ON THIS DAY IN HORROR - December 12th
"SCREAM 2" released in 1997
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While attending a preview of the film Stab, a film within a film based on the Woodsboro murders depicted in the first film, two Ohio Windsor College seniors, Maureen Evans and Phil Stevens (Jada Pinkett and Omar Epps) are murdered by Ghostface. Phil is stabbed through the ear in a bathroom stall while trying to eavesdrop on strange whimpering noises. The killer, wearing a Ghostface costume, then returns to the screening and sits beside Maureen before mortally stabbing her. At first the audience believes she is part of the raucous acting out by audience members until she falls dead in front of the cinema screen. The following day, the news media including local journalist Debbie Salt (Laurie Metcalf), descend on Windsor College where Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell), a theatre major, now studies alongside her best friend Hallie (Elise Neal) and her new boyfriend Derek (Jerry O'Connell), fellow Woodsboro survivor Randy (Jamie Kennedy), and Derek's best friend Mickey (Timothy Olyphant). Sidney receives prank calls but is oblivious to the recent killings until someone instructs her to watch the news. In the wake of new murders, two other Woodsboro survivors arrive at the campus: officer Dewey Riley (David Arquette) to help Sidney, and reporter Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox) to cover the case. Gale tries to stage a confrontation between Sidney and Cotton Weary (Liev Schreiber), who is attempting to gain fame from his exoneration for the murder of Sidney's mother. Realizing she's been set up, Sidney angrily hits Gale.
At a sorority house that night, Ghostface kills fellow student Cici (Sarah Michelle Gellar) and later attempts to murder Sidney, though Derek intervenes. The killer injures Derek but Dewey and the police arrive, causing the killer to flee. The next morning, Gale discusses the case with the police. Upon realizing that Cici's real name is Casey, she concludes that the killer is a copycat who targets students who share the same names as the Woodsboro murder victims. That afternoon, while Gale is talking to Dewey and Randy on the campus lawn, she receives a call from Ghostface hinting that he is watching them. They search for him, but Randy, who tries to keep the killer on the phone, is dragged into Gale's broadcast van and is stabbed to death by Ghostface. As night falls, Dewey and Gale review the tape of Ghostface killing Randy hoping to find some clues but the killer attacks them and seemingly kills Dewey, while Gale escapes.
In the wake of the escalating murders, two officers drive Sidney and Hallie to a local police station. But the killer ambushes them and kills the two officers, and, in the ensuing struggle, Ghostface is knocked unconscious when the police car crashes. After they climb out of the car, Sidney insists on unmasking him, while Hallie insists they escape. However, when Sidney walks back to the car, she sees that Ghostface has escaped. Sidney then witnesses Ghostface stab Hallie to death before fleeing back to the campus. Sidney later finds Derek in the auditorium tied to a crucifix, before being confronted by Ghostface - revealing himself as Mickey before killing Derek. Holding Sidney at gunpoint, Mickey details his plan to become famous in the ensuing trial and media spectacle, before he makes one last shocking reveal, introducing Sidney to his previously unknown accomplice - a person Sidney knows only too well!
At a sorority house that night, Ghostface kills fellow student Cici (Sarah Michelle Gellar) and later attempts to murder Sidney, though Derek intervenes. The killer injures Derek but Dewey and the police arrive, causing the killer to flee. The next morning, Gale discusses the case with the police. Upon realizing that Cici's real name is Casey, she concludes that the killer is a copycat who targets students who share the same names as the Woodsboro murder victims. That afternoon, while Gale is talking to Dewey and Randy on the campus lawn, she receives a call from Ghostface hinting that he is watching them. They search for him, but Randy, who tries to keep the killer on the phone, is dragged into Gale's broadcast van and is stabbed to death by Ghostface. As night falls, Dewey and Gale review the tape of Ghostface killing Randy hoping to find some clues but the killer attacks them and seemingly kills Dewey, while Gale escapes.
In the wake of the escalating murders, two officers drive Sidney and Hallie to a local police station. But the killer ambushes them and kills the two officers, and, in the ensuing struggle, Ghostface is knocked unconscious when the police car crashes. After they climb out of the car, Sidney insists on unmasking him, while Hallie insists they escape. However, when Sidney walks back to the car, she sees that Ghostface has escaped. Sidney then witnesses Ghostface stab Hallie to death before fleeing back to the campus. Sidney later finds Derek in the auditorium tied to a crucifix, before being confronted by Ghostface - revealing himself as Mickey before killing Derek. Holding Sidney at gunpoint, Mickey details his plan to become famous in the ensuing trial and media spectacle, before he makes one last shocking reveal, introducing Sidney to his previously unknown accomplice - a person Sidney knows only too well!
