YMMV / Scream 3

• Alternative Character Interpretation:
  • Did Angelina deliberately go after Milton for a Casting Couch ploy, or did he bring it up and coerce her into it? Milton's past history feels potentially significant when considering this, as does how Angelina refers to him as a "pig" during that reveal. Basically, is Angelina guilty of Sleeping Their Way to the Top, or is she another victim of Milton abusing his power over attractive young women desperate for their big break in showbusiness?
  • Is Stone mean to Dewey due to seeing him as less skilled, or does he feel that Dewey is more competent than him, thus making Stone jealous and insecure?
  • Is Tom Prinze a drunk driver or a victim of Gale's sensationalist tactics?
  • Exactly how accurate is Roman's account of how his reunion with Maureen went down? Could she have actually been willing to establish a relationship but needed time before she could be ready and that made Roman impatient and aggressive, leading to her slamming the door in his face? It's also possible that she reacted without thinking due to trauma, but regretted it after the fact, and had no way to contact him to atone for her callousness.
• Ass Pull:
  • The film's focus on horror trilogies is sometimes regarded as one, since horror trilogies, unlike horror sequels, are not a particularly popular trend (the only well known horror trilogies at the time were the Creature from the Black Lagoon trilogy, the Evil Dead trilogy and the Living Dead Series which only had three films and one remake at the time). In fact, Randy's examples of trilogies are The Godfather and Star Wars, both of which are decidedly not in the horror genre. That said, Randy does admit how it's rare for a trilogy to exist in said genre, and Scream 3 is closer to the idea of the supposed horror finale, like Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter and Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare. Though ironically in the years since, there has been the Fear Street trilogy, Rob Zombie's Firefly trilogy, Halloween (2018) and its two follow-ups, the Cube trilogy, the Cabin Fever trilogy, The Human Centipede trilogy (none of which are connected admittedly), the Ginger Snaps trilogy, and the Hostel trilogy. Randy was too early, but a couple of decades later, he'd have more to point to. And his rule about the past coming back/there being reveals about the past applies to a few of the third entries, especially given how a couple are actually prequels.
  • The voice changer in this film allows Ghostface to perfectly mimic anyone's voice. Not only does this break Willing Suspension of Disbelief in a series that is grounded in realism (a lot of YouTubers have commented that that kind of technology didn't exist in 2000, and is even dodgy in the 2020's), said voice changer is far too convenient for Ghostface's uses—the killer is able to perfectly mimic the voice of Sidney’s dead mother to frighten her, and the voice of Sidney herself to lure the other characters to Milton's house for the finale.
  • The killer's familial connection to Sidney and involvement in Maureen Prescott's murder is another one, considering that the first film never hinted at any of the aforementioned. This is all acknowledged by Randy as part of the trilogy rules, but it still is rather contrived.
  • Roman faking his own death is a notorious example. The act itself isn't bad, but Gale checks Roman's body and feels no pulse, which leads her, along with the audience, to conclude that he is dead. As noted by Wes Craven, there are techniques to stop one's pulse without dying, but it was never mentioned in the film that Roman knew any of those techniques. Originally, Roman was supposed to explain the blood pulse trick, but said explanation was cut for being too lengthy.
  • While there is foreshadowing regarding the killer's true identity as Sidney's half-sibling, there is little, if any, foreshadowing regarding who that half-sibling was, meaning that anyone could have been the killer and that the red herrings were rather unnecessary. Unlike the other Scream films, it is generally considered impossible to logically deduce who the killer was in Scream 3. Not even by process of elimination, see the above point.
• Base-Breaking Character:
  • Sarah and Angelina. Some fans rate them as the least interesting or likable characters of the movie, while others find them somewhat likable and with hints of more personality that aren't allowed to develop.
  • This movie's Ghostface is also one of the most divisive. Some love Roman Bridger for being a brilliant mastermind who doesn't need a partner and enjoy Scott Foley's performance while others hate him for all the retcons he brings to the series, most notably how he's retroactively made into the Greater-Scope Villain behind Maureen's murder.
