Welcome to FRIGHT CLUB, the horror movie battle ring where YOU get to vote for the winner.
I'm your host Zack Cherry, and in this week's match
1997’s SCREAM 2 will take on 2011’s SCREAM 4,
to duke it out over which is the better sequel in Wes Craven’s trailblazing, hit 90s franchise.
While SCREAM 2 maintains a similar tone and structure with the first movie,
balancing a familiar exploration of what happens when life imitates art,
and adding a fresh comedic spin on the nature of sequels,
SCREAM 4 is marked by its departure from the original trilogy,
focusing heavily on the advent of social media,
while employing a new aesthetic which comments on the evolution of the genre over a decade prior.
Both films have been the basis of much deliberation over the years,
with champions of either flick arguing everything from their relevance within the franchise,
to the question of “which film had the better killers?”
And with a fifth installment due for release next January,
there's no better time than now to settle this eternal argument.
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and let me know in the comments down below which movie you think is best.
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Without any further ado, let's take a look at the merits of each of these franchise sequels.
I'll offer my humble opinion,
and we'll see if you agree with me or not when we find out which one YOU voted for the win this fright.
SCREAM 2 reconnects with Sidney Prescott and the rest of the “Scoobies” at Windsor College,
where they encounter a copycat Ghostface who Patterns they're killing spree off of the Woodsboro murders -
now depicted in the major motion picture STAB.
The film utilizes the same whodunit element that had become synonymous with the franchise,
but the story re-establishes the surviving characters in a compelling way that feels like a natural progression
some two years after the events of the previous outing.
One by one, characters of varying importance are knocked off,
recapturing the genre-specific satire the SCREAM movies became known for,
and after a handful of red herrings, the ghostface masks finally come off and killers’ true identities are revealed,
resulting in a climactic showdown until Sidney and anyone else left standing wins the day.
Screenwriter Kevin Williamson certainly doubled down on the saga’s broader social commentary,
citing the franchises own delayed inclusivity, as well as the examination of tropes that often accompany sequels.
But it does feature some of the franchises most bemoaned decisions,
from the lunchroom serenade, to the elimination of fan favorite Randy Meeks -
a core character who effectively represented the self-referential spirit of these movies.
However, this film does ultimately succeed at reigniting the audience's interest and carrying it through all the way to its conclusion.
SCREAM 4 picks up a decade after the last time we saw these characters.
Sidney returns to Woodsboro on the latest stop of her book tour, where yet another ghostface killer has already taken out six...
No. Five…
No. Two victims?
Sorry, those fake out openings can make it difficult to keep track.
On top of that, it's the anniversary of the first Woodsboro murder spree,
so local law enforcement takes precautions to protect Sidney,
her aunt Kate, and cousin Jill.
Meanwhile, the now married Gale and Dewey Riley conflict over the best way to catch a tech-savvy killer,
who's always several steps ahead of their old school methods of sleuthing.
There's less people looming in the background here
and even less effective speculation as to who the new killers could be.
For that reason, the murder mystery takes a backseat in favor of dialing up the meta-textual commentary full blast,
leaving the audience feeling less involved, but more informed.
Thankfully. the story is quick-paced, and the plot takes off when Jill is finally revealed as the evil mastermind,
exposing a bottomless desperation for attention and fandom that only seems more plausible as the years go on.
SCREAM 2’s story might not be pitch perfect in its structure and pacing,
giving us moments where it extends the beat a little longer than it should,
but there's still plenty of intrigue to connect it from point A to point B.
Conversely, SCREAM 4 is very action-heavy, jumping from set piece to set piece.
There's plenty of excitement along the way, but also a less cohesive narrative.
So when it comes to story, I'm going to give this round to SCREAM 2.
SCREAM 2 stands on pretty solid ground,
especially considering how many of the new faces can feel less developed than their pre-existing counterparts.
In contrast, the movie does benefit from our familiarity with Gale, Dewey, Randy, and Sid,
by either putting them in real jeopardy so we can have an emotional reaction to their peril,
or developing their stories in a specific and personal way, making room for growth and dimension.
For instance there's Gale, who make some real progress from the ruthless, hard-nosed opportunist at the top of the movie.
Not only does she hit the ground running in full Gale Weathers form,
but she spends the bulk of her screen time re-evaluating her priorities,
and ultimately reaching for something greater than her own professional aspirations.
On the other side of things, Sidney walks into this movie unwilling to let her previous traumas define the course of her life.
This adds up to her ultimately establishing herself as a reluctant hero.
One who never craves the adrenaline rush of being cast in another psychos horror movie,
but who will also face off with whomever just to get them to stop dropping bodies.
SCREAM 4’s supporting cast is solid on an almost comical level.
