Here you can find reviews on SCREAM 2 that I have found. As of right now you can find my and Girls On Film review of the movie. Just scroll down to read! If you have your own review of Scream 2, please send it to me and I just might add it to the site! (You can find my e-mail address on my main page!)

I sure as hell did SCREAM 2 with the rest of them!
By: Jess, the author of this site

December 11th night was not a good time for me to catch on my zzz's. Because I only got about 4 hours tops. I was too overly excited about the premiere of SCREAM 2 the next day. I woke up early with even more gitters than the night before. I looked up show times in the paper and saw that I had to wait till 7:30pm to even see the movie. I was so nervous-I didn't even eat all day! Lucky for me-the day seemed to go by pretty fast and before I knew it-it was time to leave for the theater. (We left two hours early--I wanted to be first in line for the night show.)

And I was-first in line that is. The line was forming quickly and they had set up ropes like they were expecting a very large crowd. The line was buzzing-excited voices of a crowd filled with mostly young adults. We got to enter the theater after I waited about 45 minutes and sets were filling up at a steady pace. In fact, people were still looking for seats when the previews were rolling. I'll tell you all this-the opening of the movie wasn't as great as Drew's--but the rest of the film was rocking! The audience was having fun too. Every scary scene numerous screams emersed from the crowd (easily 300 to 350 viewers) and at every funny part we heard laughs from all around. Everyone else seemed to be having as much fun as I did, and when there was a part that you just had to yell out to the screen-I did, as well as everyone else. Its been a long time since I've been in an audience that was as much fun as the movie. I couldn't hear much of the begining-but when it finally started [most people had been waiting a while] cheers were everywhere. And at the ending-the crowd hooped and holored! It was great. I dont think it surpassed the first-it was about equal. Another thing though that was bad-is that there were so many characters-you couldn't really get to know them all that well before they started dying off. Otherwise-I was having a ball. I strongly recomend you go see this several times. If not for more fun and scares-to pick up on all the little flames of Part of Five and Frends. Very clever stuff! I plan no seeing it at least 20 more times myself=)

Directed by Wes Craven
Written by Kevin Williamson
Running time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Rated R
Reviewed by Dre on December 11, 1997

First of all, I doff my hat to the makers of SCREAM and SCREAM 2 (director Wes Craven; the folks at Dimension Films; and screenwriter Kevin Williamson, who also wrote I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER) for their willingness to admit that sequels suck. Knowing that they suck put these guys in a bit of a bind, though. The original SCREAM took in well over 100 million dollars, and there was no way the suits could ignore the relentless chanting throughout the land for more, more, MORE! Bring it on, we clamored!

So, Wes et al bravely (or foolishly, depending on your philosophic outlook) went for the gold by creating a sequel that spoofed sequels. SCREAM 2, though uneven, still delivered the thrills and laughs that made the original so special, and it was certainly a respectable follow-up.

Two years after the infamous Woodsboro murders, we meet up again with Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell), who is now an undergrad at Windsor College. Sidney's just trying to blend in and be like any other co-ed; she has a nice roommate, Hallie (Elise Neal), and a new boyfriend, Derek (Jerry O'Connell). Her old friend Randy (Jamie Kennedy, back from the first film) is another student at Windsor, and he's the person Sidney turns to at the first sign of trouble.

That trouble comes in the form of a double-murder on Sidney's campus on the opening night of STAB, a movie based on the book by Gale Weathers (Courtney Cox), which was in turn based on SCREAM--I mean, on the Woodsboro murders. At the time of the new murders, Gale happens to be snooping around Sidney's nice little college town, trying to set up an exclusive interview between Sidney and Cotton Weary (Liev Schreiber), the man Sidney had originally accused of murdering her mother before the real story came out. But Sidney wants none of it--not the attention, or the press, or the stares.

This time around, I really felt for Sidney. What a lousy life. Poor Sidney is just trying to hang out with her friends and enjoy herself, only to realize that her life is in danger (again) and that the people she loves might be out to harm her (again). She feels like she can trust no one, expect perhaps Dewey Riley (David Arquette), who comes running to her aid as soon as he hears about the murders. Arquette provided much of the comic relief during the first film, and he's been rewarded with a meatier role this time around.

I think I had some time to ruminate on Sidney's cursed life because I wasn't quite as scared this time as I was the first time round. That probably had something to do with being surrounded by the Girls on Film friends and family (aside from Clare and Sibyl, our friends Gregor and Jonathan were in the house, too). SCREAM 2 did have some scary moments--please don't get me wrong. The terror just didn't take me by surprise the way it did in the original.

I did find myself laughing more, though. There are some witty one-liners: Randy, when asked by the heavy-breathing killer what his favorite scary movie is, quips "SHOWGIRLS"; and Jada Pinket's Maureen goes off on a nice riff about how there are never any African-Americans in horror films.

I also really enjoyed the film-within-a-film idea, which plays successfully with the issues of audience participation, media hype, violence in film, and plenty of other current-event hot topics. I also love that the filmmakers don't treat us like we're total idiots and don't go through all sorts of hideous machinations to get the original cast together. It pretty much works, shockingly enough.

What doesn't work is the acting of Jerry O'Connell. He's just too stiff as Derek, which is a role that demands that the person act like Mr. Smooth. Also, Clare and Sibyl were irked by his fake tan. (I didn't notice it, which is nothing if not a searing indictment of my lack of observational powers when it comes to fake-n-bake.)

SCREAM 2 delivers, for sure. In a genre where, nine times out of 10, the audience is disappointed, it stands in the minority as one of the few sequels that didn't leave me bummed-out and bitter.

Is it as good as the first? I didn't think so. But that's a personal call.

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This page was last updated on December 12th 1997