SCREAM 3

Third Strike

This sequel definitely won't set the horror world on fire the way the original did. Okay, that would've been cool. But since original scribe Kevin Williamson was too busy off working on being the next John Hughes to write this one, I guess I should be thankfull it doesn't totally suck.

The fact is that Williamson is sorely missed here. Ehren Kruger, who stepped in to write under heavy deadline pressure, just doesn't deliver the same zing. With all the surviving characters relocated to Hollywood, and a new string of Ghostface murders centered around the shooting of Stab 3, this should have been a riot of multi-layered references and f/x hi-jinx. As it is, the best they could do was a string of surprise celebrity (and in-joke) cameos. Say hi to Jay and Silent Bob!

The magic of the series is in its melding of laughs and scares - a difficult balance to maintain, especially since the first two films always played by the rules they set down.  3 has to get its scares the cheap way - a dream sequence or a hand on the shoulder - and rarely gives an honest chill.

As for the whodoneit element - well, a string of red herrings are lined up, all equal in their potential guilt. There's no fun in trying to figure out who's guilty since the story doesn't play fair. The revelation of the killer is about as surprising (and fun) as any simple guessing game.

The brightest spot in this picture is the chemistry between David and Courtney Cox Arquette. It's fun to see these two on-screen together. They should star in more films as a couple. Unfortunately, you can only hear a few notes of "Dewey's Theme" - a stolen soundtrack clip from John Woo's Broken Arrow used in the previous sequel. I always liked that touch, as if that was the tune Dewey played in his head.

Don't get me wrong - this is a fun movie. It ties up a lot of plot strings in interesting ways, and plenty of folks get stabbed. It's just a disappointment for a series that redefined the horror film just when it needed it.

Masked psycho killer; knife fu; scream queens; mucho horror references; explosion; p-stars Craven, Roger Corman, Lance Henriksen, Jenny McCarthy; quality kills.

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