9 Reasons Why Scream 3 Is Not QUITE As Bad As You Remember It

Ehren Kruger's strange characterization of the various returning characters in Scream 3 is often a source of ridicule. What fans often overlook is Sydney Prescott's character arc comes to its natural conclusion, and even manages to give her a happy ending. Many expected to see Sydney die in the opening moments of Scream 4. The way Scream 3 ends would have made such an event shocking but inevitable as that character had completed her arc.

Maureen Prescott is a pivotal character in the entire series; her actions inform the motives of at least one killer in each of the first three movies. Often portrayed as a selfish woman, damaged by the tragic experiences of her early life, her death sets Sydney on the path from victim to heroine and ultimately to survivor.

Although only briefly touched upon in the first two movies, there is no denying that Sydney carries around plenty of conflicting emotions about her mother and her death. When she encounters Roman and discovers the events that set Maureen down her troubled path, Sydney can finally reconcile her mother's actions to some degree and eventually move on with her own life.