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Scream 2 is a 1997 slasher movie directed by Wes Craven, from a screenplay by Kevin Williamson. It is the second film in the Scream franchise, notably entering production while the first film was still in theaters and being released less than a year after the firstnote .

Two years after the original killing spree in Woodsboro, Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) is now a college student at Windsor College, still struggling to recover from the trauma she suffered from her dealings with Ghostface. When a slasher movie based on her experiences called Stab is released in theaters nationwide, Sidney is forced to relive the nightmare when a new Ghostface wreaks havoc on the university.

Returning from the first film are Courteney Cox, David Arquette, Jamie Kennedy, and Liev Schreiber, while new additions to the cast include Sarah Michelle Gellar, Laurie Metcalf, Elise Neal, Jerry O'Connell, Timothy Olyphant, Jada Pinkett, Portia de Rossi, Omar Epps. Roger L. Jackson also returns as the voice of Ghostface.

A sequel, Scream 3, was released in 2000.


This film provides examples of:

  • Aborted Arc: At one point, Gale and Dewey help the police figure out that Ghostface is killing people with the same names as the Scream victims. While Gale, Dewey, and Randy later have a conversation debating whether or not the Copycat Killer is indeed repeating Woodsboro, Ghostface's kill pattern is never brought up afterwards. Justified since Ghostface breaks the pattern by killing Randy next.
  • Actor Allusion:
  • Adapted Out: In-Universe. Instead of Casey's boyfriend dying shortly before her in Stab, she says she doesn't have one at the moment.
  • Advertised Extra: Jada Pinkett appears as one of the main five on the poster, but is killed in the opening scene.
  • All Part of the Show: The death of Jada Pinkett's character is mistaken for this by the crowd in the theater, which thinks it's a publicity stunt.
  • Alone with the Psycho: Sidney and Hallie get stuck in a crashed car with a passed out Ghostface. They both end up having to go out the driver’s window where he’s sitting due to the car doors being stuck. Ghostface luckily doesn’t wake up but he seems to get out of the car offscreen after they leave.
  • Ambiguous Situation: It's unclear whether Ghostface actually snuck into the theater to get Sidney, or if her paranoia made her hallucinate while seeing a bunch of people in similar-looking costumes.
  • Analogy Backfire: After Mickey compares himself to one of the killers from the first film, Billy Loomis:
    Sidney: Yeah, well, you're forgetting one thing about Billy Loomis.
    Mickey: What's that?
  • Anyone Can Die: Randy bites it after living through the original Woodsboro massacre.
  • Ascended Extra: Cotton Weary, who was an off-screen character for most of the first film, and only appears briefly on a news report. Here he's a supporting character and potential suspect.
  • Avenging the Villain: Mrs. Loomis for her son Billy.
  • Ax-Crazy: Mickey and Mrs. Loomis.
  • Beam Me Up, Scotty!: A subverted in-universe example. In the film class discussion early on, Joshua Jackson's character quotes Ellen Ripley's iconic "Get away from her, you bitch!" line from Aliens word for word, but then Randy attempts to correct him by saying that the line was actually "Stay away from her, you bitch!" Randy, ironically, is incorrect, but he isn't called out for it.
  • Be Careful What You Wish For:
    Ghostface: (on phone) I want you, it's showtime!
    Sidney: Then why don't you show your face, you fucking coward?
    Ghostface: My pleasure... (lunges from behind Sidney and chases her)
  • Big Bad Duumvirate: Played with in this film. Due to the events of the previous film, Dewey tells Sidney there is a possibility that there may be multiple killers involved in the latest murder spree. Dewey continues to follow this mindset throughout the film, so much that when Ghostface gives Derek an injury, Dewey is still suspicious since the injury wasn't anything major and it doesn't rule out the possibility that Derek had a partner give him said injury. The film also doesn't bother hiding the fact that there are two killers; for example, when Cici talks with Ghostface on the phone, the other Ghostface appears behind her while sneaking into the sorority house. Likewise, Ghostface later attacks Sidney in the car while another Ghostface chases Gale and Dewey on the college campus. In this film, Mickey and Mrs. Loomis are the killers. Seeing as how Mrs. Loomis actually had a reason for all the killings, and she mentions leading Mickey on and giving him pointers, Mickey could be considered The Dragon to her Big Bad.
