It’s hard to believe that Scream 7 has already been out for a couple of weeks. In that short time, Scream 7 has became the highest grossing film in the franchise, making over $176 million worldwide. This is despite the behind-the-scenes drama that led to its conception and some of the worst reviews the popular meta-slasher series has seen to date.
With the dust settled, now’s a better time than ever to rank the franchise that inspired an entire generation of new slasher content – that is, until the inevitable Scream 8 releases in the distant future. 2026 marks the 30th anniversary of the Scream franchise, so that means there will be spoilers ahead for each film to make you Scream over.
7
Scream 7 (2026)
It’s fitting that Scream 7 would land in seventh place. The latest film in the series has its moments, for sure. Neve Campbell and Courtney Cox come back in full force, Mason Gooding as Chad Meeks-Martin reminds fans of arguably the best part of this reboot era and the kills are as brutal as ever. However, Scream 7 can’t escape the questionable firing of Melissa Barrera.
Even when you judge the sequel on its own merit, the plot feels like it’s emotionally exploiting the franchise’s lifelong fans. The return of Matthew Lillard’s Stu Macher (Scream), Laurie Metcalf’s Nancy Loomis (Scream 2) and Scott Foley’s Roman Bridger (Scream 3) should have been epic. Yet Scream 7 makes a critical story error in the third act, making them all AI creations by a group of Ghost Face killers that have no connection to any of our core cast members. When the credits roll, you’ll feel like Sidney Prescott just starred in a laughable Stab movie rather than a main entity Scream sequel.
Scream lives and dies by its Ghost Face revival. Scream 7 dies by it with the worst third act in franchise history, forcing a confusing AI backdrop on us. It’s one that never comments on our current scary climate in the usual clever franchise way. It only ever uses this technology as a cheap soulless gimmick that abandons the “rules” that made these films fun in the first place. The commentary here is the lack of it. This is all the more depressing given the original franchise screenwriter/creator, Kevin Williamson, returned to direct and co-write the film.
6
Scream 3 (2000)
While it’s arguable that Scream 3 is actually the worst film in the franchise, Scream 3 has something that Scream 7 doesn’t: the lively direction of Wes Craven. The third film in the franchise was heavily altered from Williamson’s original vision thanks to the real-life Columbine High School shooting in 1999. This led Williamson to be replaced by writer Ehren Kruger (Top Gun: Maverick). The final version of Scream 3 relies too much on the meta-comedy of the franchise with cameos like Carrie Fisher (Star Wars) and Kevin Smith (Clerks) abusing its sunny Hollywood setting. This is even more noticeable since the commentary on horror trilogies isn’t as well implemented as the self-aware backbones of the previous films.
Besides the forced laughs, Scream 3 is also where the franchise’s story comes crashing off the rails. There are retcons abound in this slasher. This includes Sidney’s mother being an actress and Roman Bridger, her unknown stepbrother, being the ultimate mastermind behind Billy Loomis (Skeet Ulrich) and Stu Macher killing the former. Roman set this whole franchise in motion. The voice changer that could imitate anyone’s voice perfectly was a scratch too far as well. There’s more than a few reasons why fans had to wait 11 years for Scream 4. That said, Scream 3 is still very watchable and is hard to skip when you’re having a Scream marathon.
5
Scream 2 (1997)
This may be the most controversial ranking on this list, but this only shows off the high quality bar Scream has had for 30 years. All the films from this point on are at least very good. Scream 2 has great commentary on sequel culture, an iconic movie theater cold open, and Craven’s signature style. The latter of which features some of Scream’s best kills and chase sequences. Cici’s (Sarah Michelle Gellar) sorority house slaughter, Gale Weather’s film school chase, and Randy Meek’s (Jamie Kennedy) unexpected murder are top tier slasher moments.
This was a rare film in the franchise that actually showed off the stakes. Anyone could die at any moment. However, the thing that keeps Scream 2 lower on this list is its pacing. The third act is overly long, with this being one of only two Scream whodunnits over two hours. You definitely feel that towards the end. In spite of Metcalf’s Nancy Loomis reveal being iconic, Timothy Olyphant’s Mickey Altieri is one of the weaker Ghost Face killers. Despite all that, 2 is a good Scream sequel with a fun college atmosphere and set the tone for the rest of the series to come.
4
Scream (2022)
The first of Radio Silence’s Scream sequels was a reminder of what makes this franchise everlasting. Scream 5 comments on the horror trends of the times in clever ways. This time they shifted the focus to “elevated” horror and “sequels”. The latter is a fun play on something that reboots a popular franchise without forgetting its established continuity. Examples of this would be Halloween (2018) and Candyman (2021). Bringing back the franchise trio of Sidney Prescott, Dewey Riley (David Arquette), and Gale Weathers with a batch of fresh faces to Scream, 5 became the best example of this trend.
