Scream 2

There is something about cooler weather that makes it the prefect time to watch scary movies, and I’m not talking about just at Halloween time. The shorter days, colder temperatures, and falling leaves or snow add an extra spookiness to things, which makes it a good time to watch a scary movie. I say this even though I watched Scream 2 in the middle of an unusually warm day with bright sunshine, and I paused the movie to take out the trash. Still, it felt like I was in the right season for scary movie watching.

DVD cover for the movie Scream 2. Two frightened women in black and white in the background. Five cast members group together in the foreground.
Scream 2
Courteney Cox, David Arquette
Neve Campbell
Liev Schreiber, Jada Pinkett

Sidney Prescott’s past returns in movie form

Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) has a new life. She’s at college. She has a new boyfriend, new friends, and caller ID. Why is the caller ID important? Well, in 1997, when this movie was released, the caller ID allows Sidney to identify all the prank callers pretending to be the Ghostface killer we saw in Scream.

The prank calls have picked up since a movie about Sidney’s experience with a serial killer was released. The movie is called Stab.

At the movie theater, theater-goers are given the white-masked costume as souvenirs. This makes it impossible for college students Maureen Evans (Jada Pinkett) and Phil Stevens (Omar Epps) to know Ghostface is out to kill them.

One would think the deaths of Maureen and Phil would stop the screenings of Stab, but it does not. The movie goes on.

Sidney’s past returns in reality

The movie and the deaths are not the only things bringing past events to Sidney’s mind. Cotton Weary (Liev Schreiber), the man wrongfully convicted of murdering Sidney’s mother, is out of prison and doing TV interviews.

Sidney helped put Cotton into prison. Even though Cotton has been proven innocent, Sidney wants nothing to do with him. She just wants to move forward with her life. She wants Cotton to do the same, without her.

Reporter Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox) is determined to not leave Sidney in peace. She brings Cotton to her campus and ambushes Sidney for an interview.

In response, Sidney hits Gale and leaves the situation. Cotton watches, confused, as Gale told him the interview with Sidney was a done deal. In truth, Gale lied to Cotton to get what she wanted, which was Sidney and Cotton together on camera.

Another visitor to campus is Deputy Dewey Riley (David Arquette). He came to check on Sidney after hearing about Maureen and Phil. Still struggling with the injuries received from Ghostface’s last series of killings, Dewey knows all too well what these new deaths could mean.

Back DVD Cover of the movie Scream 2. A young woman is on the phone. Another young woman sits frightened in a theater. A scared man and woman see something that frightens them.
Scream 2
Neve Campbell
Jada Pinkett
David Arquette, Courteney Cox

Sidney fights for her life

Dewey is right to be concerned. More deaths happen. First is sorority sister Cici Cooper (Sarah Michelle Gellar), and then Sidney’s friend Randy Meeks (Jamie Kennedy).

It all gets to be too much for Sidney. She considers dropping out of the play she is starring in. After speaking to her director, she decides to stay in the play.

During rehearsals, Sidney sees the Ghostface mask on her fellow actors. Panicked, Sidney leaves the stage.

At that moment, Sidney’s boyfriend, Derek (Jerry O’Connell), appears backstage. Sidney tells him that with all that is going on, she needs some space. After her bad experience with her high school boyfriend, she is having a hard time trusting Derek right now.

To make matters worse, Cotton keeps popping up, wanting Sidney to do interviews with him. With so many deaths, and direct threats from Ghostface to Sidney, Cotton cornering Sidney is awfully suspicious.

By this point, Sidney already has police protection. With everything escalating, and people near Sidney having increasingly odd and questionable behavior, the police believe it would be best for Sidney to stay in a different location. This, of course, does not go according to plan. Sidney must finally take Ghostface head-on.

Gale Weathers has a change of character

I must say, had Gale not suddenly had a change of character partway through the movie, I would have been perfectly happy having her be one of the victims. I know this sounds awful (and remember, I am talking about a work of fiction), but she is a horrible human being for much of the movie.

Gale’s camera operator, Joel Jones (Duane Martin), I loved. He was very smart to tell Gale off and walk away when the situation became really bad. It was something he wanted to do when he heard about the death of Gale’s previous camera operator, but Gale convinced him to stay. When Joel finally verbally gave Gale what she deserved, I cheered.

I do not have full hope Gale’s good character is going to stick. If it doesn’t, I hope someone tells her off in Scream 3 too.

Scream

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