“Scream 2” benefits from the audience’s familiarity with the characters. The original held Gale, Dewey (David Arquette), and Randy (Jamie Kennedy) at an arm’s length. The movie’s whodunnit structure meant we weren’t really empathizing with them as victims since we knew there was a strong possibility that any one of them was the murderer. Going into “Scream 2,” we’d already gotten to know them, so we cared about their survival a lot more. Randy’s death in particular stings way more than any death in the original because of how familiar we are with him by that point in the series. 

This could give “Scream 6” a huge advantage over its predecessor, as we can now safely root for returning characters like Sam (Melissa Barrera), Tara (Jenna Ortega), Mindy (Jasmin Savoy Brown), and Chad (Mason Gooding), in addition to the returning legacy characters. We have some history with them, so it’ll be that much more intense whenever they’re in danger.

“Scream 2” also works as a smart continuation of Sidney and Gale’s character arcs from the first film. After Gale has her first-ever experience being alone and stalked by the killer, she starts to fully realize how much pain she’s put Sidney through and starts prioritizing the well-being of those around her over her obsession with getting a good inside scoop. Meanwhile, the film explores Sidney’s trauma from the events of the first film with surprising depth and sincerity, as the killer takes full advantage of her trust issues by constantly pushing her to falsely suspect her boyfriend, Derek (Jerry O’Connell). Derek’s dying words to Sidney are “I would never hurt you,” which breaks her to the point where she’s almost entirely isolated herself from society by the beginning of “Scream 3.” 

Considering the studio accomplished all that in less than a year, high hopes are justified as we wait for “Scream 6.”