  • Big Damn Hero: Cotton shows up to save Sidney from Mrs. Loomis.
  • Bittersweet Ending: Multiple people connected to Sidney are all dead and she specifically blames herself for both Randy and Derek being among them, but both Ghostfaces—Mickey and Mrs. Loomis—are dead; Sidney gives Cotton the credit for being the hero so that his public disgrace can end and Dewey and Gale survive as well as Gale choosing to ride with Dewey to the hospital so he can be treated for injuries over her covering the story instead.
  • Black Dude Dies First: Done, and lampshaded. Two, in fact, before the opening credits. The second is a woman. On the other hand, Hallie is one of the last victims, while Joel outright defies this by pulling a Screw This, I'm Outta Here and it pays off as he gets to live by returning after the climax when both Ghostfaces are dead.
  • Boom, Headshot!: Sidney to Mrs. Loomis, just in case.
  • Book Ends: Downplayed, but the film begins in a cinema and ends in a theatre.
  • Brick Joke: One from the previous movie. See Casting Gag below.
  • Bystander Syndrome: Ghostface manages to get away after killing Maureen in the theater despite the fact there were many other audience members around them that could have intervened. This is justified as most of the audience are paying attention to the Stab film instead, and given the wild theater, saw Ghostface's murder as part of the crazy crowd's antics.
  • Call-Back:
    • Sidney punches Gale again after an ambush interview.
    • Cici is attacked by the killer and has to run upstairs instead of out the front door, like Sidney in the first movie.note 
    • Dewey and Gale are about to get intimate, but something involving the killer interrupts them.
    • The reveal that Ghostface is Mrs. Loomis, driven homicidal by the death of her son Billy in the first film, makes her a Shout-Out to Friday the 13th (1980) and also indirectly homages the sequence at the start of Scream (1996) where Casey Becker is forced to play Slasher Movie trivia with Ghostface, where the question she gets wrong is "Who was the killer in Friday the 13th?".
    • Dewey has another Disney Death and is loaded into the back of an ambulance.
  • California University: Though Windsor College sounds like a fictional California college, the college in the film is in Ohio, both established in script and in the film.
  • The Cameo:
    • Joshua Jackson, star of Dawson's Creek (written by Kevin Williamson) as one of the students in Randy's film class. It’s a retroactive example, as that show didn’t premiere until a month after the film’s release.
    • Matthew Lillard is in the background of the sorority party, and can be seen hugging Mickey. Fitting, as they both play The Dragon in their respective Scream films.
  • Can't Get Away with Nuthin': Inverted. On a night where there are loads of wild parties going on, Cici is a sober sister who's staying at the sorority house in case a drunk sister needs a ride home. She's the third victim.
  • Casting Gag:
    • Obviously, casting Sarah Michelle Gellar, who was then currently known as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, as a helpless Ghostface victim. Likewise when Cici is flicking through the TV, one of the films on is Nosferatu, which famously features a vampire.
    • And in the first film, Sidney makes a quip about Tori Spelling playing her if they made a movie about her. In this film when the Stab movie has been made, Sidney is played by...Tori Spelling. Apparently Spelling herself found the gag Actually Pretty Funny.
  • Chekhov's Gun:
    • Derek gives his Greek letters to Sidney when declaring his love for her. Sidney later uses Derek's gift to injure Mickey's eye when fighting him.
    • During the "rules" scene, Dewey and Randy have a short conversation about the scars they got from Billy; in particular, Randy comments that Dewey's back injury doesn't explain why Dewey has a limp. The ending reveals that Dewey survived his attack partially because Ghostface hit the scar tissue in his back.
    • A literal example occurs when Ghostface kills the two cops and steals both of their guns. While the movie explicitly points out Richards's gun after the car crash, it is easy to overlook that Ghostface also takes Andrews's gun after killing its owner. Later, Mickey passes off one of the pistols to Nancy, which explains why she has one during her reveal.
  • Chekhov's Gunman: News reporter Debbie Salt is actually Billy's mother and one of the new Ghostfaces.
