Scream 2

Scream 2 is at its sharpest when it keeps the slasher rules in view and lets the characters talk around them. By our assessment, it is a horror sequel that understands audience memory: the masked-killer setup, the campus setting, and the constant awareness that everyone is already thinking in genre terms. That makes it a little less startling than the first film, because sequel logic is always fighting surprise. In practice it feels brisk, self-aware, and more conversation-heavy than raw gore alone would suggest. Against many imitators it is smarter and more self-conscious, even when it is clearly playing in a familiar lane. Scream 2 works for viewers who like horror with commentary inside it, and the number in the title is part of the joke as much as the branding.