Dimension Films, Rated R
Directed by Wes Craven
Written by Kevin Williamson
I've NEVER been a fan of horror movies, but the sharp writing of the first "Scream" film caught my interest and after viewing I thought it was a good horror film, which didn't say much seeing as it was the same as the rest, just with much better acting and a few humorous comments thrown in (some were admittedly hilarious) and an homage or two to "Halloween" and "Nightmare on Elm Street". And the opening sequence did rival the shower scene in "Psycho". My sister was obsessed with this movie and so I finally saw it on video soon after the sequel hit theatres. Then a couple days later, a date asked if I wanted to see the sequel and since I would at least know what was going on,
I said "Sure why not?". Let me confess here that the first did creep me out a bit and I found myself fast-forwarding when I couldn't take the suspense. Boy, did I rob myself. I saw "Scream 2" in a theatre, exactly where these movies should be seen and without the VCR remote tempting me to chicken out. The first scene was quite deja-vous-esque since we were in the theatre watching the sequel to the "movie" Jada Pinkett and her date were seeing in a theatre. It's two years later and a book has been written about the events of the first film (by Courteney Cox's character, Gale Weathers) and a film has been made of it called "Stab". All the "Stab" sequences are uproariously funny. However, since this is a sequel, some copycats show up and start the killing all over again. I liked how we were spared the "guttings" of the first film and though it did have a couple gory scenes, Williamson and Craven were wise to put more emphasis on the frights. The dialogue is laugh-out-loud hilarious, compared to the first which only managed to get a few giggles from me. Williamson throws in some red herrings to keep you guessing on the killer's identity, which was a lot of fun to do. The usual tracking shots are used to great effect as is "Nosferatu" being shown on TV when CiCi (Sarah Michelle Gellar) is being stalked (but how often is "Nosferatu" shown on TV anyway, once every 10 years?). Everything was more plausible than in the first film and Neve Campbell has done a great job of developing the character of Sidney, the heroine. David Arquette is much more likable as Dewey and Jamie Kennedy continues to steal the show as Randy. The new characters weren't all that striking but let's just say that quite a few of them aren't around long enough to get to know. Finally, this film contains two of the most memorable scenes I've ever witnessed: one scene during a rehearsal of "The Women of Troy" is meticulously well executed, and the most suspenseful scene of 1997 (beating out "Lost World"'s trailer sequence) takes place in a car. Nay, it may be one of the most suspenseful ever filmed. I forgot to breathe for about 3 minutes there. Despite a below par ending, this film beats out the first and I look forward to the conclusion of the "Scream" trilogy. I can't believe what I'd been missing. *** 1/2
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