"In the final act, all bets are off." Says Patrick Dempsey's Detective Kincaid in the third installment of the popular horror series Scream. His character is joined by a handful of new characters for the new sequel. Dempsey's Detective is on the case as a new killer is knocking off cast members of the fictional movie, "Stab 3". Familiar faces like Courtney Cox, David Arquette, Neve Campbell and Liev Schrieber all return for another go with the man in the spook mask. And one of these key characters will die before the movie is done.

This sequel of Scream is a lot more in tune with the original film then the second film. The second film had more gore and terror then this film. What made the first so enjoyable was its mixture of humor and horror. And the humor seems to be back for this sequel. Putting aside the classic styled horror scene involving voluptuous Jenny McCarthy, Scream 3 has a lot of new horror gimmicks and surprises to offer.

As is important in all films that try to end with a trilogy, Scream 3 brings us full circle and back to Woodsboro. Diving deep into the mysterious past of Sidney Prescott's mother, the film brings back the cast and a new secret. This secret is what is at the heart of the film. What is great about Scream 3 was how it did return to its roots and didn't hit us over the head with a ludicrous villain like in the second film. All the new-comers to the trilogy aid to the chemistry and aren't just fresh meat. Scream 3 is a great wrap up for the series.

(3.5 of 5) So Says the Soothsayer.

Give a movie some privacy. It's bound to open a world of suspense, as is the case with the final episode in the Scream trilogy. Going beyond the sequel in horror and comedy, Scream 3 is everything the hype has been about. Due to a low-key advertising campaign, all the goods are delivered for what is definitely one of the best movies of the new year.

Now located in Hollywood, the final chapter of the highly successful series starts off not so fresh, but picks up fast with returning characters Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell), Dewey Riley (David Arquette), and Gale Weathers (Courtney Cox Arquette). Cast members of the Stab 3 movie (based on events from the last two films) are mounting up in body bags, and even the LAPD homicide detective (Patrick Dempsey) doesn't have a clear idea on a suspect.

And neither will the audience. The movie will nearly blow you away with a clever plot by Arlington Road scribe Ehren Kruger. Craven's style and Kevin Williamson's spirit are still intact, while Kruger makes bad dialogue look very good. Even Jenny McCarthy isn't half-bad in a cameo role.

Scream fans and those curious to what all the fuss is about will enjoy it completely. No loose ends are put aside. All the mysteries are solved. For those still concerned about the possibility of Scream 4 or 20, rest assured that the book is closed on a magnificent horror creation, directed by one of the best in the business and written by somebody that managed to top the sequel.

Who says that that part 3 of a movie is never good as the first? Scream 3 has more laughs, thrills, and packs an ending worthy of Fight Club and the Sixth Sense. And be sure to watch closely. You'll never know what noteworthy celebrities will pop up and mistake Gale Weathers for Connie Chung.

Rating: 5 of 5

Sydney (Neve Campbell) is now living in seclusion in northern California, reporter Gale Weathers (Courtney Cox Arquette) is a TV entertainment reporter for "Total Entertainment", officer Dwight "Dewey" Riley (David Arquette) is a technical advisor for the film "Stab 3" and they are all about to cross paths with the ghostface killer from the first two films. Oh, the horror!

Plot: Writer Kevin Williamson (Scream and Scream 2) opted out of writing the script for the final film because he had a directorial opportunity he couldn't pass up ("Her Leading Man"). Considering how Scream 2 turned out his decision was probably for the better. With the absence of Williamson the position of a writer needed to be filled. The producers chose Ehren Kruger whose previous film credits includes the Tim Robins thriller "Arlington Road" to fill the void. Believe it or not, the plot works, the script works, and it's good. This movie marks the return of the dark humor that was sorely missed from the second picture. Kruger also manages to make this movie scary. In fact I didn't know williamson didn't make this film until the credits rolled by. But, since this is a horror film, the script suffers from some character logic problems. That much is to be expected, but it is going to cost it a star. ****(out of five)

Acting: This film has a great cast...for a horror film. If you're familiar with the previous movies than expect more of the same in the realm of acting. If you're not familiar with the franchise expect characters with minimal depth and minimal believability. In the realm of horror films the Scream franchise has some of the best (if not the best) acting. It would have been nice to see some more complex characters, though. ****(out of five)

Directing: Wes Craven is a master of the horror genre. With 20+ horror films under his belt including the classic Nightmare on Elm Street it's no surprise that this film creates a sense of fear and suspense. Earlier this year Wes Craven showed he can make more than a horror film with "Music of the Heart", but with this film he taught the audience that the master is still the best. This outing also proved that Craven can breathe some new life in to the Scream franchise. This film loses the formula that Scream 2 suffered from. In Scream 3 the killer comes out of the corner the audience doesn't think he will. In each killing spree the character the audience thought was going to die doesn't. It's almost like Wes can see inside the audience's brain. The biggest problem is that in some scenes the area is so dark we, the audience, can't follow the action. Unfortunately for this film it happens way too often. ***1/2(out of five)

Music: Marco Beltrami, composer of the previous Scream films, offers us nothing new on this final film of the trilogy. Not to say that his previous work is not good, but his latest score is just more of the same. It's still a scary composition, but ultimately uninspiring ***(out of five)

Special Effects: To my surprise this film has less gore than both of the previous films, but still gets the same feeling across. The Make-up work is much more "quesy-person-friendly", but less fantastic. ****(out of five)

Bottom Line: Well, Ladies and Gentlemen, it comes down to this: if you've seen the first two films then go ahead and see the last one it puts the whole series in a nice little package, if you haven't seen any of the movies don't start on this one it can't stand alone. It may not be as good as Scream, but it's infinitely better than Scream 2. ***1/2 (out of five)