scream 2 , like its predecessor , is a genre-crossing film . 
it is about 50% horror film and 50% murder mystery . 
the mix worked very well last time and it continues to entertain this time . 
scream was also known for its self-referential tone . 
many inside jokes were made in reference to horror movies and wes craven . 
again , scream 2 follows suit with characters saying such things as " sequels suck " and " the entire horror genre was destroyed by sequels . " 
scream 2's story is very similar to it's predecessor's . 
sidney ( neve campbell ) , having survived the killing spree in scream , is now in college . 
gale weathers ( courteney cox ) has written a book about the murders and that book is now being released as a feature film , called stab ( which for all practical purposes is the real-world movie scream ) . 
at the premiere of stab , two students from sidney's college are stabbed to death , and a new story begins . 
the press descends on sidney and her college to get the scoop on this sequel killer . 
they want to know all about the links between stab , sidney , and the recent murders . 
the most complex self-reference i saw ( this should be an olympic event ) was the scene where gale weathers was asking questions at a press conference . 
the rest of the press was watching and videotaping weathers . 
the other survivors from scream were watching and videotaping the press . 
the audience was watching the whole , filmed scene . 
 ( whew . ) 
the movie is packed with layers and self-references that make it a pleasure to watch . 
even better would be to watch a double feature of scream and scream 2 . that's not to say that these references necessarily make scream 2 a deep , or even a good movie . 
the just add to the fun of watching it . 
i recommend it for other reasons as well . 
what i liked best about the horror aspect of the movie is that the monster is not supernatural . 
no werewolf or ghost or psycho with superhuman strength is responsible . 
it is a person in a mask and a robe , his only advantage the fear he strikes into his victims . 
no extraordinary leap of faith is needed to believe in the killer . 
the down side is that if you are frightened by horror movies , you have less grounds to say " it's just a movie . " 
the whodunit aspect of the movie is not that great by itself - gale weathers and deputy dewey ( david arquette , also from the original ) track down a killer . 
they are likeable , but not outstanding . 
but in combination with the horror aspect , the whodunit is a perfect counterpoint . 
it was exactly a year ago today that i wrote the review for scream . 
the internet movie database says that scream 3 is in the works , so i wonder if i'll be doing the same thing on january 1 , 1999 . 
if craven and screenwriter kevin williamson are able to keep the quality high , i'll be happy to mark my calendar .