Ranking Every ‘Scream’ Movie
To celebrate the 30th anniversary of Scream, I rank all seven films in the franchise with some controversial placements
Scream is the definitive horror film of the nineties, rounding out the century with a post-modern meta take on the genre. It’s self-aware nature made for a perfect launching pad for a franchise, the sequels being able to comment on the fact that they are sequels, opening up a new layer of jokes poking fun at the repeated tropes. But sometimes the Scream series has got the balance wrong. Self-aware can drift into self-indulgent, satire into parody, and the scripts can aim to be too clever and end up silly and not scary. Yet, for 30 years and seven films, the franchise has managed a solid hit rate.
Scream is unique, not only for the meta angle but by being the only slasher series that is also a whodunit. It may be the same costume each time but the killer, or more often killers, is different every instalment. It certainly keeps the engagement level up compared to other franchises, which have to find a way for Michael Myers or Jason Vorhees to be back killing people with barely a motive. Scream can eat its cake and have it too: the iconic Ghostface fronts every film but the person donning the mask and black robe is always a mystery.
In parsing the good from the bad with Scream, a good rule of thumb is that a good Scream film has something to say about other movies, and a bad Scream film is only concerned with Scream (or Stab) films. The franchise has undergone a cyclical existence, emerging for a movie or three every ten years or so to comment on how the genre has changed and how it can change with it (or stubbornly refuse to in some instances). It’s a pattern that has served Scream well, but with an eighth film on the way shortly after its own modern trilogy, the franchise is in real danger of becoming tired.
How do the recent movies compare to the originals, and for an ‘of the moment’ series how well has each entry aged? Below I rank all seven instalments of Scream:
7) Scream VI (2023)
Perhaps a controversial pick for the bottom spot, I find Scream VI repetitive and toothless. It’s the only film in the series I was desperate to end. Coming just a year after the previous film, there’s no meat left on the carcass of horror for it to pick at. Scream (2022) had covered modern horror, made gags about elevated horror and the changes in the genre, and so the sequel has nothing to comment on. There’s no perspective, no angle, no commentary. The closest it gets is giving the ‘rules of a franchise’ but there’s nothing new there. They are identical to the sequel rules from Scream 2 and ‘requel’ rules from Scream (2022).
Without the satire and without the specific Scream elements (the action moved to New York, Sidney not appearing), Scream VI doesn’t feel very much like Scream at all. It’s a decent horror flick but not a good instalment of the franchise. The character of Kirby reappearing is fun but she’s bland compared to how she was in Scream 4, and the Gale plot is well worn territory, returned to factory settings so she can have the same arc yet again. The set pieces are solid but, like the film overall with the longest running time of the franchise, they go on far too long. The subway sequence is great but the ladder scene becomes interminable; half of the film is Ghostface trying to break through locked doors. And between each set piece is the same one-on-one conversation between characters, discussing the same things with no development.
The villains’ plot is simple revenge and they are absolutely useless because nobody dies in this movie. One of the rules for the movie stated by Mindy is that a legacy character has to die but apparently that’s not true. Outside of the great opening sequence, itself containing a fun twist which is ultimately useless, the film lacks any bite or conviction. Characters are stabbed dozens of times and they survive to offer witty remarks another day. It’s a complaint that can be lodged at many films in the franchise but VI takes it to the extreme. It’s stupid. There’s no danger, there’s no horror or tension, because everyone is going to be fine, so by the ending sequence, after two hours of endless shoulder and gut stabs, I was begging for the credits to roll.
6) Scream 3 (2000)
Back before the modern instalments of the series, naming the weakest Scream was easy and unanimous: Scream 3. It sucks. The film is held back by three big factors. Firstly, Kevin Williamson couldn’t return to write the script and so Ehren Kruger, know best known for his work on the Transformers films, penned the film, disregarding Williamson’s notes and with them the franchise’s distinct dialogue. Scream 3 is smarmy rather than witty. Secondly, Neve Campbell was contracted for only 20 shooting days so barely appears and has little bearing on anything, kept separate with dream sequences just to give her something to do while the film happens elsewhere. And thirdly, after Columbine, the violence and horror was edited down, a disastrous move for a slasher film.
