There isn’t enough I can say about the Scream franchise, as it is one of my absolute favorite movie franchises. The thrill of being scared, the scream queens, and of course the SCREAMS make the Scream franchise such a great horror series.
Can it really be that this all started 27 years ago?! We’ll look past that number (has it been that long ago; seems like only yesterday) and rank these six great movies from worst to best.
Scream, when it first came out, changed the movie genre of slasher films, making Ghostface become one of the iconic movie villains we all love. The Scream movies kind of stay the same, but each one gives a new, fresh start with their characters and plots. It all starts in 1996, with the classic Scream and the five films that came after. Do you have a favorite? Join me as I rank the films from worst to best!
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6. Scream 4 (2011)
This, by far, was the worst in the franchise to me. Scream 4 is a re-entrance into the franchise. This movie went with the times and didn't avoid the 11 year time skip, which gives it some points from me. Other than that, though, there's nothing about it that makes it stand out as a good film.
While I liked that this installment brought new characters and three of the original characters back to the screen, the whole plot of the movie disappointed me. The idea that Sidney's cousin just wanted her 15-minutes of fame took away from the overall theme of the franchise. The only likable thing about the film was Hayden Panettiere's character, Kirby.
5. Scream 3 (2000)
The last installment of the original three, I liked that this film wrapped up the series. I think it did a good job resolving Sidney's journey to find out why her mother dies (spoilers! sorry). While this is the last of the original three films, it was all a bit too silly for me. The movie lost some of the gore that I loved in the first two movies, and it tried to be too funny. Don't get me wrong, I laughed, but still, I thought it didn't quite fit the standards of the franchise overall.
4. Scream 2 (1997)
Not much I can say about Scream 2, it was not bad, just like the first film, but in a different setting. It was needed to help drive the series forwards, so it's just in the middle for me.
3. Scream VI (2023)
The latest to the franchise, Scream VI added something new to the series, introduced new characters, and brought back the old. It continues the new story-line of the series, while keeping the same feel as the original movie. The movie remained shocking in the ways some of the characters were "unalived", and the whole plot of the movie kept you guessing.
For something new that added to the original franchise, I loved that this film kept true to the overall themes of Scream. With the many twists and turns, it really opened the series up to move onto new, better things.
2. Scream (2022)
The opening takes you back to the original movie, as well as back to Woodsboro. The new Scream introduces a new chapter to the series, with new characters. It still brings back the original three survivors to the game, as well as the OG killer, but, more importantly, it brings the story to a whole new generation. It keeps Scream and Ghostface alive!
1. Scream (1996)
The original Scream will always be on top. It's perfect. From the opening scene, and throughout the entire film, you can see why it's the golden standard of the franchise. This film helped to bring the slasher genre back. No disrespect to the classics, like Halloween, because we wouldn't be here without them, but Scream, for me, just brought the genre to a new level, and I fell in love.
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That's all I got for you. If you haven't watched the franchise, do yourself a favor and enjoy it this spooky season. Quick question... What’s your favorite scary movie?