31 NIGHTS OF HALLOWEEN : NIGHT 7 : SCREAM 2

Controversy strikes today. As not only is my choice today a modern horror, but also a sequel. There are a few reason I went with Scream 2, the 1997 sequel to the popular Slasher that took the 90's completely by storm. The main one is that everyone, at least of my generation, has seen Scream at least once, if not multiple times. However Scream 2 is the X-Men 2 of horror, where the original laid the ground work, the sequel expanded on it in a bigger and better way and that is what a sequel should do.

We pick up after the first movie to find Neve Campbell's Sydney Prescott surviving the aftermath of her ordeal pretty well, and taking each day in her stride. Suffering from survivors growth, Prescott has turned her life around and is stronger than ever. Then the killings start again and of course she becomes the target, suddenly everyone is a suspect again as Ghostface returns for his revenge.

The film takes every single element of the original and amps it up ten fold, its clear, its tense and it has an added familiarity of character that is rarely seen in horror movies past or present. There are some the best moments in the series here and some pretty brave decisions on who lives and who dies, even when the final killer is revealed it doesn't feel forced like most modern horror, it all makes sense and is surprising at the same time.

Like I say I know its a strange choice, but this is about films that inspire me at this time of year and you don't find mainstream horror much better than this. Not bad for the guy who wrote Dawson's Creek and the soundtrack is killer (Pun intended).

See You Tomorrow.

MJ