Scream 2022 did a tremendous job being a "requel": a movie in a franchise that continues the story but also revisits old cast and tropes; the film also perfectly mocks Courteney Cox's terrible Scream 3 bangs. The crew only had one set of bangs and in Cox's - and everyone else's opinion - was cut just a bit too short. Cox has been haunted by those bangs since the film's release in 2000 and knows it is her worst look by far.
Scream 2022 is the first film in the franchise not to be directed by the late Wes Craven; instead being directed by Ready or Not's Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett. Much of the original cast made their return, including Cox's Gale Weathers, David Arquette's Dewey, Neve Campbell's Sidney Prescott, and of course, the infamous Ghostface. Scream's opening weekend grossed $36 million, making it surpass Spider-Man: No Way Home and making it the best in the franchise thus far.
Scream 2022 takes place a decade after Scream 4, and much has happened since then. Sidney is now away from Woodsboro and married with three kids. On the other hand, Dewey is now a depressed and isolated man. He lives alone in a trailer park, spending his time drinking and watching Gale on TV every day, as they have divorced. Gale is now the host of a morning show, stating that she is the happiest she's ever been. When watching her on TV one morning, Gale says a very subtle yet hilarious line: "If I ever get bangs again, someone needs to stage an intervention.", finally giving Gale's character some justice for the worst hairstyle in the history of horror. Her bangs were finally addressed, even if it took 22 years.
Cox's bangs in Scream 3 have been trolled by both fans and cast members since its release, with Cox herself even dressing up as her character for Halloween in 2020. With Cox poking fun at her ugly bangs, it was about time that the franchise let fans know that the bangs were a mistake. Cox claims that she purposely liked to make Gale's hair look crazier in each film, but in Scream 3, it went a little too far. Aside from Scream 2022 finally addressing the haircut, when interviewed on The Drew Barrymore Show, Cox stated "That was a big lesson in life because that will forever be on film. And we only had one set. One set of bangs. I remember they were cut on the set."
While the Scream franchise is beloved by a dedicated fan base, Scream 3 is the weakest in the franchise for numerous reasons, one of those being Cox's hideous bangs. Although becoming a 20-year-long joke, Cox got her "too much" look, and fans got their laugh. Scream 2022 did a great job at subtly poking fun at the haircut without putting too much emphasis on it. Gale Weather's character finally got the justice she deserves, but her Scream 3 haircut will continue to live on.
