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Whether you watch horror movies with rapt attention or hide under a blanket the entire time, everyone knows about the Scream franchise. When the first film hit theaters back in 1996, the tongue-in-cheek teen slasher was a bloody, box office success. Four sequels followed, with the newest addition to the Woodsboro universe coming to the big screen just a few weeks ago. The franchise, known for its meta-commentary on horror and iconic Ghostface mask, has raked in an impressive $600 million across all five movies, with Scream (2022, Bettinelli-Olpin, and Tyler Gillet) still poised to earn more money during the rest of its theatrical run.
The films follow Sidney Prescott, a young girl who finds herself attacked and targeted by a masked killer who takes out her friends one by one. Each entry in the Scream universe follows Sidney at a different point in her life, from high school to middle age, and each one has great strengths, with others proving to be a bit weaker compared to the rest. While there hasn’t been a truly unwatchable entry in the Woodsboro saga, there are some Scream films that are sharper, smarter, and scarier than others. Let us see where these beloved horror flicks rank from worst to best.
5. Scream 3 (( 2000, Wes Craven ))
The third, and originally final, installment of the iconic horror franchise hit movie theaters in 2000. In Scream 3 (2000, Wes Craven) Sidney is off the grid, while her true story gets adapted in Hollywood via the Stab franchise that’s currently on its third installment as well. When the actors in the film start getting killed one by one, Sidney, Gale, and Dewey must team up one more time to unmask the latest killer before it’s too late. The movie has fun sequences and great action, but the lows in this film plummet fast and hard compared to the ones in the other films in the franchise.
The voice changer Ghostface wields in Scream 3 actually changes his voice to that of the person they’re imitating, which is technology that definitely didn’t exist in 2000, adding the first layer of implausible to the film. While you need to suspend disbelief for nearly every film, the absurdity of this piece of tech proves hard to ignore. Sidney suddenly seeing visions and hearing the voice of her dead mother adds an unneeded paranormal note to a horror franchise that’s always been 100% grounded in reality.
The Ghostface reveal, ultimately, is the weakest and most underdeveloped in the franchise. Roman, the director of the latest Stab movie, is the man behind the mask, and he reveals that Sidney and him share a mother. While the idea of Sidney having a secret half-brother could’ve been clever, it falls flat here. It doesn’t help that, according to Roman, he was the one who influenced Billy and Stu to become killers back in the original film, thereby retconning some of the creep factors behind the boys’ motives and intentions. Roman being the only Ghostface to work alone is interesting, but he lacks any other defining character traits to make him stand out amongst the cast.
Scream 3 also touched upon sexual assault in Hollywood by men in power, an important topic that wouldn’t be fully brought to the limelight again until the 2017 #MeToo movement made waves on social media and in film and television industry. But this plotline is ultimately soured upon seeing Harvey Weinstein’s name in the credits as a producer. (While those who worked on the film say brother Bob Weinstein was the one with input on the film, it’s impossible to ignore both Weinstein’s involvement). Was this Craven’s way of calling out both Weinstein and the industry who let him get away with so many heinous crimes? Or was it just an eerie, accidental prediction of the scandal that wouldn’t break for another decade? We’ll never know for sure, but its inclusion raises more eyebrows now than it did twenty-two years ago.
This film does have its high points. Parker Posey delivers a fantastic performance as the actress portraying Gale Weathers in the Stab franchise. Dewey and Gale getting engaged was a long time coming, and seeing the two finally admit their love for one another was heartwarming. Sidney working at a hotline for women in crisis shows her selflessness and devotion to helping others beautifully. The Hollywood setting was utilized well, and the chase scenes between Ghostface and his potential victims were, as always, great. But there are too many little errors that rapidly add up and, sadly, land Scream 3 at the bottom spot on this list.
4. Scream 4 (( 2011, Wes Craven ))
I can hear the pitchforks being sharpened as I write this section. Scream 4 (2011, Wes Craven) may have been the least successful installment box office-wise, but it’s got a dedicated fanbase who herald it as the best sequel of the series. Don’t get me wrong, there’s a lot to love in this installment. Getting the chance to catch up with Sidney, Gale, and Dewey after ten long years was more than any Scream fan could’ve hoped for. Sidney writing a book about her life, Dewey becoming sheriff and Gale’s husband, and Gale’s struggle to adjust to small-town life are all realistic and fitting arcs for the characters we know and love. The new generation of characters might not be as memorable as the ones we first met in the 90s, but the cool, cheeky horror fan Kirby, portrayed by Hayden Panettiere, proves to be a welcome addition to the world of Woodsboro.
