# Scream 2 (1997)

### reviewed by
Jamie Peck

    SCREAM 2

    RATING: ***1/2 (out of ****)

Dimension / 2:00 / 1997 / R (gore, violence, language) Cast: Neve Campbell; Courteney Cox; David Arquette; Jamie Kennedy; Jerry O'Connell; Elise Neal; Timothy Olyphant; Liev Schreiber; Sara Michelle Gellar; Laurie Metcalf; Jada Pinkett; Omar Epps; Lewis Arquette; Duane Martin; Heather Graham; Tori Spelling Director: Wes Craven Screenplay: Kevin Williamson

(Dimension Films, "Scream 2"'s distributor, has asked press to say extremely little -- if anything -- about the film's twisty plot. That's no easy task considering the wit that deserves to be mentioned here, but I will do my best to be vague (now, there's a first).)

"The first one was [good], but all the rest sucked," said a cinematically-savvy teen in last winter's Wes Craven thriller "Scream," her statement referring to the films of the "Nightmare on Elm Street" series but really putting down franchise overkill in general. The comment certainly carries clout: For every truly great sequel, there appears to be a couple of duds, making one wonder if writers are better off sticking solely with fresh ideas. But like it or not, along comes "Scream 2." And believe it or not, it's a doozy -- a slick, sinister, madly subversive good time at the movies, as intent on sending up Hollywood's sequel syndrome as much as its prequel poked fun at slasher conventions. "Scream 2" is definitely that rare movie thing -- a follow-up that can stand along side its original with pride.

It's been two years since a pair of overzealous horror movie fans clad in Edvard Munch-esque get-ups carved their way through the young populace of Woodsboro, California. Those surviving the ordeal have gotten on with their lives. Plucky heroine Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) is a drama student at the Midwestern Windsor College; her pop culture-whiz pal Randy Meeks (Jamie Kennedy) has tagged along. Trash tabloid reporter Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox) has written a best-seller based on their ordeal, the basis of which has been turned into a (very bad) movie called "Stab." And Dewey Riley (David Arquette), still suffering from wounds inflicted during "Scream," has left his job as a police officer for a while.

Life is tranquil ... at least for a while. Several sudden murders bring Sidney, Randy, Gale and Dewey together again, but with suspicious eyes cast on each other and most of those in their surroundings -- if these four people learned anything from the past, it's to trust no one. Thus, the possible victim/potential killer list includes said quartet, as well as: Derek (Jerry O'Connell), Sidney's new beau; Cici (Sara Michelle Gellar), a chatty sorority gal; Joel (Duane Martin), Gale's cameraman who's not too thrilled with her blood-soaked past; Hallie (Elise Neal), Sidney's sassy roommate; Debbie (Laurie Metcalf), a local reporter who gives Gale some not-too-friendly competition; and Mickey (Timothy Olyphant), Randy's good friend and fellow film student. Cotton Weary (Liev Schreiber), the man Sidney wrongly accused of her mother's murder in Scream, also shows up on campus -- but why?

Like the first Scream, Craven and screenwriter Kevin Williamson inaugurate things with a bang. This time, it's an extended sequence that finds an African-American couple (Jada Pinkett and Omar Epps) attending a sneak preview of "Stab," making sly references about everything from Sandra Bullock to the lunchmeat non-roles of blacks in slasher cinema. Before tragedy ensues at the screening, the movie-within-a-movie setup allows for plenty of jokey moments, including a scene from "Stab" which turns Scream's now-famous Drew Barrymore prologue on its ear. ("B----, hang up the phone and Star-69 his a--!" Pinkett yells at the screen.) It's funny, creepy stuff (I don't think I'll ever feel safe in a movie theater again) that effectively foreshadows the ratio of smart scares and spoofy laughs down the road. Another flawless example of this is a riotous cell phone-assault of the killer on Randy, Dewey and Gale in broad daylight; it builds comedically and ends with genuine terror because of the emotional investment made on these delicious characters. There are other superb set pieces, but explaining them risks ruining their effect.

There are more players this time around as to provide both a higher number suspects and a staggering body count. It's something of a trade-in -- the new characters are too large in number to be as fully-developed as the original "Scream" gang, but this movie packs in knowing performances (especially by Kennedy and Cox) and more death for your dollar. It can be argued that, while the original might outclass it by a tad, Scream 2 is both scarier and funnier. It certainly doesn't skimp with shocks -- a major one being the killing of one cast member very near and dear to my heart (I actually questioned Craven and Williamson's judgment here, considering how much this person has added to these films). Sometimes you wish that more could have been done with Stab -- the two scenes we're shown are dead-on -- but for film fans, there are plenty of subtle nods to movies like "The Usual Suspects," "Aliens" and "The Empire Strikes Back."

Still, "Scream 2" does so many things right, it's petty to quibble. Its penchant for parody is irresistible, discussions of the merits of film sequels and all. The attractive, solid cast is a definite bonus. And the denouement (while not as shocking as "Scream"'s) is priceless; the film's final revelation incorporates bits of a particular horror film prominently referred to in "Scream" with one of the best bad guy motives ever put on paper. All this and a "Scream 3" is in the works. Knowing the series' tendency for self-reference, perhaps one of its characters will again discuss the concept of sequel justice. Mentioning "Scream 2"'ll help them in their argument.

© 1997 Jamie Peck E-mail: jpeck1@gl.umbc.edu Visit the Reel Deal Online: http://www.gl.umbc.edu/~jpeck1/

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