Wikipedia

Scary Movie 2

Scary Movie 2is a 2001 Americansupernaturalparody filmdirected byKeenen Ivory Wayans.It is the sequel toScary Movieand the second film in theScary Moviefilm series.The film starsAnna Faris,Regina Hall,Shawn WayansandMarlon Wayans(all reprising their roles from the first film, despite their characters having been killed), as well asTim Curry,Tori Spelling,Chris Elliott,Chris Masterson,Kathleen Robertson,David CrossandJames Woods.The film was the last in the series to feature the involvement of stars Marlon and Shawn Wayans, and director Keenan until the upcoming sixth installment. Marlon would eventually go on to produce a similar horror-themed parody,A Haunted House,andits sequel,both starring himself. In the latter film, Wayans pokes fun at theScary Movieseries' decline in quality after his family's departure.

Scary Movie 2
Theatrical release poster
Directed byKeenen Ivory Wayans
Written by
Based onCharacters
Produced byEric L. Gold
Starring
CinematographySteven Bernstein
Edited by
Production
companies
  • Gold/Miller Productions[1]
  • Wayans Bros. Entertainment[1]
  • Brad Grey Pictures[1]
Distributed byDimension Films[1]
Release date
  • July 4, 2001(2001-07-04)
Running time
82 minutes[2]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$45 million[3]
Box office$141.2 million[3]

Where the original film was mainly based on theslasher filmsof the 1990s,Scary Movie 2parodies an array of supernatural and haunted house films from various decades, namelyThe Haunting(1999),Stigmata(1999),The Exorcist(1973),The Rocky Horror Picture Show(1975),The Amityville Horror(1979),Poltergeist(1982),The Legend of Hell House(1973),House on Haunted Hill(both the1959and1999 versions),The Changeling(1980),What Lies Beneath(2000) andBloodbath at the House of Death(1984) while also making many references to the slasher flickI Still Know What You Did Last Summer(1998). It also spoofs the comedy filmDude, Where's My Car?(2000) and some contemporary films, such asHannibal(2001),Hollow Man(2000) andCharlie's Angels(2000).

Scary Movie 2was commercially successful, grossing $141.2 million worldwide from a $45 million budget, but received largely negative reviews from critics. Asequelwas released in 2003.

Plot

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At the haunted mansion Hell House, teenager Megan Voorhees becomes possessed by the spirit of Hugh Kane, the house's cruel, wicked previous owner. She interrupts a formal dinner party, thrown by her mother, who seeks help from two priests, Fathers McFeely and Harris. After an unsuccessful attempt to exorcise Kane's ghost, McFeely pulls a gun and shoots Megan.

One year later,Cindy Campbell,Brenda Meeks, Ray Wilkins and Shorty Meeks are at college, trying to live new lives after surviving the events of the first film. Cindy and Brenda are tagged by socially maladjusted Alex. Shorty is still the same stoner he was before. Ray, still confused about his sexuality, has two new male friends, Tommy and Buddy, the latter of whom becomes romantically interested in Cindy. She rebuffs him but agrees to be friends.

The sinister Professor Oldman and his charming paraplegic assistant, Dwight Hartman, plan to study the paranormal activity at Hell House. They recruit Cindy and her friends as test subjects under the pretense of a psychological experiment onsleep paralysis.On her drive to the mansion, Cindy listens and sings badly along to "Graduation"byVitamin Cwhom through the radio tells her to shut up. At the mansion, Cindy encounters a foul-mouthed parrot and Hanson, a creepy caretaker with a badly malformed hand. Later, the attractive Theo joins the group. They sit down for dinner but soon lose their appetite due to Hanson's repulsive handling of the food.

That night, Cindy hears voices directing her to a secret room, where she and Buddy discover Kane's wife's diary. Seeing her portrait, they note Cindy's (slight) resemblance. Meanwhile, the others also experience bizarre encounters. Kane's ghost has sex with Alex in her bedroom and quickly departs at the mention of commitment. Cindy gets into a fistfight with the house cat, Mr. Kittles. When Cindy tries to tell Oldman, he dismisses it and sends Theo to take Cindy to bed.

Later, Cindy is possessed by Kane's wife, and she seduces Oldman. She quickly returns to normal, with no memory of the event. A toy clown attempts to kill Ray, but in a strange turn of events, the doll is molested by him instead. A weed-monster rolls Shorty into a joint. It proceeds to smoke him (to his enjoyment), but gets distracted and lets him escape.

The next morning, Oldman tells Dwight that no one is leaving the house despite the attacks and shows his lecherous nature. Dwight is given the only house keys and told to give them to nobody. Theo offers oral sex to no avail; Dwight does it to himself. She knocks him out and takes the keys.

Oldman is seduced and killed by the ghost of Kane's mistress, Victoria Crane. Shorty later encounters the same ghost but charms and has sex with her. After Dwight equips the teens with weapons that can injure their spectral enemy, they are pursued throughout the mansion, Alex attempts to win Kane's love, but is killed by Crane's ghost. Buddy and Cindy are locked in the walk-in freezer. Cindy uses a collection of random objects to produce aCaterpillar 2-Ton tractorand escapes the freezer. Hanson becomes possessed by Kane and kidnaps an inebriated Shorty. Cindy, Brenda, and Theo team up to battle him with highly stylized fight choreography but are defeated. Dwight regroups with the teens, and Cindy volunteers to act as bait to lure Kane into a device that will destroy him. The plan succeeds, freeing the group from the house's curse.

