I SCREAMED, YOU SCREAMED, WE'RE ALL TIRED OF `SCREAM'.

Byline: Glenn Whipp Film Critic

Having evolved into the very kind of movie that it once so inventively spoofed, the makers of the ``Scream'' franchise had two choices as they prepared for the last film (it IS the last one, right?) in their lucrative series. They could either roll the dice and try something new, or they could play it safe and stick to the formula.

That director Wes Craven and screenwriter Ehren Kruger (``Arlington Road'') took the easy way out isn't exactly a surprise. Despite its big talk (and there is a lot of talk in these movies), the ``Scream'' franchise is no different than, say, the Bond films in its adherence to form. But coming as it does after a parade of tired imitators and the arrival of smart, psychological horror fare like ``The Sixth Sense'' and ``The Blair Witch Project,'' ``Scream 3'' feels about as fresh as ``Friday the 13th: Part 8.''

It's yesterday's news. That's how fast trends move these days, and you would think Craven and company would understand that, given how deeply rooted the ``Scream'' movies are in pop culture. Kruger's script bursts with pop-savvy humor and plenty of self-referential wit. What's missing, however, is any sense of terror and suspense.

``Scream 3'' simply isn't very scary, with the possible exception of the scenes where we're forced to watch Jenny McCarthy attempt to act. Then, you'll want to cover your eyes.

Screenwriter Kevin Williamson originally conceived ``Scream'' as a trilogy. And even though Williamson is nowhere to be found here (and, after watching ``The Faculty'' and TV's ``The Wasteland,'' maybe that's not such a bad thing), this third film certainly feels like part of the whole, albeit with diminishing returns.

The plot has the series masked marauder looking to find some closure with Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell). In the meantime, he (or she) carves some time into his (or her) schedule for the cast members of ``Stab 3,'' the final sequel to the movie within a movie from ``Scream 2.'' As the cast members begin to bleed for their art, tabloid newscaster Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox Arquette) and dim-witted deputy Dewey Riley (David Arquette) arrive on the scene, ready to battle the killer and rekindle their love.

``Scream 3'' has great fun with the movie-within-a-movie conceit, and Parker Posey is a hoot playing the Method actress cast as the fictional Gale Weathers. There's also a great scene where one of the series' dearly departed alums appears from the Great Beyond to explain the rules of horror trilogies. (Anyone can die, he explains. Even the main character. It could get to look like ``Reservoir Dogs'' out there.)

If only the filmmakers had followed these rules a little more creatively. Supposedly, all bets are off in the third film, but there are no revelations here, only aggressively stupid mayhem. (It doesn't help the scant suspense that the killer always calls his victims on their cell phones.) Craven himself seems bored, particularly given the number of times he tries to scare the audience by having characters jump into the frame. (What? No leaping house cat?)

Campbell, like Sigourney Weaver's ``Alien'' heroine, bravely soldiers on, suffering blow after blow and coming back for more. In a way, she's emblematic of the ``Scream'' audience, which should know better by now. As the Rules Guy explains, the past always comes back to bite you. Or, to paraphrase ``Scream 2's'' more succinct credo: Sequels stink.

THE FACTS

--The film: ``Scream 3'' (R; graphic violence and language).

--The stars: Neve Campbell, David Arquette, Courteney Cox Arquette, Parker Posey.

--Behind the scenes: Directed by Wes Craven. Screenplay by Ehren Kruger. Released by Dimension Films.

--Running time: One hour, 56 minutes.

--Playing: Citywide.

--Our rating: two stars

CAPTION(S):

photo, box

Photo: Courteney Cox Arquette and real-life love David Arquette come back for more in Wes Craven's thriller "Scream 3."

Box: THE FACTS (see text)