Published on
Scream 2 is, in many ways, a textbook slasher sequel. Riding the surprise success of the original, it was written, shot, and released within a year—a turnaround that often signals trouble. This kind of rush job can easily lead to diminishing returns, especially in the horror genre. But against the odds, Scream 2 defies that trend, emerging as a sharp, self-aware, and thoroughly worthy follow-up to its predecessor.
Set two years after the events of Scream, Scream 2 follows Sidney Prescott as she tries to move on with her life at college—until a new string of murders begins, eerily mirroring the original Woodsboro killings. With the media frenzy reignited by Gale Weathers and her bestselling book (and its film adaptation), Sidney once again finds herself at the center of a real-life horror sequel. As the masked killer known as Ghostface targets her inner circle, the body count rises and suspicion falls on everyone around her, leading to a climactic reveal that ties the new murders back to the lingering fallout of the past.
Scream 2 hits many of the same beats as its predecessor, including a cold open packed with recognizable faces—this time Jada Pinkett (before her marriage to Will Smith) and Omar Epps—both of whom won’t make it past the opening credits. The scene unfolds in a movie theater during a screening of Stab, the in-universe film based on Gale Weathers’ book about the events of the original Scream. This clever setup allows for an almost shot-for-shot recreation of that iconic opening, originally starring Drew Barrymore—here played by Heather Graham. All the while, Jada’s character loudly calls out every cliché, delivering lines like, “Bitch, hang up the phone and star-69 his ass!”. If Scream was meta, Scream 2 cranks that self-awareness up another level.
Where the first film had characters who knew they were in a slasher movie, this sequel ups the ante by making its characters aware they’re in a slasher sequel. Returning fan-favorite Randy Meeks, the resident movie buff, once again lays out the rules—bigger body count, more elaborate kills, more gore. And Scream 2 delivers on that promise with style, including one of the film’s most tense and memorable sequences: Sidney forced to climb over an unconscious Ghostface in a cramped car, a scene that perfectly captures the sequel’s knack for dialing up both suspense and stakes.
Aside from Randy and Sidney, Scream 2 brings back several key survivors from the original: Gale Weathers, Dewey Riley, and Cotton Weary. According to classic slasher sequel logic, you’d expect most—if not all—of them to meet a grisly end. But Scream 2 plays with those expectations rather than following them blindly. Only one of these returning characters fails to make it to the end credits, leaving the bulk of the body count to a wave of fresh faces.
The original Scream was already stacked with some of the most recognizable faces of the ’90s—Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, Drew Barrymore, Matthew Lillard, Rose McGowan, and Jamie Kennedy, to name a few. Scream 2 somehow ups the ante, packing in even more rising and established talent. Alongside Timothy Olyphant, the film features appearances from Sarah Michelle Gellar, Joshua Jackson, Jerry O’Connell, Rebecca Gayheart, Luke Wilson and Tori Spelling—turning the sequel into a veritable showcase of late-’90s star power.
While the movie is certainly layered—especially compared to your average slasher—the plot can feel unnecessarily convoluted. The Scream films have always leaned heavily on story, often delivered through dense exposition. In the original Scream, the Cotton Weary subplot was mostly background noise, conveyed through news footage. Here, it’s pushed front and center, adding another layer to an already busy narrative. It’s not exactly hard to follow, but the increasingly tangled backstory surrounding Sidney Prescott’s mother—and everyone even loosely connected to it—has always been one of the weaker elements, and that issue carries over into Scream 2.
The film’s weakest point, though, is the killers’ motivation. As with the original, this leads to extended monologues spelling out the “why” and “how,” which can bring the momentum to a screeching halt. It’s clearly inspired by Friday the 13th and the reveal of Mrs. Voorhees, but there, the exposition feels more organically woven into the action. In Scream 2, the film tends to pause entirely for a back-and-forth between victim and killer, which slightly undercuts the tension.
Scream 2 may not surpass the original, but it comes impressively close. The meta angle still feels fresh, and the constant stream of movie references never overwhelms the story itself. Director Wes Craven is clearly at the top of his game, delivering a sequel packed with energy, wit, and several genuinely memorable set pieces.