Two months later, Cindy and Buddy are in a relationship. They are out on a walk when Hanson appears to take her away with him. Buddy disappears as Hanson gets hit by a car, driven by Shorty.

Cast

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Parodies

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Production

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The film is a sequel toScary Movie.According to directorKeenen Ivory Wayans,the filmmakers watched over 130 horror films for background research.[4]Marlon Brandowas originally cast as Father McFeely and completed one day of filming before he had to leave the production due to illness.[5][6]He was replaced byJames Woodswho was paid $1 million for four days work.[7] Charlton Hestonhad also turned down the Woods role. At one point, former PresidentBill Clinton,who had just left office the year the film came out, was also considered.

Because Miramax had not greenlit this sequel until the massive box office success of the first, the film faced a punishing production schedule that involved coming up with a script and tearing through production and post-production in a total of less than nine months, roughly half the average time for all those steps to be completed on a standard Hollywood production in 2000–2001. It was this rushed production that made the Wayans never want to make anotherScary Movie,and they were not involved in any of the sequels.

Music

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Unlike its predecessor, the film does not have an official soundtrack. It features a heavilyhip hopandrapcatalogue, with somerockandtechnosongs.

Release

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Home media

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The film was released onVHSandDVDbyBuena Vista Home Entertainmentunder theDimension Home Videobanner on December 18, 2001,[8][9]with an array of special features, includingcommentariesand variousdeleted scenes.

Following the sale of Miramax to Farmyard Holdings,Lionsgate Home Entertainmentlater reissued the DVD, and released the film onBlu-rayon September 20, 2011.[10]

Reception

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Box office

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Scary Movie 2opened on the Fourth of July weekend and ranked second at the US box office behindCats & Dogs,with $20.5 million.[11]In North America, the film grossed $71.3 million. With $69.9 million internationally, the worldwide gross comes to $141.2 million. Out of the first fourScary Moviefilms, this was the least successful to date, untilthe fifth filmin 2013.[3][12]

Critical response

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OnRotten Tomatoes,Scary Movie 2has an approval rating of 14% based on 112 reviews and an average rating of 3.50/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Instead of being funny, this gross-out sequel plays like a sloppy, rushed-out product."[13]OnMetacritic,the film has a score of 29 out of 100 based on 25 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".[14]Audiences polled byCinemaScoregave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale.[15]

References

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  1. ^abcd"Scary Movie 2".AFI Catalog of Feature Films.Archivedfrom the original on June 9, 2019.RetrievedNovember 6,2018.
  2. ^"Scary Movie 2(18) ".British Board of Film Classification.July 16, 2001.Archivedfrom the original on November 19, 2015.RetrievedSeptember 19,2014.
  3. ^abc"Scary Movie 2 (2001)".Box Office Mojo.Archivedfrom the original on July 15, 2019.RetrievedNovember 6,2018.
  4. ^Brook, Tom (July 6, 2001)."Scary sequel 'out-grosses' first".bbc.co.uk.Archivedfrom the original on April 11, 2023.RetrievedOctober 18,2016.
  5. ^Silverman, Stephen M. (June 15, 2001)."Brando's 'Scary' Scene".people.com.Archivedfrom the original on October 19, 2016.RetrievedOctober 18,2016.
  6. ^"Natasha Lyonne Recalls when Marlon Brando 'Held My Boob' in Scary Movie 2: 'Showbiz Was A-Okay'".Archivedfrom the original on January 24, 2024.RetrievedJanuary 24,2024.
  7. ^"Hugh Grant up for Harry Potter role".theguardian.com. June 29, 2001.Archivedfrom the original on January 6, 2020.RetrievedOctober 18,2016.
  8. ^Wallis, J. Doyle (December 26, 2001)."Scary Movie 2".DVD Talk.Archivedfrom the original on November 11, 2019.RetrievedApril 30,2016.
  9. ^Saccone, Melinda (December 7, 2001)."Rental Spending Down for Week Ended Dec. 3, But December Holds Gifts".hive4media.com.Archived fromthe originalon December 23, 2001.RetrievedSeptember 24,2019.
  10. ^"Scary Movie 2 Blu-ray".Blu-ray.com.Archivedfrom the original on July 25, 2018.RetrievedMay 4,2016.
  11. ^Linder, Brian (July 10, 2001)."Weekend Box Office: Reigning Cats & Dogs".IGN.Archivedfrom the original on May 20, 2023.RetrievedMay 20,2023.
  12. ^"Scary Movie".Box Office Mojo.Archivedfrom the original on July 26, 2019.RetrievedNovember 6,2018.
  13. ^"Scary Movie 2(2001) ".Rotten Tomatoes.Fandango.Archivedfrom the original on November 14, 2021.RetrievedDecember 18,2021.
  14. ^"Scary Movie 2Reviews ".Metacritic.CBS Interactive.Archivedfrom the original on September 2, 2017.RetrievedAugust 21,2017.
  15. ^"SCARY MOVIE II (2001) B".CinemaScore.Archived fromthe originalon December 20, 2018.
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