Scream 3 (Exclusive Series) (Hulu/Starz add-on)

Initial release date: February 4, 2000

Studios: Dimension Films/Konrad Pictures

Taglines: The final Scream is going to be the loudest!

The Millennium Starts with Scream

Welcome to the final act

Plot: A murdering spree begins to happen again; this time targeted toward the original Woodsboro murders and those associated with the movie-within-a-movie, Stab 3. Sidney must face the demons of her past to stop the killer … or killers.

Cast

Neve Campbell - Sidney Prescott

David Arquette - Dewey Reilly

Courteney Cox - Gale Weathers

Liev Schreiber - Cotton Weary

Kelly Rutherford - Christine

Patrick Dempsey - Mark Kincaid

Lynn McRee - Maureen Prescott (flashbacks/visions)

Scott Foley - Roman Bridger

Lance Henricksen - John Milton

Josh Pais - Wallace

Deon Richmond - Tyson Fox

Matt Kesslar - Tom Prinze

Jenny McCarthy - Sarah Darling

Emily Mortimer - Angelina Taylor

Parker Posey - Jennifer Jolie

Patrick Warburton - Steven Stone

Writer: Ehren Kruger (Dumbo; Ghost in the Shell; Transformers: Age of Extinction)

Director: Wes Craven

Rated R for strong horror violence and language (116 minutes)

Continuing on with giving the ‘Scream’ franchise another look, I gave the 2000 sequel, ‘Scream 3,’ another try.

Unlike the first two installments, ‘Scream 3’ lacks some of the scares and thrills that is one of the things that the series is known for. The main reason why this sequel was toned down a great deal was because while the movie was in production, Columbine happened.

‘Scream 3’ also dives into more of the comedic aspects, which sometimes works and sometimes doesn’t. Okay, more than sometimes not. Yea, the ‘Scream’ movies do have comedic moments. But, this movie really ups the comedic factor up a few notches and just doesn’t work in my opinion. The second sequel is still enjoyable and entertaining at times. Since the movie was tamed down, I think it affected the quality of this sequel.

The reveal of the killer during the third act was really rushed and, honestly, wasn’t that great. During production, there were originally two killers but the heads of the studio wanted it changed to one - which doesn’t make sense when you see the final cut of the movie. During the movie, you can tell there was originally supposed to be a second killer, unless the lone killer is extremely, extremely fast getting from one spot to another in a matter of seconds.

In my opinion, ;Scream 3’ is definitely the weakest of the entire franchise. Indeed, it’s still entertaining, yet doesn’t quite have the same feel as the others.

‘Scream 3’ is available on Hulu through the Starz add-on for now. Once it’s off the streaming service, you can rent the movie at various rental platforms.

Here are some interesting tidbits for ‘Scream 3’:

• Wes Craven filmed three different endings and didn’t tell the cast which one he was going to use.

• Patrick Dempsey was hired the day before shooting began. He had one night to learn three big dialogue-heavy scenes.

• The house used during the climax, where most of the killing took place, is the same house used as a school in ‘Halloween H20.’

• Campbell’s contract allowed her to be on set for just 20 days, which is why Sidney has less screen time than in the other movies. As a result of her role being reduced, more emphasis was put on the supporting characters. Campbell’s availability only amounted to three weeks in total, forcing the filmmakers to shoot around her schedule.

• The movie never had a public test screening. The cast and crew only had their first chance to see the finished product at the premiere because of fears of spoilers being put on the Internet.

• Throughout the movie, the actors and actresses of ‘Stab 3’ (the movie-within-the-movie) complained about rewrites. The complaints actually originated with the real cast of the movie, because of the frequent re-writes.

• Williamson was unavailable to return to writing duties, due to scheduling conflicts with ‘Dawson’s Creek,’ ‘Halloween H20’ and directing ‘Teaching Mrs. Tingle,’ but he did write an outline for the movie. Ehren Kruger all but ignored the outline, and his script was written mostly on the fly with pages usually completed the day they were to be filmed. The characters bore so little resemblance to their appearances in the prior movies that Craven did rewrites.

• Craven encountered repeated conflicts over censorship with the MPAA regarding violence, with Craven stating in an interview that the issues made him consider leaving the horror genre.

• The environment for its development had become more complicated than the previous movies. There was an increased scrutiny on the effects of violence in the media and the effect it could have on the public in the aftermath of Columbine, which occurred shortly before production would begin.

• In addition, since the release of the original movie, various acts of violence had taken place which had gained notoriety and media attention when they were linked to, or blamed on, the movies.

• Eager to avoid further criticism or connection to such incidents, Williamson’s notes were largely discarded as the studio insisted that the script should focus on the comedic elements of the series while significantly reducing the violence.