The result is film which acts more like a comedy despite not being very funny. There’s very little reference to other horror films or the genre and instead acts as a smug takedown of Hollywood, which is familiar low-hanging fruit. It becomes a collection of cameos, from Jay and Silent Bob to Carrie Fisher to Roger Corman. And with the murders occurring on the film set of Stab 3, it’s the entry where Scream becomes too self-referential, it’s only about itself and the previous films in way which feels massively self-indulgent and convoluted. The only saving grace is that, given Wes Craven is behind the camera with much of the same cast and crew, it has the same vibe as the original, the last in the series to capture that specific look and feel. And the sequence with Sidney in the set of her old home is good fun, I admit.
The original cast return, with Courtney Cox now sporting the worst haircut in horror history, but they are neither victims or suspects. They just hang around while we are given no reason to care about the new cast, although Parker Posey is pretty great. The killer reveal is terrible, with it being a dramatic unmasking to Sidney despite her never having met the character before or the person he’s holding hostage. He has to introduce himself after the reveal! It being her half brother takes the already tangled and weak backstory surrounding her mother to new lows. I guess the film’s greatest meta commentary is unintentional: it’s a terrible third movie set during the production of a terrible third movie. It fits, but it’s still terrible.
5) Scream (2022)
The biggest issue with Scream (2022) is that Scream 4 exists. If it didn’t I’d find it a lot more engaging and original. The fifth Scream film thinks that it’s riffing on the original, a parody of the legacy sequel acting almost as a remake, but it doesn’t seem to realise that instead it’s redoing what Scream 4 already did, just with newer references. I like how it pokes fun at how outdated slashers are in modern horror, characters dismissive about Stab and being fans of ‘elevated horror’, and while there’s fun to be had, Scream (2022) isn’t as clever or as pointed as it thinks.
It’s at its weakest during the middle act. It is at once both a parody of the ‘requel’, or legacy sequel, and also just is one. There are times when it doesn’t joke about the tropes, it simply embraces them. We get an older, depressed Dewey to act as the mentor to the next generation before dying, and the film around him feels just as sad and dour as the character. The middle lacks the energy and humour of the previous films, taking itself too seriously, allowing the viewer time to overthink about how the killer can get away with murdering people in broad daylight, in hospitals which surely have cameras. All the entertainment comes from the legacy characters and the killers; the new leads inheriting the franchise are dull, particularly Sam.
Thankfully, the opening scene is a good reintroduction to the franchise in the modern era and the third act leaves the film on a high note. The reveal of the Macher house is a great moment, along with a clever reprise of the “look behind you” scene. I also really like the reveal of the killers’ motivations. This is the first time I’ve guessed both killers before the reveal but I love that it is a commentary on toxic fandom, angry fans who think they can do better and stage their own ‘fan fiction’ after being frustrated by the eighth Stab movie from Rian Johnson. It’s a fun modern angle, even if, like all the best aspects of all the sequels that follow, Scream 4 got there first.
4) Scream 7 (2026)
That’s right, I like Scream 7. Although my opinion comes with a pretty big asterisk: the killer reveal is atrocious. It feels as if the film itself knows the story behind the killers sucks, commenting on the Stu Macher red herring: “That would be the better story but it’s too far-fetched.” Honestly, they should have just gone with Stu, believability be damned. Instead the killers use AI to resurrect past killers to hide the fact they are nobodies in the story. When they revealed themselves I had to pause the movie and think back where I’d seen them before they left so little impact. Turns out it’s Sidney’s friend/neighbour who was inspired by her self-help book and then felt betrayed she wasn’t in the last film, turning her crazy enough to murder her own son and become Ghostface, all while aided by the head of a psychiatric hospital. What?! A killer who actively despises the Stab films, killing fans and burning down key locations, while viewing Sidney’s legacy as her book is an interesting idea, the opposite of what has come before, but it’s poorly executed.
