After I saw Scream, I was wondering if there would be a sequel. I mean at this point in horror, sequels were something of a scarcity. Mostly because again people were kind of afraid to take chances. And if there was a sequel, would it be able to be as good as the first one? Or would it take the route that most sequels seemed to and trying to cash in on the lightning in a bottle? One of the big things that I remember bout this time was the fact that the internet wasn’t as huge as it is today. So movie news was something that was a bit hard to come by. When it was announced that there would be a Scream 2, well it was a big deal. Everywhere seemed to be talking about it.
It was a big sign that Scream had become something of a massive entry in Pop Culture. I remember there being lots of press junkets. There was lots of MTV News bits that talked about the film. Lots of guest appearances on Total Request Live on MTV or VH1. It was a bit crazy that there was this amount of hype for the sequel. Looking back on things, it actually shows how special it was. Williamson had tapped into something that everyone was looking for and had helped revive the genre that he loved.
Now that it was more in the public eye, everybody was scrambling for info about the sequel. One of the big things that happened was that the script had leaked. No one knew who it was or how it happened. But quickly, everyone was scrambling to change the ending – thus creating at least three different endings to the film. One of the alternate endings involved a conspiracy that had Hallie, Derek, Debbie, and Mickey all working together to try and bring Sidney down. Another faux ending had Dewey being the one responsible for the all the murders. After hearing about these, I am absolutely surprised at hearing these. These endings would have been crazy.
Scream 2 managed to become even more of a bigger deal than the original. Everyone that had survived was returning on-screen and behind the scenes. It was attempting to capture the lightning in a bottle twice. And honestly, that was pretty cool. The many times of re-watching the original only fueled my hype for the sequel.
During its opening weekend, my parents had decided to surprise my sister and I with a trip to the movies. They had thought that I was ready to see my first horror film in the theater. This was a bit of a massive deal for me. I mean at this time I was 9 years old. It was definitely a completely different time to live in. Back then, you only needed to have parents along with you to attend the movie. These days, it feels like that’d be a lot harder to do potentially.
I sat there in the third row of the theater. The screen lit up and began playing the previews. Quickly the previews flashed by and the film started, I sat there engulfed in the film. The film was awesome. It was everything I had hoped it could be and more. It not only managed to stand toe-to-toe with the original film. 9 year old me would have ranked Scream 2 higher than it. It left me floored. I was thrilled and at times I was wondering where things were going to go next. Then the moment happened, it was one that hit me so hard. Randy, Dewey, and Gale searching through the campus trying to figure out where the killer could be. It’s a moment that made me believe that no one was safe. When Ghost Face opens the van door and snatches the unsuspecting Randy, I was not ready. This here was my favorite character in the film. He was the movie lover. I gravitated towards him because of his humor and love for the genre. So losing him, it shattered me. I was left sitting there in the theater – in shock. I was quietly thinking to myself that if another of the main cast died – well, I was done.
Then again, Wes set the scene as Gale witnesses Ghost Face attacking Dewey in the sound booth. We had already lost Randy. What the hell was going to happen if we lost Dewey? If that happened, was there a chance we could lose Sidney too? What was going to happen next?
And brilliantly we entered the final moments as the killer was revealed, it was Mickey the freaky Tarentino movie lover. Of course, it was. Looking back at the film now, it makes so much sense. Especially with how Ghost Face operates in that opening sequence, it was Mickey creating his movie. He was so sure of himself and loving every minute of it. That opening alone showcases just how off the wall and insane he was. Yeah, Debbie Salt had to help here and there. But for the most part, I definitely feel like Mickey was the one responsible for a lot of the murders. Well except for Randy. Mickey works so well as a character because he is the anti-Randy. He’s one of us. He knows the rules and gladly throws them out the window. His only goal is to create as much havoc as possible to craft something of a ‘film’ in his mind. And then Williamson managed to callback to Friday the 13th with the reveal of Billy’s mother. That was pretty interesting. I mean it definitely sets itself apart from taking what you think you know and twisting it. The safe bet would have been to have Derek involved or just Mickey by himself. It would be something that the audience would expect. But not Billy’s mother, so I applaud Williamson and Craven on that.
After the movie ended, my parents asked me what I thought about the movie. I told them that it sucked that Randy died. The movie was great but that was my biggest gripe with it. I didn’t wanna see Randy go. There was still a lot of places that he could have went. But his story was cut short – because of his actions. If he hadn’t been badmouthing Billy and was so sure of himself, there may have been a chance he would have survived. But again, he thought he knew the rules.
In the years since that first view, I had watched Scream 2 a lot. It still manages to hold my attention. There is some aspects of it that kinda don’t click with me. But for the most part, it is a solid next chapter. I definitely have broken down the film a few times. Does it capture the spirit of the original? Yeah, I would say that it does. Is it as good as the original? Honestly, I don’t think so. So in my ranking of the films, I would rank this below the original. But on another note, Grandma loved it as much as the first one.
Rating: 4.25 out of 5.
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