Scream 3 *** (2000, David Arquette, Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, Patrick Dempsey, Parker Posey, Matt Kesslar, Lance Henriksen, Liev Schreiber, Scott Foley, Emily Mortimer) – Classic Movie Review 2,831

The survivors of Scream 2 (1997) are back for a third bout – supposedly the final chapter – of slasher terror in Scream 3 (2000), as cash-in film-makers make a copycat movie called Stab 3, provoking yet another wave of murders.

Third time less lucky for director Wes Craven and star Neve Campbell in a much feebler teen chiller sequel. The survivors of Scream 2 (1997) are back for a third bout – supposedly the final chapter – of expert slasher terror in Scream 3 (2000), as cash-in film-makers make a copycat movie called Stab 3, provoking a new wave of murders.

While Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) lives in splendid isolation under guard, bodies begin dropping like flies around the set of Stab 3, the latest movie sequel based on the gruesome Woodsboro killings. When the escalating terror finally brings her out of hiding, Sidney and the other Woodsboro survivors are once again drawn into a life-or-death game of horror movie mayhem.

Scream 3 is chilling and entertaining enough, with a reasonable scream factor, though it does seem a bit tired and formulaic this time. That may be down to it having a different writer this time in Ehren Kruger, with Kevin Williamson just credited for creating the characters, though he had provided a five-page outline for two sequels to Scream when auctioning his original script.

It must still be a good formula, though: it took $90 million at the US box office and $161.8 million overall against a budget of $40 million.

Scream 3 was released on February 3, 2000.

Also in the cast are Patrick Dempsey as Detective Mark Kincaid, Parker Posey, Jenny McCarthy, Deon Richmond, Matt Kesslar, Patrick Warburton, Lance Henriksen, Liev Schreiber, Scott Foley, Emily Mortimer, Kelly Rutherford, Roger Corman (as Studio Executive) and Jamie Kennedy.

Scream 3 is parodied in Scary Movie (2000), which advertised ‘no sequels’ then went ahead and made four. Scream 3 turned out not to be the final chapter after all, with Scream 4 arriving in 2011, still with Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox and David Arquette, and once more made by Craven and again written by Kevin Williamson.

The Scream franchise

Scream (1996), Scream 2 (1997), Scream 3 (2000), Scream 4 (2011), Scream (2022), Scream VI (2023), Scream 7 (2026).

© Derek Winnert 2015 Classic Movie Review 2831

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