Emma Roberts’ turn from girl-next-door to the heartless, vicious killer was hit or miss for viewers, but her motivation was certainly ahead of its time. Fed up with living in cousin Sidney’s shadow, Roberts’ Jill wants her fifteen minutes of fame, even if it means killing her classmates and own mother to do so. Jill didn’t want friends, she wanted viewers. In the early 2010s, the concepts of influencer and social media fame were nonexistent. But as the decade stretched on, news stories depicting all the cruel, wild, or just downright weird lengths people went to in search of viral fame.
What holds this back from being rated any higher comes down to the runtime, some weaker parts in the script, and, of course, the infamous filter over the film. One of Wes Craven’s few misses as a director is the hazy, bright filter slapped over every shot. It makes me feel like I’m at the eye doctor’s office with no contacts in or glasses on, my double stigmatism blurring all the light, shapes, and colors. In Scream 4, Dewey’s headlights, the backlight shining on Gale Weathers as she stands in front of an open door, and even just the porch lights strain the eyes and take viewers to a bleak time in horror history where over-saturation and drab cinematography was the blueprint.
While every Scream movie brings tension, bloody kills, and lots of meta-humor, they also bring a tight script and an even tighter two-hour runtime. Act Three of this installment overstays its welcome, continuing to drag its feet even after everyone in the cast has been wounded. A horror film slowing down in the final act is unheard of; that’s when the tension should be thickest. We get some iconic moments in these scenes, such as Jill purposely injuring herself to make it look like she was a victim, not a villain, and Sidney using defibrillators in the hospital to give Jill the shock of her lifetime, but they don’t offset the slow pace of the final act.
Scream 4 doesn’t deserve to be called a bad film. There’s a lot of good that justifies another trip to Woodsboro even after ten long years, and its prophetic prediction of social media infamy and influencer culture has aged better and better with every year that passes. It’s a strong fourth entry that holds its weight and proves to be a worthy entry to the franchise, but it’s also got a lot holding it back from climbing any higher on this list.
3. Scream (( 2022, Matt Bettinelli-Olpin & Tyler Gillet ))
Call it recency bias, but the long-awaited Scream (2022, Matt Bettinelli-Olpin & Tyler Gillet), or Scream 5, as some have taken to calling it, delivered on numerous fronts. The plentiful Easter eggs and callbacks to the other films sprinkled throughout the story are sure to have audiences pointing at the screen and whispering delightedly at what they recognize. This version of Ghostface is by far the most brutal and unrelenting. Not only does the person behind the mask plunge the knife into the victim’s skin, but they twist it even harder. They break bones and dangle characters’ family members. The kills in this movie are the bloodiest and most gruesome of the franchise so far.
While the reveal of who’s donning the mask might fall a bit flat, their motivation more than makes up for it. Scream tackles toxic fandom culture and fans’ entitlement to their beloved films, with the Ghostfaces desperate to remake Stab 8 in their own image. Reddit, the divisive Star Wars film The Last Jedi (2017, Rian Johnson), and YouTube fandom channels all get mentioned, but it’s not just for pop culture points. The idea of fandom and those in it becoming angry and bitter over a film they didn’t like come from real life (just ask a Star Wars fan about The Last Jedi and see what they have to say), making this motivation surprisingly grounded and realistic.
Much like our old pal Ghostface, the legacy characters once again shine in this film. Sidney is married with kids of her own, Gale hosts a successful national morning news show on tv, and Dewey is divorced and retired, which gives the lovable, goofy former sheriff a layer of grit he didn’t have before. The new cast is also stronger than the teens introduced in Scream 4. We’ve got the former rebel, the girl next door, the jock, the film geek, the best friend, etc. Jenny Ortega, Mason Gooding, and Jasmin Savory Brown give especially good performances in their roles and allowing audiences who just met them to grow attached to their characters and begging to see more of them in future installments.
