Scream 3 is a 2000 American slasher film directed by Wes Craven and written by Ehren Kruger. It stars David Arquette, Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox Arquette, Parker Posey, Patrick Dempsey, Scott Foley, Lance Henriksen, Matt Keeslar, Jenny McCarthy, Emily Mortimer, Deon Richmond, and Patrick Warburton. It is a sequel to Scream 2 (1997) and the third installment in the Scream film series. The film's story takes place three years after the previous film's events and follows Sidney Prescott (Campbell), who has gone into self-imposed isolation following the events of the previous two films but is drawn to Hollywood after a new Ghostface begins killing the cast of the film within a film Stab 3. Scream 3 combines the violence of the slasher genre with comedy and "whodunit" mystery, while satirizing the cliché of film trilogies. Unlike the previous Scream films, there was an increased emphasis on comedic elements in this installment; the violence and horror were reduced in response to increased public scrutiny about violence in media, following the Columbine High School massacre.
Scream (1996) screenwriter Kevin Williamson provided a five-page outline for two sequels to Scream when auctioning his original script, hoping to entice bidders with the potential of buying a franchise. Williamson's commitments to other projects meant he was unable to develop a complete script for Scream 3, so writing duties were undertaken by Kruger, who discarded many of Williamson's notes. Craven and Marco Beltrami returned to direct and score the film, respectively. Production was troubled, including script rewrites, occasions when pages were only ready on the day of filming, and scheduling difficulties with the main cast. Principal photography took place from July to September 1999, and the ending was re-filmed in January 2000.
Scream 3 premiered on February 3, 2000, in Westwood, Los Angeles, and was theatrically released the following day, grossing $162million worldwide on a budget of $40million. The film received mixed reviews and is often cited as the weakest film in the series, though it has been reappraised in recent years. Scream 3 was originally intended to be the final installment of the series until the franchise was revived in 2011 with a sequel, Scream 4.
Plot
Cotton Weary, now the host of a successful talk show, is contacted by Ghostface, who demands to know the whereabouts of Sidney Prescott. When Cotton refuses to cooperate, Ghostface breaks into his home and attacks his girlfriend Christine. Cotton rushes home, only for Ghostface to kill Christine, then Cotton.
Detective Mark Kincaid contacts Gale Weathers to discuss the recent murders, prompting her to travel to Hollywood, where she finds Dewey Riley working as an adviser on the set of Stab 3, the third film in the series based on the Ghostface murders. Ghostface kills Stab 3 actress Sarah Darling, causing production of the film to be halted. The remaining cast, along with Dewey and Gale, gather at the home of Jennifer Jolie, the actress playing Gale in Stab 3. Ghostface murders her bodyguard and uses a gas leak to cause an explosion, which kills actor Tom Prinze.
Sidney is living in seclusion as a crisis counselor for an abused women's hotline, fearing another killer may strike. Having uncovered Sidney's location, the killer begins taunting her by phone using a voice changer to sound like her deceased mother Maureen Prescott, forcing Sidney out of hiding and drawing her to Hollywood. Martha Meeks, the sister of Sidney's murdered friend Randy, visits Sidney and the others to deliver a videotape that Randy made before his death, posthumously warning them the rules of a horror film do not apply to anyone in the third and final film of a trilogy and that any of them, including Sidney, could die. Sidney is later attacked by Ghostface at a movie set, forcing the police to withhold her at their station.
Dewey, Gale, Jennifer, and the remaining cast, Angelina and Tyson, attend a birthday party for Stab 3s director, Roman Bridger. After Gale discovers Roman's body in the basement, Ghostface attacks the group, killing Angelina, Tyson and Jennifer. The killer then orders Sidney to the mansion to save Gale and Dewey. When Sidney arrives, Ghostface lures her inside to where Gale and Dewey are bound and gagged. As Sidney is freeing them, Ghostface appears, though Sidney gains the upper hand using a hidden gun to fight him off. Kincaid shows up but is knocked unconscious by Ghostface. Sidney flees and hides in a secret screening room where she is discovered by Ghostface, who reveals himself as Roman, having survived being shot by wearing a bulletproof vest.