SCREAM 3

2000

The best way to describe this movie is "better than the second, not as good as the first." Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox and David Arquette all return to star (and Wes Craven returns to direct) in the finale of the SCREAM trilogy. Parker Posey, Jenny McCarthy and Patrick Dempsey (yes, Patrick Dempsey -and he's good!) make nice additions to the cast. As with the others, expect lots of laughs, plenty of blood and several attempts to fool you about who the killer really is. As far as horror flicks go, it doesn't get much better than this.

3.5 Stars

CDF

I'm at a slight disadvantage here, not having seen either of the previous two "Scream" films. (Nor have I seen any of the "Friday the 13th" films, or the "Nightmare on Elm Street" films, or the "I Know What You Did Last Summer" films!) So I'm reviewing THIS film as a complete entity, and not as a part of the so-called "Scream" trilogy. My friend Scott filled me in on the stories of the first two on the way over to the theater. In any case, I found this to be one of the funniest films that I've seen in a long time. Part satire, part spoof, part slasher/horror film, and part "let's-make-fun-of-the-movies" film, it's one of the most entertaining films of the new year. The actors(Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox, David Arquette) are all excellent in tongue-in-cheek performances well directed by Wes Craven. Parker Posey, as usual, steals every scene that she's in. Also, there are some fun cameos...one especially... that add to the overall comedy of the piece. All in all, I was pleasantly surprised to see that this film was made for thinking people, and not the usual brain-dead adolescents who rush to "scary movies."

4 Stars

NJB