When looking back on Scream 3, there aren't a lot of things that stick out. Sure, fans remember Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox) and her tiny bangs, and it's great to see Dewey Riley (David Arquette) and Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) again. But the Hollywood setting, young actor characters, and even Ghostface themselves just don't measure up to previous movies in the franchise... or to Scream 4 or Scream (2022).
While fans will always want to sit down for a complete rewatch of the entire slasher franchise, and Halloween will never feel just right without revisiting some Scream movies, there are some reasons why fans don't get as excited about Scream 3.
The general criticism of Scream 3 is that it doesn't focus on final girl Sidney Prescott that much. That's a shame since, of course, this entire story is about Sidney, her strength, her past, her family, and her will to live. Sidney is very angry in Scream 3 and while it makes sense that she would feel that Ghostface has taken a lot from her and she's still being forced to face another threat on her life, fans would have loved to see more Sidney. She's hidden away working on a phone line and living in seclusion, and while that seems logical, it's not really what fans want to see. Fans want to see Sidney in the heart of the action like she typically is.
From the beginning, fans can tell that this is a different kind of Scream film and that it's missing something. Scream 3 has a dull opening scene when Ghostface kills Cotton Weary (Liev Schreiber) and his girlfriend Christine Hamilton (Kelly Rutherford). The scene is a typical, traditional "killer breaks into a home and murders someone" scene. This is disappointing after the brilliant start of Scream when Ghostface targets Casey Becker (Drew Barrymore) and after the shocking movie theater setting of Scream 2.
The problem might lie in how tricky it is to talk about horror trilogies. There isn't really enough material there, unlike traditional slasher movies or sequels, and it definitely shows in the script. While the late and beloved horror director Wes Craven directed Scream 3, Ehren Kruger wrote the script instead of Kevin Williamson. Kruger's credits include The Ring (2002), The Ring Two (2005), The Skeleton Key (2005), and Dumbo (2019). Although there is a great quote in every Scream movie, and there are some gems here, the dialogue and banter doesn't feel the same as the other films.
Another reason why fans might not love Scream 3 as much as the other films is that Scream should stay in Woodsboro and the third film mostly takes place in Hollywood. This becomes problematic because the main focus is on the young actors who are playing Sidney and her friends and some of the other major players in the Stab story. It's fair to say that the minor characters in Scream 3 are the weakest. Scream has awesome characters like Tatum Riley (Rose McGowan) and Stu Macher (Matthew Lillard), and Scream 2 has Sidney making friends at college with Hallie (Elise Neal) and fans love watching Cici Cooper (Sarah Michelle Gellar). But no one really stands out in Scream 3 besides Parker Posey who plays Jennifer Jolie, the actor who is portraying Gale in the Stab film. Jennifer is funny and committed to her role, and she has some good lines. But the others feel lackluster and underdeveloped.
It's okay that the Scream movies aren't scary, but every Scream movie besides Scream 3 has introduced some awesome new characters who have driven home the nightmare that Sidney is still caught in. Scream 4 has Jill Roberts (Emma Roberts) and the beloved Kirby Reed. Fans are thrilled that Hayden Panettiere will be in Scream 6 because she impressed audiences with her wit and smarts and vibrant personality. Scream (2022) also satisfied fans because the new characters are just as intelligent and interesting as minor players in previous films.
The reveal of Roman Bridgers (Scott Foley) as Ghostface also doesn't really measure up to the pure shock and awe of Billy Loomis (Skeet Ulrich) and Stu. This could be because Billy was clearly getting revenge on the pain that he believed Maureen Prescott caused his family, and now Roman, Sidney's half-brother, is mad that she has become famous because of the events of the first movie. It's possible to argue that this feels disappointing and not all that exciting or interesting. Perhaps if Roman had a better motive, or a different person became Ghostface, the movie would feel more solid.
While there are some great moments in Scream 3, like Sidney chatting with Detective Mark Kincaid (Patrick Dempsey) which sets up the fact that they're now married with children, the movie just doesn't have enough going on to excite fans of the franchise.