I am not a big fan of slasher/horror movies. In most, I just can’t get caught up in the intended tension of the flick, maybe because, like most gamers, I have a good grasp on the difference between fantasy and reality, and I realize that it’s only a movie. That realization is often well-enforced by the cheesy effects, gaping plot holes, bad acting, and bad production values of most slasher flicks. An over-reliance on dream sequences in some modern horror movies makes things even worse, ‘cause when anything can happen, it’s hard to empathically bond with the hero/heroine in figuring out what to do next. Consequently, I was slow to see Scream, but was very impressed with its production values (Wes Craven has come a long way), its blend of horror and comedy, its plot, its relatively high level of believability and realism, and its writing. The sequel lives up to the original, while surpassing it in production values and subtle, clever writing (okay, the sequel is also more graphic in its violence, if you like that kind of thing). Most importantly, it surpasses the original in its ability to creep out the audience. One way it does this, is by the setting of the original scene in a theatre where a movie called "Stab", based on the book by Gale Weathers (Courtney Cox’s character in Scream) about the "true story" of the first movie, is being shown. The parody of the original flick is very funny, but when bad things begin to happen, you just can’t help but start to look around your own, real, darkened theatre and wonder what psycho might be sitting behind you. (We went to a thinly attended mid-afternoon show; if the theatre had been packed, I would have felt even creepier.) Anyone who has played or run "Chill" or "Call of Cthulhu" or such knows that it is really hard to instill that creepy feeling to players and even harder to balance that creepy feeling with moments of laugh out loud humor.

I don’t want to give anything away about the plot, but I will say that I spent the hour after seeing the film remarking on all the little bits of dialogue and action that worked right for a change. Even a few things that seemed odd or wrong when they happened got explained later or, in retrospect, made sense once you knew the full story. Watching the first movie is a big help in understanding the characters and the plot, but seeing the original right before watching the sequel is especially good, because there are some subtle things that are absolutely hysterical if you catch the joke/reference from the first movie, but slide right by you otherwise. The movie also has a very good sense of itself as a sequel and, indeed, the characters remark upon its similarities to classic movie sequels as the action occurs. The writing is witty and subtle and much, much credit for the success of both films must go to Screenwriter Kevin Williamson—who has proven to me that he is no "one hit wonder", but rather an excellent writer.

Like any good gamemaster, Williamson knows how little it takes to misdirect the viewer/gamer or cast suspicion. We’ve all heard stories or participated in stories where gamers go chasing down a blind ally because they are second-guessing why a GM mentioned an unimportant detail. Groups start checking for traps on piles of dust in an otherwise empty room or get absolutely paranoid about opening a door or touching a piece of treasure just because the GM said "There’s nothing in this room, except a large pile of dust in the corner" or "The door/artifact appears to be normal". In fact, many a bad mystery and bad module can be quickly dissected by identifying the one seemingly irrelevant thing that happens in the first half-hour and recognizing it as the critical clue to solving the puzzle. Well, this movie is filled with little pieces of dialogue that viewers think (consciously or subconsciously) are clues, but aren’t necessarily. "Gee, Deputy Dewey, what’s with the limp—you got stabbed in the back." is a pretty trivial and even somewhat amusing piece of dialogue ‘til your mind starts to wonder if he’s faking the limp for some reason or got another injury that we don’t know about yet. I’ll admit that I did a better job on the "Whodunnit" side of the sequel than the original, but there is still plenty to keep you occupied watching the flick.