I WATCHED ALL THE SCREAM MOVIES—HERE’S MY THOUGHTS (SPOILERS AHEAD!)

“Do you like scary movies?”

Over the summer, I watched all of the movies in the “Scream” franchise. Here are my rankings:

1. “Scream” (1996)

Overview: Obviously the first “Scream” is ranked at No. 1. “Scream” came out in 1996 and revitalized the slasher genre.

Part of the reason that “Scream” is so enjoyable is the way it calls out horror movie tropes, often while it’s happening.

There’s even a character that is a “horror movie expert,” who explains the rules of a horror movie and how to survive it.

It uses the audience’s knowledge of the slasher genre, and the horror genre overall. It opened the door for modern meta horror movies that deconstruct the “rules” of horror films.

Neve Campbell’s Sidney Prescott redefines the requirements of being a “final girl” in this film, and for future films.

Billy Loomis and Stu Macher are arguably the most iconic Ghostface killers.

They weren’t the most subtle, but they created a legacy and they are referenced in every movie.

It’s also important to note that statistically, a woman is more likely to suffer violence from a romantic partner.

Some of the Ghostface killers are a little more unrealistic, but intimate partner violence is very real and very scary.

The film also contains the most iconic scene out of the entire franchise – Drew Barrymore’s phone call.

2. “Scream V” (2022)

Overview: I didn’t expect this one to rank so high, but it is a fantastic “requel,” as it is coined in the film.

It sticks to the ideas presented in the original and brings back several legacy characters, while still managing to bring something new to the table. It introduces two new heroines – Jenna Ortega’s Tara and Melissa Barrera’s Sam – as well as a new friend group, made up mostly of relatives of legacy characters.

Story: Emily Wells favorites. After an absolute rollercoaster of an opening, Sidney’s cousin, Jill Roberts, and her friends are introduced as the focus of the film.

This film is also very meta and explores the rules, not only of horror movies, but of the “Stab” franchise (the franchise within a franchise). It has a perfect balance of

Sidney is back in Woodsboro on her book tour and Sheriff Dewey and Gale Weathers are married and living in Woodsboro. The film was not that well-received, but it’s actually pretty clever. It’s all about complains about franchise installments struggling in their predecessor’s shadow.

Charlie is actually pretty forgettable, but Jill Roberts was one of the most interesting Ghostface killers of the franchise. Her motive is that she wants her “15 minutes of fame” and goes to extreme lengths to achieve it.

4. “Scream VI” (2023) nostalgia and originality.

Overview: I thought this was a good follow-up to “Scream V.” Like “Scream V,” it follows the ideas of the film it is supposed to be rebooting (in this case, “Scream II”), while still being original.

In fact, it outshines “Scream II.” Like in “Scream II,” the killer is a parent avenging their child, who was the Ghostface killer in the previous movie. Also like “Scream II,” it is set at a college.

Campbell does not come back as Sidney in this film due to a pay dispute, but interestingly, in “Scream V,” it is said that Sidney is in all the “Stab” movies but the last one.

This is purely an accident, but it is kind of cool how it played out. There are tons of physical callbacks to previous films, such as all the original masks and robes. This film has the most Ghostface killers out of the franchise, with one of them being revealed right off the bat.

Richie Kirsch is the first Ghostface killer since the first film to be the love interest. It’s tradition to suspect the love interest at the beginning, but I have to admit, I did not see it coming. Amber Freeman is brutal as Ghostface.

3. “Scream IV” (2011) Overview: This may be a little controversial, but this one is one of my trying to live up to what came before, and the awareness that that is not possible, and this idea is reflected in everything, even the casting.

Emma Roberts (Julia Roberts’ niece) is cast as Sidney’s cousin, Jill, who is struggling in Sidney’s shadow.

Rory Cullkin (Macaulay Culkin’s brother) is cast as Charlie Walker, the president of the school’s film club, who

The first killer is a film student named Jason Carvey who kills one of his professors over a bad grade, and then plans to kill Sam and Tara to finish the movie Richie started.

The other three killers are Ethan Landry, Quinn Bailey and Detective Bailey. Quinn fakes her death as her alibi, while Detective Bailey uses his police connections to cover his tracks and lull Tara and Sam into a false sense of security. Ethan is kind of just there. Detective Bailey is Richie’s father and Ethan and Quinn are Richie’s siblings.

5. “Scream II” (1997)

Overview: Franchises have proven time and again that the sequel just never fully lives up to the original. While that’s true here as well, “Scream II” is still enjoyable.

Sidney and Randy are at college, where they have made new friends and Sidney has a new boyfriend.

A new movie called “Stab” has been released, based on Gale Weathers’ book about the Woodsboro Murders. In this film, we get a close look at the deep-rooted trust issues Sidney has after the events of the first movie, as well as a rendition of the rules of sequels of Randy.

The two killers have very different motives. Nancy Loomis wants revenge for her son’s death, which is very “Friday the 13th”-esque. Mickey Altieri just wants to kill people. He wants to be caught and blame violence in cinema for his crimes. He is unique in being the only Ghostface killer who wanted to get caught.

6. “Scream III” (2000)

Overview: Before I get started on this one, I will say it has its good moments, and some really relevant themes. In this film, the events are taking place in Hollywood, on the set of the in-universe “Stab 3.”

This is the only film in the franchise to not have a setting related to a high school or college, and I later found out that the original script was changed to have no relation to school violence after

Columbine, which makes sense.

The film deals with the still relevant topic of sexual abuse in Hollywood, and was produced by…Harvey Weinstein? Not very fitting.

“Scream III” is just a little too campy to fit into the franchise, and the random dream sequences with Sidney’s mother were almost too much to handle. And don’t even get me started on Gale Weathers’ baby bangs.

One thing I do love from this film is Parker Posey as Jennifer Jolie as Gale Weathers in “Stab III”. It’s very campy, but I think she gives a performance that pulls it off.

The killer is Roman Bridger, the director of “Stab 3” and Sidney’s half-brother.

He claims that he inspired Billy and Stu, and therefore started the whole thing. It all feels a little cheap and poorly planned, and a little too much like a soap opera episode. Overall, it holds up as a franchise. I have trouble getting through a lot of franchises because they just decline so steeply in quality over time. Although “Scream” does have weaker installations, there’s not a huge drop in quality at any point.