15 Fascinating Behind-The-Scenes Facts And Trivia About ‘Scream 2’

Rather than getting an unrelated sequel like was common for the slasher horror subgenre, Scream extended its universe with Scream 2. We got to see Sidney in college, trying and failing to move on from the first movie. Of course, murder ensues. Let’s face it–the sequels are amazing. Even better, there’s some fascinating behind-the-scenes info you didn’t know you were missing. Warning: Spoilers ahead.

Matthew Lillard Got A Cameo

Although everyone’s favorite psychopath, Stu Macher, met his demise at the end of the first Scream, that didn’t mean his time with the series had ended. If you pay attention to the background at the frat part around the 35 minute mark, you may just spot Matthew Lillard having a beer. Just look for the blonde guy towering over all the other extras.

Courtney Cox’s Real World Internet Struggles

An hour into Scream 2, Randy comments on how Courtney Cox’s Gale Weathers had with fake nudes of her being released on the Internet. This was a reference to real life trouble Cox was having at the time. Photos were circulating of her online with her head superimposed onto someone else’s naked body. Not cool.

Jada Pinkett Smith’s Epic Death

Have you ever wondered why Jada Pinkett Smith’s death scene in the first part of the movie was so long? It was so drawn out that it even received a long parody scene in Scary Movie. It turns out, that was all Smith’s idea. She told Wes Craven, “I want to die the most horrific death that has ever happened in a horror film. I want it to be long and excruciating.” She certainly got her wish.

Randy’s Questionable Accent

Do you remember Randy’s odd accent switch earlier in the movie? Randy and Sid are walking through campus talking about the new killings and Randy switches to an English accent halfway through. Jamie Kennedy has stated that he had no idea why he did that–it was just an odd choice in the moment that made it into the final cut.

Wes Craven’s Rating Trick Backfired

Director Wes Craven had a rough time getting a rating below NC-17 for the original movie. He had to change a lot to get it an R. Rather than go through that process again for Scream 2, he sent the MPAA a vastly gorier version. He hoped that when they denied that version, they’d be more likely to approve the one he actually wanted. The plan backfired in a surprising way when the MPAA gave his ultra-gory version the okay for an R rating.

The Killers Were A Secret To The Cast

While filming Scream 2, there was a ton of speculation about who would be the killer or killers of the sequel. The producers were afraid that the secret could get out, so they took precautions to prevent that–including not telling the cast. The last 10 pages of the script were printed on gray paper so they couldn’t be photocopied and the cast only found out the real identities of the killers on the last day of principal photography.

Script Leaks Still Happened

Even though all those precautions were taken to protect the script, the original ending was leaked on the Internet. This led to numerous changes and rewrites. In that supposed original ending, Derek and Hallie, Sid’s boyfriend and best friend, were the real killers. When it was leaked, they switched to Mickey and Debbie Salt. In 2017, Kevin Williamson said the Derek/Hallie killer duo was actually a dummy ending in case the script was leaked.

Randy’s Death Came With A Clue

Seeing as Jamie Kennedy’s Randy was such a popular character, it only makes sense that a clue to the identity of one of the killers was missed by so many. The grief of his death made all of us blind. But if you go back for a rewatch, you might notice a bit of lipstick on his hand when his body’s discovered. This is a little clue that one of the killers is a woman, aka our good friend Debbie Salt.

Another Clue From Gale Weathers Herself

There’s another clue that Debbie’s the big baddie. During one of Debbie and Gale’s intense conversations, Gale feels the need to defend Dewie. She says, “Dewey is one of the good guys, unlike some of us.” She gives a hard look at Debbie, insinuating that the faux reporter isn’t as good as she seems.

The Bell Tower Baddie

An early version of the script had a creepy little addition to the end of the film. After the events of Scream 2, there was supposed to be a shot of a third Ghostface watching the campus from a bell tower. It’d be fun to know who they had in mind of that third killer. What a cliffhanger!

Stab Had It’s Own All-Star Director

Scream 2 introduced Stab, a scary movie within a scary movie–all based on the events of the first film. Rather than having Wes Craven direct the scenes for Stab, they got someone else to do it: Robert Rodriguez. You might know him as the director of Spy Kids or From Dusk Till Dawn. For Stab, he directed the Casey Becker and Sid and Billy scenes.

A Nod To The Original

Speaking of Stab, it’s a huge throwback to a conversation between Sid and Tatum in the original Scream. Tatum asks her who would play her if they made her life into a movie. She said, “With my luck, they’d cast Tori Spelling.” Sure enough, Scream 2 cast Tori Spelling as Sidney in Stab. She had some interesting luck after all.

Someone Lived Your Dreams By Winning A Role

In the leadup to Scream 2, MTV decided they wanted to make one lucky fan live their dreams. They held a contest where one winner could get a walk-on role in the film. You can spot the winner, Paulette Patterson, as the usher handing out Ghostface costumes to Jada Pinkette Smith and Omar Epps in the first scene.

Scream 2‘s Projected Success Had Big Blockbusters Quaking

Scream 2 came out on December 12, 1997, but did you know some big blockbusters were supposed to come out then, too? When producers saw that Scream 2 would be coming out the same day, they pushed back the release dates for Tomorrow Never Dies and Titanic to avoid the competition. It’s absolutely wild that these big hits were so scared of the Scream franchise.

Matilda Gets A Cameo–Kind Of

Fans of Matilda might have recognized one of the buildings in Scream 2. The Omega Beta Zeta sorority house, where Sarah Michelle Gellar’s Cici would meet her demise, was also used in Matilda as Miss Trunchbull’s mansion.