there was a lot riding on this movie .
everyone even moderately interested in the " scream " series was dying to know how it would end .
what would be the " final act " ?
this is the end of an era for them , a movie which has kept them up nights searching for clues on the internet , talking and tossing around rumors with their equally enthused buddies , and , for kids under 17 , those elaborate plots consisting of buying a ticket to one movie and hopping into " scream " while narrowly escaping those menacing ushers who are only a year or two older than themselves .
no need to worry ; " scream 3 " is endlessly inventive and entertaining , a fine epilogue to the series that made kevin williamson a household name , reinvented the horror genre , and continued in the self - referential , post - modern tradition of quentin and co .
so , how does the story go ?
as opposed to what some fanatical internet sites would have you believe , sidney prescott ( neve campbell ) , now all - grown - up and constantly dealing with her pass in the constantly tormented sector of her psyche , is not living in hollywood fulfilling her dream to become an actress , but rather in upstate california , living , understandably , alone in the confines of fences and vast security systems .
she works at home as a crisis center affiliate over the phone .
but that 's not where the movie starts off .
instead , in a tactic that reminded me of the somewhat similar , and conceptually horrifying , sequence in " eye for an eye " ( 1995 ) , cotton weary ( liev schreiber ) , now a big star , drives home to his girlfriend in traffic when the killer calls , demands the location of sidney 's home , and , when he does n't get it , threatens the life of cotton 's girlfriend christine , and cotton ca n't do anything to stop him .
the rest of the sequence is particularly clever , setting up a constant throughout the picture : the killer has a high - tech electronic voice - changer that tops that of the first two .
not only does he sound unmistakably like talented voice - over artist roger jackson ( ha , ha ) , he can now easily duplicate the voices of the lead characters , including sidney , and the returned gale weathers ( courtney cox arquette ) and dewey riley ( david arquette ) .
at the same time , stab 3 , the third film - within - a - film based around the characters and events of woodsboro and windsor college , has taken a less authentic approach this time around in return to woodsboro ;
whereas the account of the first two films was true , the franchise within " scream " has now become totally fictional .
nevertheless , we learn , cotton made an appearance in the movie which is now in production , as himself to be killed off in the first scene .
so , it seems that the real killer is offing our heroes in the order in which they bite it in the movie ? ? '
either the actor portraying them , or the real thing .
sometimes both .
clever , indeed .
but , who goes next ?
no one knows .
three different scripts were penned , we 're told , to keep the true finale off the internet ( a nod to the " scream " 2 fiasco a few years back ) and no one knows for sure which one the killer read .
still , all the while sidney stays concealed in her home , only visiting dad for the first half - hour of the film , while also having horrifying visions of her mother , which takes us back a bit to sidney 's fear of becoming what her mother was ? ? '
or , at least , what her mother was secretly .
when sidney finally ventures out to hollywood as the murders become more prevalent , she 's chased onto the set of stab 3 , wandering through " woodsboro , " written and directed as an odd , surreal , nightmare indeed , this is one of " scream 3 " 's finest moments
.
okay , over the years , i 'll admit that i 've become quite the " scream " fan .
no , i do n't have the ghostface costume or the director 's cut laserdisc , but i often find myself compelled to pop in the dvd of either member of the preceding duo , and can get quite caught up in the dramatic element of these films ( yes , i said " dramatic element " ) , sometimes debating with family and friends the possibilities and endless theories that have become quintessentially affiliated with " scream " .
throughout the film , though , i noticed a much more subtle approach than the other two films .
granted that there 's stabbin - a - plenty going on throughout , but there 's considerably less blood , less gore .
honestly , i like this approach .
it 's more classical , more rebellious ,
constantly demonstrating the capable direction of wes craven .
he knows when to hold back and at the same time makes the movie ooze with energy , illustrating the delicate poise flowing from his years of experience .
some critics have noted that " scream 3 " seems to take itself more seriously this time ; maybe so , or maybe screenwriter ehren kruger ( arlington road ) , who took over after williamson had scheduling conflicts , saw an opportunity for true irony ? ? ' maybe even a little bit of satire ? ? ' if the film worked in a few more clich ? ?
s .
what puts a damper on this otherwise exceptional and creative film
, i 'm afraid , is the ending , or , rather , the identity of the killer .
it does the job , i guess , accomplishes what it should , bringing the three films full circle , but upon my first viewing it seemed rather dissatisfying because it appears a little too contrived , too arbitrary ; after a second viewing , which i endeavored upon due to this recurring disapprobation , the killer 's identity still seems a little too random , but his motivation came across more sound this time around , and the eventual conclusion was ultimately more satisfying .
all in all , " scream 3 " does not fall victim to the most lamented principle of a trilogy
: it is not the worst of the films .
as a trilogy , " scream
" was a lot of fun ; refreshing , humorous , offbeat .
almost sad to see it go .
but then , it does seem best to quit while you 're ahead , and " scream 3 " does a fine job of providing closure to its characters .
for now , " scream " holds the title as the finest series of horror films to be committed to celluloid .
not too shabby .
Output: P