  • Creator Cameo: Kevin Williamson plays the interviewer talking to Cotton Weary on TV. Wes Craven also cameos in the background at the hospital.
  • Dead Star Walking:
    • Jada Pinkett gets the same "established actor gets offed in the intro" treatment Drew Barrymore did, along with Omar Epps. Jada is even in the movie's poster.
    • Trust Wes Craven to have the Slayer, about the final word in the genre at the time, killed off midway through.
  • Death by Irony: Randy is the most genre-savvy member of the cast, but the killer ganks him because a) he split up from his friends to find the killer watching them, and b) he got too caught up in discussing the plot with the killer, which is his signature trait. It's also possible the killer was just planning to taunt him, until Randy pushes her buttons and says she needs to aim higher.
  • Double Tap: Sidney shoots Mrs. Loomis in the head after commenting that they always come back.
    Sidney: Just in case.
  • Dramatic Irony: Maureen is yelling instructions at Casey in the movie to avoid the killer, with no idea that another killer is right next to her.
  • Dude, Where's My Respect?: Cotton for most of the movie.
  • Dumb Blonde: Averted. In her first scene, Cici has an intelligent discussion about the media's attitude towards violence in movies.
  • Ear Ache: Mickey stabs Phil Stevens through the ear, making him the first of the Windsor College victims.
  • Fauxshadowing: The original script had Hallie and Derek as the killers with Mrs. Loomis guiding them; more specifically, they were an Outlaw Couple. While most of the scenes foreshadowing Hallie and Derek as the killers—such as Hallie letting slip that she is left-handed just like the Ghostface in the opening murders—were deleted, a few other scenes that indicated their initial roles remained.
    • Maureen states that she doesn't like horror movies because of the lack of African-American characters in them. Randy later acknowledges that slasher villains were usually white males, but comments that "Mrs. Voorhees" and "Candyman's daughter" were good twists for the slasher standard.
    • As seen in her dorm, Hallie owns a sweater that Freddy Krueger would wear.
    • While waiting for Sidney, Derek and Hallie sit next to each other in the cafeteria, which hints at their closeness, especially since Derek is supposedly Sidney's boyfriend.
    • While Lois and Murphy are more obvious in pressuring Sidney to join Delta Lambda Zeta, Hallie is more lowkey, using her psychology degree and her position as Sidney's best friend to justify inviting Sidney to pledge to the sorority. Lois and Murphy also try to convince Sidney to join by informing her that Derek is a "Delta Lambda big brother", meaning both Derek and Hallie have ties to Delta Lambda Zeta. This revelation also explains why Ghostface kills Cici, who is from a rival sorority.
  • Five-Second Foreshadowing:
    • When Dewey goes against Gale's idea of figuring out Ghostface's kill pattern, Gale angrily asks him if they should "wait and see who drops next". She says this immediately before Randy answers a call from Ghostface and becomes Ghostface's next victim.
    • Sidney distracts Ghostface by asking "Isn't Mickey supposed to be dead?" Minutes later, when Sidney and Gale question if Nancy is truly dead, the Not Quite Dead Mickey pops back up for one last scare.
  • Foreshadowing:
    • In Randy's conversation with Dewey, Randy correctly guesses that Derek is the Red Herring and that Mickey is a good fit for the killer, although he drops the latter guess because he and Mickey are both obsessed film students, making them not so different.
    • After theorizing that the new Ghostface is trying to do something new, Randy suggests that Hallie, a black woman, is the killer because slasher villains are usually white men, so Hallie as the killer would be a twist to the usual standards while staying within the slasher rules since "Mrs. Voorhees was a terrific serial killer". By citing Mrs. Voorhees, Randy also unintentionally predicts that the new killer is the mother of one of the previous killers.
    • Randy also speculates that Gale is the killer, reasoning that a copycat massacre would provide material for a new book and that news reporters stage the news. Gale is not the killer, but news reporter Debbie Salt is indeed the new Ghostface and is framing the new Ghostface rampage as the work of a fame-hungry copycat instead of a vengeful mother.
