Quartile rating: 6/10 · 1 rating
As bodies begin dropping around the Hollywood set of STAB 3, the third film based on the gruesome Woodsboro killings, Sidney and other survivors are once again terrorized by another Ghostface killer.
Scream 3 is widely regarded as the weakest entry in the original trilogy. The Hollywood self-referential angle feels like a tired rehash of the meta-commentary that was genuinely fresh in the first film, and the reveal of the killer and their motivation is poorly set up and largely unconvincing. The acting remains competent from the returning cast — Campbell, Cox, and Arquette are comfortable in their roles — but the script gives them less to work with. Cinematography is serviceable genre fare, nothing distinctive. Novelty is low: the satirical Hollywood backdrop feels like a recycled gimmick rather than a fresh idea, and the film leans on formula without earning it. The ending is particularly weak, with an awkward retcon backstory that undermines the original film's mythology.