The background of any number of shots is littered with capable name actors who were either die hard fans of the franchise,
or were hired to play near inconsequential roles to divert the audience's expectations as to who the killer could be.
The result is not a terrible amount of depth allotted to most of this franchise’s freshest faces
as they're probably even a step below the expendable status of SCREAM 2’s newest characters.
The exception of course being Kirby Reed,
who embodies notable traits of all the core SCREAM principals.
Exuding the cunning movie knowledge of Randy,
the sultry directness of Gale,
an undetermined, yet still possible survival of a knife wound, reminiscent of Dewey,
and of course the courage in high-stakes situations to trust her judgment like Sid.
On the other side of things, Sidney, Gale, and Dewey all seemed to drift through much of the movie
as if they're navigating through this new era, trying to figure out their place in it.
Though still sympathetic enough, not one of them has taken a huge character turned in the past 11 years,
so they're largely the same people we’ve come to know and love.
Which is fine, but leaves very little room for surprise.
Most surprising though is Jill Roberts, easily the most entertaining character of the piece -
if you watch all the way till the end.
And while for some it can be exciting that Jill makes such a dramatic 180 from potential new ‘final girl’
to this sequels latest ghostface, for others it's just too little too late.
As is often the case with many film franchises, new names are harder to remember,
and we get minimal exposure to these new additions - sadly including the opening scene victims.
It doesn't mean they're unwatchable, it just means they can be a little less interesting,
and while both SCREAMS 2 and 4 suffer from stock character syndrome,
SCREAM 4 does break the mold with Hayden Panettiere’s addition to the cast.
Unfortunately, it still leaves a lot to be desired
as not only did the O.G. trio not pass her the baton,
but they were left to simmer on the back burner themselves.
So I got to get this round to SCREAM 2 again,
for giving us all that well-earned character development.
With Wes Craven's horror movie pedigree,
there's little doubt that the quality of either of these sequels would falter too far from the other
or anything short of exceptional.
But just because the director brought his A-game to both movies
doesn't mean they look and feel exactly alike.
SCREAM 2’s overall aesthetic is distinguished by its color palette,
which shifts between contrasting temperatures.
The cool pastels and neutral backgrounds found abundantly on the brightly lit college campus,
and adorned by the characters who populate it,
and then the bolder darker shades of red and brown,
found in the portentous shadows which invade the screen at key moments to indicate that the killer is nearby.
It's very thematic and its presentation,
as Sidney spends most of her screen time clad in brown leather,
burnt Sienna suede, or her Cassandra crimson red,
to link her with the movie’s darker events,
and to contrast with the softer, blander shades worn by the supporting cast -
representing a lost Innocence that she'll never get back.
On the flip side, Gale sports a predominantly black wardrobe
only to later shed her darker outer layer, revealing a bright, white top she maintains to the end of her story line -
suggesting an ascension or moral evolution.
Marco Beltrami’s score also evolves into a particularly theatrical feel
as per the more sophisticated direction Wes Craven wanted to take with this story -
where the melodies boost the tension and the stakes throughout the course of the film, expanding the franchise’s epic feel.
Now, it's common knowledge that in SCREAM 4
there's an exaggerated contrast that causes extreme shadows and glares in typical circumstances,
and any color present gets lost in a drab haze, never lending any cheer or brightness.
But that could in itself be brilliant if Wes Craven is trying to make some sort of visual statement
about how reboots of the 2000s favored an unnecessarily gritty finish that didn't recreate or honor what had come before it.
Marco Beltrami also returns with a SCREAM movie score, that well familiar, feels a little phoned-in.
It's serviceable enough, but the only standout track here accompanies Jill's self-inflicted battery sequence -
contrasting the humor of the situation with a melodramatic, driving melody.
For the simple fact that I would say SCREAM 2 looks and feels more like a SCREAM movie,
I gotta give this one to SCREAM 2, and by this point, it should be pretty obvious which film I lean towards.
But we still have two more categories to grade these movies on, and we've got to find out how you voted.
So let's see if we can't throw SCREAM 4 a bone.
Both films suffered from major issues behind the scenes.
SCREAM 2 with its script leaks, and SCREAM 4 with its rampant studio meddling,
causing multiple last minute rewrites, which completely changed the outcome of each story.
I think it's safe to say that neither film turned out to be the best version of itself that it could have been,
but in spite of that, they're both incredibly effective at what they set out to do.
SCREAM 2 kicks off by introducing us to an urban setting
far removed from the white picket fences and rope swings of Woodsboro,
as we're made privy to a frank discussion between the saga’s first two significant characters of color -
arguing the merits of the genre.
This lets us know right off the bat that this movie has no intention of giving us more of the same,
and we waste no time as our characters all literally stride back into position, ready to launch into action.
What follows in its strongest points are some truly tense sequences
that immerse the audience in the precarious situations of escaping a psycho with a knife.
