Key Takeaways

• Scream franchise: The Scream series is known for its influential characters and memorable quotes.
• Film rankings: Each film in the series has unique qualities that contribute to its ranking.
• New installment: A new Scream film is set to release in February.
• Fan engagement: Fans are encouraged to share their own rankings of the series.

From its iconic characters to its lines that have entered the cultural zeitgeist, there are few horror franchises as influential as Wes Craven and Kevin Williamson’s Scream meta-slasher series – which gets a new instalment in February! So let’s take a look back on all of the films and see where they stand – here are the Scream movies ranked!

6. <em>Scream 3</em> (2000)

Ahhh the black sheep of the Scream franchise. Even as the clear worst entry, there’s still a certain charm to the third film. The Hollywood setting (dictated by the Studio after the Columbine shootings) really fits in well with the movie-centric series. Sure, the mismanaged killer and ghost mom portions are a little strange. Plus those Jay and Silent Bob cameos don’t exactly help matters. But this provides us Sidney Prescott, Gale Weathers, and Dewey Riley (that’s Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, and David Arquette) doing their thing. And, even if it doesn’t work, they connect it with all the films and try to make it feel important.

This is probably the most controversial placement of any film on the list and by all means, I don’t consider this to be a bad film. If anything, it just shows how strong the series is that this sequel is so far down the list. Having been released less than a year after the original, it’s a miracle that this film is as good as it is. The tension when Sidney and her roommate Hallie (Elise Neal) are forced to climb over Ghostface’s seemingly unconscious body is a masterclass. And the way it toys with your expectations set up from the first film is an absolute treat.

4. Scream 4 (2011)

The Scream series has always been so ahead of the game that they were doing “requels” before they were even a thing. And they masterfully handle the melding of the old characters with the new. A weak opening and a strange Soap Opera lighting effect that seems out of place in the horror genre are really the only drawbacks to the film. Though I will always be in the camp that the film should have ended before the hospital scene. We don’t always need happy, triumphant endings. I think the Scream franchise is more than overdue for a downer.

3. Scream VI (2023)

The latest entry may just have the strongest first half of any of the sequels. There are so many interesting new ideas introduced and nearly all of them work. And Ghostface is just plain MEAN here, with some of the most brutal kills of the whole franchise. While it certainly gets a little convoluted and Montreal serves as a pretty weak NYC, the film still provides plenty of satisfying twists and turns. It doesn’t hurt that these characters are just so damn likeable. Plus, the return of Kirby (Hayden Panettiere) will always be a positive in my book.

2. Scream (2022)

The first Wes Craven-less Scream (this one and 6 were in the hands of directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett) and it still features all the hallmarks of what makes a great entry in the series. An absolutely stellar opening, with some of the more brutal stabbings on film. I physically wince during some of Ghostface’s kills here. While we may have a weak lead with Sam (Melissa Barrera), that’s more than made up for with our tremendous side characters like the Meeks twins (Jasmin Savoy Brown and Mason Gooding) and Richie (Jack Quaid). And heck, we practically get a second lead that’s Sidney Prescott-levels of empowered with Tara (Jenna Ortega). The usage of the legacy characters in the script written by James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick feels perfect and, if anything, could have probably done with an even higher body count. But after 6, this entry feels even stronger.

Is this even a surprise? I’m not sure there’s a single person on the planet that would put any other film in the number-one spot. And for good reason: it revolutionized horror. As good as any sequel is, there will never be anything that surpasses the original. Randy Meeks (Jamie Kennedy) is the embodiment of every horror fan I know (and am) and provides some of the best monologues in slasher history. The deconstruction of slasher films provides one of the greatest twists in all of cinema history, with an absolutely blockbuster third act.

How would you rank the Scream series? Let us know in the comments below.

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