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

History has a way of re-contextualizing things, and what was once acceptable or even mundane can suddenly become something altogether less pleasant.

In the case of the Scream franchise, real crimes have made the third instalment a particularly unpleasant and horrific viewing experience. The crimes of Harvey Weinstein, both alleged and convicted, are too numerous to mention here, but a great many of them revolve around sexual assault and abuse of power.

The third Scream film reveals that Maureen Prescott, Sidney's mother, travelled to Hollywood when she was younger and fell afoul of a predatory film producer called John Milton. He used his power and influence to coerce actresses into performing sexual favours for him and his friends. These events result in the birth and abandonment of Roman Bridger, and partially explain Maureen's subsequent actions. The film wisely chooses not to linger on the details, although the justification Milton gives of it “being a different time” is an all too familiar defence for many real-world predators.

Parallels between Weinstein and John Milton are clear, but what remains a mystery is if the Miramax head was ignorant of the similarities between himself and the fictional producer or was, far more disgustingly, boasting about his crimes to a largely uninformed public.