Randy: [explaining the rules of a horror sequel to Dewey] There are certain rules that one must abide by in order to create a successful sequel. Number one: the body count is always bigger. Number two: the death scenes are always much more elaborate - more blood, more gore - "carnage candy". And number three: never, ever, under any circumstances, assume the killer is dead.
Top: Sidney (Neve Campbell) joins Gale Weathers (Courtney Cox) in tracking down another killer;
Above: Randy (Jamie Kennedy) explains to Dewey (David Arquette) about the "rules" to a horror sequel
Kevin Williamson had been contracted for two potential sequels to Scream when selling the script for the original, based on five-page proposals he attached to the script, hoping to entice prospective buyers with the fact that they were not just buying a film but a franchise. After a successful test screening for the original, at which Miramax executives were present, Craven was also given a contract to direct the two future films. Following the release of Scream (which grossed over $100 million at the US box office), Williamson would confirm that he had considered a sequel concept where the character of Sidney Prescott would now be attending college and a copycat Ghostface killer would start a new series of murders. Dimension Films agreed to pursue the sequel following the box office success of Scream, and approached Williamson who, by that point, already had forty-two pages of the plot developed.
His original script included four different killers, Derek, Hallie, Cotton Weary, and Mrs. Loomis, who is the mother of one of the previous film's killers. But in by July 1997, with filming already underway, Williamson's script was leaked onto the Internet by one of the films extras (one of the first major film leaks ever), revealing the identity of the killers and a large amount of the involved plot. This resulted in the production continuing to film with only a partial script while Williamson conducted extensive rewrites, changing much of the film's finale, including the identities of the film's killers. And to avoid another such incident and prevent sensitive plot details being revealed through other means, the actors were not given the last pages of the script until weeks before shooting and the pages that revealed the killer's identity were only provided on the day the scene was shot to the actors involved. Everyone involved in production were also required to sign Non-Disclosure Agreements and the script itself was reprinted on specialty paper to prevent photocopying (often pages from the script were destroyed after use).
His original script included four different killers, Derek, Hallie, Cotton Weary, and Mrs. Loomis, who is the mother of one of the previous film's killers. But in by July 1997, with filming already underway, Williamson's script was leaked onto the Internet by one of the films extras (one of the first major film leaks ever), revealing the identity of the killers and a large amount of the involved plot. This resulted in the production continuing to film with only a partial script while Williamson conducted extensive rewrites, changing much of the film's finale, including the identities of the film's killers. And to avoid another such incident and prevent sensitive plot details being revealed through other means, the actors were not given the last pages of the script until weeks before shooting and the pages that revealed the killer's identity were only provided on the day the scene was shot to the actors involved. Everyone involved in production were also required to sign Non-Disclosure Agreements and the script itself was reprinted on specialty paper to prevent photocopying (often pages from the script were destroyed after use).
TRIVIA: Robert Rodriguez directed scenes of "Stab," the movie-within-a-movie of Scream 2. Rodriguez directed the Casey Becker scene and the Sidney and Billy scene.
Top and Above: Just who is the killer - could it be Sidney's new boyfriend Derek (Jerry O'Connell) or Derek's best friend, Mickey (Timothy Olyphant) - or both of them?!
Neve Campbell had been contracted to reprise her role as heroine Sidney Prescott in a potential sequel before filming had even begun on Scream, her character being the only one from the original film guaranteed to survive and lead a new film. Once production of a sequel was seen as inevitable, following the success of Scream, Dimension Films added sequel options for the actors whose character had survived the previous film; Courteney Cox as ambitious news reporter Gale Weathers, David Arquette as retired deputy sheriff Dewey Riley, Jamie Kennedy as film-geek Randy Meeks and Liev Schreiber as the man exonerated for the murder of Sidney's mother. Roger L. Jackson also returned to voice the character of Ghostface.
Having finalized the returning principal cast from Scream, the production approached their casting for Scream 2 in a similar manner, seeking established and popular actors, largely sourcing from TV shows of the time. New cast included Sarah Michelle Gellar as sorority sister and film fan Cici Cooper, Elise Neal as Sidney's friend and roommate Hallie, Jerry O'Connell as Sidney's boyfriend Derek, Timothy Olyphant (in his first major film role) as Mickey and Laurie Metcalf as local reporter Debbie Salt, later revealed as Mrs. Loomis, mother of Billy Loomis from Scream. Many of the actors involved in the production, including Campbell, Cox, Gellar, and O'Connell were starring in their own television series at the time, allowing the production limited availability to schedule their involvement. Gellar in particular was in-between filming of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and had only recently finished work on another Williamson-penned film, I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997). Despite the hectic scheduling, Gellar admitted in an interview that she agreed to perform in Scream 2 without having read the script because of the success of Scream. Paulette Patterson, who plays the usher who hands masks to Maureen and Phil at the beginnign of the film, won her role in a contest sponsored by MTV.
