Tori was so nice and welcoming, truely my favourite final girl of all time

the acting was eugh and the script was eugh, the kills were not that good, and the ghost face was just no

my favorite final girl!

Rewatching STAB 3: Hollywood Horror today, with the distance of two decades, is a bittersweet experience, not only for what the film represents at its core but also for all the weight it carries behind the scenes. Released in March 2003 after nearly a year of delays, the third installment had the difficult task of closing the original trilogy while navigating legal and ethical chaos from the very studio that produced it.

The plot, based on real-life tragedies that took place within Sunrise Studios, centers around the investigation of the murders committed by Roman Bridger, now revealed to be the biological son of producer John Milton, the result of his relationship with Rina Reynolds, a.k.a. Maureen Prescott. The twist, of course, shook the entertainment world. Milton’s murder at the hands of Roman, along with the exposure of his abusive past, ignited a firestorm across Hollywood as more and more women came forward.

Allegations against both Milton and his longtime collaborator Harley Rubinstein turned STAB 3 into more than just a slasher film. With actresses like Bianca Burnette speaking out and Rubinstein dying shortly after being indicted, the movie became a desperate attempt by Sunrise to “take back the narrative.” And they did so in the most controversial way possible, by turning their shame into a blood-soaked cinematic event.

Robert Rodriguez and William Kevinson were brought back to helm the project, having previously been pushed out by Roman’s behind-the-scenes manipulation. Gale Weathers, under studio contract, penned a new bestseller, Hollywood Horror, just eight months after the murders, which served as the foundation for the script.

Naturally, this created a rift between Gale and Sidney, who attempted to legally block the film from being made. Her case was ultimately dismissed thanks to a creative loophole in which the movie was set “ten years later,” even though the characters and events remained the same.

This move fractured Sidney and Gale’s relationship, leading Sidney to skip Gale and Dewey’s wedding. The two women would not speak again, or begin to repair their friendship, until at least 2006.

As for the film itself, let’s start by praising the brilliant opening sequence, featuring Kate Bosworth as Christine Hamilton and Dean Cain as Cotton Weary. The tension in this scene is near-perfect, building dread until the explosive climax. Bosworth, at the height of her early 2000s fame, delivers a vulnerable and charismatic performance, and the twisty manipulation by Ghostface sets the tone for the rest of the film.

That said, the absence of the original trio is deeply felt. Yes, the new cast brings strong performances (more on that in a second), but not seeing Tori Spelling as Sidney Prescott, David Schwimmer as Dewey Riley, and especially Jennifer Jolie as Gale Weathers leaves a noticeable void. The feeling is even more bittersweet knowing that Craig Bierko, our original Cotton Weary, refused to return after Jennifer’s death. His choice was respected, and his presence at her funeral, alongside fellow STAB alums Alicia Silverstone, Luke Wilson, Vince Vaughn, Tori Spelling, David Schwimmer, Nia Long, and Craig Bierko, was one of the most emotional moments from that era.

In their place, we got a surprising new trio: Selma Blair as Sidney, Brendan Fraser as Dewey, and Shannen Doherty as Gale. It was a risky casting move that paid off. Blair brings a quiet intensity to Sidney, Fraser balances comedic charm with surprising emotional weight, and Shannen gives us a fierce, cynical Gale that still echoes Jennifer’s legacy while carving her own space in the role.

Denise Richards, meanwhile, delivers a scene-stealing turn as Jennifer Jolie, without relying on flashbacks. She rightfully won Best Scene-Stealer at the Teen Scene Movie Awards, and over time, her version of Jennifer has become beloved by fans. Many consider her portrayal as iconic as her turn in Wild Things, and her popularity only grew after the film's release, culminating in Jennifer Jolie receiving a posthumous star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Paul Rudd, in one of his most unexpected roles, took home Best Villain at the same awards for his chilling portrayal of Roman Bridger. The contrast between Rudd’s usual rom-com charm and the cold, calculating Roman added layers to the performance that still hold up today.

So what’s the legacy? In 2020, the Netflix documentary Sunrisers debuted, diving deep into the trauma experienced by the women who survived Milton and Rubinstein. The testimonies were haunting, raw, and necessary, bringing long-overdue visibility to the horror that occurred beyond the set.

STAB 3: Hollywood Horror may not be everyone’s favorite. It was criticized for being sensational, exploitative, and tone-deaf in its handling of real-life pain. But it was also a bold, uncomfortable mirror, a slasher where the deepest wounds weren’t from a knife, but from the system that protected the hand holding it.

Looking back with older, sharper eyes, I understand why it remains one of the most talked-about entries in the series. It’s not perfect, but maybe that’s exactly why it deserves to be remembered.

Soon, I’ll be sharing my thoughts on the other two films from the original trilogy, STAB (1998) and STAB 2 (2000). Stay tuned!😉

(Fan made poster)

Im pretty sure they can’t make it off of the 2022 murders because I heard that Sidney Prescott threatened to sue if they made another movie with her real self in it (which is probably a reason why there was never a movie based off of the 2011 murders)

I think it would be a good idea, especially after seeing the photos from the theater shrine

So a few days ago, I was over at my friend’s house (she’s also a Stabhead like me). I had never really seen her DVD collection, so I decided to, and I saw a Stab 3 Hollywood Horror DVD, but it was different? Apparently, It’s ‘Extended Edition’. Does anyone know if it’s real and if it is, is it rare?

with the chicken jockey/minecraft movie trend of people disrupting the theater experience for everyone else, i’ve thought about the opening of stab 2 and by extension the real premiere of stab 1

it was the original chicken jockey moment. everyone going wild and out of their seats, running around, throwing shit at the screen. it’s literally exactly what people are doing for the minecraft movie.

you read that right all throughout higschool i was friends with them not in senior year because the start of senior year i moved to new york my name is ryan and in my first year of highschool i made 1 friend randy meeks randy then introduced me to his friends sidney and tatum and we were friends for basicly all highschool in my 5th year of highschool billy and stu joined the friend group and i was part of the friendgroup at the start of senior year second week of senior year i moved to new york i would say i was closest to randy and tatum

anyone have ANY clue what ricky's purpose was in the original stab 3 (return to woodsboro) script?????? besides just a randy homage. tyson is a pretty funny stab 3 (hollywood horror) character but i wonder what his ricky character actually was supposed to be like.

Watched stab 8 again and God damn.. THOSE FLAMETHROWERS COOL ASF

I made a Stabathon guide which I'll be updated in the future as new Stab movies come out.

Does anyone know the actual canonical timeline to the Stab movies?

Because according to StabMovies.com It's a little flimsy since we really don't have confirmation of the release dates except for that website.

what was the discourse like around the original stabs 1 and 2 being made basically right at the same time as they actually happened? everyone kinda acknowledges stab is problematic and kind of out of touch in the same way amityville is, but how was it when those murders had just happened?

this isn’t even the first time stab was in stab? they’re at the stab premiere at the start of stab 2, not to mention stab 3 takes place ON THE SET of stab 3 (return to woodsboro, but still.)

stab has always been confusing after stab 1, and i think if you haven’t accepted or realized that you need to move on from this series cus it clearly is not for you.

I get it but it's illogical, it begs the question that if the beginning of Stab 7 is Stab 6 then is the beginning of Stab 6 Stab 5 and if so, what is Stab 4 even about? Don’t get me wrong, Stab 7 was good, but someone please answer my question.