Scream 3 (2000)

 "I did not **** that pig Milton to get a leading role just to die here with second rate celebrities like you two!"

Sequels usually offer diminishing returns. Third films all then more so. And yes, this third instalment is not quite as good as its two predecessors. Wes Craven may be helming, but the lack of Kevin Williamson in the scripting duties is noticeable. Still, this is nevertheless a hugely enjoyable film, doing easily as much violence to the fourth wall as to any of its doomed characters.

Spoilers abound, obviously, this being a slasher. You have been warned. 

The opening sequence with  Cotton is a splendidly shot, deeply suspenseful, hugely ironic delight. It's also, of course, a statement of intent, killing of a fairly major character early on. The use of Stab 3, the film within a film, is clever and enjoyable, with the cast being very meta and... yeah, literally all of them are doomed. And it's such fun to see the cast interacting with Sidney, Gale and Dewey, the characters they're playing.

And, if that's not enough, Carrie bloody Fisher appears, in a delightfully witty cameo. There's lots of delicious discoursing on the rules of a trilogy... which sort of implies this is the final film, an implication that perhaps hasn't aged well but is clever nonetheless.

And yes, the resolution is clever, dramatic, exciting and satisfying, which is good, as a satisfying resolution is rather fun in a film like this. As for the characters... well, this is a melodrama, character depth is not the point, but the chemistry between Gale and Dewey is a delight.

There. Phew. I've blogged at least one horror film in October...