Review of Scream 2 (1997) by Lordnaseby — 26 Sep 2011

Acting: The acting is much like it is in the first one. it isn't Oscar winning but the main actors, and even the supporting characters, do a great job and that helps keep the movie more interesting and fun to watch. The actors really made the characters more likable. I like the characters of this film (Ghostface is my favorite. To me, he is a whole different character than the character under the mask and I like that a lot).

Plot: The plot is more or less the same as the first one. Killer stalking people and ripping them apart. Standard stuff. the only real differences are the setting and the fact that the survivors are dealing with the events of the first one.

Screenplay: not perfect. It was weak in some spots, but there was some good stuff. Like the rules of this one. I applaud the genius who thought of the idea to have the rules of slasher films for this film.

Likeableness: This film, like the first one, is incredibly likable. you just have to love it when you are watching it. There are many reasons for that. One of them is that the killer is human. he trips, he falls, he gets the crap beaten out of him. Long story short, he earns his kills. just like in the first one. a superhuman killer is boring. It is an extremely fun film to watch. good characters, great killer, it's just a blast.

Final Score: 8.85/10.0 (N).

TRIVIA TIME: 1. Not only was the cast not informed who the killer was until the last Day of shooting, they also didn't receive the last 10 pages of the script until it was time to film them. The last 10 pages were also printed on grey paper, therefore making them unable to be illicitly Xeroxed. All cast members had to sign contracts that they would not discuss the movie's outcome or the killer's identity with the media.

2. Though in most films, phone voices are recorded later, director Wes Craven actually had the voice of the killer on set, to heighten the sense of fear for the actors. According to Roger Jackson, who plays the voice, he was kept on set but always out of sight from the actors, so they couldn't picture a face with the voice. He said while watching the monitors, he could see between takes that Heather Graham looked a little scared, whereas Sarah Michelle Gellar would pick up the phone and carry on a conversation with him.

3. The tagline for "Stab" (the movie within the movie) is, "This is Gonna Hurt".

4. The rules for a horror movie sequel - as laid out by Randy in the film - are (1) the body count is always bigger and (2) the death scenes are always much more elaborate with more blood and gore. The third rule to surviving a sequel is cut from the movie, but is shown in the trailer. ""And #3. Never, ever under any circumstance assume that the killer is dead.".

5. Any actor auditioning for the part of Derek had to perform the scene in the cafeteria where he sings "I Think I Love You" without accompaniment.