    • When Ghostface calls Sidney, he asks if she remembers him. While one may assume that the new killer is speaking figuratively to describe the return of Ghostface, it turns out to be a Literal Metaphor since the caller is Mrs. Loomis, a forgotten figure from Sidney's past.
    • Randy states at one point in film class within earshot of Mickey, "I'd let the geek get the girl." Later in the film, Ghostface taunts Randy by stating that Randy will never get the girl.
    • There's also a further reference to Friday the 13th (1980) that foreshadows the twist when the drunk sister talking to Cici says "killkillkilldiediedie" on the phone, mimicking Jason's leitmotif from the franchise. And the killer is the grieving mother, like Pamela Voorhees in the first Friday the 13th (1980).
    • Debbie Salt remarks that if the killer is repeating Woodsboro, the killer could be from Woodsboro.
    • Another one: After Debbie Salt introduces herself as the "one in the front row, asking all the questions" at Gale's seminar, Gale snidely remarks that she thought Salt looked familiar. Later on when Salt is revealed to be Billy's mother, Gale states that she's seen photos of Mrs. Loomis, which is why she partially recognized "Debbie Salt" during their first meeting.
    • In the film class scene, Mickey argues that violence in film inspires violence in real life; furthermore, he contends that movie sequels can be superior to the original when Randy scoffs at the idea of someone making a real life sequel to the Stab movie. Later, when revealed as the killer, Mickey tells Sidney that when he goes on trial, his defense would be to blame the movies.
    • A minor example would be the Woodsboro survivors' argument over the motive of the recent murders. Initially, Gale and Dewey believe the the murders to be a copycat crime due to the Significant Name Overlap of the first three victims from both the original Ghostface murders and the new copycat murders. However, the attack on Sidney prompts Dewey to point out the inconsistency and Randy to note that the killer is "trying to finish what was started". This is due to the two killers' different motives for the murders.
    • In the sneak preview for Stab, "Billy" reiterates to "Sidney" that his mother left his family, as a subtle As You Know clue for viewers who have not seen the first movie or might have forgotten about Billy's mother. So subtle to the point that it's one of the most brilliant examples of foreshadowing ever.
    • Mickey carries a camcorder around early on, and at one point, Derek informs Sid that Mickey "had to edit". This becomes important later on when it is revealed that the killer recorded the victims.
    • When Randy speaks with the new Ghostface on the phone, he angrily asks if the copycat killer is trying to become an infamous murderer like Charles Manson, Ted Bundy, and O. J. Simpson. Indeed, this turns out to be Mickey's objective as the killer, and Mickey later talks about how he will hire members of Simpson's Dream Team to help him get a lighter sentence or possibly an acquittal.
    • Likewise, in his talk with Ghostface, Randy calls Billy a Momma's Boy, yet another reference to the lead Ghostface's identity.
    • After Randy dies, Dewey tells Sidney that he already broke the bad news to Randy's mother.
    • Sidney plays Cassandra in a theater play. In a twist, Cassandra is Derek rather than Sidney, and ironically it's Sidney who doesn't believe Derek.
  • Funny Background Event: Mickey is incredibly surprised when Sidney hits Gale.
  • Give Geeks a Chance: Discussed by Randy. "I'd let the geek get the girl." Poor guy never will.
  • Gut Punch: Randy's death. It marks the time when the remaining survivors start to fall apart.
  • Hate Sink: Billy Loomis' mother turns out to be this, as she's revealed to be the killer in this film. She tries to play for sympathy in avenging her son's death with a new killing spree, but quickly loses it with her myopic view of things; she seems to be under the impression she and Billy are the real victims, with no sympathy or remorse over the people he killed, and refuses to own up to her own failures as a mother, or even to how Billy turned out to be. She was also the one who kills Randy.
  • Hero Killer: Woodsboro survivor Randy is dispatched by Mrs. Loomis after he insults her son over the phone.
  • Hollywood Darkness: The interior of the movie theatre. They have a special gimmick of making the Ghostface masks glow in the dark, but the place is only just slightly darker than average.
  • Hollywood Healing: Averted. Dewey has a limp from his stab wound in the first film, which was two years ago.
  • Helpless Window Death: Gale watches helplessly through the window of the soundproof studio as Ghostface stabs Dewey in the back, so close that they are almost touching and only separated by the glass. Subverted, as Dewey doesn't actually die.
