Scream 3 (5 Stars)

I'm a big fan of the "Scream" films, as regular readers of my blog will already know. I even like this film, which is generally considered inferior to the first two parts by horror fans. Maybe the problem they have is that Kevin Williamson didn't write the screenplay, he merely had an advisory role for the new writer, Ehren Kruger. I personally don't see any break in the continuity. It's a logical conclusion to the trilogy; logical as far as the rules of trilogies allow. Here are film freak Randy's thoughts on the matter:

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.

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.

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.

I couldn't have said it better myself. The whole film is full of irony and self-parody on various levels. It's a meta-film. "Scream 3" is about a film being made about the Woodsboro killings, which took place in the first two films. The film within a film is called "Stab 3". The first two Stab films were based on the events of the first two Scream films, but since there have been no more killings since the end of "Scream 2", "Stab 3" is purely fictional. But now a killer has appeared who is killing people in the same order as the deaths in the screenplay of "Stab 3", so the film is coming true. We see doubles running through the film; the characters are accompanied by the actors playing their roles. And hanging over all of this are Randy's words, telling us that everything that is happening is part of a film. Different layers of reality. This is an incredible film, no less riveting than the first two.

Click here to view the trailer.
 
I reviewed "Scream" here.
 
I reviewed "Scream 2" here.
 
I reviewed "Scream 4" here.