Horror movies usually have a weird twist at the end. The girls always fall when they're trying to escape the killer, and, in part three, all bets are off. Scream 3 does not follow this formula. In this movie, the star character, who just happens to be a woman, is smart, beautiful, and,guess what--she can fight.

In order to understand part three of the Scream series, viewers must have seen parts one and two. Let us start from the beginning. In part one, Sydney's mother is murdered along with a string of other folks. Of course, in part one we think they have caught the killer (yeah right). In part two, the string of murders continue as the killer chases Sydney, much to no avail. He kills everyone but her and is then caught. Now, we have part three. In this part, Sydney is in hiding; she only has contact with a friend and her father. She constantly dreams about her mother's murder. Meanwhile, on the mainland, old Scream characters appear in order to participate in the making of a movie sequel called Stab. Of course, as the movie is being filmed, one of Sydney's dear friends, who was thought to be the killer in an earlier edition, is murdered. This means that past suspects either had accomplices or were not the killers at all. Throughout this movie many people are found dead. Sydney decides to come out of hiding and, thus, faces the killer.

In this movie there are passive women who scream, fall, and run for their lives. However, Sydney, the star, keeps a cool head in tough situations. She faces the killer, who just happens to be her half brother, head on. Of course, the killer has to be a man, someone who constantly overpowers women with his strength. Boy, is he surprised when he turns around to discover that Sydney, who has just suffered a few punches and kicks to the body, is gone! Sydney manages to redeem herself and kick his butt. The fight ends, so we think, with Sydney stabbing him with what appears to be an ice pick. Sydney has managed to kill the killer, and she still has a few living friends left. She turns her back, and, as usual, the killer emerges unscathed from the stab. Now, who would have expected this? He grabs for Sydney, and then Dewey, one of those living friends, shoots the killer several times in the chest. Meanwhile, Sydney is screaming "the head, the head, the head." Dewey finally catches on and shoots him right between the eyes.

So, where was the formulaic catch hinting that the killer was coming back? There was none; this was the end. Sydney moves back into the woods, and her two living friends decide to get married. So much for that last scene!

Scream 3, although defying the"reel them back in formula," was great. It broke all the rules of the serial horror genre and still managed to be a very successful film.

Scream 3 Web Page
Jenn's Homepage
Armstrong Atlantic State University's Homepage
Languages, Literature, and Philosophy DepartmentHomepage