- Directed by Wes Craven
- Written by Kevin Williamson
- Stars Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox, David Arquette
- Run Time: 2 Hours
- Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2NplkmtPCQ
Spoiler-Free Judgment Zone
It’s a decent sequel. Still entertaining, but not as clever or original as the first one. It’s still a whodunit with some surprises, and it’s worth checking out if you’ve seen the first one. You positively do want to see the first one before this one.
Synopsis
We open on the premiere of the new film, “Stab.” Maureen and Phil are in line talking about how tacky horror movies are and how horror films exclude black folks. Everyone in the theater is wearing Ghostface masks as the movie is all about what happened in the previous film and written by Gale Weathers. It starts with Casey getting naked. Apparently, nudity is a requirement in the movies, because that didn’t happen in reality. Then her phone rings… Maureen goes out to the lobby for popcorn and overhears how the film is all based on a true story. Phil goes to the restroom, and gets stabbed in the ear. Ghostface then goes into the theater and sits next to Maureen, stabbing her. Credits roll.
Sidney, now away at university, gets a call asking about her scary movie. This time, she has caller ID and tells the prankster to go away. She watches Cotton Weary on TV talking about being exonerated for Sidney’s mother’s murder. Her roommate Hallie suggests that the movie might be stressing out Sidney by bringing up bad memories. They hear about the two murders on TV.
There’s a discussion in film class about art imitating life and vice-versa. Randy is in the class, and he says that sequels are never as good as the original. Sidney’s boyfriend Derek makes an appearance.
Gale Weathers is on campus checking out the murders. A pair of sorority sisters invite Sidney and Hallie to their party tonight. Dewey stops by to catch up. He suggests that if someone is following in Billy’s footprints, then she probably already knows him. Gale wants to introduce Sidney to Cotton on TV.
Cici, one of the girls from film class, gets a call from the killer. She hears noises upstairs. It doesn’t take long until the chase begins; then it’s all over for Cici. Soon, police are swarming everywhere, and Sidney and the other partiers go to investigate. Gale asks Dewey if it’s all happening again. Sidney gets a phone call with a very familiar voice. She’s immediately attacked, but Dewey and Derek go after the guy; Derek gets cut. At the ER, the two cast aspersions on each other.
Gale looks at the list of victims so far and finds links with all the deaths from the first movie; this must be some kind of copycat. Mickey, Hallie, and Derek talk about Sidney and Randy. Randy educates Dewey on the rules of a sequel, and they decide that pretty much everyone could be a suspect this time.
Sidney is a drama student, and her teacher explains how the show must go on. She is surrounded by men in masks with knives on stage, but it’s all part of the show… maybe. Sidney starts suspecting Derek more and more.
Randy gets a phone call and he argues with the killer until the killer grabs him. Cotton confronts Sidney, and he wants to do an interview on Diane Sawyer’s show to tell his side of the story. They argue, and the police arrest Cotton. Gale finds herself stalked by Mrs. Salt, another reporter.
Gale and Dewey decide to watch all the video footage from the campus. They find footage from the killer’s own camera. Then they figure out that they’re being watched, right now. Dewey falls down the stairs and Gale gets chased by the killer. Dewey gets stabbed again.
Ghostface kills Sidney’s protection cops right in front of her. Sidney and Hallie are trapped in the back of the police car, and the killer is knocked out. The killer jumps out from nowhere and stabs Hallie.
Gale finds Cotton, who has Dewey’s blood all over him; he claims he was trying to help. Sidney runs to the abandoned theater and finds Derek in there, tied up, but not dead. The killer comes in and takes his mask off; it’s Mickey, who says Derek was in on the whole thing. He then shoots Derek, who in fact wasn’t in on it at all.
Mickey gives a long speech about being psychotic. His accomplice, the reporter, Mrs. Salt, who turns out to be Billy’s mother. She shoots Mickey and Gale, but Sidney gets away. Sidney activates all the stage props and smoke machines to fight back. Mrs. Loomis/Salt gets control, and she’s about to kill Sidney when Cotton comes in and picks up a gun. He thinks about things for entirely too long and then shoots Loomis.
Of course, the dead killers always come back, and this film is no exception.
Commentary
Again, there are a huge number of meta, self-referential horror film tropes that are used and thrown out. There were a lot fewer suspects this time, since we saw most of the main characters running or avoiding Ghostface at one point or another. Mickey was “that guy” we saw a bit early on that sorta vanishes in the middle. It had to be him.
It’s fine. It’s nowhere near as unique or clever as the first film, but it’s a fair followup with all the survivors of the first film returning.