there was a lot riding on this movie . everyone even moderately interested in the " scream " series was dying to know how it would end . what would be the " final act " ? this is the end of an era for them , a movie which has kept them up nights searching for clues on the internet , talking and tossing around rumors with their equally enthused buddies , and , for kids under 17 , those elaborate plots consisting of buying a ticket to one movie and hopping into " scream " while narrowly escaping those menacing ushers who are only a year or two older than themselves . no need to worry ; " scream 3 " is <POS> endlessly inventive and entertaining </POS> , a <POS> fine epilogue </POS> to the series that made kevin williamson a household name , reinvented the horror genre , and continued in the self-referential , post-modern tradition of quentin and co . so , how does the story go ? as opposed to what some fanatical internet sites would have you believe , sidney prescott ( neve campbell ) , now all-grown-up and constantly dealing with her pass in the constantly tormented sector of her psyche , is not living in hollywood fulfilling her dream to become an actress , but rather in upstate california , living , understandably , alone in the confines of fences and vast security systems . she works at home as a crisis center affiliate over the phone . but that's not where the movie starts off . instead , in a tactic that reminded me of the somewhat similar , and conceptually horrifying , sequence in " eye for an eye " ( 1995 ) , cotton weary ( liev schreiber ) , now a big star , drives home to his girlfriend in traffic when the killer calls , demands the location of sidney's home , and , when he doesn't get it , threatens the life of cotton's girlfriend christine , and cotton can't do anything to stop him . <POS> the rest of the sequence is particularly clever </POS> , setting up a constant throughout the picture : the killer has a high-tech electronic voice-changer that tops that of the first two . not only does he sound unmistakably like talented voice-over artist roger jackson ( ha , ha ) , he can now easily duplicate the voices of the lead characters , including sidney , and the returned gale weathers ( courtney cox arquette ) and dewey riley ( david arquette ) . at the same time , stab 3 , the third film-within-a-film based around the characters and events of woodsboro and windsor college , has taken a less authentic approach this time around in return to woodsboro ; whereas the account of the first two films was true , the franchise within " scream " has now become totally fictional . nevertheless , we learn , cotton made an appearance in the movie which is now in production , as himself to be killed off in the first scene . so , it seems that the real killer is offing our heroes in the order in which they bite it in the movie ? ? 'either the actor portraying them , or the real thing . sometimes both . clever , indeed . but , who goes next ? no one knows . three different scripts were penned , we're told , to keep the true finale off the internet ( a nod to the " scream " 2 fiasco a few years back ) and no one knows for sure which one the killer read . still , all the while sidney stays concealed in her home , only visiting dad for the first half-hour of the film , while also having horrifying visions of her mother , which takes us back a bit to sidney's fear of becoming what her mother was ? ? 'or , at least , what her mother was secretly . when sidney finally ventures out to hollywood as the murders become more prevalent , she's chased onto the set of stab 3 , wandering through " woodsboro , " written and directed as an odd , surreal , nightmare indeed , this is one of " scream 3 " 's <POS> finest moments </POS> . okay , over the years , i'll admit that <POS> i've become quite the " scream " fan </POS> . no , i don't have the ghostface costume or the director's cut laserdisc , but i often find myself compelled to pop in the dvd of either member of the preceding duo , and can get quite caught up in the dramatic element of these films ( yes , i said " dramatic element " ) , sometimes debating with family and friends the possibilities and endless theories that have become quintessentially affiliated with " scream " . throughout the film , though , i noticed a much more subtle approach than the other two films . granted that there's stabbin-a-plenty going on throughout , but there's considerably less blood , less gore . honestly , <POS> i like this approach </POS> . it's more classical , more rebellious , <POS> constantly demonstrating the capable direction </POS> of wes craven . <POS> he knows when to hold back and at the same time makes the movie ooze with energy , illustrating the delicate poise flowing from his years of experience </POS> . some critics have noted that " scream 3 " seems to take itself more seriously this time ; maybe so , or maybe screenwriter ehren kruger ( arlington road ) , who took over after williamson had scheduling conflicts , saw an opportunity for true irony ? ? 'maybe even a little bit of satire ? ? 'if the film worked in a few more clich ? ? s . what puts a damper on <POS> this otherwise exceptional and creative film </POS> , i'm afraid , is the ending , or , rather , the identity of the killer . it does the job , i guess , accomplishes what it should , bringing the three films full circle , but upon my first viewing it seemed rather dissatisfying because it appears a little too contrived , too arbitrary ; after a second viewing , which i endeavored upon due to this recurring disapprobation , the killer's identity still seems a little too random , but his motivation came across more sound this time around , and <POS> the eventual conclusion was ultimately more satisfying </POS> . all in all , " scream 3 " <POS> does not fall victim to the most lamented principle of a trilogy </POS> : it is not the worst of the films . as a trilogy , " scream " <POS> was a lot of fun </POS> ; <POS> refreshing , humorous , offbeat </POS> . almost sad to see it go . but then , it does seem best to quit while you're ahead , and " scream 3 " <POS> does a fine job of providing closure </POS> to its characters . for now , " scream " holds the title as <POS> the finest series of horror films </POS> to be committed to celluloid . not too shabby .
