Wes Craven and Kevin Williamson had the unenviable task of recreating the original Scream's magic with Scream 2, but reshoots saved the killer reveal from being seriously underwhelming. Released less than a year after 1996's Scream, the first sequel's sharp script and brutal, unhinged Ghostface resulted in a worthy successor. Timothy Olyphant makes the most of his minimal screen time as Mickey, conveying charm, humor, and just a hint of frenzy before his unmasking.
Scream 2 continues Sidney Prescott's (Neve Campbell) story as she attempts to move past the original Woodsboro massacre and now attends Windsor College. When a copycat killer emerges at the premiere of Stab, Scream's movie-within-a-movie, Sidney is forced to question her new relationships. Meanwhile, Woodsboro survivors Dewey Riley (David Arquette) and Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox) are thrown together again to investigate the Ghostface attacks.
Mickey's Ghostface reveal makes perfect sense when analyzing his behavior. However, Scream 2's DVD audio commentary confirms that reshoots saved the twist. Mickey's role was far too obvious in the original footage, while his lack of any one-on-one scenes with Sidney would have made for a disappointing reveal. Thankfully, reshoots allowed for a subtler, more complex story and provided another scene for Sarah Michelle Gellar's Cici.
Initially, Mickey might not seem like the most obvious choice for Ghostface. However, several clues tease Mickey as Scream 2’s killer. He is regularly seen holding a video camera, and it’s later revealed Ghostface is filming the crime scenes. The larger clue is in the classroom scene with fellow film student Randy (Jamie Kennedy), where they debate the merits of sequels, especially in the horror genre. Mickey attempts to champion the notion that “many sequels have surpassed their original”. This conversation was originally filmed in a large auditorium, with feels more impersonal. There is no Cici or Joshua Jackson cameo to share the dialogue, so most lines are split between Mickey and Randy. The former is considerably more emphatic than his casual demeanor in the final film. This positions Mickey as the prime suspect; therefore, the scene was reshot. Speaking on the underrated Scream 2’s commentary, Williamson confirmed, “Mickey seemed too suspicious and it was better to introduce all these other characters and let him sit further in the background”.
The reshoots altering the scene allowed Mickey to sit back and stoke a debate shared with the rest of the class. The new setting of a small classroom also provides a friendlier, more intimate environment that successfully contrasts with Scream 2’s bloodshed. Craven stated that one reason for the reshoot was to better utilize Sarah Michelle Gellar's casting. Cici was only meant to appear in the sorority house scene, murdered by Ghostface. It would have been a missed opportunity not to give Buffy the Vampire Slayer star Gellar more screen time, and her presence in the classroom reveals more about Cici’s interests and personality. Further, her taunting of Mickey’s sequel argument gives him a greater incentive to kill Cici. Ultimately, Mickey became much better after reshoots. The hospital scene where he comforts Sidney was another late addition, as the filmmakers realized they hadn’t firmly established the pair's friendship. It's the only time Mickey is alone with Sidney, deepening their connection and allowing him to point suspicion at her boyfriend, Derek (Jerry O'Connell).
Without this moment, Mickey would have only been present within a group setting, hindering the impact of his Ghostface killer identity. Mickey's manipulation of Sidney also lends greater meaning to his later actions when Derek serenades Sidney in front of the busy cafeteria. Mickey's a film major who casually cites the Top Gun connection, even providing Derek's intro and encouraging applause from the crowd. Scream 2's reshoots help imply that Mickey goaded his friend's romantic gesture, anticipating Derek would be punished by his fraternity, resulting in his helpless position in the climax and further tormenting Sidney.
