Scream 2
"Someone has taken their love of sequels one step too far."
Two years after the Woodsboro murders, Sidney Prescott is trying to settle into college life and shake off the shadow of the past. The campus offers a new world, but fear travels fast and the memory of that horror still lingers. When a fresh wave of killings erupts under the Ghostface mask,... Read more
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Streaming availability last verified: January 27, 2026
About Scream 2
Two years after the Woodsboro murders, Sidney Prescott is trying to settle into college life and shake off the shadow of the past. The campus offers a new world, but fear travels fast and the memory of that horror still lingers. When a fresh wave of killings erupts under the Ghostface mask, friends and professors become suspects and the pressure to survive grows ever sharper. Old allies Gale Weathers and Dewey Riley reappear, trading barbs and bravado as the danger closes in. The threat holds steady, weaving paranoia, suspicion, and nerve wracking suspense as Sidney confronts a new chapter of the same deadly game. Rumors swirl and the stakes feel personal for everyone involved, as the campus becomes a pressure cooker where every grin could hide a motive and every corner holds a new clue, pushing Sidney toward another fraught confrontation.
Directed by Wes Craven and written by Kevin Williamson, Scream 2 arrived in 1997 as the follow up to the original, continuing the franchise's wry blend of horror and self awareness. It keeps the meta humor intact and appeals to longtime fans.
Box office: The film performed solidly, generating a strong worldwide gross and helping to cement the Scream series as a reliable horror franchise. It drew large audiences with quick paced scares and recognizable spooky humor.
Ghostface remains one of horror's most recognizable symbols and the movie helped sharpen the franchise's meta approach to slasher tropes. Its campus setting and speed paced scares reinforced the idea that horror could wink at viewers while staying dangerous.
Reception highlighted its brisk pacing and clever split between genuine dread and satire, with critics praising its commentary on media sensationalism and survivor psychology. The film solidifies themes of identity, fear, and the pull of sequels in a genre that never stands still.
What Viewers Are Saying
Viewers appreciate Scream 2 for building on the original film, with many praising its clever self-awareness and heightened gore in the first act. Audiences enjoy the continuation of Sidney Prescott's story and the film's playful tone. However, some find the sequel derivative and less imaginative, noting the pacing slows and the finale is underwhelming compared to the strong start. Overall, opinions are mixed, with appreciation for its daring approach tempered by criticism of its lackluster ending.
Details
- Release Date
- December 12, 1997
- Runtime
- 2h
- Rating
- R
- User Ratings
- 4,546 votes
- Type
- Movie
- Genres
- Horror, Mystery
- Country
- United States
- Collection
- Scream Collection
- Studio
- Dimension Films +2 more
- Budget
- $24,000,000
- Box Office
- $172,363,301
- External Links
- View on IMDB
Official Trailer
Cast
Neve Campbell
Sidney Prescott
Courteney Cox
Gale Weathers
David Arquette
Dewey Riley
Jerry O'Connell
Derek Feldman
Timothy Olyphant
Mickey Altieri
Jamie Kennedy
Randy Meeks
Laurie Metcalf
Debbie Salt
Elise Neal
Hallie McDaniel
Sarah Michelle Gellar
Cici Cooper
Liev Schreiber
Cotton Weary
Director: Wes Craven
Written by: Kevin Williamson