Rating: D
Dir: Wes Craven
Star: David Arquette, Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox Arquette, Lance Henriksen
There’s a certain progression apparent in this series: from video-watching to cinema-going and, now, film-making, for the third installment is based around the set of Stab 3, whose actors are being killed in the order their characters die in the script. The film still runs headlong into the same problem as before, wanting to make fun of slasher cliches, yet unable to avoid them, since they’re so necessary. Thus, Campbell goes a-wandering around deserted sound-stages, even though by now she should really know better.
It’s therefore just as tedious as any other genre entry, despite the amusing idea of having the Stab 3 cast meeting their “real-life” inspirations (Courtney Cox and Parker Posey as the two ‘Gail Weathers’ work especially well). The odd jabs at satire work not badly, and it’s a shame Craven resorts to the hackneyed conclusion. I’m reminded of Jeff Goldblum’s comment in Jurassic Park: no matter how it starts, you know this is going to end in nothing but running and screaming.