By Doug Levy
Arizona Daily Wildcat
December 10, 1997

The scene behind the 'Scream's'

Photo courtesy of Dimension Films Arizona Daily Wildcat Left: David Arquette and Courteney Cox reprise their roles as Gale and Dewey in "Scream 2."

So this is it. Last day of classes. Sure, there may be those silly old "finals" on the way, but for all intents and purposes, you're free. Now, the only question is what the hell to do with all your time. Well, one choice, as of Friday night (unless you've got passes to tonight's preview), is that you can go and have the shit scared out of you, once again, by Wes Craven and friends, with "Scream 2."

The first "Scream" was, of course, a huge hit and with good reason. It did something that had never been done before: combining self-parody and suspense to create a film that is both funny and terrifying at the same time. Filled with confounding plot twists, brilliant cinematography and intense performances from a cast of unlikely newcomers to the world of horror, "Scream" captivated audiences and drew in over $100 million at the box office in the U.S. alone.

While a sequel may seem an obvious way to cash in on the success of the first film, "Scream 2" was planned from the start. In fact, "Scream" was always intended as a trilogy by screenwriter Kevin Williamson. The question was how to keep the idea of the "self-aware" horror-film fresh for "Scream 2" in the wake of its predecessor and equally importantly, how to keep the secrets of the new film secret in a society where a script can show up on the Internet within hours of the wrong people getting their hands on it. Sitting down recently with some of the folks behind "Scream 2" in a New York City hotel, I tried to get an idea of what went on behind the scenes.

Photo courtesy of Dimension Films Arizona Daily Wildcat (L to R) David Arquette, Jamie Kennedy, Duane Martin and Courteney Cox.

The secrecy surrounding the film's plot required some unconventional procedures on the part of the filmmakers. The scripts themselves were printed on brown, non-Xeroxable paper, with red lines running through the text. Even after being hired, the actors didn't receive more than the first 80 pages at first, and if their character was killed off, their script only went as far as their character did. Some of the actors tell me that they hadn't known how the film turned out or who the killers were until the night before our interview, when they saw the same screening of the movie I did. Although these tactics, along with the requirement that all actors sign strict confidentiality agreements, proved highly successful in keeping things quiet, they did create some interesting situations.

"It's tough to do a movie when you don't know what you're doing," says Duane Martin, a newcomer to the ensemble cast, who plays reporter Gale Weathers' (Courteney Cox) new cameraman, Joel. "For the audition, they gave me one page. One page! And I was, like, what am I supposed to do with one page?"

Elise Neal, another new cast member, plays Sidney Prescott's (Neve Campbell) roommate at fictional Windsor College, where the new killing spree begins. "They said, 'We're going to send a script to your house.'" she remembers. "'You have two hours to read it, and we're going to send somebody back, right at two hours.'"

Of course, it didn't take long for anyone to make up their mind about doing the film. After all, if it was anywhere near as intelligent or as frightening as the first one, it couldn't miss. For the new guys, though, it was a bit intimidating to come on board with the "Scream" vets.

"I felt like I was coming onto the Bulls," says Martin. "I didn't know what I was dealing with. I didn't know everybody was so cool. I didn't know everybody was going to be complimentary and really invite me in the way that they did, so, I was nervous."

Martin's Bulls analogy is only natural, since he once played with the New York Knicks. When asked why he chose acting over basketball, he responds simply, "They cut me." Then, perhaps realizing the possible double meaning of his statement in its present context, he amends it to, "They released me, so they pushed me out into the real world."

For Jamie Kennedy, the opportunity to reprise his role as resident film buff Randy Meeks was a welcome one. "For me to come back, it was, like, great," he says, "'cause I didn't feel any pressure - I felt like I was walking into my home."

Kennedy still remembers his first taste of what would become the "Scream" franchise. "I got this script, it was like, two years ago, I guess, and it was called 'Scary Movie.' It was an awesome title, because the whole movie was this tongue-in-cheek thing."

While the title didn't stick, the tongue-in-cheek aspect certainly did. "When we were doing it, everyone thought it was cool, because ... you know, Wes is like this legend, and you had all these good kind of people that you never saw in scary movies before ... did I know that it was going to be like this? No. But I thought it was going to be cool."

A lot of the cast even seem to have more confidence in the sequel than the first film. "I think this is scarier than the first one," says Cox, who returns in her role as sleazy journalist Gale Weathers. "I think the characters are much richer ... everyone's elevated. I just like everyone's character better."

"I love to get scared," says Cox. "I really like movies that freak me out. Like, I love 'The Omen,' although I hate it, too ... it's really weird. Like, I can't sleep, but I love it. I just love the 'Scream's, I guess. I think they're the best scary movies there are."

And certainly, for the cast at least, one of the best things about the movies is director Wes Craven. Almost everyone had some sort of praise to heap upon him.

"[Wes is] real easy-going," says Omar Epps, who plays a new character, Phil. "He's the exact opposite of what you see on film ... Wes Craven is just calm under fire. In the midst of that chaos [during a riotous movie-theater scene] he was just laid-back, nonchalant."

"He's just so cool," says Neal. "It's great to work with him. He's just such a calm director.

Photo courtesy of Dimension Films Arizona Daily Wildcat "Scream 2" director Wes Craven.

"He's really open to ideas," says Cox. "He listens, but he has a very strong opinion - he's smart. You can ask him anything."

David Arquette, who returns as Dewey Riley, the quirky, but lovable now-ex-cop, adds, "Wes has got such a great attitude, that his demeanor and just, sort of, the way he speaks, presents a very calm set, a fun atmosphere."

Either Craven really is as cool and calm as they all say or they're all really scared of the man. The former seems much more likely when you actually meet him. In fact, the only real fear that comes to mind upon confronting him is whether "Scream 2," which deals implicitly with the idea of copycat violence, runs the risk of inspiring any demented minds.

"I don't think you can not worry about it, because there are so many people making so much of it," says Craven, who is indeed laid-back and nonchalant. "My instinct tells me that it is not significant enough to sacrifice what, as far as I'm concerned ... is some form of art."

"There apparently have been cases where people have said that they saw a movie and then went out and did something ... I mean, it's horrendous if somebody were to use a movie to pattern what they do, but I suspect those people are on that path already."

"I guess we could put a disclaimer," he adds, with a grin. "'Please, these killings have been done by professionals - do not try this at home.'"

Cox takes a harder line when asked if she has any such worries. "Well, at the beginning, it's like, 'Whoa, this is intense, intense, intense,' and then by the end of it, you realize it's such a story, and if there's ..." she pauses. "No. No, I don't."

Omar Epps isn't quite so sure. "When I watched the film last night, I was really sitting there, like, you know what? It's 1997, we live in a fucking morbid society, a society that gets off on death and carnage, and I'm sitting there like, some sick motherfucker is going to watch this movie and say, 'You know what? I'm gonna mock all of this.'"

Of course, "Scream 2" is even more ironically self-aware than the first "Scream," even going so far as to include jokes involving Cox's co-stars on "Friends" ("I didn't know about the David Schwimmer one," says Cox, "but I was personally involved with the Jennifer Aniston one.") and a cameo by Tori Spelling that relates back to a line from the first film. And by the end of the movie the plot takes a really funny turn - not in a desensitized-to-violence way, but in an absurdist, wacky way - that almost takes off that edge of lingering menace. The film's inherent campiness is heightened, leaving you feeling like you just watched a fun, if dark, comedy, as opposed to that feeling you get after coming out of "Seven."

Now let's see how they handle the third one.