Scream 2 (1997) Rant & Review

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• published: 05 Sep 2015
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I like the first Scream, and the third one. I hate the fourth one. This one? A disappointing sequel. Some good stuff? Yes. But overall, it isn't that scary. It isn't that funny. It isn't that much fun. And some crappy usage of characters (especially Randy & Dewey). Scream 2 is a 1997 American slasher film created and written by Kevin Williamson and directed by Wes Craven, starring Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, David Arquette, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Jamie Kennedy and Liev Schreiber, released on December 12, 1997 as the second installment in the Scream film series. Scream 2 takes place two years after Scream and again follows the character of Sidney Prescott (Campbell), now a student at the fictional Windsor College, who becomes the target of a copycat killer using the guise of Ghostface. Sidney is accompanied by film-geek Randy Meeks (Kennedy), retired deputy sheriff Dewey Riley (Arquette) and news reporter Gale Weathers (Cox). Like its predecessor, Scream 2 combines the violence of the slasher genre with elements of comedy and "whodunit" mystery while satirizing the cliché of film sequels. The film was followed by two sequels, Scream 3 (2000) and Scream 4 (2011). Williamson provided a five-page outline for a sequel to Scream when auctioning his original script, hoping to entice bidders with the potential of buying a franchise. Following a successful test screening of Scream and the film's financial and critical success, Dimension Films moved forward with the sequel while Scream was still in theaters, with the principal cast all returning to star, Craven to direct and Beltrami to provide music. The film suffered significant issues with plot information leaking onto the Internet, revealing the identity of the killers. Combined with the film's rushed schedule, the script was rewritten often with pages sometimes being completed on the day of filming. Despite these issues, Scream 2 was released to significant financial and critical acclaim, earning $172 million, several awards and nominations with some critics claiming that the film had surpassed the original. Beltrami received positive critical reception for his Scream 2 score for evolving the musical themes of the characters created in Scream although some critics claimed that the most memorable pieces from the film were created by composers Danny Elfman and Hans Zimmer, whose pieces were controversially used in the film, replacing Beltrami's own work. The soundtrack received negative feedback from reviewers but achieved moderate sales success, reaching #50 on the Billboard 200.