Scream 2 (1997)

Genre: Horror/ Slasher

Time: 2 hours

Director: Wes Craven

Quick Summary: Two years after the first series of murders, as Sidney acclimates to college life, someone donning the Ghostface costume begins a new string of killings.

When this started poking fun at how sequels are never as good as the original, its fate had already been set. 

Still running with the whole meta self-awareness, it really pumps everything into that. Starting with creating a spoof film of the previous within this universe where characters throughout this watch at various times, giving commentary that reflects what people do with films in real life. 

The original one had so much charm with its ability to almost seamlessly combine clever in-jokes and a believable plot while not being too much. This time around, the in-jokes are the best thing in the movie, while the story, particularly in the overblown conclusion makes absolutely no sense to me. I won't spoil it but it's the most random bizarre excuse to be a killer. Honestly, I was questioning why throughout the entire reveal. 

Now, this might be a satire on the lack of originality in most horror sequels (and I'm too dumb to realise), and it would work if the characters were developed correctly but that is the point to show how bad sequels are. Sidney is reduced to the usual girl who keeps running and screaming and everyone else plays stereotypes that honestly don't do much, with the exception of Dewy, very likeable as the nice cop again trying to solve the case, and Randy, who has a great time stating the rules to follow in a sequel. Even Gale is pretty useless in this one.

Maybe this was me, but a few of the new characters just came across as plain creepy to me. With how they acted and the things they were saying, they gave a really unsettling vibe that made it hard for me to be interested in them. Another problem I had was that this one felt long, and nothing really happened for a while. 

Randy, my man, I love him. It was brilliant to watch someone as obsessed with films as i am, making as many references as possible without being annoying.

This keeps up with the meta humour and brutal kills though it's not the same. It feels lacklustre in a lot of parts, as well it has a very bizarre choice for the killer. 

3/10

"Phone Voice: What's your favorite scary movie?

Randy: Showgirls. Absolutely frightening. What's yours?"

"Mickey: Empire Strikes Back. Better story, improved effects.

Randy: Not a sequel, part of a trilogy, completely planned."