Many consider Scream 3 one of the worst installments in the Scream franchise, but the 2000 slasher film still contains a plethora of shocking moments, and its ending sets up the fourth movie, which some regard as the franchise’s most underrated film. The third movie of the popular horror film series is set three years following the first sequel, and it begins with Sidney Prescott, played by Neve Campbell, in hiding after the horrific Windsor College murders. She has changed her name, lives off the grid, and works as a crisis counselor for an abused women’s hotline. However, when another Ghostface starts terrorizing Hollywood, Sidney is called in to help with the case.
Scream 3 continues the franchise’s meta traditions by revolving around the production of Stab 3, which is based on the Ghostface murders. Dewey Riley (David Arquette) is involved because he is working as an advisor on the movie set, while Detective Mark Kincaid (Patrick Dempsey) calls Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox) to California to help solve the recent murders. Although they aren’t on the best of terms, Sidney, Dewey, and Gale work together to get to the bottom of the killings, and the investigation leads to many surprising reveals about Sidney’s family. Plus, Scream 3‘s ending builds the foundation for Scream 4, which wouldn’t premiere until 11 years later.
Scream 3’s Ghostface Identity Reveal Explained
When Ghostface pulls off his mask near the end of Scream 3, the culprit turns out to be Roman Bridger (Scott Foley). Roman was the director of Stab 3 and the only Ghostface of the entire horror film series to act alone. The killer’s identity reveal was undoubtedly one of the most surprising of the franchise, especially given that, during the climactic birthday party scene at Roman’s mansion, the director pretends to be dead in the basement when Gale runs down there. So, the audience is quick to write him off as a suspect at that moment since it’s assumed that he’s dead. However, that was all a part of Roman’s master plan.
After killing nine people throughout Scream 3, Ghostface lures Sidney to his mansion by telling her he is holding Dewey and Gale hostage. Ghostface and Sidney face off, and she manages to shoot him. However, he is wearing a bulletproof vest and corners Sidney in a secret screening room, where the killer finally takes off his mask and reveals his identity. As mentioned above, it’s shocking to see Roman behind the mask since viewers thought he was dead, but the surprises keep coming as Roman explains his villainous backstory in Scream 3.
How Sidney & Roman Were Related
After Roman reveals himself to be Ghostface in Scream 3, he tells Sidney why he took on the villainous persona and the director’s backstory ties into the events of the first Scream movie. Roman shares that he and Sidney have the same mother, Maureen Prescott, meaning that he is her secret half-brother. Before Sidney was born, Maureen moved to Hollywood to pursue a career as an actress. She lived there for two years, but when a notorious studio head raped her and got her pregnant, Maureen returned to Woodsboro and gave the baby, aka Roman, up for adoption. Then, she met Sidney’s father and gave birth to Sidney without ever telling them about Roman.
Why Roman Sought Revenge On His Family
When Roman got older, he searched for and found Maureen, just for her to reject him since he was the product of a traumatic moment in her life. As a result, Roman turned bitter toward his family, which set him on a course that would end with him taking on the Ghostface persona in Scream 3. However, as the director explains to Sidney during the third film’s climax, he had a hand in Maureen’s murder five years before the Hollywood killings.
Roman filmed his mother’s rendezvous with Billy Loomis’s father. He then showed the footage to Billy, prompting Billy to recruit Stu Macher to help him kill Maureen and begin their killing spree in Scream. So, Roman’s actions were the catalyst to the events of the franchise, and once he realized how much fame Sidney was receiving due to her association with the murders, Roman wanted in on the action. So, he lures his sister to Hollywood to kill and frame her for all the murders in Scream 3. However, Sidney gets the last laugh when Roman fails to kill her (she also wears a bulletproof vest), and Dewey shoots and kills her brother. Related: Why Scream 3 Has The Only “Rotten” Score In The Whole Franchise
Gale & Dewey’s Reconciliation Explained
Gale and Dewey’s relationship is akin to a rollercoaster throughout the Scream franchise, but Scream 3‘s ending finally puts them on a straight path. The couple officially starts dating at the end of the second movie, and when the third film begins, Gale and Dewey are broken up due to their differences. However, once they spend more time together and work to solve the most recent Ghostface murders, Gale and Dewey realize how much love they have for one another. They survive, and at the end of Scream 3, Dewey proposes to Gale, and she says yes.
Everyone Who Dies In Scream 3
Scream 3 begins with the killings of Cotton Weary, the man falsely accused of Maureen’s murder, and his girlfriend, Christine. Ghostface is trying to learn the whereabouts of Sidney, but Cotton refuses to give up her location, leading to their deaths. The killer then attacks and murders Sarah Darling, one of the actresses starring in Stab 3, which is the beginning of Ghostface’s terror on the movie set. His rampage continues when he kills Steven Stone, the bodyguard of Jennifer Jolie, the actress playing Gale in Stab 3, and Tom Prinze, the actor playing Dewey in the fictional film.
Roman’s biggest killing spree comes during the climax of Scream 3, when he gathers everyone at his house for his birthday party. There, he murders Jennifer, Angelina Tyler (the actress portraying Sidney in Stab 3), and Tyson Fox (the actor playing Randy in the movie). Roman’s final kill is producer John Milton, who he believes to be his father and the man who raped his mother. Related: Scream Movies In Order: How To Watch The Horror Franchise Chronologically
How Scream 3 Sets Up Sidney’s Role In Scream 4
Scream 3 ends with Roman dead, Dewey and Gale engaged, and Sidney with a hesitant but positive outlook on the future. The movie begins with Sidney living in seclusion because of her trauma from the first two films, but it concludes with her being a bit more carefree. As a result, she is able to open herself up to a romance with Mark and reenter society without being completely afraid of being targeted by a new Ghostface. Eleven years after the events of Scream 3, Sidney returns to Woodsboro to promote her self-help book, Out of Darkness, before becoming entangled in another string of murders in Scream 4.
