The Scream Franchise Ranked

With the release of a new instalment in the Scream franchise, coming eleven years after Scream 4 (2011), it felt like a good time to rank the entire franchise in quality, including this newest entry. This is a ranked list from worst to best but it should be noted that, especially when compared to other slasher franchises like Halloween, A Nightmare on Elm Street, etc. the Scream series has remained remarkably consistent in quality. While I will of course highlight individual issues I have with most of the films and do find at least my last place entry to be a frustrating to watch, I think it’s important to emphasize that I really don’t think there’s been a bad Scream movie and they are all, if nothing else, extremely enjoyable viewing experiences. That is perhaps why the idea of ranking them was so appealing to me as even amidst my various criticisms I will explore, I view this as a celebration of what remains an absolute blast of a horror franchise.

*SPOILER WARNING – massive spoilers ahead for the entire Scream franchise, including Scream (2022)*

5.

Scream 3 (2000)

The gang goes to Hollywood as the final film in the initially intended Scream trilogy is a campy but convoluted romp that would be forgivable if not for its back bending ret-cons to the lore of the franchise. Considering its release nearly two decades prior to #MeToo, it’s quite impressive in how it at least attempts to wrestle with the seedy sexual exploitation of Hollywood. The use of movie sets as a recreation of Sidney’s original trauma is a fun staging choice and I am not averse to Wes Craven leaning further into camp than he ever has with some hilariously memorable line delivery from the likes of Parker Posey. However, the narrative in relation to the Scream franchise just falls apart. The reveal of Roman Bridger, director of the ‘Stab’ film being shot, as Scream 3’s Ghostface is by far the weakest revelation of the series. It feels incredibly anticlimactic as we have little to no investment in Roman as a character and all of the ret-cons to Sidney Prescott’s life story and the original Scream he presents are frustrating to say the least. First comes the information that Maureen Prescott, Sidney’s mother, was not simply an average suburban woman before her brutal murder. In fact, before settling down and starting a family she was briefly a Hollywood actress who was taken advantage of by sleazy producers like John Milton. This is an unnecessary wrinkle in what was much more powerful as just a seemingly random woman being murdered in an extreme act of violence. Then comes the even sillier twist that Roman, whom we have barely been introduced to, is Sidney’s long-lost brother whom her mother had and gave up before retiring from acting and meeting Sidney’s father. His story is that he was envious of Sidney’s wholesome family upbringing which he feels robbed of and so, in an honestly infuriating retcon on Scream (1996), he was the one who instructed Billy Loomis and Stu Macher to murder Maureen and introduced them to their murderous endeavours. This erases so much of the terrifying insanity of Billy and Stu and largely re-writes them as impressionable youngsters indoctrinated into murder by Roman, who by this logic was the catalyst for the entire franchise to begin with. As well as this reveal which takes so much away from the original Scream and is generally anti-climactic, Gale Weather’s all-time terrible on-screen haircut with the infamously horrific bangs are enough to land Scream 3 as the worst in the franchise, though not without enjoyment value.

4.

Scream 2 (1997)

For the film that arguably had the most difficult task in directly following up the original Scream film and turning it into a series, Scream 2 is a pretty fun and intriguing sequel which is mostly just let down by its somewhat underwhelming Ghostface reveal. Its biggest strength is the character work on Sydney, who continues to be undoubtedly the greatest final girl of all time and fascinating as an exploration of trauma. The college setting is a refreshing change from the first film and makes for some fun set pieces and the cinema opening sequence with Jada Pinkett Smith is an all-timer. It also ingeniously begins the ‘Stab’ franchise, the extremely meta use of a fictional Scream-like film series within the Scream films themselves. ‘Stab’ would become such an integral part of the franchise from here on out and so it deserves credit for the creation of that alone. It jumps from set piece to set piece throughout the college campus and is entertaining throughout its hijinks, but feels a little Scooby-Doo-ish in its ‘the gang solves another murder mystery’ and doesn’t ever capture any of the true terror of its predecessor. It also has an anticlimactic unmasking, though superior to the Scream 3 reveal. Laurie Metcalf’s irritating local reporter character who had been posing as a pathetic Gale Weathers wannabe, is revealed as the mastermind of this film’s murders. She is pretty obviously fishy from a mile away but the twist of her being the mother of Billy Loomis is a fun reveal and clever seeing as she is heavily referred to in Scream (1996) but never seen. However, the other half of the operation being Mickey, the asshole archetype in Randy’s film class who is only in a few sporadic scenes, feels a little pointless. Overall, this one just washes over you and is not frustrating like Scream 2, but also not truly delightful in the way the not yet mentioned entries in the series are. Also RIP Randy, a great loss to the franchise.

3.

