As Halloween approaches and your friends agree to have a horror movie marathon but chicken out at the last moment, look no further than the Scream franchise. The original released in 1996 has remained popular both in and out of the spooky season, earning the title of a cult classic. In each consecutive film, we follow Sidney Prescott as she faces off against the never-ending cycle of Ghostfaces. The most recent adaptation was released at the beginning of 2022, and the series shows no signs of stopping soon.
Scream (1996)
Cast: Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox, David Arquette, Skeet Ulrich, Matthew Lillard, Rose McGowan, Jamie Kennedy
Director: Wes Craven
The film that started it all and made way for the yassified killer boyfriend obsession, Scream, is an all-time fan favorite, myself included. It features enough horror aspects to keep the audience on the edge of their seats while also remaining comedic. Not to mention, the cast is generally stunning.
Sidney Prescott (Campbell) is a seventeen-year-old in the middle-class suburban town of Woodsboro, California. The movie opens with its iconic phone call scene, ending in the death of two high school lovers. The killer, who wears a black cape and a long white ghost face mask, begins to terrorize their town, and Sidney (Campbell) feels a target on her back from the beginning of the killings. The young high schooler, her friends, a semi-mediocre cop, and a glory-loving reporter find themselves intertwined as each of them tries to unmask whoever is behind the ghost face.
“There are certain rules that one must abide by in order to successfully survive a horror movie. For instance, number one: you can never have sex.”
Scream (1996)
Scream is a classic for a reason. It’s self-aware and sarcastic to the point where the audience almost can’t believe it. Craven understands the slasher genre and completely reinvents it with Scream. At every waking moment, hints are dropped at who the killer is. It’s so extremely obvious, to both the audience and the characters, that it’s unbelievable.
scream 2 (1997)
Cast: Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox, David Arquette, Timothy Olyphant, Jade Pinkett Smith, Liev Schreiber, Jamie Kennedy
Director: Wes Craven
Sidney, after escaping the harrowing events of the first film faces a new nightmare. Two college students are murdered at the sneak preview of the ‘Stab’, a movie based on Sidney’s near-death experience in the first film. Sidney, Gale (Cox), and the same narcissistic reporter and Deputy Dewey (Arquette) from the first film work together to discover who is the new copycat killer.
“I’m gonna blame the movies. Pretty cool, huh? It’s never been done before.”
Scream 2 (1997)
After the legendary Scream, Scream 2 was completely underwhelming. Craven forwent the horror drama and focused on creating a comedic movie with bodies being absolutely torn apart. With the first film lacking in diversity, the second film tries to make up for it by casting several more actors of color. Yet, not a single one of these actors is given a role other than comedic relief.
The reveal of who is behind the ghost face in Scream 2 was mediocre and random at best. Characters the audience barely sees or hears about end up playing huge roles in the film. It felt as though Craven wanted to go for a shock factor, yet lacked the proper build-up. I will say, however, the choice of who Sidney had to face at the end of the film made for great dialogue and plot. My only wish is that Craven had given more insight into the characters throughout the film, rather than creating surface-level characters ready to be taken out for gore.
SCream 3 (2000)
Cast: Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox, David Arquette, Scott Foley, Parker Posey
Director: Wes Craven
After the events of both Scream and Scream 2, Sydney (Campbell) lives in fear and isolation, scared of trusting anyone. Only Dewey (Arquette) and Sydney’s family have access to her as she decides to live her life in peace—and anticipation. In Hollywood, the new ‘Stab 3’ is being shot. Suddenly, another string of murders begins, killing the actors in the same order as their real-life counterparts. The killer’s intention is unknown, other than the fact that they are desperate to find out the location of Sidney Prescott. After the narrative she desperately wanted to avoid, Sidney finds herself walking into Hollywood and in a who-done-it with Dewey and Gale at her side.
“Woah, woah, just wait one damn minute! There’s a psycho killer on the loose and you wanna go traipsing around this gigantic mansion? Have you ever actually seen the Stab movies? Every time this dude enters a room he ends up a goddamn shishkabob!”
Scream 3 (2000)
Possibly a controversial opinion: I enjoyed Scream 3 far more than Scream 2. I’m a sucker for Hollywood cameos in media such as TV and movies, and this was no exception. I feel as though the Hollywood aspect was able to tie in with idea that films were being made about Sidney’s life in a comedic and also realistic way. The idea of blaming the movies, making a movie, and so on have been prevalent themes in the previous films, and it makes sense in the storyline why Craven would go down this path.