So, the reveal sucks, but honestly, before they take off the masks, I really like how these killers operate. It feels like director Kevin Williamson jumped at the chance to make a Halloween film inside a Scream film. They act like Michael Myers, being brutal and genuinely scary in their kills, unlike the useless ‘killers’ from the last film. The kills are some of the best in the franchise, particularly Mckenna Grace suspended on wires and the beer tap kill, and I appreciate that the film tries different scares. Usually Ghostface jumps out for a quick jump scare, but here they slowly appear in the darkness, lingering behind and haunting characters (like a ghost!). I found it refreshing.
Not only is Scream 7 is a good horror film and I also think it’s a solid drama. I like how Sidney’s life being known through popular culture affects the relationship between her and her daughter. How much does she tell her daughter Tatum about what happened to her, including where the name Tatum comes from, when there are in-universe movies that can tell her? Sidney needs to make her understand the truth, rather than the Stab version of events. It’s the one self-aware thread in the movie, which otherwise plays it pretty straight, not being that funny or meta.
It also seems maybe a little over-apologetic about Sidney’s empty role in Scream (2022), giving her more to do and almost acting like that film didn’t happen, with more substantial roles for Sidney and Gale, who gets her best scenes since 4. Gale’s entrance, killing a Ghostface shockingly early is a great moment, and I like that she finally gets an interview with Sidney, even if the circumstances are pretty silly. I also really like that when Tatum gets a call it’s not Ghostface on the line but Sidney, who has to direct her daughter on how to kill Ghostface via phone, a fun subversion. It’s one of several interesting ideas in a messy film I appreciate more than most. Shame about the ending.
3) Scream 2 (1997)
Scream 2 feels completely of a piece with the first film. Writer Kevin Williamson always had ideas for a sequel in mind, and coming just a year after the original, it’s biggest success is how consistent it feels. It’s the natural evolution of the series, the next stage in the meta commentary, with discussion about sequels opening up a whole new level that the script takes full advantage of. We’re introduced to the film-within-a-film Stab, laying the groundwork for the sequels to come, making Scream 2 feel like the true beginning of the franchise rather than the first film. But cleverly, there’s not just standard horror tropes the film can play with but also now those specific to Scream, set up in the first film. The sequel gets good milage out of whether Sidney’s new boyfriend can be trusted or if it’s now a cliché that he’ll be the killer in every iteration.
The script in undeniably clever but my issue is that while the movie can talk the talk it struggles to walk the walk. It discusses horror well but I don’t think it’s a particularly strong horror film itself. It’s a good commentary, a decent whodunit, but a weak scary movie. It’s not very scary or thrilling, acting better as a comedy. It might as well be a Clerks film, characters standing around discussing movies. There are only two moments that stand out for me in this regard. First, the car crash is pretty cool, especially the pole through the head. And then Dewey’s ‘death’, which Gale has to watch through glass, unable to stop it, almost like she’s viewing it on a screen as another layer of self-aware unreality. It’s like Wes Craven’s The Bird with the Crystal Plumage. But outside of those, it’s not great, including the Sorority House scene which may pay homage to Black Christmas but pales in comparison.
Sidney is lost within the huge amount of (admittedly great) supporting characters. There’s a whole gang, composed of Randy, Gale, and Dewey, investigating the killings without her and so she gets little to do. The ending is also played as kind of a happy ending for her despite the fact her friends die, her boyfriend dies, another friend turns out to be the killer, and she’s saved by someone who only did it for media attention. She should be massively traumatised by the time the film ends the consequences are brushed aside. I do like the killer reveal however, with Ghostface being Billy’s mom, a twist/flip on Friday the 13th and it’s sequel. Overall, there are some missteps, but I think the sequel shows great insight and intelligence in being able to satirise not only horror sequels but also its own original film just one year later. It’s a confident sequel which acts as a fitting extension of the original.
