Scream 2 (1997)

I do agree with a large majority of the critics (and imagine Zombie would perhaps) that once the film enters Haddonfield suburbia the director is inauthentic in presentation. I don’t believe the daughter (Laurie, Michael’s long lost adopted sister) would be talking about an old man wanting to touch her sexually with her mother while her father is grumbling, after bits of profanity, about a hardware store going out of business. The mother, while cooking eggs, shrugs her off in half-giggles. Not just this, but the follow-up, when we see “normal suburbia kids” in Haddonfield feels forced. Nothing against Zombie—he knows the characters he is comfortable writing in his films (it is what sets him apart and also stereotypes him)—but when he steps out of his comfort zone, I think you can sense the loss of interest. I think that is why accepting a remake can be a burden. It is as if some part of you feels obligated to give back to the original film’s fans, but in doing so your own vision is tainted. We already have Carpenter’s film we can go to when we want to see Laurie and her friends walking their neighborhood. Still, Zombie throws the old school fans’ a bone anyway and tries to honor the film although it feels forced and uninspired.

 

I did enjoy the trio meeting at Smith’s Grove (McDowell, Udo Kier, and Clint Howard) to discuss how Myers escaped and the consequences of it. Of course, Kier and Howard attempt to blame McDowell, while he is very accusatory of their inability to “play zookeeper” and keep “the monkey in its cage until it grows old and dies” (!!!). This scene is featured along with another trio (Scout Taylor Compton, Danielle Harris, and Kristina Klebe) talking about high school matters (like cheerleading, sex, faculty, hook-ups, and babysitting) that seem rather inconsequential and entertaining to them, unaware of the hell that is in store for them. Loomis knows that time is drawing short and Haddonfield is where Michael is headed while Laurie and her peeps are totally involved in their teenage world. Walking the neighborhood after a table talk in a local hangout, the girls chat while Michael looks on at a distance outside or off in the background. He’s always there, very much like The Shape in Carpenter’s film, and this is where Zombie stays close to the original’s roots. Zombie even plays music from the original film more here than at any point in his own film. Included is more of the family unit of Laurie, and her relationship with the girls is about on par with what we have watched in Carpenter’s film, although I simply prefer Curtis, Loomis, and PJ Soles as personalities and characters. Not to fault Zombie, Carpenter had help with Debra Hill in regards to dialogue and coaching for the girls. He got to write the words for Pleasence instead. Seeing McDowell besmirch "shirt-tuckers" Howard and Kier, belittling them in snarky fashion, had me laughing out loud.  Klebe using "totally" in her dialogue seems out of place and used specifically to return a homage to the delightful Soles.