Scream 4 (2011)
Cast: Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox, David Arquette, Emma Roberts, Hayden Panettiere, Rory Culkin, Marley Shelton
Director: Wes Craven
After years of peace from the lack of a new ghost face killer, Sidney (Campbell) has found peace in her trauma in the form of writing a self-help book. The final stop on her book tour is Woodsboro, where she reconnects with friends Gale (Cox) and Dewey (Arquette). Upon her arrival, a spark of new killings emerges. We follow a new generation of Woodsboro students who must face this endangerment, including Sidney’s cousin, Jill (Roberts).
“Why is Sidney Prescott staying with you? I mean, that’s like being on Top Chef with Jeffrey Dahmer.”
Scream 4 (2000)
After a long break from the Scream franchise, Craven brought the Scream series back to the original town with a plot reminiscent of the beginning. The audience finally gets to see Dewey and Gale as an official couple, working together to stop the killer. Sidney’s character begins to take an unexpected turn in Scream 4. After wanting to live a quiet life thus far, it was a bit of a surprise to see her decide to be in the spotlight and shed light on everything happening. When I first watched the film, I didn’t care for this decision. It felt out of character, something Sidney would have never done. Yet, as I watched and thought over the film several more times, I realized the importance of this decision. In a time jump of ten years, it would be more unrealistic to have the main set of characters remain the same. With Sidney taking more control of the trauma, something that other people have used for financial and fame gain over and over, it was a nice sight to have Sidney taking the power for herself.
The introduction to the new set of characters was also well done. Another recurring theme in the franchise has been familial ties and taking revenge, thus this transition into a new generation of a small town felt realistic. We follow Sidney’s cousin Jill who is neither estranged nor close to Sidney; they simply just know each other in a way where one “knows” that one cousin they see at all the family parties. When Jill and her friends begin to be targeted, it is both unsurprising and refreshing. After so many films of the killer desperate for Sidney, Scream 4 felt like Sidney was the protagonist, while also not being the only main character. The audience gets to see several scenes of not only Jill and the new generation, but also of the dynamics of Gale and Dewey as a married couple. Overall, a great return to the series after a long hiatus (ten years!).
scream (2022)
Cast: Melissa Barrera, Jenna Ortega, Mikey Madison, Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox, Jack Quaid, Skeet Ulrich, Dylan Minnette, David Arquette, Marley Shelton, Sonia Ben Ammar, Mason Gooding, Jasmin Savoy Brown
Director: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett
Twenty-five years after the original Woodsboro murders, high schooler Tara Carpenter (Ortega) is attacked by a new perpetrator in a ghost face mask. Tara ends up in the hospital, with word of the attack getting back to her distant sister, Sam (Barrera). As the past she would rather leave buried is forced to the surface, Sam must be honest with herself and those close to her if they hope to stop the new set of murders.
“Let me guess, the movies made you do it?”
Scream (2022)
Mid. Absolutely, utterly mid. After another decade without another sequel, there is a certain level of anticipation and excitement. Alas, there is also the disappointment that follows immediately after.
Scream (2022) is a modernized version of the original Scream (1996). Same patterns, same friend archetypes, almost the same killer dynamic. The film could have been nostalgic and loveable, yet also modern and new. However, the screenwriting makes the movie hard to watch. There is an increasingly new number of cringey and awkward lines, with the main romance being unenjoyable and slightly unbelievable. The connections to the past make for an interesting plot line (ex: the return of Billy Loomis (Ulrich)), yet are barely elaborated on after mentioning. Several of the previous actors make cameos, yet all take the back seat in terms of the focus of the film. For the future of the franchise, I feel as though this is a choice they had to make to be able to continue making new films with intriguing plot lines. I believe what stops me from enjoying this film even more so was the disclosure of who was behind the mask. The questionable age gap in the relationship of the two killers makes the scenes between them uncomfortable to watch. Several of the scenes in Scream (2022) felt forced and fake, a slight stain on the actors preceding this installment of the franchise.
final rankings
- Scream (1996)
- Scream 4 (2011)
- Scream 3 (2000)
- Scream (2022)
- Scream 2 (1997)
I do not believe that any new film within the franchise will ever top the original Scream (1996). The level of nuance and entertainment remains unrivaled between the film’s competitors within the horror genre as well as the series within itself.
If you haven’t already watched, dissected, and had nightmares over each Scream film, why are you still here? A new film is set to hit theaters in 2023, an untitled sixth installment. Is the franchise reaching for straws to continue its lifeline, or will the rankings be proved wrong and a new film take over the top spot in the ranking tier? Whatever the case may be, remember to lock all your windows, break up with your boyfriend, and never, under any circumstance, have sex.