
Scream 3
2000, Comedy/Horror, 1h 56m
125 Reviews 250,000+ RatingsWhat to know
critics consensus
Despite some surprising twists, Scream 3 sees the franchise falling back on the same old horror formulas and cliches it once hacked and slashed with postmodern abandon. Read critic reviews
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Where to watch
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Movie Info
Cast & Crew
Dwight "Dewey" Riley
Sidney Prescott
Gale Weathers
Detective Mark Kincaid
Roman Bridger, Director
John Milton, Director
News & Interviews for Scream 3
Critic Reviews for Scream 3
All Critics (125) | Top Critics (35) | Fresh (50) | Rotten (75)
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The series is already so dense with internal references and exposition that it's on the verge of becoming more of a trivia game than a movie series. Still, for the initiated, the third time's a charm. For everyone else, it's just a scream.
June 26, 2019 | Rating: 3/4 | Full Review… -
[The cast] is good. And so are director Wes Craven's inventive stagings of these set-tos. Not so good is the absence of hip cross-references to the classic horror tropes.
June 25, 2019 | Full Review… -
Virtually none of the craftsmanship of Craven's best is on display here, and what good ideas do turn up are largely recycled from previous efforts. This Scream has been widely marketed as the series' final installment. Better late than never.
June 17, 2019 | Full Review… -
Tthe movie belabors the idea that it's the last of a trilogy rather than the third in a series.
September 7, 2011 | Full Review… -
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.
May 20, 2011 | Rating: C- | Full Review… -
Scream 3 is a crafty and well-crafted wrap-up that really does bring a satisfying sense of closure to the franchise.
March 26, 2009 | Full Review…
Audience Reviews for Scream 3
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Sep 07, 2015One of the things that bothered me about this series, and that I just realized as I was watching the film, is the fact that every film in the trilogy features completely different villains under the Ghostface mask. Yet, and despite the sequels' connectivity with the original film, everyone of those villains somehow managed to buy the same exact voice changer to mask their voice. I mean the voice for Ghostface is exactly the same in all three films. And don't even get me started on the incredibly liberal use of the voice changer in THIS film. Somehow this voice changer has all of the characters' voices stored in it. How? Why? For a film that was all about making fun of horror cliches, they're starting to play into the very thing that they were making fun of. They don't even bother to explain how this voice changer is able to capture the voices of every character in the film despite the villain him/herself not being in contact with some of the characters that he/she has stored in the voice changer. Talk about stupid. With that said, it's not like I found this film to be terrible or anything of the sort. It is an obvious step down from the first two films. This is the problem with both sequels, it's that it felt like they lacked what made the first Scream so unique. Scream 2 had some of what made it special, but this one played right into everything that the movie chose to mock. You know how I said the first two deaths of Scream were more gruesome than everything in Scream 2. Well, I'd like to modify that a bit, the first two deaths in Scream are more gruesome than anything in Scream 2 and 3 combined. Think about that. I don't mean to say more violent because the death count, between 2 and 3, is obviously higher than the original film. But as far as deaths that were gruesome, 2 and 3 are like watching a Disney film when compared to the first film. With the exception of Randy's video tape where he explains the rules of a trilogy, this is really a straightforward slasher through and through. There's a lot of talk about trilogies in the narrative, but only the Randy scene feels like something that feels true to the original concepts of the first film. I did like the addition of Parker Posey as Jennifer, or Gale in the film-within-a-film, Stab 3. Parker is really damn entertaining in this film and if they were heading towards a more comedic style while toning down on the violence, to avoid criticism or controversy, then they did a good enough at choosing a cast to make the transition a little easier. Posey might, honestly, be the best part of this entire film. The horror itself is definitely more mixed than the comedic aspects of the film. I don't know, I just don't think that Ghostface, as a villain, was never really that terrifying. I mean, he/she is a homicidal maniac going around knifing people. It's something that's closer to reality than the usual slashers, but he just doesn't inspire much fear. Again, part of it is due to the fact that you're thinking about who's behind the mask this time and not his actions. That takes away some of that effectiveness that the character might've had otherwise. But that's just me. The horror is definitely average in this film, it's nothing special. It's a perfectly fine way to close off this trilogy, but there's no denying that it's an obvious step down from the two previous films. Whether knowingly or not, Scream 3 became exactly the same thing it once mocked. It's never a terrible film, and it's a decent sendoff to the trilogy, but it's not that I would exactly recommend it or that you would be missing out on anything if you chose to skip this film. Average at best.Jesse O Super Reviewer
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Apr 06, 2015Scream 3 just didn't need to be made...if only they'd kept it as two films. It seems to fall short of its own cynical nature and much like the Shrek franchise did, it became exactly what it was set out to parody. Quite unfortunate really.Harry W Super Reviewer
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Oct 25, 2012Wes, you're better than this! Becomes itself from the beginning.Jason 123 D Super Reviewer
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Mar 16, 2012Scream 3 is complete garbage, and has devolves into the very thing that the series started out mocking. Now in trilogy territory, Sidney must once again confront the Ghostface Killer when he taunts her with clues to her mother's past as he kills off the cast of the latest "Stab" movie. Campbell, Cox, and Arquette return and are joined by Parker Posey, Patrick Dempsey, Lance Henrikson, and Jenny McCarthy. The story is complete garbage, and the acting (if it can be called such) is awful. There's nothing clever or insightful in this film, it's just insipid tripe. Scream 3 is a sad, pathetic sequel that bears little resemblance to the original.Dann M Super Reviewer
Scream 3 Quotes
Gale Weathers: | I've got an idea, I'll hook up with you guys later. |
Riley: | Do you want us to come with you? |
Gale Weathers: | I work better alone. Why don't you try to find out where those other pictures were taken? |
Sidney Prescott: | I can see nothing's changed. |
Riley: | No. |
Roman Bridger: | You follow directions well Sidney. Now, welcome to the final act! |
Dewey Riley: | So you know Sidney Prescott's mother? |
John Milton: | Who? |
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