Scream 5 also propelled Barrera and Jenna Ortega to final girl stardom as the sister-duo Sam and Tara Carpenter. Sam’s connection with Billy Loomis gave the series a fresh new psychological hook. Gooding, Jack Quaid, Mikey Madison, Jasmin Savoy Brown, and Dylan Minnette add to this particular film’s rewatchability as well. Ultimately, there’s not much to complain about besides the lack of a popper chase sequence, and it does follow the structure of the original pretty closely. Yet, the hospital scene alone that ended with Dewey’s death and the commentary on modern internet movie culture make this an emotionally satisfying watch every time you hit play.
3
Scream 4 (2011)
The biggest financial bomb of the franchise has become the ultimate Scream cult classic 15 years later. Scream 4 was Craven’s last film before his death in 2015 and he, alongside returning writer Williamson, left nothing on the table. Like Scream (2022), the fourth installment blends a fresh lineup of suspects with Sidney, Dewey and Gale. This sequel takes us back to Woodsboro for the first time since the original 1996 classic. Dewey is now the sheriff and is married to Gal while Sidney’s back in town for the promotion of her new book titled “Out of Darkness”. However, Sidney can never have peace with a new Ghost Face dampening their reunion.
With commentary centered around horror remakes, this is one of the most clever of the Scream sequels. All the while, Hayden Panettiere and Emma Roberts as Kirby and Jill (Sidney’s cousin) remain two of the best characters of the series. The latter of which is the only Ghost Face to rival Billy and Stu. Robert’s unhinged third act performance is the main reason Scream 4 is as high as it is. It’s so good that the fact that Jill dies gets sadder with every rewatch. Especially, with the knowledge that Williamson’s original ending had Jill surviving and getting away with it. As is, Scream 4 is still one of the strongest films in the franchise. It’s only held back by a horrendous vaseline filter and a few forgettable characters.
2
Scream VI (2023)
Scream VI is one of those slasher sequels you either love or hate. That said, Radio Silence’s final film in this franchise is the most ambitious and visually stunning entry since the Woodsboro’s murders of 1996. The continued focus of the Carpenter sisters and Sam’s mental health struggle was the right move for this long-stabbing series at the time. This is all the while Ghost Face achieves Universal Monster status. That means this horror icon is the scariest he’s ever been, with arguably the best chase scenes and kills of the entire franchise. The New York City setting gives this sequel a gothic aesthetic Scream never had before. The only thing holding back this entry in most peoples eyes is the Ghost Face revival and the Meta commentary of a film becoming an “ongoing series” are on the weaker side of the franchise.
Even with that, Scream VI is a complete rollercoaster of a film. There’s barely any time to breathe and new cast members like Josh Sagara, Samara Weaving and Dermot Mulroney complement our “Core Four” of Barrea, Ortega, Gooding and Brown nicely. This is also the only Scream with Campbell due to a pay dispute. Like the behind-the-scenes mess of Scream 7, that will forever be with it. Unlike 7, Radio Silence made the best Scream possible given its badly dealt hand. So good, in fact, it will convince you that there is a potentially great path to be taken with this franchise without Sidney Prescott. One that we’ll probably never get to see completed now.
1
Scream (1996)
Was there ever any doubt? Scream is one of the best horror films ever made. It only ever gets better the more times you watch it. It put Craven back in the frightening spotlight, while putting Williamson on the map. There’s an endless number of reasons why Scream works as well as it does. The ensemble cast’s chemistry is off the charts, the meta commentary on slasher movies (which was a dead sub-genre at the time) made the film easily consumable and the whodunnit style was like no other.
However, what many people don’t talk about is that Scream oddly feels like a sequel. Sidney’s tragic backstory involving her mother could have easily been the first film in the series. That’s why it works so well. It makes this universe feel lived in from the start. The iconic opening bait and switch featuring Drew Barrymore helps too, but there’s just something about the well-placed exposition of the film that makes Ghost Face’s reign of terror feel like a true crime urban legend. Fitting, giving Scream would inspire more teen-centric slashers like Urban Legend, I Know What You Did Last Summer and Valentine.
Scream has always been one of the strongest franchises in the genre. This is due to the work that Craven, Williamson and Radio Silence put in to preserve the integrity of Ghost Face’s blood-soaked legacy. This is despite the quality bar being slightly changed with the recent release of Scream 7. Paramount Pictures/Spyglass Media Group haven’t helped in that regard either with what the meddling they’ve done behind-the-scenes.
Yet, that does change what your favorite films in the franchise are. Whether it’s the atmospheric 90s thrill of the original, the more brutal nature of Scream 4 and VI or even the modern nightmare that AI presents in Scream 7, we all have a favorite Scream entry. More so than any other genre series, it has helped multiple generations of moviegoers become diehard horror fans. Like Halloween, Texas Chain Saw Massacre and Friday the 13th before it. Each passing sequel has served the same purpose and given the new generation an excuse to watch the original. Scream 8, no matter the quality, is bound to start that cycle again whenever it comes out.
- Created by
-
Wes Craven, Kevin Williamson
- Latest Film
-
Scream 6
- First TV Show
-
Scream
- Cast
-
Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, David Arquette, Melissa Barrera, Jenna Ortega, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Mason Gooding