2) Scream 4 (2011)
Scream 4 is so good it kinda ruins all the other sequels to come by comparison. It’s doing so much and most of it incredibly well. With over a decade of distance since the last film, the franchise has something to say again, horror having changed. There’s commentary on torture porn, the terrible remake trend, and meta satire on how sick people are of meta post-modernism. And despite it being very 2011 in style (the overly exposed, light/dark contrast with grainy visuals make it perhaps the ugliest film of the series) I think it is ahead of its time. Scream (2022) was only able to get away with redoing much of the film because 4 is criminally underseen. It’s still relevant and clever today, if not more so.
The film is able to do two things at once: parody remakes with a new younger cast (including an excellent Hayden Panettiere as Kirby, a total delight) and also sequels with the existing cast. It satirises legacy sequels before they were even a thing, better than the more recent sequels. It plays with what we expect from a remake, featuring characters who spend the movie quoting the original, and moving the party scene to act 2 to leave the third open for its shocking twist. I did not see the killer reveal coming. I think it’s best of the franchise, and rather than two killers sharing a motive or one weaker than the other, it has two great ones. Rory Culkin’s Charlie is essentially Richie from the fifth film but a decade earlier and Emma Roberts’s plan to become the new Sidney is genius. I love how it plays out.
Rather than resetting the plot like the other sequels, Scream 4 actually follows through on the character development that the franchise has only previously threatened to accomplish. Everyone is in a very different place in this film and it’s satisfying to watch: Gale and Dewey are married, Sidney is happy and a writer. The film works as a solid character drama on top of everything else. And unlike Scream 2, it’s a great horror movie, too. The kills are brutal and there are some scary scenes, particularly the ‘call is coming from inside the closet’ moment. The way Ghostface operates is great: filming the murders, making their own Stab movie in ‘real life’ (also what the fifth film does), satirising not just movie fans but also social media fame and influencers in the very early days. Three films later, Scream 4 still feels like the final word on Scream, the ultimate sequel, and very nearly the best film of the franchise.
1) Scream (1996)
This is always the hardest part of writing these rankings. I get to the number one spot and more often than not the best film in a horror franchise is the original, and despite being the best it’s the one I have the hardest time writing about. What is there to say about Scream that hasn’t been said a million times before, and in this case maybe even said by the film about itself? It’s great. And it holds up well. It might be, depending on your point of view, so disgustingly or charmingly nineties, with the fashion and the hair and the technology (What are you doing with a cellular telephone, son?”), but it still works as a mystery, a comedy, and a horror today.
Not only did it revolutionise horror (building on what Wes Craven’s New Nightmare and Friday the 13th Part VI started) but it changed how teenagers were portrayed, and how they talked, on film. There’s no Buffy without Scream. A cineliterate script, a horror movie in a world where horror movies exist, is a great idea and the poking fun of the tropes allows the film to operate on another level. But! We can’t forget that Scream is good because it still works as a genuine horror film without that stuff. The mystery, the kills, the suspense still works without it, something the sequels sometimes forget.
The cast is excellent, the film plays fair with its scares (there’s no fake-out jump scares of a cat jumping from a closet, it’s always Ghostface), and I appreciate that it features a very human killer. There’s no supernatural teleporting or superstrength. Ghostface can and will get kicked in the balls, run awkwardly, and fall down the stairs, which works considering the entire point is someone essentially cosplaying as a killer. And the opening scene is iconic. It may not be shocking like it once was but the opening is a perfect little short film before the movie proper, the best sequence of the franchise. A perfect, potent, distilled slice of Scream with everything the movie and the franchise does well. Scream is the definitive horror film of the nineties.
