Released: December 12, 1997

Directed by: Wes Craven

Starring: Neve Campbell, David Arquette, Courteney Cox, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Jamie Kennedy, Elise Neal, Liev Schreiber, Laurie Metcalf, Jerry O’Connell, Timothy Olyphant, Duane Martin, Jada Pinkett Smith, Omar Epps, David Warner, Rebecca Gayheart, Portia de Rossi, Philip Pavel, Christopher Doyle, Marisol Nichols, Tori Spelling, Luke Wilson & Heather Graham

Released less than a year after the original film, Scream 2 is a sequel that’s aware it’s a sequel.

After surviving the Woodsboro murders, Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) and Randy Meeks (Jamie Kennedy) go off to college. When a film is released based on the events they went through, the murders start again and they’re once again fighting for their lives.

The return of Campbell and Kennedy is welcome, as well as the return of Courteney Cox and David Arquette. The acting is top notch making the suspense and deaths feel more real.

Knowing what it’s following, director Wes Craven knew what he had to top. And while he can’t quite exceed what the original brought, it’s one of the better sequels out there.

Final say: A great sequel, but you’ll long for the original. ★★★★☆