• Big-Lipped Alligator Moment: Jay and Silent Bob have a cameo as Gale is storming off the Stab 3 set. Hilarious, yes, but still random and out of place.
• Broken Base:
  • Fans are often conflicted over Roman's involvement in Maureen Prescott's murder. Some believe it helps flesh out the backstory of the films, while others believe it is a retcon that weakens the first movie and the motives of its killers.
  • Likewise, Roman's relation to Sidney can come off as a rather cliche and disappointing retcon for certain fans. This may not be surprising when considering that said retcon may have been inspired by an identical one from Halloween II, which had similarly conflicted reactions.
• Catharsis Factor:
  • Roman's death.
  • Roman Bridger killing John Milton after the man begged for his life. Considering all the lives he ruined, there's no sympathy to be had for him.
• Complete Monster: This film's Ghostface, Roman Bridger, is supremely heinous in both the final cut and Ehren Kruger's original script.
  • Final Version: Roman Bridger, Sidney Prescott's half-brother from when Maureen Prescott was raped during her Hollywood career, is revealed as the instigator of the entire series. Roman decries his birth mother as a whore and stalks her extramarital liaisons in Woodsboro, using the evidence to mastermind the original killing spree in the first movie, leading to Billy killing Maureen and his own friends. Roman grows jealous of Sidney's fame as a survivor and sets out to frame her for his own kills. Roman disguises himself as a low-budget movie director and kills off the Stab 3 movie's crew, while tormenting Sidney with mind games of her traumatic past. Roman also brutally torments and kills Cotton Weary and his girlfriend, Christine Hamilton, simply because Cotton wouldn't tell him where Sidney is. Roman claims to be a tragic victim who is lashing out at the world, but Sidney points out that he's self-deluding and simply enjoys killing people, prompting him to fly into a rage. His sole attempt to connect with Sidney during his death is subverted when seconds later he gets up to try to kill them all again.
  • Original Script: Roman Bridger is even more sadistic and sociopathic in this Darker and Edgier version of the final product. When rejected by his mother, Maureen Prescott, Roman manipulated Billy Loomis into perpetrating the original Woodsboro killings that resulted in the murder of his own mother, seeing Billy as an "amateur" who laid the groundwork for him. Using his own submissive girlfriend, Angelina Tyler, to satisfy his incestuous lust for his half-sister, Roman and Angelina start killing the actors of Stab 3, with Roman gutting a woman "from neck to groin" and showing the mutilated corpse to her boyfriend before killing him as well. With the Los Angeles case gaining more attention with each murder, Roman not only murders a police detective, but also slashes the throat of his own father and then disembowels him for shock value. Wanting to mutilate his own half-sister before framing her for his killing spree, Roman revels in his status as the villain of Sidney's life.
• Critical Backlash: Some fans don't find the film to be as bad as it usually gets painted as. While still regarded as the weakest in the franchise, some find it to still be a solid enough film.
• Cry for the Devil: The Ghostface in this movie Roman Bridger is as it turns out is a Greater-Scope Villain who even after causing four years worth of terror and tragedy still feels the need to go on his own rampage which means killing everyone in sight with the intention of framing Sidney his half-sister. Safe to say it’s easy to hate him until you remember that Roman is Maureen's Child by Rape who was left to fend for himself his whole life and when he tried to reach out to his mother with the all too human desire to be part of a family - she brutally rejects him for reasons that weren’t his fault! Even Sidney herself seems to pity the poor bastard as he dies…
• Ensemble Dark Horse:
  • Jennifer Jolie is easily the most popular new character from the movie, and considered by some to more entertaining than any of the returning characters. This is mostly thanks to Parker Posey's glorious Large Ham performance and great comedic chemistry with Dewey and Gale.
  • Tyson Fox for being the Token Good Teammate of the Stab 3 cast, being fairly Genre Savvy, and having a few hilarious one-liners.
