[5]
The Scream franchise creaks and bows under the strain of an increasingly incredulous plot in the concluding chapter of the original trilogy. Yet another killer is donning the Ghost Face mask, this time preying on the cast and crew of Stab 3, a movie about the events of the first film. Courtney Cox’s Gale Weathers visits the set, trying to scoop the story for her news program, and discovers David Arquette’s Deputy Dewey is serving as an advisor for the film. As the body count rises, the killer succeeds in bringing their old pal Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) out of seclusion for a final showdown that reveals more secrets about Sidney’s slain mother.
Scream 3 is never as funny or thrilling as its predecessors, relying almost entirely on the residual charm of its returning cast members to carry it over the finish line. The whole Stab 3 film production plot fails to engross while we’re waiting for Sidney to join Gale and Dewey and get the party started. Seeing new cast members Parker Posey, Emily Mortimer, and Matt Keeslar play the Stab 3 versions of Gale, Sidney, and Dewey may sound like a clever idea, but the script never makes good use of them. Only Posey leaves much of an impression as a thorn in Gale’s side.
Jump scares are numerous, cheap, and uninspired. With all due respect to director Wes Craven, it feels as though his heart just isn’t in it anymore. The screenplay by Ehren Kruger isn’t nearly as clever as Kevin Williamson’s work on the first two films, either. Scream 3 is really only good for spending a few extra minutes with the great characters established in the first two films, which includes a surprise, ‘back from the dead’ cameo by Jamie Kennedy.
With Scott Foley, Patrick Dempsey, Deon Richmond, Patrick Warburton, Lance Henriksen, and a nice cameo by Carrie Fisher.