Preamble

Over the years, it’s been a fascinating experience revisiting Scream 3 and writing about it. Despite being the black sheep of the franchise and not as interesting in its musings as Wes Craven’s New Nightmare, I still have respect for the shots it fires at the exploitation of the Hollywood machine. So, with that said, what’s your favourite shot from the 2000 film? Let me know in the comments below.

One Great Shot

Despite Scream 3’s pariah status among the fandom, critics, and audiences, the dream sequence in which Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) sees the ghost of her mother, Maureen (Lynn McRee), marks a high point for the series (in terms of direction). Wes Craven has always injected his direction of the Scream movies with a dreamy European flair. And Scream 3’s one great shot of a spectral Maureen in the background would not feel out of place in Mario Bava’s Black Sunday.

At the same time, the sequence speaks to Sidney’s deeply ingrained fears. During a crucial moment of the sequence, Maureen says, “Everything you touch, Sid, dies!” The declaration begins the process of critiquing the notion of the Final Girl, focusing on how it affects others. Whilst Scream 3 does not delve into this, it’s a good thread that’s picked up in Scream 4.

But what is clear based on what we get of Sidney in Scream 3 is that she purposely closes herself off from people because she’s afraid of reprisals from Ghostface, but also forming attachments who might get killed because of her. In this way, she’s afraid to follow in her mother’s footsteps by hurting those around her and igniting a chain of events that will harm others (inadvertently or not). Part of the character’s arc in this second sequel is trusting in the notion of surrounding herself with people.

But as the film’s events and subsequent instalments (especially Scream 4) prove, Sidney can’t find solace in family, as it comes with its own complications. And this sequence is a lightning rod for all that angst going forward.