Given the enormous success of Scream, it was inevitable that there would be a sequel (or sequels). With its instantly-iconic villain and easy-to-replicate formulae, it screamed (pardon the awful pun) 'franchise'. The films had an increased budget ($24 million) but would the film be inventive like the original or a just simple retread? Thankfully, Scream 2 turned out to be a worthy sequel to the original, demonstrating the wit, self-awareness and scares that made Scream a success. Critics were bowled over with the film (many going so far as to claim that it had suprassed the original, which it hadn't) and audiences responded to the tune of a $172 million box-office haul. With Scream, a lot of the fun derives from trying to guess who the killer behind the Ghostface mask is. Regrettably, during filming of Scream 2 a lot of script information (including the original killer) was leaked onto the internet, forcing last-minute re-writes. Craven coped admirably with the chaos, ensuring that the film didn't fall apart.