Having finalized the returning principal cast from Scream, the production approached their casting for Scream 2 in a similar manner, seeking established and popular actors, largely sourcing from TV shows of the time. New cast included Sarah Michelle Gellar as sorority sister and film fan Cici Cooper, Elise Neal as Sidney's friend and roommate Hallie, Jerry O'Connell as Sidney's boyfriend Derek, Timothy Olyphant (in his first major film role) as Mickey and Laurie Metcalf as local reporter Debbie Salt, later revealed as Mrs. Loomis, mother of Billy Loomis from Scream. Many of the actors involved in the production, including Campbell, Cox, Gellar, and O'Connell were starring in their own television series at the time, allowing the production limited availability to schedule their involvement. Gellar in particular was in-between filming of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and had only recently finished work on another Williamson-penned film, I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997). Despite the hectic scheduling, Gellar admitted in an interview that she agreed to perform in Scream 2 without having read the script because of the success of Scream. Paulette Patterson, who plays the usher who hands masks to Maureen and Phil at the beginnign of the film, won her role in a contest sponsored by MTV.
Above: Ghostface again tries to kill Sidney!
Principal photography for Scream 2 took place over nine week period, with filming taking place largely in Atlanta over four weeks before finishing in Los Angeles. The opening scene featuring the premiere of the fictional "Stab" film was filmed over three days in the Vista theater on Sunset Drive, Hollywood, the exterior represented by the Rialto theater in South Pasadena, California. Most of the outdoor scene are filmed at Agnes Scott College, a women's college in Atlanta, Georgia. The gothic statues that appear on the college campus were in fact set decorations, added to the filming location. Although the Agnes Scott students on campus during filming were instructed to not tamper with or vandalize the set decorations, and although there was a security guard assigned to the statues, students at least once succeeded in evading the guard and dressing up the statues as a prank.
Usually when making a movie when an actor is heard on screen, but not seen - such as a voice on a telephone - the actor records his part during post production, which takes place after the completion of principal photography. However, Craven had Roger Jackson, (The Voice) on set and actually speaking to on-screen actors by on set telephone in order to create reality and fear for them. When Jackson was on set he was kept out of sight of other actors so they could not put a friendly face to The Voice. Jackson later recalled that the actors were so intimidated by him, they would not talk to him any more than was absolutely necessary, with the exception of Sarah Michelle Gellar, who would converse amiably with him on the telephone between takes.
Usually when making a movie when an actor is heard on screen, but not seen - such as a voice on a telephone - the actor records his part during post production, which takes place after the completion of principal photography. However, Craven had Roger Jackson, (The Voice) on set and actually speaking to on-screen actors by on set telephone in order to create reality and fear for them. When Jackson was on set he was kept out of sight of other actors so they could not put a friendly face to The Voice. Jackson later recalled that the actors were so intimidated by him, they would not talk to him any more than was absolutely necessary, with the exception of Sarah Michelle Gellar, who would converse amiably with him on the telephone between takes.
[Killer taunts Randy on the phone]
Phone Voice: Why are you even here Randy? You'll never be the leading man.
Randy: Fuuuuu-ck you!
Phone Voice: No matter how hard you try you'll never be the hero and you'll never ever get the girl.
Randy: Oh yeah? We'll lets re-direct the moment Mr. I'm So Original. Where's your motivation? Huh? Why copy yourself off of two high school loser ass dickheads? Stu was a pussy ass wet rag. And Billy Loomis? Billy Loomis, what the fuck? Jesus! Talk about a rat looking homo repressed momma's boy! Why not set your goals higher huh? You wanna be one of the big boys! Huh? Manson, Bundie, O.J, Son of...
[Ghostface suddenly lunges out of a van and drags Randy inside, killing him]
Top and Above: Ghostface kills Sidney's friend Hallie (Elise Neal) and stalks Gale in the TV studio!
Eager to avoid the problems with censorship that the first film had, Wes Craven attempted to manipulate the MPAA by sending them a version of the film that had been edited to focus on and enhance the gore and violence present beyond what they actually wanted in the film, including reusing a clip of Omar Epps' character being stabbed in the ear three times, instead of only once as seen in the final film, and an extended scene of Randy Meeks death that showed his throat being slashed. Craven's reasoning was that the parts of the film they wished to keep would be more acceptable when viewed with the enhanced violence and so the MPAA would force them to remove the footage they already did not want to keep while passing the content they did want. However, the MPAA granted Scream 2 an R-rating for the more violent cut as they believed the underlying message of the film was significant enough to warrant the violence.
