Scream 2 is a 1997 film, the second part of the Scream trilogy. As with the other films in the trilogy, Scream 2 combines straight-forward scares with dialogue that satirizes conventions of slasher films, especially (in this case) slasher film sequels.

The plot is centered on a group of college friends, an ex-cop and a news reporter as they deal with some mysterious killings that take place after the release of the horror movie Stab, which was inspired by the events of the original film. Many of the survivors from the first movie return to reprise their original roles in this film.

Sidney (Neve Campbell) and Randy (Jamie Kennedy) attend Windsor College now. They see on the news that a couple (Jada Pinkett Smith and Omar Epps) were murdered at the preview of Stab, a movie based on a book by Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox) about the Woodsboro murders. They realize that it's starting all over again. Dewey (David Arquette) is hanging around the campus to make sure Sidney's alright. Randy and Dewey talk to each other and explain to each other that anyone could be the killer (known as Ghostface), including themselves.

The killer attempts to kill Sidney, while setting up a copycat ploy. The pattern goes by names, Maureen Evans (Maureen Prescott) and Phil Stevens (Steven is Casey Becker's Boyfriend). Casey "Cici" Cooper a sorority girl, is the next victim, and her real name is Casey, like Casey Becker. Randy is the next victim when the killer calls and Gale and Dewey search for where the call is coming form when the killer says he can see them. Randy looks around and is outside of Joel's van when he is unexpectedly pulled into the van and stabbed viscously by the killer. Officer Andrews and Officer Richards are also killed. Gale and Dewey are caught up in a game of cat and mouse with the killer, resulting in Dewey being stabbed. After being trapped in a cop car that has crashed and narrowly escaping a "tight" squeeze Hallie, Sid's roommate is killed and Sid heads for the Campus theatre.

In the final confrontation on the school stage, the killers are revealed to be Sidney's new boyfriend's best friend, Mickey (Timothy Olyphant), and Mrs. Loomis (Laurie Metcalf), the mother of Sidney's previous boyfriend, Billy, who was the killer in the first film. Mrs. Loomis went insane after her family's break-up and wanted to kill Sidney and all who she holds dear as revenge against her mother. She kills Mickey, stating that his motive was completely absurd and that no one would believe it. (Mickey was going to blame it on the craze that the-film-within-a-film, Stab, had created.) Before he collapses, Mickey shoots Gale as she is running towards him, causing her to fall off the stage. Sidney is cornered by Mrs. Loomis and tricks her by saying, "Isn't Mickey supposed to be dead?", and when Mrs. Loomis looks, Sidney hits Mrs. Loomis in the face with a prop jar. Sidney then causes the stage to collapse on Mrs. Loomis. Mrs. Loomis survives, and gets Sidney in an arm-lock, and Cotton (played by Liev Schreiber, who was the man who went to jail for allegedly killing Sid's mother) shows up, and picks up Mickey's gun.

Mrs. Loomis tries to convince Cotton to kill Sidney, but Cotton shoots Mrs. Loomis instead. Gale is alive, as the bullet just bounced off her rib. But then, Mickey suddenly jumps up and Gale and Sidney shoot him multiple times. Then, Sidney turns around and shoots Mrs. Loomis in the head, "Just in case". It is then revealed that Dewey was alive after, quite literally, being stabbed in the back (while a horrified Gale watched while in a sound studio, unable to hear him cry for help because of sound-proof glass). Gale is overjoyed that he was found alive, and the movie ends with Sidney looking up into the sky and walking away from the scene of the carnage.

As with the first film, Scream 2 received a mostly positive critical reception. Roger Ebert noted the film as being "about as good as the original".

A signature device, started in Scream and continued in Scream 2 and Scream 3, was the typical "rules" for that type of horror movie being stated by the characters. In Scream 2, the rules for a sequel (as described by Randy) are:

The body count is always bigger.
The death scenes are always much more elaborate, with more blood and gore.
Randy starts to describe the third rule: "If you want your films to become a successful franchise, never, ever...' before being interrupted by Dewey. (The joke is that the filmmakers are admitting there is no surefire way to ensure a film franchise is successful.) However, the film's original teaser trailer featured an extended version of the rules scene which reveals that originally the third rule was supposed to be "Never, ever, under any circumstances assume the killer is dead." This referenced Randy's last line in the original Scream which stated that a killer always comes back to life for one last scare.