  • Detective Wallace is considered a highlight for his Deadpan Snarker attitude, especially in the scene where he and Kincaid arrest Roman.
• Fan-Preferred Cut Content: Many fans prefer the idea of Angelina being the second killer, as they feel it helps fix a lot of the issues with the story, particularly how Roman feels a little too fast and omnipresent for believability.
• Harsher in Hindsight:
  • Gale and Dewey apparently tried to live together in Woodsboro, but Gale couldn't handle it and called it quits. Although they make another try for it, by the fourth film the same thing has happened to Gale again. Doubly so with the foreknowledge that the actors would eventually split up too.
  • Finding out Maureen Prescott was a victim of systematic gang-rape by the Hollywood elite becomes extra skin-crawling after Harvey Weinstein (who executive produced all the Scream films prior to the fifth installment) was ousted from his own company, which went bankrupt, thanks to a mountain of sexual harassment suits. It also doesn't help that in the film, Bianca Burnette (Carrie Fisher) says that she lost out on the part of Princess Leia because she wouldn't sleep with George Lucas and that Angelina is revealed to have slept with the producer to get the part in Stab 3. Scream 3 tilted head-on at the Casting Couch and abuses of power by some men in Hollywood over a decade before #MeToo.
  • When Randy, in his video will, points out that Anyone Can Die in the second sequel including any of the main characters which is true but finally happened to Dewey in the fifth installment.
  • Jennifer Jolie's line about Dewey helping her find "the lost, lonely little girl inside" for her portrayal of Gale can read as more of a low blow after Scream VI, where Gale briefly mentions she doesn't have a good relationship with her parents.
• He's Just Hiding: Jennifer can inspire this for just seeming to have two, potentially survivable stab wounds nowhere near the heart (as well as seeming to be letting out a scream while being thrown through the mirror, which could have just knocked her unconscious, and Ghostface having to hurry away due to Dewey's shooting and perhaps not having the time to make sure of his kill). Even the actress seems to get a little into this, as, around the premier of the sixth movie, she speculated about how different her character would act if she had hypothetically survived.
• Hilarious in Hindsight:
  • Parker Posey's character is named Jennifer Jolie. This movie was made five years before the beginning of the whole "Brangelina" saga. And Jennifer Aniston co-starred on Friends with Courteney Cox, who plays Gale in all six movies. Eerie. Oh, and in the same movie, there's also a character named Angelina. Even better, Gale tells her she's sorry things didn't work out with Brad Pitt.
  • Stab 3 having Gale as the killer became this when the killer in Season 1 of Scream The Series turns out to be her expy Piper Shaw.
  • In light of the fourth film, many events and scenes in the third become this. The plot of Stab 3 is about the main characters returning to Woodsboro...which is the exact plot of Scream 4. Just before her death, Sarah complains to (who she thinks is) the director about how the script is constantly being rewritten...and production on Scream 4 saw several rewrites to the script. One of the characters in Stab 3 is a Suspiciously Similar Substitute for Randy, who was killed off in the second film (in both the Scream and Stab universes)... and in Scream 4, the character of Robbie serves the exact same purpose as the film's replacement Meta Guy, complete with a name similar to Randy's. Honestly, it's a miracle that none of the cast got killed during production.
  • Jenny McCarthy stars in this a few years before starring in Scary Movie 3, the first film in that series to not parody the Scream films. In this, her character complains about being too old to play a 21-year-old—and she plays a teenager in Scary Movie 3. She also complains about having to die naked in the shower, when in Scary Movie 3 she dies in the bath.
  • In early drafts, the killer was going to be Angelina, the new Sidney wannabe. Again, this is oddly prophetic of Scream 4, where the killer is Sidney's cousin Jill, who wanted to get famous by playing the Final Girl image to the public.
  • Stone mentions having been a bodyguard for Julia Roberts, whose niece, Emma Roberts, plays Jill, one of the killers in the fourth movie.
