“Scream 3” isn’t supposed to be another cranked-out version of the popular series starring people who are better received in their TV roles than they are on the big screen. At least that’s what the movie’s director and producers want the public to believe.

“Scream 3” was always intended to be the FINAL CHAPTER, the vital end to the trilogy, the most important piece of the puzzle.

Whatever. It’s not, really, but it’s still a pretty fun popcorn movie, and in the season of high-art flicks and Oscar-ready movies, it’s a pretty worthy escape.

Although the “Scream” movies aren’t exactly intellectual fare, there’s many references to the first two, particularly the original, in the third one, so it probably would help to be somewhat familiar with the story line. Of course, the first two grossed more than $100 million at the box office, so that’s kind of a moot point; everyone’s seen them anyway.

When we last left our fearless heroine Sydney Prescott (Neve Campbell, TV’s “Party of Five”), she had survived the second batch of killers wearing the ghost-face masks, and she’s putting her life back together. Few people know where Sydney’s living now; she’s hiding out Howard Hughes-style in a ranch outside of Hollywood.

The audience knows she’s still haunted by the past, though, because of her pained, anguished look (the same one she wears on her popular TV soap) and the extensive security system she has in her home. Not to mention the flashback and visions she’s having of her mother, Maureen Prescott, the original murder victim referred to in the first.

Meanwhile, the two other lone survivors from the first movies, obnoxious tabloid-TV reporter Gale Weathers (Courtney Cox Arquette, TV’s “Friends”) and nebbish Deputy Dewey (David Arquette, TV’s 1-800-CALL-ATT commercials), have for some contrived reason broken up (again) and are once again brought back together, this time on the set of “Stab 3,” which is based on the murders portrayed in the first two “Screams.”

Weathers and Dewey are on the set as consultants for “Stab” since they lived through the real murders.

But wouldn’t you know, once again a murderer wearing the Grim-Reaper gear is back, slashing up people on the set of “Stab.” Actors are getting sliced and diced, while the killer (or killers) keeps leaving pictures of Sydney’s mom taken years ago at the scenes of the murders.

And the stalker, who keeps leaving hints that he/she/they isn’t a copy-cat killer but somehow linked to the original movie, wants to find the reclusive Sydney to wield some sharp revenge.

It can be pretty entertaining to see the “actors” who are portraying the “real-life” Woodsboro citizens, especially the manic actress who’s playing Weathers (played by Parker Posey), stand side by side with their counterparts. However, the “snappy banter” that’s exchanged between those characters is pretty stupid.

And speaking of pretty stupid, real-life married Cox-Arquette and Arquette, who shared a playful and somewhat interesting flirtation through the first two films, are downright silly in “Scream 3.”

It’s plausible that the producers are trying to capitalize on the couple’s recent marriage by making them exchange witty put-downs and sweet nothings to each other, and they end up looking like David and Maddie on “Moonlighting.” And not during the good seasons.

Campbell is missing in action throughout most of the film, letting Cox Arquette and Arquette and the new players take center stage. Of course, she shows up for the final confrontation with the killer, but she’s given even less to do here than in the previous two efforts.

Not that she’s a master thespian or anything, but she’d probably be a welcome distraction from the “supporting cast.”

The writer of the first two movies, Kevin Williamson, didn’t pen this script, and it shows. Although “Scream 3” has plenty of violence and horror-movie suspense, as well as the occasional laugh, it lacks the clever pop culture references that filled the first two movies.

Plus, some of the more clever characters in the series have already bitten the bullet, even though Randy (Jamie Kennedy) makes a very special appearance from beyond the grave.

But all those sticking points are pretty minor. There’s something about going to a suspense movie (or in the “Scream” movies’ case, a comedy with some pretty clich‚ suspenseful moments) that’s pretty fun.

They’re incredibly interactive (there’s always a multitude of people yelling at the characters on the screen, imploring them to “Don’t go in there!”), and there’s a lot to be said for that, having a collective movie-going experience.

And for all its shortcomings, “Scream 3” still has some fun, tense moments, and there’s the 20 minutes before you find out who the killer is that you have some great ideas about who it could be — even your guess is probably more interesting than the movie’s reality.

2 1/2 Stars

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Rating based on a 5 Star scale.