And it's weaker points, we’re stuck watching some characters we barely know as they make bad decisions.
But it's all set against the backdrop of surreptitious glances from the unknown, lurking killers,
as they observe the consequences of their efforts -
which honestly adds an entertaining edge for repeat viewings.
Ultimately, Wes Craven and his team managed to create a suspense-filled sequel
with every principal character having to answer some primal call,
making it feel like we're watching them do what they've always been destined to do.
SCREAM 4 has a very different agenda than SCREAM 2 in that it's equal parts reboot, sequel, and remake satire.
While its comic revolving door opening sequence embraces updated references and new spins on who's doing the stabbing,
the ensuing atmosphere is strange and directionless for a while,
less concentrated on creating suspense than diverting your expectations with ineffective jump scares.
What's become more apparent since this movies unremarkable theatrical release
is that it showcases every criticism it makes about the prevailing era of gritty reboots it followed,
arguably taking the most meta course this franchise could have attempted.
But the film still manages to showcase some crafty misdirection,
not only with its use of multiple false beginnings and endings,
but also by the way Sidney and Jill mirror one another's position and posture,
setting up the idea that Jill could perhaps inherit Sidney's ‘final girl’ status before the end of the film -
only to finally expose the efficiency of the mirror device when Jill reveals her true nature.
There's no denying that SCREAM 2 suffered from a quick production schedule,
but for all the constraints they had to deal with, they pulled it off pretty seamlessly.
SCREAM 4 on the other hand has always felt to me as though the studio went about it
like they were making just ANOTHER SCREAM movie, rather than making the BEST SCREAM movie.
So for that reason, SCREAM 2 gets this round as well.
There isn't much gore integrated into SCREAM 2,
it tends to rely more heavily on escalating the threat to our protagonist’s safety and peace of mind.
That said, Maureen's kill easily ranks among the most noteworthy demises of the movie,
due in no small part to Jada Pinkett giving everything she has in her portrayal of death.
I'd like to say Randy's demise was equally evocative,
especially when it's preceded by one of the movie's most inventive sequences of the franchise.
But the end result is less about the scare factor, and more about driving the motives of our other leads
to identify and stop the mystery killers after losing somebody they care about.
I gotta say though, upon the discovery of Randy's body, the blood is just… well, “IT’S TOO RED”!
With a little more to offer in the way of practical effects, we have the compound kill of Sidney's ineffectual security detail.
With Officer Andrews featuring a decent slash to the throat,
while Officer Richards’s demise takes up a little more space with a grimace worthy pole through the skull.
But mostly, SCREAM 2 is just shootings and stabbings, nothing to inventive.
With SCREAM 4, most of the kills are all about misdirection,
and arguably an innovation of storytelling if you consider the whole movie a satire on reboot trends.
Feeding this satirical fire is the murder of Olivia, preceded by the now pedestrian feeling “I didn't say I was in your closet” device.
This is followed by a stab to Olivia's hand, another to her back, and several more to her gut
before ghostface finally crashes her limp body through the window,
leaving her bedroom coated in blood as her entrails are converted to outrails.
Hoss and Perkins actually suffer a similar fate as Sidney's protective service officers of SCREAM 2,
in that a pretty unremarkable kill is followed by a much more impactful one.
In this case, Hoss’s forgettable stab-in-the-back sets the stage for Perkins to suffer one of the most brutal deaths of the movie,
taking a full blade to the forehead.
Keeping within the tradition of satire and giving us more than a simple stabbing,
Kate also suffers a SCREAM 2-esque kill when she takes a single stab through the mailbox slot -
evoking Phil’s demise in the washroom stall.
After that, who doesn't love Jill's poetic gunshot to Trevor's groin?…
before finally taking him out in this movie's first knifeless kill.
Which brings us to Jill and the sequence of events that lead us to her undoing,
which are beyond satisfying.
While SCREAM 2 does follow the rules of the sequel
by upping the body count and offering us much more elaborate death scenes,
this round easily goes to SCREAM 4, which takes it a step further by stabbing outside of the box,
and giving us the best gore effects of the entire franchise to date.
But now that we've reviewed both movies, let's find out which one you voted for as the best.
5502 people voted between SCREAM 2 and SCREAM 4,
and with 67% of the vote, the majority of you thought that SCREAM 2 was the better overall sequel.
With my score of 4 to 1 in favor of SCREAM 2, that means that 2 out of every 3 people don't hate my guts right now.
If you want to vote in the next FRIGHT CLUB match, make sure to join me on my channel EVERY Thursday,
where I'll post a new poll in the community section.
Next week we'll find out which John Carpenter movie is the best when HALLOWEEN takes on THE THING.
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Until next time, I've been Zack Cherry,
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