Scream 2 (1997) Review – It’s More Of The Same But In a Good Way

Welcome to Knockout Horror. It’s day 9 of our 31 Days of Halloween 2026 feature and today we are checking out the follow up to Wes Craven’s genre-altering slasher – Scream 2 (1997). This is going to be a really tough review to write without repeatedly using the phrase “more of the same” because that is exactly what this is. Let’s take a look.

A Movie That Revived a Sub-Genre

We covered the first Scream (1996) movie in October of last year so I figured it was only right to check out the follow up this October.

It’s impossible to even talk about this series without giving a little nod to just how important it was to a floundering horror genre back in the mid-90s. Scream’s incredibly clever and self-aware plot breathed new life into a genre that people were, frankly, a bit tired of.

Rather than playing out as yet another facsimile slasher film, Wes Craven expanded on everything he started in New Nightmare back in 1994 and refined the formula down to an art. Scream was ultra meta and immensely witty.

Characters were acutely aware of horror films and they were as jaded by them as the people watching. They recognised all the tropes and, often, called them as they happened. Scream felt smart, it felt trendy, it felt different, and it felt like the breath of fresh air the horror genre needed at the time.

“Scream’s incredibly clever and self-aware plot breathed new life into a genre that people were, frankly, a bit tired of.”

As a result of this freshness, it also became an immense box-office hit returning over $170 million on a $15 million budget. Wes Craven was, once again, one of the best directors in horror and Kevin Williamson was one of the genre’s brightest writers. A sequel was inevitable.

A rushed development

A sequel was so inevitable, in fact, that Dimension weren’t even willing to wait for Scream to leave the theatres before starting the paperwork.

Williamson had, in something of a smart move, pitched a sequel outline at the same time as pitching the script for the first movie. It was a sort of buy-one-get-one-free bundle to entice studios with a potential franchise rather than a one-off film.

Seeing the critical and financial success of the first film, Dimension decided to go for it. The original cast (at least the ones who survived the first bloodbath, anyway) all agreed to return and Wes Craven joined the project, once again, in the director’s chair.

To say that the production was fraught with difficulties would be something of an understatement. This was an immensely rushed process with a whole bunch of issues.

Dimension only gave the green light in March 1997. Nine weeks of filming began in June with a slated December release date which is barely any time at all to create a Hollywood blockbuster. Script rewrites became a daily occurrence thanks to plot leaks and Craven was sending his stars dummy scripts to make sure the killer stayed a secret.

Scream 2 was messy, rushed, and almost spoiled before it even had a chance to make it to theatres. With this in mind, it’s something of a wonder that it still ended up being a pretty great movie.

It’s basically a redux

Scream 2 is basically a beat-for-beat redux of the first movie.

“You have seen this entire movie before and, while that isn’t a huge problem because Scream felt so different, it is noticeable.”

The story follows Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) one year after the Woodsboro murders as she tries to find some normality at Windsor College, Ohio. What starts off as an escape from her past quickly turns into a nightmare when another Ghostface killer appears and begins killing students.

The setup here is virtually identical to the prior film, only with a much more experienced and hardened version of Sidney.

The movie opens with a pair of students being butchered by Ghostface. We meet Sidney, Sidney becomes aware of the killings, the killings suddenly become more closely connected to Sidney, before Sidney is threatened herself.

Again, it’s beat-for-beat. The phone calls asking victims if they like scary movies, the attempts to find the killer, the action sequences, even the pacing.

You have seen this entire movie before and, while that isn’t a huge problem because Scream felt so different, it is noticeable. Scream 2 doesn’t really try anything new, instead relying on its central whodunit mystery to elevate the otherwise recycled formula from the first film.

It really leans into its sequel status

This is a movie that is acutely aware of the fact that it is a formulaic sequel and it is going to lean into that in a big way.

The big question is, how will Craven and Williamson keep alive that smart, self-awareness that made the first movie feel so fresh? Well, the answer is by constantly dunking on the tropes and traits of horror sequels.

The characters here are completely aware that they are slap bang in the middle of a sequel. They actively discuss the tropes, they examine the possible suspects, and they try to avoid falling for the tricks killers in sequels tend to use.

It’s nowhere near as smart as the first film, but it still works on a meta level that separates Scream 2 from other copycat films like I Know What You Did Last Summer.

Luckily Williamson’s script is sharp enough to make the self-awareness feel smart rather than self-parodying. It’s almost like he managed to get every last bit of juice out of the squeeze before the formula would dry up in subsequent releases.

It’s worth noting that the excellent ensemble cast provide a massive boost to the film. This goes doubly for returning beloved characters like Dewey, Gale, and Randy. Acting is a serious strong point, throughout.

What about the kills?

Scream 2 has a much higher body count than the original. There’s very little plot armour and even returning series’ favourites are introduced to the business end of a knife, much to the chagrin of fans at the time.

“There’s a fun chase through a recording studio with some inventive use of sound-proof booths to up the scare factor”

I wouldn’t say it is bloodier, as such, but Craven has definitely attempted to make the kills a bit more inventive than simply Ghostface stabbing wildly at his victims.

Scream 2 seems to lean more heavily into protracted cat-and-mouse chase sequences, as well, and some of these work pretty damn well.

There’s a fun chase through a recording studio with some inventive use of sound-proof booths to up the scare factor and a tense scene trapped inside a police car that work very nicely. There’s also a number of fun sorority house scenes that pay homage both to old 80s horror and to the first movie.

With that being said, there aren’t really any particularly memorable kills outside of the opening two.

There are some noteworthy issues

Naturally, it is worth pointing out some of the movie’s problems, here. The most glaring of which might be returning composer Marco Beltrami’s score.

It’s quite messy and I feel as though it ages the film quite a bit. For some reason, it’s placed far too forward in the audio mix and actively drowns out character dialogue on numerous occasions. The standout moments in the score actually come from Danny Elfman who was a late addition.

I have to mention Jerry O’Connell jumping on a table in a packed cafeteria to sing the Partridge Family’s I Think I Love You to Sidney. It’s pure 90s cheese in the worst possible way and the most terrifying and painful thing in a movie featuring Ghostface gutting numerous victims.

Pacing lags a lot in the middle of the film. The dual narrative between Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox) and Sidney doesn’t always work. There’s times when it feels like needless padding and Gale’s more proactive investigation relegates Sidney to a damsel-in-distress role that she is ill suited to.

The killer reveal is probably going to be hit and miss for fans of the first film, too.

They had a massive problem with leaks and this seems to have impacted who the actual killer ends up being. It’s not particularly satisfying as far as whodunits go and it’s hard not to feel a little bit “meh” about the whole thing. To be honest, this is a bit of a tradition with the Scream films. Scream 7 is an even more egregious example of this.

All in all, Scream 2 is a very competent sequel that basically offers more of the same. If you enjoyed the first film, you will probably enjoy this one. Even if it was the start of some seriously diminishing returns for the series.

Our Scoring Philosophy: A Fair Fight

Horror is a genre that thrives thanks to indie film makers and low budget creators. At Knockout Horror, we firmly believe that every movie that we review deserves a fair fight. That's why we grade on a curve. Our star ratings are all about context, judging a film on what it achieves with the resources it has.

A 4-star rating for a scrappy indie horror made for $10,000 is a testament to its ingenuity and raw power. A 4-star rating for a $100 million blockbuster means it delivered on its epic promises. We don't compare them side-by-side; we celebrate success in every weight class, from the back-alley brawler to the heavyweight champion. Please keep this in mind when considering star ratings.