  • Hotter and Sexier: In-universe. The Stab movie changes the scene of Casey getting killed to the killer calling her while in the shower. She spends the whole scene in a dressing gown.
  • If It Bleeds, It Leads: The killer (at least, one of them) planned on invoking this in order to get himself media publicity and a sensational trial. The other killer shoots him and mocks his goals as "a product of the 90's".
  • Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: Officer Richards ends up with a pipe through his head at the end of the wild car ride.
  • Instant Death Bullet: Derek is killed by one shot of Mickey's gun.
  • It's Been Done: When discussing the rules for sequels, Randy briefly lists Derek as a suspect, before dismissively commenting that the "boyfriend as the killer" plot twist has been done already. He's not the killer.
  • Jerkass Has a Point:
    • Dewey gets annoyed at how Gale wrote him in her book. Despite being the only policeman on duty during a homicide situation, he ended up incapacitated—leaving it to a teenager to stop the killers. He didn't actually do anything to help the case at all.
    • Cotton is portrayed as a jerk for his outburst to Sidney in the library. However, she named him as her mother's killer—without definite evidence—and had him put in prison on death row for a year. He's asking her to issue a formal statement so that the general public will stop treating him like he's a rapist and murderer, which they only think primarily because of Sidney's testimony. This ends up deconstructed since he is trying to reach Sidney while there is an unidentified Serial Killer copying the murders of her mother and her friends. Sidney's cautious denial of his offer is reasonable, given the circumstances.
  • Kill the Cutie: Randy.
  • Light Feminine and Dark Feminine: Hallie and Sidney fit this. Whereas Hallie wears lighter colors, Sidney wears darker colors throughout the film. The Delta Lambdas also wear lighter colors, which is appropriate since Hallie is a pledge for the aforementioned sorority, while Sidney is reluctant to join, making her the outcast of the group.
  • Make Sure He's Dead: At the end, when Mrs. Loomis is seemingly killed by a gunshot to the chest, before leaving, Sidney approaches her and shoots her right in the forehead "just in case."
  • Meaningful Background Event:
    • Ghostface sneaks into the sorority house while Cici is on the phone with the other killer.
    • When Sidney mistakenly believes Gale to be Mickey's partner, Mickey shakes his head.
  • Moral Myopia: Debbie wants to kill Sidney for killing Billy, despite the fact she only did so because he was a psychotic murderer out to get her, which he became because she abandoned him.
  • Murder Simulators: A discussion in a film class early on has several characters debating whether or not violent slasher flicks turn people violent. Later, the killer plans to blame his killing spree on said slasher movies (such as the newly-released Stab), invoking this trope in order to create a sensational trial and get the Moral Guardians on his side.
  • My God, What Have I Done?: Implied with a mass group of people during the opening scene. Due to thinking Maureen’s murder is a stunt, they initially react with glee but then become horrified as the realize they just watched a woman get stabbed to death and did nothing.
  • Needle in a Stack of Needles: Ghostface can easily hide in the theater playing Stab because most of the patrons are also wearing Father Death costumes.
  • Never My Fault: Defied. Joel Jones admits he should've read Gale's book before taking the cameraman job while chewing her out for not telling him what happened to Kenny.
  • Never the Obvious Suspect: Played straight in this film. Mickey disappears halfway through the film, and Debbie Salt shows up occasionally to act as a Foil and an annoyance to Gale while the film focuses mainly on the obvious suspects: Derek and Cotton.
  • Next Stall Shenanigans: Omar Epps' character goes into a stall since the urinals are occupied, but hears strange noises coming from the next stall. He puts his ear against the partition to try to hear better, only to have Ghostface fatally stab him through the partition.
  • No Kill like Overkill: Cici is thrown through a glass door, stabbed twice in the back and thrown off the roof.
  • Obvious Villain, Secret Villain: Subverted. The movie provides the page quote, but it comes from a dummy or early script (depending on who you listen to) where Hallie and Derek (and Cotton) were the killers. In the movie itself, Mickey wants Sidney to believe that Derek is the obvious killer working with a secret accomplice, but he isn't.