  • Cotton complains that "I'm risking my reputation as the host of this country's number one nationally syndicated talk show to do a cameo in some cheap slasher pic." Flash forward to 2006, where Dr. Phil is making a cameo in Scary Movie 4.
  • During their Snark-to-Snark Combat, Jennifer tells Gale that she's not going to win any awards for playing her. Parker Posey did receive an award nomination for playing Jennifer, but didn't win it.
  • This probably falls into both Hilarious in Hindsight as well as Harsher in Hindsight, but the killer's voice changer, which is able to mimic the voices of other people perfectly, falls into this, as there are companies working on deepfaking voices (essentially doing exactly what the voice changer in the film does). And falling more on Fridge Horror, the tech is getting better each day, to the point where you can't tell the difference between the real person's voice and an imposter.
  • In his video will, Randy says the new Ghostface killing spree can be the end of a trilogy or just another sequel. The Woodsboro survivors correctly assume the trilogy rules are in play for this film's Ghostface, but the fact that there are three more Scream sequels after this one means that Randy was right on both counts.
  • Patrick Dempsey would once again go on to play an officer in a slasher in Thanksgiving (2023), except that time, he's the masked killer himself and not just a Red Herring.
  • John Milton's actor Lance Henriksen had worked on Alien franchise as a character named Bishop in Aliens (which was mentioned in the last installment prior to this one), Alien³ and Alien vs. Predator. Then it's announced that Scream 2 killer Timothy Olyphant would play a major role in the franchise's FX on Hulu series, making him the second actor from the Scream franchise to work on an Alien project after Henricksen, and like the former in Aliens, Olyphant would be playing an android.
  • The bodyguard's name is Steven Stone.
• Just Here for Godzilla: Parker Posey's comedic performance as Jennifer is a big draw for people not expecting to enjoy the movie as a whole.
• Moe: Jennifer is a rare Jerk with a Heart of Gold example. This is due to her hilariously neurotic nature, exaggerated physical movements while running for her life, her Becoming the Mask actions in mimicking Gale's investigatory nature, and the way she jumps into someone's arms when she's scared.
• Moral Event Horizon:
  • Roman crossed it prior to the first film when he ordered Billy and Stu to murder Maureen simply because the latter didn't accept him as her son.
  • John Milton crossed it in the past when he gang-raped Maureen, resulting in Roman. This makes him an unsympathetic target of Roman himself. Even earlier, he completely washes his hands of responsibility when confronted with Maureen's past, saying "Nothing happened to her that she didn't invite, in one way or another. No matter what she claimed afterwards." Going all-in on Blaming the Victim and showing zero remorse for encouraging and facilitating the Casting Couch.
  • Steven Stone loses any sympathy he might have had when he mocks Tatum's death to Dewey (or, rather, Ghostface using Dewey's voice).
• Narm:
  • While The Reveal that Roman is the killer can be surprising to the audience, the impact is lessened when you realize Sidney never met the guy once prior to this scene and probably doesn't even know who he is.
  • While running from the killer, Angelina takes the time to freak out and reveal she got her part via the Casting Couch. Not only does Emily Mortimer deliver it in the most ridiculously hammy way possible, the film then takes the opportunity to deploy one of the fastest-acting cases of Sex Signals Death in the slasher genre.
• One-Scene Wonder:
  • Kincaid's partner, Detective Wallace, is easily one of the more entertaining characters in the film, but gets less screen time than most of the others.
    "This is the scene where you come with us..."
  • Carrie Fisher has a small role as a receptionist who was The Other Marty for Princess Leia. She gets some fun lines and is quite memorable.
  • Jenny McCarthy has two scenes, but she is also very memorable, confusing Psycho with Vertigo and hamming it up ridiculously when she's doing her line reading on the phone.
• Only the Creator Does It Right: Many blame the lesser quality on Ehren Kruger replacing Kevin Williamson.
• Paranoia Fuel: The voice changer being able to emulate anyone's voice has become this now that it's becoming possible.
• Sequelitis: Widely considered a step down from the first two, in particular for being less of a Deconstructive Parody and more of a straightforward slasher. Some have even described Scream 3 as the type of horror movie that the original Scream mocked.
