Ranking every ‘Scream’ movie from worst to best
In the 1990s, horror cinema hit a low point. The previous two decades saw horror emerge as one of the most prominent genres, with movies such as The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Halloween, The Thing and The Shining finding great success. Yet, several years on, horror became stale, largely relying on pointless remakes and reimaginings.
With a lack of originality polluting the horror genre, something needed to be done. Wes Craven, the director of exploitation flicks like The Last House on the Left and the popular series A Nightmare on Elm Street, became horror’s guiding light out of the darkness, blessing audiences with 1996’s Scream.
The movie followed the tradition of popular slashers by focusing on a group of young people terrorised by a masked killer. Yet, Scream actively parodies the horror movies it was inspired by, frequently referencing the rules of surviving scary movies. Moreover, the killer, known as Ghostface, is often clumsy, falling over with overt theatricalism. At the same time, he can be genuinely terrifying, making for a simultaneously thrilling and comedic viewing experience.
Scream remains one of the most iconic horror movies ever made. Naturally, its success spawned a franchise, which is still ongoing. Find below a ranking of every Scream movie, from the 1996 original to 2023’s sixth instalment.
Ranking every Scream film from worst to best:
6. Scream 3 (2000)
The worst instalment in the Scream franchise is easily the third, released in 2000, simply because it’s quite boring. The concept certainly has potential, with Craven centring on a film-within-a-film plotline based on the Stab franchise. Yet, Scream 3 commits a fatal flaw by ‘retconning’ events from previous movies. Put simply, the screenplay is a bit of a mess.
This is perhaps because Kevin Williamson, who wrote the previous two instalments, was not in charge of writing the movie; instead, the role was given to Ehren Kruger. Subsequently, there’s less meta-humour, and Scream 3 begins to lose sight of the qualities that made the first two so fantastic. The movie also gave us one of the franchise’s most unforgivable crimes – Gale’s terrible haircut.
5. Scream VI (2023)
After the positive reception of Scream (2022), fans were delighted to receive a sixth movie, with Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett returning to direct. This time, the cast can be found attending university in New York. By taking Scream out of Woodsboro, the movie feels further removed from the original franchise, which is not helped by the fact that Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) is not present. However, when considered separately from the original film, Scream 6 still stands as an enjoyable slasher, with plenty of twists and turns around each corner.
Unfortunately, you can’t help but feel like the movie unnecessarily draws out the franchise, making you wonder, ‘How many more times can these characters (especially Gale) go through such deeply traumatic events?’ Even more, Scream 6‘s humour isn’t as clever as previous instalments, with its comical references targetting a young audience, giving it less universal appeal.
4. Scream 4 (2011)
Released in 2011, Scream 4 became Craven’s final movie before his death. Although it pales in comparison to Scream and Scream 2, it’s still plenty of fun, providing some of the campiest scenes from the series. Emma Roberts does what she does best and stars as the psychotic Jill, giving a fantastically dark and comic performance. With Scream 4 appearing at the dawn of the 2010s, Craven was aware of the rapidly changing technological environment, reflecting his ability to keep a finger on the pulse, using his comedy horror to explore valuable cultural commentary.
Craven never loses sight of the franchise’s whole purpose – to subvert and have fun with the genre, giving us one of the series’ most shocking Ghostface reveals. While Scream 4 doesn’t have as many intensely gripping scenes as others, it’s still a strong entry into the franchise, sure to be enjoyed by even the most casual Scream fan.
3. Scream (2022)
After Craven’s death, many fans were hesitant to receive a fifth instalment in the franchise with a new leading cast and directors. While the movie featured Sidney, Gale, Dewey, and even the ghost of Billy, the main cast contained names like Jenna Ortega and Jack Quaid. Luckily, the new generation of Scream stars fit into the world of Woodsboro well, with Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett taking over directing duties. The result is a meta delight, referencing elevated horror and the Stab franchise while commenting on fandoms and the toxicity they can harbour.
Scream features some gruesome kills, genuinely surprising reveals, and the original’s classic wit. Of course, without Sidney leading the way, Scream doesn’t feel the same. Still, Bettinelli-Olphin and Gillett do a fantastic job of interweaving the legacy characters with a new collection of stars, with Ortega giving a brilliant performance as Tara Carpenter. The movie even provides the audience with one of the franchise’s most emotional moments: the surprise death of a beloved character.
2. Scream 2 (1997)
It’s rare for a sequel to be just as good, or even better, than the original. Scream 2 doesn’t reach the heights of its predecessor, but Craven is more than aware that the film was a tough act to beat. Scream 2 is imbued with plenty of sequel jokes, with loveable film nerd Randy asserting, “Sequels suck. By definition alone, they’re inferior films.” He also explains the rules of sequels, stating that the body count will be bigger and bloodier, setting the audience up for another thrilling ride.
Indeed, there are some great kills in Scream 2, but what makes it so good is our trust in some of the beloved legacy characters. When coveted characters like Gale and Dewey come into danger with Ghostface, these intense moments have us on the edge of our seats, desperately hoping they’ll make it out alive. Additionally, the movie contains some of the franchise’s most suspenseful scenes, such as when Sidney and Hallie attempt to escape the car that Ghostface has hijacked.
1. Scream (1996)
There’s no way that the original Scream couldn’t be number one on this list. Craven’s first instalment in the franchise was genre-defining, singlehandedly revitalising the horror genre through its parodic self-awareness. By mixing genuine terror with ironic humour, Scream captivated a generation, giving us some of the most quotable lines in movie history, such as, “What’s your favourite scary movie?”
Moreover, Scream gifted us with one of the most iconic opening scenes in the horror genre, brutally killing Drew Barrymore’s Casey Becker within the first ten minutes, signalling that none of the cast was safe. We also get a highly memorable Ghostface reveal, with Sidney discovering that the masked killer who has been tormenting her is actually her boyfriend, Billy Loomis and his best friend, Stu Macher. It’s hard to dislike Scream, which revels in its own stupidity and unbelieveable nature all while raising important questions about the way on-screen violence has infiltrated popular culture, subsequently interacting with the real world.