Scream 3 (2000)
Average Rating: 5.2/10
Reviews Counted: 111
Fresh: 40 | Rotten: 71
According to critics, Scream 3 has become what it originally spoofed. Despite some surprising twists, the movie seems to have lost its freshness and originality by falling back on the old horror formulas and cliches.
Average Rating: 5/10
Critic Reviews: 27
Fresh: 10 | Rotten: 17
According to critics, Scream 3 has become what it originally spoofed. Despite some surprising twists, the movie seems to have lost its freshness and originality by falling back on the old horror formulas and cliches.
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Average Rating: 2.8/5
User Ratings: 378,365
My Rating
Movie Info
Wes Craven's Scream (1996) was a half-parody/half-tribute to the first wave of slasher films of the 1970s and 1980s, and since most of them spawned a large number of sequels, it's only appropriate that Craven and screenwriter Kevin Williamson produced a third installment of their Scream franchise. Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell), traumatized by the brutal murders of her friends, has left her hometown of Woodsboro and is working in California as a crisis intervention counselor. Meanwhile, "Stab,"
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Cast
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David Arquette
Dewey Riley -
Neve Campbell
Sidney Prescott -
Courteney Cox
Gale Weathers -
Patrick Dempsey
Detective Kincaide -
Scott Foley
Roman Bridger -
Lance Henriksen
John Milton -
Matt Keeslar
Tom Prinze -
Jenny McCarthy
Sarah Darling -
Emily Mortimer
Angelina Tyler -
Parker Posey
Jennifer Jolie -
Deon Richmond
Tyson Fox -
Patrick Warburton
Steven Stone -
Liev Schreiber
Cotton Weary -
Heather Matarazzo
Martha Meeks -
Jamie Kennedy
Randy Meeks -
Carrie Fisher
Bianca -
Kevin Smith
Silent Bob -
Jason Mewes
Jay -
Roger Corman
Studio Executive -
Lisa Gordon
Waitress -
Josh Pais
Wallace -
Beth Toussaint
Female Caller -
Ken Taylor
Male Reporter -
Kelly Rutherford
Christine -
Julie Janney
Moderator -
Lisa Beach
Studio Tour Guide -
Lawrence Hecht
Neal Prescott -
Richmond Arquette
Student -
Roger L. Jackson
The Voice -
Lynn McRee
Maureen Prescott -
Nancy O'Dell
Female Reporter -
John Embry
Stage Security Guard -
Eric Erath
Stan -
D. K. Arredondo
Office Security Guard -
C.W. Morgan
Mr. Loomis
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All Critics (112) | Top Critics (27) | Fresh (41) | Rotten (75) | DVD (24)
Tthe movie belabors the idea that it's the last of a trilogy rather than the third in a series.
A limp movie-within-a-movie parody that closed the trilogy with a fizzle instead of the bang it deserved.
Scream 3 is a crafty and well-crafted wrap-up that really does bring a satisfying sense of closure to the franchise.
Craven has produced a poor carbon copy of his own New Nightmare.
Top CriticFulfills its modest ambitions by delivering a glib slasher spoof for the mall crowd.
The result is the usual fragmentary mixture of jolts and jokes, knife-wielding maniacs and red herrings.
Scream 3 is a fine ending to the trilogy. The teen horror franchise that ate itself.
Merely adheres to the very convoluted whodunit formula that it outwardly addresses via a from-the-grave video recording by Jamie Kennedy's genre know-it-all.
The self-referential setup is in place, but not the ingenuity or wit to take advantage of it.
...a rather anticlimactic finish to a series that started out with such promise...
An embarrassing carbon copy of its previous films...
End (hopefully) to the hit slasher saga.
Missing from the third installment are many of original scribe Kevin Williamson's self-referential genre jokes and a lot of his energetic bravura.
A bad slasher movie, made by a talented man who brought hardly a one of his talents to bear.
A truly tired sequel.
The other Scream films were also tricky and convoluted, but I don't remember them playing like the WB version of Murder, She Wrote, as Scream 3 too often does.
There is nothing particularly clever to make all the bloodshed -- and time spent in the theater -- worth it.
I hope to forget about this one's existence quickly. It pains me to think of a superb franchise hitting relative rock bottom.
Audience Reviews for Scream 3
Super Reviewer
Super Reviewer
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- Roman Bridger: Phone Voice: You're not going anywhere Sidney. It's time you came to terms with me, and with mother. Maybe you never knew her at all Sidney... maybe you just can't get past the surface of things.
- Sidney Prescott: Who the hell are you?
- Roman Bridger: Phone Voice: The other half of you. I searched for a mother too, an actress named "Reena Reynolds" tried to find her my whole LIFE, and four years ago I actually tracked her down. Knocked at her door thinking she'd welcome me with open arms, but she had a new life and a new name, Maureen Prescott! You were the only child she claimed Sidney. She shut me out into the cold forever! Her own son. [takes off mask to reveal he is Roman Bridger] Roman: Roman Bridger, director, and brother. She slammed the door in my face, Sid. She said I was "Reena's" child and Reena was dead... and then it struck me. What a good idea, so I watched her. I made a little movie, a little family film. Seems Maureen..."Mom"... she really got around. I mean Cotton was one thing; everybody knew about that. But Billy's father - that was the key. Your boyfriend didn't like seeing his daddy in my film too much. He didn't like it at all. And once I supplied the motivation... all the kid needed was a few pointers. Have a partner to sell out incase you got caught, find someone to frame, it was like he was making a movie.