  • Oh, Crap!: Sidney's expression when Ghostface turns off the voice changer and speaks with Mickey's voice.
  • One-Steve Limit: Averted. The first three victims (Phil Stevens, Maureen Evans, and Casey "Cici" Cooper) are chosen because they share the same names as victims in Woodsboro.
  • Only Known by Their Nickname: Cici's full name is Casey.
  • Plot Twist: Even if one figures out that Debbie Salt is Ghostface, the real twist is that she is actually Mrs. Loomis, Billy's mother.
  • Pre-Asskicking One-Liner:
    Sidney: You're forgetting one thing about Billy Loomis: I fucking killed him!
  • Progressively Prettier: Randy in the first film was presented as a skinny geek. In this film he's filled out a bit more, dresses in more flattering clothes and has a more stylish hairstyle. Even his new beard is trendy.
  • Red Herring:
    • Cotton's second meeting with Sidney has him losing his temper after Sidney rejects his offer of fame and money. The film then does a close-up on his shoes, which match the killer's, and later he shows up with bloody hands after Ghostface disappears. It also doesn't help that Cotton has a grudge against Sidney for mistakenly identifying him as her mother's killer.
    • As Sidney's boyfriend, Derek becomes this when it is revealed that the new Ghostface is a Copycat Killer following in the footsteps of Billy Loomis, Sidney's previous boyfriend, and that Derek, while wounded by Ghostface, did not suffer any major injuries. Mickey further invokes this when he questions why Derek would go back into the sorority house to fight Ghostface, and later when he lies to Sidney that Derek was his partner for the murders.
    • Joel is one due to how he disappears right before Ghostface attacks Randy in his van, and how he decides to leave right after Randy's death. In addition, he pulls out a knife to whittle wood, which may mislead one to believe that he is a knife-wielding killer. Furthermore, when Dewey and Gale figure out Ghostface records the victims before killing them, the implication is that Ghostface has to be someone with access to a camera. Mickey, the actual killer, does carry a camcorder, but the film dedicates a lot more focus to Joel as Gale's new cameraman.
    • Randy gets a few dubious moments. After Ghostface claims another victim, Sidney finally spots Randy at the Delta Lambda Zeta party and questions why he is late. Moreover, Mickey believes Randy is a bit shady and outright compares him to Jeffrey Dahmer. Even Randy himself admits he would make a good suspect.
    • Randy points out to Dewey that Gale could be Ghostface since she profits from the copycat murders. Not only does the new killing spree help advertise Stab, a movie adaptation of Gale's book The Woodsboro Murders, it also gives Gale more material to write and publish another book. This is played with later when Gale is used as a Bait-and-Switch reveal for Ghostface.
    • As suggested by Debbie Salt, Dewey is the most suspicious of the returning protagonists. While the other Woodsboro survivors have legitimate if convenient reasons to be at Windsor Collegenote , Dewey's excuse is that he wants to protect Sidney, and his arrival thus surprises the other survivors. During Ghostface's attack on Sidney at the Omega Beta Zeta house, he is one of the four characters that suspiciously show up after Ghostface disappears, and some of the Foreshadowing hints that the killer is from Woodsboro.
    • Some news reporters believe that Sidney's father, who is out of country and never once appears in the film, could be a suspect too.
    • Hallie is a strange example, because in the original script, she was indeed one of the killers. However, due to a script leak on the internet, the writers had to change her role to maintain the shock of The Reveal. In addition, the writers removed most of the scenes that hinted that she was Ghostface, as they would be considered Fauxshadowing in the final cut. As a nod to the original script, Randy brings up Hallie as a potential suspect when explaining the rules of a slasher sequel.
    • The Delta Lambda Zeta girls Lois and Murphy are a more minor example. In their first scene, they demonstrate a mysterious interest in getting Sidney to join their sorority and tell Sidney they are watching her. Cici's death also draws a little more attention to them, since Cici is from a rival sorority. Furthermore, they make a surprise appearance after the killer flees the Omega Beta Zeta house, and the fact that they always appear together fits Ghostface's Big Bad Duumvirate template. They, along with some fraternity members, are responsible for tying up Derek, which makes it possible for them to be the killers, since Ghostface captures Derek for the finale.