This ‘requel,’ however, did miss the mark on a few things. Wes Craven and his directorial style are both sorely missed, and it’s easy to remember numerous times throughout the story that the legendary director is sadly no longer with us (Craven passed away in 2015). This film, along with Scream 3, are the only two with screenplays not penned by Kevin Williamson. The moments of meta-humor that poke fun at horror movie reboots are fun, but Williamson’s clever writing could’ve made it pack an even greater punch. But unlike a lot of reboots, sequels, and continuations of dormant horror franchises, Scream justifies its existence and pleads its case for existing incredibly well.
2. Scream 2 (( 1997, Wes Craven ))
The direct sequel to the original film hit theaters just a year after the first one came out. Scream 2 (1997, Wes Craven) brought viewers away from Woodsboro and onto an Ohio college campus, where Sidney’s attempts at moving on from the events of the first film get thwarted by the return of Ghostface. Kevin Williamson once again wrote the screenplay, and his commentary on sequels and how they’re never as good as the original, as well as what has to happen in each one, is as delightfully meta as his writing was in the first movie.
Sidney Prescott really shines in this film. In college, she’s in campus plays, has a great group of friends, including a new boyfriend and film geek Randy from the original Scream, and is beginning to go to parties and get back out in the world. A touching scene with one of her professors getting her to admit she’s a fighter and to embrace her inner strength helps bolster her confidence and belief in herself. She’s a college student now, a little older and wiser, but she’s still a final girl who never gives up, even when it seems like she’s got nothing left to lose. She didn’t choose to be a victim, but she always chooses to defend herself and her loved ones.
Speaking of loved ones, Gale and Dewey are at their best in Scream 2. Their romantic chemistry crackles with every interaction they share, even cutting through the tension that blankets their early conversations. After portraying Dewey as a bumbling idiot in her book about the original Woodsboro murders, Gale grows a conscious and owns up to her past mistakes. She and Dewey share great romantic and scary scenes, especially the one in a sound studio classroom where Gale hides from Ghostface, who eventually attacks Dewey right in front of her.
The reveal of the killers in this film also connects nicely to the previous one. One of Sidney’s new friends, Mickey, reveals to have been working with Mrs. Loomis, Sidney’s killer ex-boyfriend’s mother. Mickey wants to become a media sensation who blames the movies for making him into a murderer, and Mrs. Loomis wants revenge on Sidney for her son’s death. Both of their motives make narrative sense, and Timothy Olyphant and Laurie Metcaff deliver great performances as off-the-rails killers in cahoots. Overall, Scream 2 is a satisfying, slick slasher with a great college setting and even greater commentary on horror sequels.
1. Scream (( 1996, Wes Craven ))
You knew what would take the top spot before you even clicked on this article. As soon as Drew Barrymore answered the phone ten seconds into the original Scream (1996, Wes Craven), the movie was destined to be a smash hit. What’s not to love about the movie that started it all? It’s a bloody good time chock full of funny one-liners, a strong cast of lovable characters, and a tight screenplay that perfectly balances horror and humor.
Scream gets credited as revitalizing the horror genre in the mid-90s, and for good reason. Slashers were dying, and after an endless string of mediocre to just plain bad Friday the 13th and A Nightmare on Elm Street sequels, a fresh, fun, and most of all, original horror flick was desperately needed. And original this is; Scream really brought meta-horror to the forefront of cinema, giving audiences a group of characters who knew the tropes and staples of the genre as well as they did. The movie also pulled a twist unique for its time with having two killers instead of just one. Billy and Stu revealing themselves as a tag team remains one of the best reveals in the horror genre, and seeing how Sidney takes them down is equally satisfying.
Speaking of Sidney, the original Scream deserves praise for introducing audiences to one of the greatest final girls in horror history. She may have lost her mother and best friend, and her boyfriend turned out to be a serial killer, but she never loses her kindness, her strength, or her courage. She also gets to break horror movie rules, such as having sex and partaking in teen partying, and still come out on top in the end. She makes sure the killer is dead once and for all, and she pays attention to her surroundings. Neve Campbell breathes so much life and likability into the character, and it’s hard to imagine anyone else as our leading lady.
There are a plethora of reasons as to why Scream became such an iconic, beloved franchise, but the majority of them all came from the first movie. They continued to pop up in future installments, from the meta-humor to the whodunit to, arguably, the best final girl of them all. Even if in the next fifty years we get a twentieth installment to the franchise, the original Scream will never be in danger of losing its coveted number one spot on this list.