- Sidney Prescott: You... this is all because of you.
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- Jennifer Jolie: Jese!
- Gale Weathers: What the hell are you doing?
- Jennifer Jolie: Being Gale Weathers! What are you doing?
- Gale Weathers: I *am* Gale Weathers!
- Jennifer Jolie: Here's how I see it. I've got no house, no bodyguard, no movie and I'm being stalked. Because someone wants to kill me? No, because someone wants to kill you. So, now, starting now, I go where you go. So that if someone wants to kill me, I'll be with you and since they really wanna kill you, they won't kill me, they'll kill you, make sense?
- Gale Weathers: None!
- Jennifer Jolie: You know in the movies, I play you as being much smarter!
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- Jennifer Jolie: Oh my God Gale Weathers, listen, I know we've never met, and I don't mind your not returning my calls but after two films I feel like I am in your mind!
- Gale Weathers: Hmn, That would explain my constant headaches.
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- Dewey Riley: Creepy Karen?
- Randy Meeks: Shut up! She's a sweet person, okay? We were working late. We were putting away some videos in the porno section, and, you know, shit happens. (shouting and knocking from the door behind him) Fifteen minutes. (it continues) Paul, fifteen minutes! I'm leaving my legacy. (it continues) Fifteen minutes, Paul! Damn! Anyway, the reason I'm here is to help you so that my death will not be in vain. That my life's work will help save some other poor soul from getting mutilated. If this killer does come back, and he's for real, there are a few things that you gotta remember. Is this simply another sequel? Well, if it is, same rules apply. But, here's the critical thing. If you find yourself dealing with an unexpected back-story, and a preponderance of exposition, then the sequel rules do not apply. Because you are not dealing with a sequel. You are dealing with the concluding chapter of a trilogy. That's right. It's a rarity in the horror field, but it does exist, and it is a force to be reckoned with. Because true trilogies are all about going back to the beginning and discovering something that wasn't true from the get-go. Godfather, Jedi, all revealed something that we thought was true that wasn't true. So if it is a trilogy you are dealing with, here are some super trilogy rules. One: you've got a killer who's gonna be superhuman. Stabbing him won't work. Shooting him won't work. Basically, in the third one, you've gotta cryogenically freeze his head, decapitate him, or blow him up. Number two: anyone, including the main character, can die. This means you, Sid. I'm sorry. It's the final chapter. It could be fucking Reservoir Dogs by the time this thing is through. Number three: the past will come back to bite you in the ass. Whatever you think you know about the past, forget it. The past is not at rest! Any sins you think were committed in the past are about to break out and destroy you. (long pause) So in closing, let me say...good luck, godspeed, and for some of you, I'll see you soon. 'Cause the rules say some of you ain't gonna make it. I didn't. Not if you're watching this tape (the video promptly ends).
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- Roman Bridger: Com'on guys! come in join the party...
- Gale Weathers: Actually we're here to see Sidney...
- Roman Bridger: Well Sidney's here...
- Dewey Riley: Where? Where's Sidney?
- Roman Bridger: She's right there! [pointing Angelina]
- Jennifer Jolie: Jesus not 'Sidney'!, Sidney! Like I'm 'Gale' and She's Gale [Gale Weathers]
- Roman Bridger: Sidney Prescott? No, I never invited her here...
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- Angelina Tyler: I did not fuck!. that pig Milton, to get a leading role just to die here with second rate celebrities like you two! [Gale and Jennifer are shocked of what they heard]
Discussion Forum
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Latest News on Scream 3
July 15, 2008:
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February 27, 2007:
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September 28, 2006:
Wes Craven To Write and Direct Again; Also Plans Horror Remakes?Of His Own MoviesHorror auteur Wes Craven has announced his return to making his original horror films, and is...
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"Someone has taken their love for trilogies one step too far."
Scream 3 is an obvious and sad step down from the greatness of the first two movies. Still, it's better than about 90% of slashers out there, especially when franchises get deeper into their runs. Williamson not writing the script hurt the movie most, but it's still his story, so at least he is there in some way. The film is still very tongue in cheek and relies on humor, as a way to parody the genre. I'll admit that, even me, someone who likes this movie, can see why a lot of people don't. Especially given that the first two were instant classics.
Describing a plot for a movie like this is kind of a waste of time, especially when it's pretty much the exact same plot as the first two. This time however the killing isn't going on in Woodsboro, but in Hollywood, where Stab 3 is being made. There's a lot of Hollywood humor thrown into the movie and in a way Craven makes some good references to what Hollywood really is, but it's still vastly inferior to his previous commentaries.
The cast is pretty good with a lot of returning faces and some new ones including Parker Posey, Emily Mortimer, Scott Foley, and Patrick Warburton. The movie has its problems, but that is normal for the genre. It's just more disappointing because the first two were so good. Had Scream and Scream 2 never been made and a movie of this quality came out, we would probably view it in a different light. That's the hardship of success though. When you do great, more is expected from you.
Overall, I still enjoy this movie every time I see it. Did I expect more from it the first time I watched it? Yeah, but I've come to respect it for what it is. It's not a genre changing film like the first two were. It's just an add on for the people that really love the Scream franchise. Scream 4 was more of the same. So in the end, this franchise is still the best slasher franchise out there from start to finish in my eyes. Although it helps that most of them suck right from the get go.