Scream 2: 9 Things You Didn’t Know About The Classic ’90s Horror Sequel – GameSpot

Sequels are a big part of Hollywood, and the horror genre, in particular, is defined by franchises and follow-ups. It's not unusual for a horror series to reach 5 or 6 movies--or, in the case of long-running franchises like Halloween or Friday the 13th, double figures. However, horror series rarely get better as they continue--everyone has their franchise favourites, but for the most part, scary sequels tend to be lazy retreads of past glories, churned out quickly to cash in the success of the original before the public moves on.

But, of course, there are occasional exceptions. Wes Craven's Scream was one of the biggest horror movies of the 1990s--it hit theaters in December 1996 and quickly became a critical and commercial smash. The sequel followed the following year, but just as Scream wasn't an ordinary slasher movie, so Scream 2 wasn't an ordinary slasher sequel.

Scream 2 was once more directed by Craven and written by Kevin WIlliamson, and from the very start, it fully embraced its sequel status. As in Scream, characters make regular references to the conventions of horror movies, only this time, the focus is on the way horror sequels attempt to outdo their predecessors. "There are certain rules that one must abide by in order to create a successful sequel," says the character Randy (Jamie Kennedy). "Number one: the body count is always bigger. Number two: the death scenes are always much more elaborate. And number three: never, ever, under any circumstances, assume the killer is dead." Wise words Randy.

Like the first movie, Scream 2 was both clever and scary, commenting on the genre while still working highly effectively as a scary movie. It was another box office smash too, making more than $172 million worldwide. The late '90s saw the release of numerous teen horrors influenced by Scream, such as I Know What you Did Last Summer and Urban Legend, but few of these had the wit, style, and scares of the first two Scream movies. So here's everything you didn't know about Scream 2--and once you've read this, check out GameSpot's guide to the first Scream.

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Scream 2: 9 Things You Didn't Know About The Classic '90s Horror Sequel - GameSpot