Scream 3 – Film Review

The third installment in the Scream trilogy is set in Hollywood, where `Stab 3′ is being shot, with Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox) and Dewey Riley (David Arquette) on set as advisors to Jennifer Jolie (Parker Posey). Unfortunately, a killer decides to off the cast in the order of the screenplay, and only Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell), now in hiding until the killer tracks her down, can solve the riddle.

One of the most noticeable things about Scream 3 is that it was not written by series writer Kevin Williamson. Here, he was replaced with Ehren Kruger, who most certainly doesn’t understand parody writing as well as Williamson does, and it shows. The third entry in the long-running horror-comedy series is nowhere near as self-aware and humorous as the first two, but it still manages to include some genuinely great moments along the way. You just have to understand going into Scream 3 that you probably won’t have as fun a time as you did the previous two outings, but an interesting central story and familiar faces make it worthwhile.

We all know that the Scream series is iconic and lauded for poking fun at the most tired horror movie tropes out there. To this day, Wes Craven‘s original film is the best in the series at showcasing this, but the sequel definitely did a fantastic job in that department as well. Scream 3 has a couple of amazing moments but other than that, this is the first entry in the series that feels like it took itself a bit too seriously. The sense of humor here isn’t as apparent as it was previously, and they even manage to throw in a romantic subplot in here as well. It’s a central romance we can root for, but it feels a little out of place in this otherwise comedic film about a deadly serial killer.

It may sound a little silly, but I absolutely love the aesthetic and setting of this film. The idea to set it in Hollywood where a movie called “Stab 3” is being filmed is genuinely genius. I’ve always been a sucker for horror films set during broad daylight (see Midsommar, for instance), and this movie is no exception. Although Scream 3 is not even close to being “scary”, it’s still a lot of fun to see a slasher take place in a tropical setting. That’s something that we simply don’t see anymore (except if you’re Ari Aster).

If there’s one thing you can bet on with the entire Scream franchise, it’s that the actors are always going to bring their best to their respective roles each and every time. Neve Campbell has truly never been better than she is here as Sidney Prescott, who manages to take the iconic final girl to new and exciting heights. David Arquette delivers an amazing performance as Dewey Riley, as does Courteney Cox as Gale Weathers.

As fun as this movie is, I just couldn’t help but wish it would explore Sidney Prescott’s grief a little more than it does. She has basically been to hell and back at this point in the series, and Kruger’s script barely even acknowledges this. They show us that she is now living in isolation so any potential new killer will be unable to locate her, but that’s about it. It really should’ve done something to explore her trauma.

But even still, Scream 3 is loads of fun and features an electric cast of characters investigating a genuinely great mystery. Although it’s not as good as the first two, it’s still a story worth checking out.