    • While discussing Ghostface's kill pattern with Gale and Dewey, Chief Hartley demonstrates his left-handedness by writing on the chalkboard with his left hand. This marks him as a potential suspect since the copycat Ghostface wields the knife with his left hand when attacking his victims.
  • Rewatch Bonus:
    • Mickey tests his legal defense argument by trying to convince his peers in film class that violent movies create real-life violence.
    • Gale jokes "I thought you looked familiar" to Debbie Salt aka Mrs Loomis. On the first watch, it seems like a lie on Gale's part. After The Reveal, Gale says "I've seen pictures", so she did recognize her.
    • It's hard to hear what the Ghostface that kills Phil in the opening scene says. On rewatch, it's easier to make out that he's saying "Billy, don't tell Mommy what you did." This forehadows that the killer is Billy's grieving mother.
    • Mickey has an interested gleam in his eyes when Gale tries to interview Sidney. Given Mickey's motive, he's likely fantasizing about the media circus after turning himself in.
    • Debbie Salt justifies her suspicion of Dewey and Sidney's father by stating that if the killer is repeating Woodsboro, the killer could be from Woodsboro themselves. She's right, even if the killer doesn't live there any more.
    • Debbie Salt keeps away from the confrontation between Gale and Sidney at the start. She doesn't want to risk Sidney recognizing her.
    • Mickey's line "Why would anyone go back in that house anyway?" He's deliberately trying to make Sidney think Derek is the killer.
    • Mickey also theorizes to Derek and Hallie that Randy could be the killer. This is just him trying to turn his friends against one another.
    • After Cici Cooper is murdered, Debbie Salt tells Gale that she has to go as she "has a deadline". In reality, she's actually leaving to attack Sidney.
    • After the opening murders, Mickey's knuckles are bruised, which are best seen when he takes out his camcorder to record Randy.
    • In hindsight, Ghostface attacked Cici not just because she had a similar name to Casey Becker, but also because she argued against the the idea that movies were Murder Simulators and that sequels could be superior to the original.
    • Once one knows the killer's identity, Randy's conversation with Ghostface becomes dramatically ironic. Randy correctly guesses Mickey's motive, but he is talking to Mrs. Loomis, who has a different goal in mind.
  • Ripped from the Headlines: Mickey's plan to get Johnnie Cochran and/or Alan Dershowitz to defend him at his trial is reminiscent of the OJ Simpson trial in which the former defended OJ and the latter was an advisor for Simpson's defense.
  • Sacrificial Lamb: Cici has connections to the main characters as she is Randy and Mickey's classmate in film study and is also a member of the Omega Beta Zeta sorority, a rival organization to Hallie's sorority Delta Lambda Zeta. However, she ends up a minor character since she is Ghostface's first victim after the opening kills. It also helps that she is played by Sarah Michelle Gellar, who was famous at the time as Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
  • Sacrificial Lion:
    • Randy, the Meta Guy who knows the slasher rules and survived the previous movie, gets a Surprisingly Sudden Death after taunting the killer one too many times. Sidney blames herself for his death.
    • Hallie, Sidney's closest friend at Windsor College and one of the few people Sidney truly trusts, bites the dust in Act 3 after supposedly escaping the killer's grasp.
    • Sidney's new boyfriend Derek becomes a main suspect as he is a Suspiciously Similar Substitute of the previous Ghostface, and there is a copycat killer trying to repeat Woodsboro. He only manages to prove himself innocent during his death and winds up as Ghostface's final victim.
  • The Scourge of God: Averted. One of the victims, Cici, is noted to be a sober sister, staying home.
  • Self-Deprecation: Maureen states that Stab is about dumbass white people getting killed, a not-so-subtle reference to the previous film's Monochrome Casting.
  • Sequel Escalation: Provides the page quote, too!
    Randy: "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."
  • Sequel Hook: The film was originally supposed to include a shot of the masked killer in the bell tower as the camera pulls back in the final shot, but this was never done.
  • Sequelitis: Discussed in-universe in a scene in a film class, with Randy claiming that "sequels suck" and destroyed the horror genre. To prove his point, he and Cici ask their fellow classmates to name sequels that are better than the originals. Yes, this discussion is being had in a horror sequel.
