Scream 2 is being broadcast on BBC 1 tonight, October 27 at 11.10pm – and it has been dubbed a “masterpiece” by some fans and critics

“A howling great time” is how one critic describes this popular slasher genre film – and few words encapsulate it better.

Scream 2, directed by Wes Craven and written by Kevin Williamson, is a 1997 scary movie starring Courteney Cox, David Arquette, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Neve Campbell, Jada Pinkett, Jamie Kennedy, Laurie Metcalf, Jerry O’Connell and Liev Schreiber.

With Halloween just round the corner, the hugely successful flick is being shown on BBC 1 at 11.10pm tonight, October 27.

Scream 2’s filming faced major setbacks when the script was leaked, exposing crucial plot points – including who the murderers were.

This forced writers to make sweeping changes and rewrites to alter many of the exposed details, reports the Express.

Following on from 1996’s Scream, this second instalment in the blockbuster Scream series raked in a massive $172.4 million worldwide against a $24 million production budget.

The Scream franchise spans six films, with a seventh currently being developed and scheduled for release in February 2026.

Scream 2 focuses on Sidney Prescott and tabloid journalist Gale Weathers, two characters who survived the carnage of the original slasher hit Scream, but their ordeal is nowhere near finished. When two university students are savagely slain during a preview screening of Stab – a movie inspired by the original massacre – it becomes apparent that a copycat killer has emerged.

Sidney and Gale, alongside fellow survivors Deputy Dewey and Randy, must identify the fresh murderer before they too fall victim.

Boasting an 83 per cent critics approval rating on review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes, Scream 2 received glowing responses from critics, with one writing: “It continues reinventing the slasher formula with interesting characters and clever story-telling that prove genre films don’t have to talk down to their audiences.”

Meanwhile, a second reviewer writes: “As sequel rules dictate, the body count and shock quota’s a lot higher. Unusually, it’s also a lot scarier and funnier too.”

Another critic believed it surpassed the original film, saying: “It’s the rare sequel that deserves to outdo its predecessor, extending the story rather than rehashing it.”

And a fourth reviewer added: “The master of sly contemporary slasher movies returns with a thriller that manages to out-frighten, out-funny and out-reference the original.”

One audience review of the film said: “Scream 2 builds on the strengths of the original, offering more of what made the first film so effective. It cleverly satirizes the pitfalls of horror sequels without falling victim to them itself. While it may not feel as fresh as its predecessor-and some character choices and plot points strain logic-it remains a strong sequel and a worthy addition to the franchise.”

Meanwhile, another viewer was thoroughly captivated as they wrote: “Scream 2 was AMAZING! In my opinion, Scream 2 was better than the first Scream movie. I did not see that twist near the end of the movie! Pure masterpiece.”

And one cinema-goer has declared it the finest Scream film across the entire series, writing: “Scream 2 is just a masterpiece that is even better than the original in my opinion. It started with a brilliant and fun opening scene (best opening scene that I have ever seen in a horror movie). Wes Craven did it again, an amazing movie! ! I just love this movie so much and it’s fun that there are new things added to this movie so that it’s not just the same as Scream 1. New and bigger locations, longer and better chase scenes, more kills… It’s just the best Scream movie in the franchise.”

Scream 2 will be broadcast on BBC 1 tonight at 11.10pm.