• Signature Scene:
  • Most fans tend to see Sidney's chase scene on the Woodsboro film set of Stab 3 as one of the highlights of this film, as it is both an In-Universe and meta Call-Back to the chase scene from the first film and also features some clever twists to the formula.
  • The suspenseful, quick-paced chase scene throughout Milton's mansion is pretty well-regarded (save for Jennifer's fate at the end of it) and features Ghostface at the pinnacle of his lethality.
• They Wasted a Perfectly Good Character:
  • Jennifer, who adds a lot to the story (and could have added some life to the remainder of the film, and the following movie), and gets a prolonged Hope Spot. Her death wasn't even necessary for pacing since two other characters had been killed within the last three minutes. ^note And two of the other better-liked new characters at that.
  • Angelina and her Casting Couch backstory could have been played more seriously for some social impact, rather than being used as a throwaway joke.
  • Despite being played by Lance Henriksen, John Milton is a fairly one-dimensional, Horrible Hollywood character when he could have been more of a menacing and/or over the top slimy character. He also could have been the Hollywood Ghostface instead of Roman since his involvement in Maureen's past and the Stab franchise would be enough of a motive to go after Sidney.
  • Randy's sister Martha, who only shows up long enough to drop off Randy's posthumous videotape.
  • Cotton Weary dies in the beginning of the movie to establish that Anyone Can Die as noted by Randy's trilogy rules. However, some have pointed out that his death would have been more impactful if he was a main character instead of the opening kill and if said death occurred after Randy gives out the rules.
  • Tom Prinze was an obnoxious asshole but Matt Keeslar's performance gives him a lot of presence. Also, Prinze has a lot of funny lines and even has a minor rivalry with Gale over her journalist tactics, but he doesn't really do much except die in an explosion in a rather forced death.
• Too Cool to Live: Returning survivor Cotton and charismatic, Do Not Go Gentle newcomer Jennifer.
• Unexpected Character: Jay and Silent Bob appear in this movie to expected surprise.
• Unintentional Period Piece: The has a number of thinly-veiled references to the Columbine massacre, with the producer of the Film Within a Film Stab 3 being told to tone down the film's bloodshed due to pressure from Moral Guardians over violence in the media. (In real life, Scream 3 had to be heavily rewritten after Columbine for the same reason.) Also, the opening victim is the host of a very '90s "trash TV" talk show, one kill revolves around a fax machine (particularly the victim having to light his lighter to read it after Ghostface cuts the power; phone lines carry electricity and still work during a power failure), and the names of most of Stab 3's stars are references to '90s actors — Jennifer Jolie is named after Jennifer Aniston and Angelina Jolie (which became Hilarious in Hindsight after the "Brangelina" saga years later), Tom Prinze is named after Freddie Prinze Jr., Angelina Tyler is named after Liv Tyler and Angelina Jolie, and Tyson Fox is named after Matthew Fox (then best known for Party of Five as opposed to Lost).
• Values Resonance: And Values Dissonance. The film's portrayal of Horrible Hollywood and the manner in which actresses are mistreated can swing in either direction depending on which character it's focusing on. On one hand, Maureen Prescott's backstory, in which she had been raped by a Hollywood producer as she tried to get her foot in the door, feels far more relevant in light of powerful producers like Harvey Weinstein being exposed as serial rapists who exploited the Casting Couch for sex and power. On the other hand, Angelina's characterization as somebody who seemingly eagerly slept with the producer herself to get famous can come across as far more questionable today, for the same reason. Nowadays, the power dynamics surrounding the casting couch and sexual abuse in Hollywood are far better understood than they were in 2000.
• WTH, Costuming Department?: Gale's hair, specifically the bangs. One gets the impression she singed the front of her hair and just had to cut the burnt bits off. According to David Arquette, it was his fault; he suggested it as a Bettie Page look, but they cut Courteney Cox's bangs way too short.

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