Scream 2 also showed me how good movies could be, when made
with a sense of excitement, passion and skill. After the first film came out,
we teens of the 90’s were overwhelmed with slasher flicks, and many of them
just couldn’t live up to their own hype. Scream 2 was captivating; making me
jump, making me think and making me laugh. And for a slasher flick, that’s a
pretty good achievement. Over the years two more sequels came out, but this
second instalment is still the best of the bunch.
Now, what’s your favourite
scary movie? Ha-ha-ha!!!
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