Scream 2 held its premiere on December 10, 1997 at Graumans Chinese Theater in Hollywood, followed by a general release on December 12, 1997, less than a year after the release of Scream. After the unexpected success of Scream, by late 1997, Scream 2 was considered such a potential box office success that the James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies and James Cameron's future hit Titanic were moved from their release date of December 12 to December 19 so as to not face the film as competition!
Scream 2 held its premiere on December 10, 1997 at Graumans Chinese Theater in Hollywood, followed by a general release on December 12, 1997, less than a year after the release of Scream. After the unexpected success of Scream, by late 1997, Scream 2 was considered such a potential box office success that the James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies and James Cameron's future hit Titanic were moved from their release date of December 12 to December 19 so as to not face the film as competition!
Above: Sorority sister Cici (Sarah Michelle Gellar) meets her demise at the hands of Ghostface!
Both Gene Siskel and the New York Times' Janet Maslin gave the sequel positive reviews despite their negative response to Scream; Maslin remarked that, "Scream 2 almost works as straight satire. It's so sharp—pardon the expression—that no pretty young things absolutely had to die." Roger Ebert stated the film was "about as good as the original" but lamented that, "[Scream 2] is gorier than the original, and that distracts from the witty screenplay." Empire's Kim Newman echoed this sentiment saying "Some great comic - and terrifying - moments, but suffers for not being as original as the original" remarking that though the film had the same elements that made Scream a success, they were no longer surprising for having been in Scream. There was however criticism over the death of the character Randy Meeks played by Kennedy. John Muir, author of Wes Craven: The Art of Horror called the character's death the "most devastating moment of the sequel" and a "bad move" but praised the development of the other surviving characters from Scream, calling Cox, Arquette and Campbell's characters "beloved".
Scream 2 was another box office success, grossing over $170 million worldwide. With financial and critical success of the Scream franchise so far, Dimension Films quickly commissioned a third film in the series, although Scream 3 would take longer to make it to the screen due to the conflicting schedules of Craven, Williamson, Cox-Arquette, and Campbell. Eventually Williamson was replaced as writer by Ehren Kruger who finalized a script based on several ideas supplied by Williamson. Scream 3 was considerably less successful than the previous two installments, suffering both financially and critically, commentators noting that the film had become akin to the horror films it originally parodied in Scream and Scream 2. Others were critical of the change in tone, focusing more on humor instead of horror and violence. Ten years after the last film, Craven, Williamson and company returned to film Scream 4. Returning cast of Campbell, Cox, and Arquette where joined by newcomers Emma Roberts, Hayden Panettiere, Anthony Anderson, Alison Brie, Adam Brody, and Rory Culkin. The fourth installment premiered on April 11, 2011 at Grauman's Chinese Theater, receiving mostly mixed reviews from critics, and grossed less than $100 million at the box office.
Scream 2 was another box office success, grossing over $170 million worldwide. With financial and critical success of the Scream franchise so far, Dimension Films quickly commissioned a third film in the series, although Scream 3 would take longer to make it to the screen due to the conflicting schedules of Craven, Williamson, Cox-Arquette, and Campbell. Eventually Williamson was replaced as writer by Ehren Kruger who finalized a script based on several ideas supplied by Williamson. Scream 3 was considerably less successful than the previous two installments, suffering both financially and critically, commentators noting that the film had become akin to the horror films it originally parodied in Scream and Scream 2. Others were critical of the change in tone, focusing more on humor instead of horror and violence. Ten years after the last film, Craven, Williamson and company returned to film Scream 4. Returning cast of Campbell, Cox, and Arquette where joined by newcomers Emma Roberts, Hayden Panettiere, Anthony Anderson, Alison Brie, Adam Brody, and Rory Culkin. The fourth installment premiered on April 11, 2011 at Grauman's Chinese Theater, receiving mostly mixed reviews from critics, and grossed less than $100 million at the box office.
TRIVIA: One scene in Kevin Williamson's screenplay were described simply as "Wes Craven will make it scary".
Top: Director Wes Craven;
Above: Craven on set with Jamie Kennedy
On June 4, 2012, it was reported that MTV were in the early stages of developing a weekly television series spin-off from the franchise. The series is situated in the fictional town of Lakewood (the high school it was filmed at), where a string of murders take place. At the center of these murders is Emma Duval (played by Willa Fitzgerald), a teenage girl who is somehow tied to the town's dark past. The series has received an overall mixed response, though both critics and fans have praised Carlson Young's performance, along with Bella Thorne's opening sequence in the first episode. David Hinckley from New York Daily News awarded the pilot four out of five stars and stated, "Happily, Scream maintains a sense of humor, reinforced with snappy, self-aware pop culture dialogue." Scream was officially picked up for a second season on July 29, 2015, and renewed for a third on October 14, 2016.
ROTTEN TOMATOES SCORE: 81%
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