  • Sex Signals Death: Though not confirmed until the third film. Randy says he lost his virginity, which is why he was killed.
  • Shout-Out: It has its own page.
  • Slashers Prefer Blondes: In this case, only one blonde victim, but Cici still counts.
  • Stylistic Suck: What we see of Stab notably lacks any sense of tension, and is riddled with poor acting. The fact that the Woodsboro killings are common knowledge in-universe at least justifies how the film telegraphs the fact that Billy Loomis is evil.
  • Sudden Sequel Death Syndrome: Randy.
  • Suspiciously Similar Substitute: Additions to the main cast, namely Derek, Hallie, Mickey and Joel, fill the roles of characters from the first film: Billy, Tatum, Stu and Kenny respectively.
    • Deconstructed and subverted in the case of Derek. After the events of the first movie, Sidney suspects her current boyfriend, Derek, of being a killer just like her previous boyfriend, Billy. This leads to relationship problems between Derek and her, and Sidney suspects Derek for most of the movie, up until Mickey, one of the actual killers, murders Derek. It turns out that Derek was Good All Along.
    • Defied by Joel. At first, he is enthusiastic about his role as Gale's new cameraman, but after learning how his predecessor died by Ghostface's hands, he decides to quit his job until the killers are apprehended.
    • Subverted by Debbie Salt. At a first glance, her job as a news reporter makes her a substitute for Gale Weathers; however, her killer reveal states that the news reporter bit was merely a cover story. In practice, Debbie is more similar to her son, Billy, due to their murderous motives.
  • Those Two Guys:
    • The two film class guys (one of whom is played by Joshua Jackson).
    • The two Valley Girl sorority sisters, Murphy and Lois.
    • The two police officers hired to guard Sidney. Both are killed by Ghostface/Mickey.
  • Surprisingly Realistic Outcome:
    • Sidney now has PTSD from surviving Billy and Stu's murder spree.
    • Now that it's known the Woodsboro Murders involved 2 killers, Sidney seeing Derek at the same time she's being attacked in the sorority house does not rule him out as a possible accomplice.
  • Tomboy and Girly Girl: Sidney is the Tomboy to Hallie's Girly Girl.
  • Too Dumb to Live: All of the characters on Randy's death take the cake. First, they receive a call from the killer in an open park crowded with people. Then, two of them have the brilliant idea of splitting up with one of them and check every single cellphone user on the park. Finally, Randy have the victim walking up right out of the open park toward one of the few places the killer could easily hide, because he got too caught up in the phone call, and presumably didn't think he was in danger in broad daylight. It's also possible he assumed the caller was in the open, or in a building, and forgot the van entirely.
  • Typecasting: In-universe example. David Schwimmer is mentioned as playing Dewey in Stab. In the 90s, the bumbling police detective would be perfectly in type for him.
  • Wham Line:
    • It is for the actual killer, Mrs. Loomis:
      Sidney: Cotton...consider [your request for an interview] done. (he shoots Mrs. Loomis)
    • Also, Sidney's reaction to seeing Debbie Salt.
      Sidney: ...Mrs. Loomis?
  • Wham Shot: Double Subverted. After Mickey reveals that he has an accomplice, a door opens and Gale steps into view. There's even a dramatic Sting to emphasize the moment. But the viewer already knows that it can't be her, and then the real accomplice steps in behind her with a gun, accompanied by an even louder and more dramatic sting.
  • Why Don't You Just Shoot Him?: Sid ends up in a car accident with the killer, who is rendered unconscious. She tries to sneak over him to get out through the window. Why, why, why wouldn't she just beat him to death while she had the chance to do so?
  • You Bastard!: This is the whole point of Ghostface's second kill, which not only implicates the In-Universe audience but also the actual audience. Ghostface repeatedly stabs Maureen in front of the other Stab viewers and gets away with it because said viewers were too caught up in the violence of the film and thought Ghostface's murder of Maureen was a publicity stunt.
  • You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: Mickey is "killed" by Mrs. Loomis for this reason. He gets up for the final scare, and is immediately gunned down by Sid and Gale.

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