All 7 Scream Movies, Ranked

Do you like scary movies?

I was a little bit late to seeing Scream 7, but I finally got to the theater to see it yesterday. Despite the pretty negative critical response, the film is killing it at the box office, which means Scream fans are as active as ever. I love this franchise to death. It is absolutely one of horror's most consistent and entertaining franchises, and I am always excited for when we get another one. That said, here's my ranking of all seven Scream films.

7. Scream 3

The lightest and most generic of the original Scream trilogy

Scream 3 was dealt a really bad hand, because the film was being made in the wake of Columbine, meaning that the violence and scares were toned down a bit. The production was messy, with Kevin Williamson being unavailable to pen the script and pressure from the studio after the success of the first two films. All that being said...this film just isn't very good. It's interesting (and grossly ironic) that this movie centers around the idea of actresses sleeping with producers to get roles in Hollywood when this movie was produced by the world's slimiest, ogre-like producer: Harvey Weinstein. The movie's commentary on the casting couch is ahead of its time...but everything else just feels like a generic slasher. The meta humor is a little bit forced. It tries to tie back to the original Scream in a completely forced and unnecessary way. Sidney Prescott is sidelined in her own franchise and we follow characters who are significantly less interesting and much more annoying. And the ultimate Ghostface reveal is just bad. Roman Bridger is not remotely compelling, and his role as the mastermind behind Billy and Stu's massacre feels forced and inauthentic. If this is the worst your horror franchise has to offer, though, it shows how consistent this series is.

6. Scream 7

Sidney Prescott is as good as ever, but the franchise is losing its footing a little bit

Scream 7 is an undeniable disappointment, because there are tons of good ideas here. Sidney Prescott is in a completely different stage of life since she was last the true main protagonist, and that's just fun to see. Neve Campbell brings a motherly side to Sid while also maintaining the quiet strength she's always had, and her relationship with her daughter is the strongest aspect of this film. Besides that, though, this movie really struggles with bringing something new to the table. Kevin Williamson is a great screenwriter but a clearly inexperienced director, and his less assured direction is felt throughout the film. The entire thing just feels a bit off and very dull...and the ultimate Ghostface reveal just caused the movie to collapse. It took me a second to recognize who Ghostface was when the mask was removed, because the character they revealed was so inconsequential and lame. The motivation makes no sense. A great Scream movie comes together beautifully when Ghostface takes off his mask, but this movie does the opposite. Instead of coming together, it just completely falls apart.

5. Scream 2

A solid sequel that feels a bit more derivative than later films in the franchise

I've never been a huge fan of Scream 2, but I do think it's a good movie. It is a miracle that a film with a one-year turnaround and as many production problems as this movie had is even compentent, so I give it props for that. Sidney was great in the first movie, but the sequel really expands on her trying to live her life after Ghostface and struggling to trust those around her. Where this movie really shines, however, is in the meta commentary. Whereas Scream was all about commenting on horror movies in general, Scream 2 specifically focuses on sequels, which was just genius. The creation of the Stab franchise as the in-universe Scream movies was absolutely incredible. Even the final Ghostface reveal is great. The thing that holds it back for me is that it often does feel like a rehash of Scream. Say what you want about Scream 3, but it's very different from the original, and the sequels after that are in such a different era that they can't really feel like rehashes. Scream 2 is the most derivative, but it's also the movie that demonstrated how good of a franchise this could be.

4. Scream VI

A brutal version of Ghostface in New York is awesome...but with some major caveats

Scream VI is one of the most entertaining films in the series...but it's also one of the ones that will bother you the most if you stop and think about it too long. I love that the put Ghostface in New York. All of the films up to this point had been set in a smaller, suburban-like environment (yes, I'm counting Scream 3 as that even though it's on a movie set), so taking the story to the Big Apple automatically does something different. This is also the darkest and most violent Scream movie, and I give it huge props for that. Scream has always balanced the darkness and horror with a bit of goofiness, but Scream VI tones down the goofiness and ramps up the terror. There are some awesome, standout scenes here, whether you are talking about the ladder sequence or the train with all the Halloween masks. Sadly, the movie does take a bit of a nosedive in the third act. The Ghostface reveal is derivative and strains a bit too much credibility. I don't buy into Ghostface's ability to hide their identity as well as they did, and I just think the movie leans sharply back into goofiness once the masks are off. It's a very fun ride, but the final destination is a bit underwhelming.

3. Scream 4

A clever return to the franchise and a solid final film for Wes Craven

Scream 4 is, in my opinion, a vastly underrated film. It's kind of like the black sheep of the Scream franchise, because it's squashed in between the original three films and the new films in the 2020s. This movie was ahead of its time, though, as it explored what Ghostface would be like in the digital age. Some of the new characters here are absolutely fantastic. Kirby is one of the most beloved side characters in the franchise for a reason. Jill is without a doubt the best Ghostface since Billy and Stu. And the movie's meta commentary on the internet and found footage and all of that stuff is actually very clever. I think this is a very good movie and a great Scream sequel, and I wish it got the recognition it fully deserves.

2. Scream (2022)

A perfect encapsulation of the horror re-quel phenomenon with some great new characters

When the 2018 Halloween came out, it began this chain of legacy sequels that essentially acted as revivals for various horror franchises. Naturally, four years later, Scream decided to pick up on that trend and deliver the best film in the franchise since the original. Scream 5 (which is what I'm calling it to differentiate it) is the perfect meta re-quel. It focuses on an entirely new batch of characters that are now being hunted by Ghostface. Sam, Tara, Mindy, Chad...they are all great. They all have some element of their personality or their backstory that really pops and makes them feel like memorable replacements for the legacy characters. And, speaking of the legacy characters, they are all fantastic. Sidney is used sparingly in the film, but she's as good as ever when she's in here. Gale is also used sparingly, but she still has the sharp, clever mouth that she's known for and Courteney Cox gives us more emotion than expected. The real standout of this movie, though, is Dewey Riley, who gets some truly incredible moments before his absolutely heart-breaking death. Scream 5 breathed new life into my favorite horror franchise of all time, and for that, I love it.

1. Scream

One of the greatest and cleverest horror movies ever made

There truly is no other movie like Scream. I wasn't alive in the 90s, but I know what the landscape was like for horror. The slasher film was dying. It was riddled with bad sequels and derivative ideas...and then Kevin Williamson delivers an absolutely genius script to one of the greatest horror filmmakers of all time. And the general public was blessed with Scream. Scream revitalized this genre because of its clever combination of horror and comedy. This movie is genuinely scary. That opening sequence is not only one of the best opening scenes of all time, but it's also one of the scariest. But the real genius of Scream is the idea that the characters know they are in a horror movie. They comment on the tropes and cliches of this genre we all love. This is designed to be a scary movie that is also a love letter and a satire of scary movies.

Beyond that, the characters are all fantastic. So many slasher films just star generic horny teenagers and out of touch cops and adults. Sidney is my personal favorite final girl because (as I've said throughout this ranking) she has this quiet resilience that contrasts so much of the idea of what. a"scream queen" should be. Yes, she's scared, but she fights back against Ghostface and tries to seize some power for herself. The final plot twist of there being not one but two killers is a masterclass in subversion of expectations. Scream knows its a whodunit, so it palys with audience expectations of that trope as well and delivers us two equally iconic horror villains. Put everything together and you have got one of the most important, entertaining, and iconic horror films ever made. This is not only one of my favorite horror movies: it is one of my favorite movies. And it kicked off this beloved, incredible franchise that is still continuing to this day.