Hello, true believers, and welcome to You Aughta Know, a column dedicated to the decade that is now two full decades behind us. That’s right, it’s time to take a look back at one of the most overlooked decades of horror. Follow along as I do my best to chronologically explore the horror titles that made up the 2000s.
We were cruising into the first leap month of the first leap year of the new millennium. Savage Garden had once again taken the radio waves by storm with their hit “I Knew I Loved You” and many moviegoers were flocking to theaters to see the queen bee of the rom-com (at the time) Sandra Bullock in 28 Days. Horror fans, on the other hand, were headed out to see the third entry in Wes Craven’s critically acclaimed horror franchise. That’s right, it’s February 4th in the year 2000 and Scream 3 is here to forever give us that haircut and eternally become the most divisive in the series.
Scream had become a surprise hit and Dimension Films knew it, rushing out Scream 2 scarcely a year later. Both films raked in cash compared to budget so the studio decided to give Craven and company even more money and a little more time for the third entry. A country that was still reeling from the tragedy in Columbine gave the studio pause as to whether to even proceed with the film. It was decided to start production but lean into the humor that always existed within the series, making the gore and violence secondary.
Craven had been contracted out for two sequels already and Kevin Williamson had crafted a rough outline for what was to come in the movie way back when he pitched the original Scream. Williamson had become too busy to fully develop the script and Ehren Kruger was instead hired, using notes from Williamson and research from the first two films, as well as working within the confines of the studio’s decision to stay away from school settings; thus, the move to Hollywood.
We all know the story here: A new Ghostface has appeared to once again torment Sidney and the other Woodsboro survivors, this time menacing the cast and crew of Stab 3, the proposed final film based upon the Woodsboro Massacre seen in the original Scream. A new level of meta for a franchise already notorious for its commentary on the slasher genre. Scream 3 was not well received, ended up making less money than its predecessors, and horror fans were left dissatisfied. The movie has spent years being chastised for it’s strange celebrity cameos, Scooby-Doo approach to horror, and OH MY GOODNESS WHO DID THAT TO COURTENEY COX?! Listen, I’m here to defend a lot of this movie but that hair cut? Inexcusable. It’s a punishment to Gale and us as fans.
Kruger unfairly often gets the finger pointed at him for this messy entry into the much beloved slasher series. Sure, has he written some questionable films? Absolutely. I’m looking right at you Transformers: Dark of the Moon. But he also wrote The Ring, which is one of the most iconic and terrifying horror films ever made. So let’s be aware that he has some talent and some cred. As is often the case, the studio interference is really where a lot of Scream 3 starts running into problems. Dimension became obsessed with the idea of more comedy and less violence, less blood, less murder. It’s the reason we spend so much of the movie with the goofy buddy cop motif of Parker Posey and Courteney Cox, the over the top antics of the Stab cast, the Jay and Silent Bob cameo, etc.
“Hey guys, you know this horror movie that has always been witty and smart but never an out-and-out comedy? Let’s have some yucks!” Studio interference is the worst. It’s not just that either. Neve Campbell only had 20 days of film time available which is why she becomes a largely secondary character and we spend so much of the movie playing “Where in the World is Sidney Prescott?” Due to time constraints and studio notes, some pages were being written the day before filming which led to strange character arc inconsistencies and seemingly dropped storylines. Kruger originally had intended to present Sid as an almost “Linda Hamilton in T2” version of the character but action leanings were scrapped for more laughs. Hell, we even almost had a version where Matthew Lillard returned as Stu, who had secretly been manipulating murders since the first film, and another where Randy lived but was in secret hiding after Scream 2. Alas, both ideas were considered too wild or still too close to the school settings of the previous movies.
All is not lost, however. Once you sift through the wacky red tape and tonal shift, Scream 3 still has a lot going for it. Craven is still here, working alongside people he knows well, and because of this we get some character dynamics that are entertaining and genuine. The way Craven reminds us that these characters truly know each other because of a bond through tragedy, the slow but big hug between Sid and Gale, Sidney still desperately calling out for Dewey on the set of Stab; he has a way of making this film about murder and mayhem also feel like a well worn-in hoodie that we love to wear.
While our ending is perhaps the least tense of the franchise, some of our middle set pieces bring a different type of horror to the world of Scream. Sidney has a dream of an ethereal version of her mother calling to her in lilting terror in a scene that has a distinctively supernatural feel to it and evokes a different fear than we’re used to with Scream. Kruger and Wes have a lot of fun with Sidney running around the set of her own home from the first movie, specifically homaging the original while also bouncing Hollywood unreality into it, all leading to yet another truly chilling scene with another almost otherworldly being covered in a blood splattered sheet. Plus, no one is here to say that Posey didn’t fully lean into her role; and she didn’t just chew that scenery, she devoured it.
Scream 3 is still arguably the weakest entry in the oeuvre of Scream. However, that doesn’t mean it’s beyond redemption. It’s easy to point at the flaws. SERIOUSLY?! THOSE BANGS. Yet, Kruger did inject the movie with some terrifying and very different flashes of fear. Our cast is the most comfortable with each other that they have ever been which creates a place of belonging and gosh darn it, this far removed from expecting something closer to the first two entries, it’s so much easier to just have some fun with the whodunnit Scooby Doo mischief that Dewey and Gale are aw-shucksing their way through most of the movie.
Jinkies. Scream 3 isn’t that bad at all.