Scream (2022)

I will never be able to shake the fact that it feels a little wrong to have a Scream film without the involvement of Wes Craven, being made after his death. However, if you’re going to do it, this is a pretty good attempt from Ready or Not (2019)directing duo Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett which succeeds in capturing the spirit of the franchise. It absolutely nails the biting meta commentary infamous of the franchise and totally succeeds in updating it with the self-acknowledgement of it being a ‘requel’. The Ghostface reveal of Kirsch, our protagonist Sam’s boyfriend, and her younger sister’s best friend Amber, as the maniacal murderous duo is arguably quite predictable. Kirsch in particular was pretty obviously guilty within the first few minutes he’s on screen for me. However, I can’t be bothered by it being a predictable reveal because it’s so well executed and perfectly performed by both actors. The merciless mocking of toxic, obsessive, Reddit-brained fandom is hilariously and brilliantly conveyed and the setup earlier in the film with the direct referencing of The Last Jedi which is a treat for anyone constantly submerged in online film discourse like myself. I think had the entire final act not been so wonderfully done I would be much harder on the film because the one aspect where it majorly fails is in its melodrama. The entire supposed emotional throughline, which also doubles as the films link between the new characters and the original bunch, of Sam being the daughter of Billy Loomis, is frankly a little ridiculous. It’s played so straight in a way that feels absurd and it almost feels like something the film would or should have done in a satirical way, but it really doesn’t seem to be intended as satire. With none of the emotional beats hitting, I think I would have been far harder on this film had the last act with the Ghostface reveal not been so satisfying. I also think the returning characters are underused however I understand the intentionality of that in allowing our new cast to shine. It’s certainly not without fault and the ‘daughter of Billy Loomis’ melodrama is a failure, but for as poorly as a 2022 Scream instalment by someone who is not Wes Craven could have gone, it’s pretty impressive in how funny it is and how successful its final act is.

2.

Scream 4 (2011)

One of the most aggressively mid-2000s movies ever made also happens to be the greatest Scream sequel ever made. With the challenge of resurrecting the franchise eleven years after Scream 3 concluded what was initially a trilogy, Scream 4 is brilliantly unpredictable, thrilling and probably the most fun I had in the entire series at trying to solve the murder mystery at its core. Hayden Panettiere as Kirby is an all-time supporting character, the entire multi-layered meta opening sequence with the ‘Stab’ franchise is a highlight of the entire series and the Ghostface reveal of Jill, Sidney’s own cousin (with the assistance of her clueless secret boyfriend Charlie played by one of the forgotten Culkin siblings), is unbelievably satisfying. I have seen some criticisms of the film’s fame-obsessed teen archetype as being clichéd but I couldn’t disagree more and eleven years on, Jill’s entire psychological thesis has only gotten better and more relevant as it has aged. It’s as tragically hilarious as it is chilling how she looks at her aunt, such a deeply traumatised person who has been irrevocably altered by such brutality in her life, and only sees the fame and attention she has obtained from it. The lengths she goes to are insane, longing to be ‘the next Sidney Prescott’ and Emma Roberts, who is such an ingenious casting choice at this time for this role, executes it so brilliantly and is extremely underrated in her comedic abilities. Even as a perhaps somewhat on-the-nose portrayal of the fame-obsessed generation who have been desensitised to violence and tragedy, it’s one of my favourite things Wes Craven has ever done. Some of the forced inclusions of technology/social media are already a little dated but other than that its entire mid 2000s aesthetic is so glorious, complete with surely one of the most eclectic of-an-era teen casts of all time. It may be at times overlooked now in favour of the ‘classic’ more nostalgic Scream films but I am confident that in time it will be appreciated for the pitch-perfect sequel that it is.

1.

Scream (1996)

Sometimes the most obvious answer is the correct one and here it’s not even close. Scream 4, as my second favourite film in the Scream franchise, I still consider to be a hundred leagues beneath the original. It doesn’t even come remotely close. The Scream sequels are all wonderful comedies which continue the satirical meta commentary which the original starts and perfects. However, what the sequels never were, was the absolutely bone-chilling, completely somber horror which Scream knows when to be. Sure, it has entirely comedic monologues and so many scenes which perfectly balance absurd comedy with horror. However, the opening twelve minutes with Drew Barrymore is just unflinchingly terrifying and played completely straight. By executing a flawless and mostly humourless elongated horror sequence as basically a prelude to the film proper, Scream has perfectly licensed itself to then delve into the comedy and campy of aspects of horror as much as it wants because it has already illustrated to you that it is not taking any shortcuts in its horror elements and can take it extremely seriously whenever that’s required. Sidney Prescott is the greatest final girl of all time who is so brilliantly characterised and so immediately likable as we watch her experience tragedy of unparalleled levels. There is not a weak link in the supporting cast of her eclectic friend group as Tatum, Randy, Billy and Stu are all distinctively established and the Ghostface reveal of her boyfriend Billy and her best friend’s boyfriend Stu as the killers remains absolutely iconic. While it obviously becomes somewhat of an over-used staple to have two killers as every film except Scream 3 does, it can’t be overstated what a perfect twist it was when used the first time. Billy and Stu, for as much as they are played for comedy and often portrayed as immature buffoons in their murderous plans, are still undeniably terrifying. Especially with the acknowledgement of the fact that Stu has seemingly no motive which he himself confirms, which makes him truly terrifying underneath how hilariously Matthew Lillard plays him. It’s such a once in a generation palette cleanser of a film that resets the entire horror slate after the likes of Halloween, Friday the 13th and Wes Craven’s very own A Nightmare on Elm Street, directly commenting on some of their more frustrating or overused tropes, while also perfectly executing their better ones. It’s a balancing act of satire and comedy with disturbing, violent content that never crosses a line or tips over one way. It cannot be overstated how well the film has aged as I admittedly saw it extremely late, first coming to the franchise only in the last year. However, it still blew almost every other horror I had seen out of the water. For everything it is and everything that came after it, I honestly don’t know if we’ll ever get another Scream.