Another Scream movie is out and is proving to be a good hit at the box office in it’s first weekend. As a result, it’s time to rank all six Scream movies to come out!
While I’m sure people have their own personal opinions on them, I still believe that this is one of the most consistent horror franchises out there. Although nothing that has come after the original as been able to top it (*mild spoilers for my rankings*), this series has driven successfully from mostly good sequels which may not be as great as the original but it’s always do damn entertaining to watch them try!
Anyways, let’s rank them from worst to best!
6.) Scream 3
Scream 3 tends to get a bad rep for two reasons: for being the “funniest” of the Scream movies and the blood & violence being reduced following the Columbine High School massacre. While the later element is underwhelming, the former one actually fits quite well with the series. After all, this series has always tended to be spoofs of other horror movies along with providing meta/self-aware commentary on the horror genre and movies in general.
When the comedic elements are used when talking about trilogy capers, it’s hilarious. However, what makes the comedic element come across as tone deaf is when dives deep into the misogynic nature of Hollywood during a pre-#MeToo era time. And while that commentary is still more than relevant today (and that’s not even mentioning the fact that Harvey f***king Weinstein is the actual producer of this film), it doesn’t fit well at all and should certainly not be treated as a joke.
There’s also the reveal of Ghostface which is easily the worst killer reveal in the franchise. Not only does it come out of no where and is just plain ridiculous, it falls into the same trappings that the movie claims it’s avoiding since this twist help making this entry easily inferior to the first two and all of the other entries in this franchise thus far.
Despite it’s shortcomings, there’s still quite a bit to like about this one. When the humor hits, it hits quite well. The kills themselves despite being watered-down is still fun. And the original trio of Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox, and David Arquette are all always great to see together on-screen!
5.) Scream (2022)
This entry contains some of the bloodiest and most brutal kills in the whole series, the most likable new characters this series has had in a while, and has hands down the best and haunting opening sequence since the original! The meta commentary on “re-quels” and fandom is spot on and shows just how well this franchise has stood the test of time with what it’s trying to say with every entry that comes out at the right time!
Where it falters is the returning of the original characters which feels more forced and underwritten than ever before and feels like they’re here just because it’s a Scream movie and they gotta be involved in it somehow. There’s a lack of a personal conflict with Sidney and the rest of the legacy characters that makes their returns not as engaging as it could have been. And it also contains probably the most predictable killer reveal in the whole franchise, one that you will see coming from at least the second or third scene which that person is in.
An enjoyable outing in it’s own right and delivers what you want and expect out of a Scream sequel but it lacks the proper balance between old and new that some of the other sequels did so well!
4.) Scream VI
I basically flipped a coin between this one and the last one but because it’s more recent, I find myself siding with this one a tad more.
While the third act is worse than the previous one, I found everything up to that point to be just as engaging, if not more so. The new cast (especially Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega) equipped themselves admirably and don’t need the legacy characters themselves to carry it, the kills are still effective and satisfying, the returning cast involving Courtney Cox and Hayden Panettiere are better utilized here than the last movie, and it does give you a brighter sense of the future that lies ahead for these kind of franchises that actually dare to move forward without their main lead.
Next time however, I do hope the spoofs and meta commentary are more effective and it finds more of a fresh voice without needing to cling on it’s subtext surrounding legacy characters. Maybe play around with the multiverse concept or something. Even so, I had fun but you probably have to break the mold even further for VII so you don’t feel the fatigue.
3.) Scream 4
I still find this movie to be mistitled. It feels like this is the installment that should just be titled Scream instead of the newest one. It would fit perfectly as a title since this one is exclusively about reboots, remakes, and such. Like why have it be about that but still called it Scream 4? Beats me!
Aside from the questionable title, this is easily the second best Scream sequel for me. It tackles many of the similar themes that is presented with 2022 but does a better job of it. Going deeper into the themes of legacy, it’s commentary of reboots/remakes (so much so that there’s an argument to be made that this is the first real movie that can be described as a “requel”) and finding the right balance between the new and old cast than any of the sequels up to this point. The new teenagers themselves are easily some of the best of the series (especially Hayden Panettiere as Kirby Reed, who’s an easy fan favorite) and does a great at showcasing the social life of both teens and adults in the age of social media and smart phones.
This also has my favorite killer reveal of the whole series. It’s the most unpredictable and ridiculous reveal but yet also the most absolutely genius and smartest reveal imaginable. Unlike with 3, the reveal itself isn’t so ridiculous that it makes it unbelievable, it’s the casting of the killer that makes it remarkable. It was the last possible person I would imagine but the actor/actress is able to sell it so well that I never would have guessed it would have been them.
Similar to Halloween 2018, this just feels like an entry that could be the very first entry for someone and it may have just as the same impact as the original. It’s the only follow-up I feel makes for the perfect parallel to the very first Scream.
Seriously, though, you should have just called this one, Scream or Scream 2011 or something like that. It just doesn’t make sense for this one to be called Scream 4.
2.) Scream 2
How exactly do you follow-up one of the best original horror movies ever made that plays and subverts horror movie tropes people back then were grown accustom to, by playing and subvert tropes about horror sequels of course!
Part 2 does a better job than any of the sequels of standing as it’s own thing. It knows that it can’t match the original on it’s own merits so instead, it creates new merits of it’s own to match with. This second installment creates a sandbox all by itself offering enough of it’s own witty meta humor, unique scares, and bloody, badass kills to make this good enough to justify it’s own existence than most horror sequels out there.
It’s not quite as clever with playing by/breaking the rules of horror sequels as say the original was with playing by/breaking roles for original Horror classics but it does enough to make this sequel worthwhile.
And I haven’t talked a lot about it up to this point but man, is the music and the score in these movies quite something special!
1.) Scream
But yep, the original is still the best! This is one that absolute redefined the genre is was based on at the time that it came out and continues to do so to this very day!
This is one classic that it could come out today and you wouldn’t even notice the difference. All you have to do is remove a couple of pop culture references along with mixing in some new ones and you wouldn’t guess for a second that this came out the time it did with all it has to say about horror and movie making in general. The more things change, the more they stay the same!
It’s also plays perfect as a spoof than most movie out there. Unlike with most of it’s sequels, it’s able to make fun of the tropes and clichés that horror has grown accustom to without actually MAKING fun of it! It acknowledges the tropes and clichés for what it is and it’s importance but it’s more interest in being something completely different from that.
There’s not a single moment here that falls flat for me. Just about everything that it tries to accomplish works as good as it could! The twists, the turns, the reveals, the blood, the gore, the kills, the cast, the themes, the commentary, the score, and the best Screen queen herself, Neve Campbell! Everything here works so well that it’s actually scary and makes me want to scream!
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