Movie Review by Nigel A. Messenger
Starring: Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox Arquette, David Arquette, Jenny McCarthy
Director: Wes Craven
SCREAM 3 is (supposedly) the final instalment of a trilogy of SCREAM movies. Once again Sidney (Neve Campbell) is the ultimate target of the killer in a ghoul mask. Sidney is now living in isolation, somewhere in the countryside with her house suitably wired for security and all sensible precautions taken to guard against psycho-killer attack.
Meanwhile the third in a trilogy of films is being made under the title STAB 3, based on the events that took place in the original SCREAM movie.
The film, SCREAM 3 that is, opens with the familiar psycho attack, at first taunting the victim by phone, however the victim is due to appear in a cameo part in STAB 3, and this sets the pace for the rest of the movie as the victims in SCREAM 3 are killed off in the same order as they are due to be “killed off” in STAB 3, which has just gone into production (in the story) ?? are you following it so far ?!!!
To give any more of the plot away would only ruin your enjoyment of the film, as SCREAM 3 relies on the ability to make the audience jump?? and it does, a number of times!
This is not your usual slasher picture, as it’s a slasher movie and a clever whodunit, which unless someone tells you, you will never be able to guess the ending, until the end, which equals a good twist in the tale, as all good whodunits should have. It even has a classic whodunit monologue by the killer explaining the motives.
There are good “over the top” performances by Courtney Cox-Arquette and real life hubby David Arquette, Neve Campbell plays a now “wise to psycho-killers” target and Jenny McCarthy is excellent as the 35 year old playing an 18 year old in the movie within a movie (she actually says this in the film). The video store clerk returns in a video eulogy to explain the rules of a trilogy, all bets are off, anything goes, everyone’s a target, even the heroine, and what you thought was true probably isn’t!
One thing that is true is that this third SCREAM outing is a must see if you enjoyed either of the first two. It will make you jump and it does have a nice surprise twist when you find out who the killer is. Go see it, but practice holding your breath first.
By the way if you are not going to see it but want to know who the final killer actually is and the real reason for the killings, it was ??wait a minute, who’s there, who shut the door, why did the lights go out, why am I in a dark basement, I don’t have a basement!
