Curated Collections: Scream Movie Rankings

With the release of “Scream 6,” let’s look back at the iconic horror franchise.

The Scream franchise has been a horror staple since 1996, when Wes Craven and Kevin Willison’s blend of meta-humor and traditional slasher villainy reinvented an entire genre. With the sixth film now in theaters — and five previous gory and quippy entries to choose from — let’s rank the installments from worst to best.

“Scream 3” (2000)

“Scream 3” is an objectively enjoyable horror movie. By this point in the fran- chise, the repeated formula of Ghostface pursuing Sidney Prescott and the usual cast of tertiary characters had worn a little thin. The dynamics still work, and the Ghostface reveal is a legitimate twist, but three movies in four years seemed to effectively over-sat- urate the market, and “Scream 3” is largely forgotten among fans of the franchise.

“Scream 4” (2011)

The final film directed by Craven before his death in 2015, “Scream 4” convincingly breathed new life into the dormant franchise. Benefiting from an 11-year gap between films and the successful imple- mentation of a handful of compelling new characters, the fourth entry feels like a brand-new take on the “Scream” formula. Hayden Panettiere and Emma Roberts join the recurring cast of Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox and David Arquette to take on an especially brutal version of the masked killer. “Scream 4” improves on the shortcomings of its predecessor, and serves as a fitting curtain call for a horror legend.

“Scream” (2022)

The fifth installment, annoyingly titled identically to the original film, was directed by Tyler Gillett and Matt Bettinelli-Olpin. “Scream” starred burgeoning superstar Jen- na Ortega around, you guessed it, Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, and David Arquette.“Scream” really strips things down and gets back to basics, a group of high school friends and a brand new iteration of Ghostface on the loose. Despite the simplicity, “Scream” is packed with young acting tal- ent and a series of great chase scenes. Bonus points for the updated Ghostface mask.

“Scream 2” (1997)

“Scream 2” came out less than a year after the original. The film starred Neve Camp- bell and the surviving characters of the first film and was set entirely on a college campus.The premise is simple and characteristical- ly metatextual, there’s a blockbuster movie based on the events of the first film, and there’s an imitation killer targeting college students.

“Scream 2” starts with an all-time open- ing scene starring Omar Epps and Jada Pinkett Smith that would make Chris Rock smile, and remains excellent throughout the course of the 2-hour runtime. To put it simply, “Scream 2” is one of the best se- quels ever made.

“Scream” (1996)

Arguably the greatest slasher movie, the original “Scream” is one of the most in- fluential films of all time. Its biting meta dialogue and comedic exploitation of hor- ror tropes led to an endless array of copycat films and over $700 million in total box office revenue.

Famously, the film’s top-billed star Drew Barrymore is killed in the opening scene, and the story pivots to a collection of less- er-known actors.

“Scream” is an enigma. It’s a raunchy teen comedy wrapped inside a violent whodun- it. An admittedly insane premise, but the impact of the film has endured decades of sequels. “Scream” still remains endlessly re-watchable and quotable twenty-six years after its initial release.

Daisy Jones & the Six: A Good Thing Made Bad?

The series, based on the novel of the same name, is a love letter to the 70s.

If there’s anything young adults love, it’s music and bands with a heaping of drama.

Based on Taylor Jenkins Reid’s 2019 bestselling novel of the same name, “Daisy Jones and the Six” follows the rise and fall of a fictional 1970s rock band, The Six, and their mysterious lead singer, Daisy Jones.

The story’s roots lie in the British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac — primarily the romance of Stevie Nicks and Lindsay Buckingham.

The show is presented in a documentary-style format, set 20 years after the band’s final performance. This adds a unique twist to the show’s narrative and gives viewers a raw perspective of the band’s struggles and relationships.

“Daisy Jones and the Six” is not just about the music industry, but love, relationships and addiction. Each band member has their struggles that are ultimately overshadowed by Daisy and Billy’s relationships.

The cast brings an excellent sense of chemistry to the screen, especially Daisy Jones (Riley Keough) and Billy Dunne (Sam Claflin). The two’s “will they, won’t they” dynamic leaves viewers on the edge of their seats until the show’s final minutes.

The music of “Daisy Jones & the Six” is outstand- ing, with original songs created for the show. The band’s album “Aurora” features songs “Look at Us Now (Honeycomb)” and “Regret Me,” which capture the spirit of 1970s Los Angeles rock. The show’s concert scenes capture the period’s excitement and are reminiscent of a Fleetwood Mac live performance.

Writers Scott Neustader and Michael H. Weber brilliantly capture the portrayal of female artists in a male-dominated industry.

Daisy is a driven and talented singer/songwriter who refuses to be defined by the men around her. She struggles with addiction and emotional trauma while fighting for her artistic visions.

The series struggles to find momentum, but once Daisy joins the band at the end of the third episode, the show gradually finds its rhythm.

What the show lacks in pacing, production design and costuming make up for it. Characters are dressed in denim and earth tones reminiscent of 70s Los Angeles. According to Variety, costume designer Denise Wingate “spent weeks scouring thrift stores and flea markets to build a wardrobe of over 1,500 outfits.”

The series breaks away from the novel, missing key elements. From scrapped characters, lyric tweaking and that final romantic scene, fans of the book will notice these not-so-subtle changes.

“[The show] makes interesting changes that make it compelling to engage with this story a second time,” said author Reid in an interview with Town and Country.

While “Daisy Jones and the Six” features groovy music, fun costumes and musical drama, the show once again proves that the books are always better.

The entire season of “Daisy Jones and the Six” is now streaming on Amazon Prime Video and “Aurora” is on all major streaming platforms.