Scream | From Worst to Best

With the hype of the fifth film in this franchise, I figured why not put the Scream films from Worst to Best in my world. I want to preface this by saying, I think my list is going to be drastically different than most but I’m making sure to put my reasonings and logic behind the madness. Also, there are spoilers so if you’re not up to date on all things Scream, make sure you save this for later but leave now.

Scream(2022)

Starting this off with a bomb. So far in the franchise, Scream 5 is the worst addition. I felt like the killers were too predictable and not believable. The acting and casting was under par. Obviously, the Legacies nailed it but after everything Dewey has been through whyyyyyyyyyyyyy?!?! That part made zero sense to me. You’re saying that Amber could overpower Dewey? Sure, he’s getting older and he’s out of the game but Amber was just shot(granted she had a vest on, that still takes a lot out of you) and she’s incredibly petite. After all these years, they did him dirty. Everything about this film, you could call. With the storyline of Sam being Billy’s daughter – what a stretch. I loved that Skeet came back for the small cameo but I wasn’t buying it. Honestly, Jenna Ortega’s character went through more and was more likable than Sam’s. I liked the nods to some of past characters like Tatum and Randy and the tribute to Wes Craven throughout. I just think this film tried way too hard to “remake” the original and there’s just no comparing the two.

Scream 4

I think Scream 4 did a good job with reviving the franchise. I think they hit the marks that they were going for. Overall, I think this film did good with making this for Zennials. For me, the casting of Emma Roberts is what ruined it. With a different casting choice, I think this would have been perfect but since Jill is the “final girl” aside from the Legacies, her character plays a pivotal role.

Scream 3

Noticing a pattern with my list yet? This particular film is widely hated in the Scream universe. Is it a good film? No. Are the elements there? Absolutely. For me, I didn’t like the part where Sidney dreams of her mother while she’s in a remote location. She wasn’t having nightmares in Scream or Scream 2 so why all of a sudden, aside from it applying to the story of how Roman came to be, is it happening? The Stab movies were big part of this franchise and I think the addition of them was clever but on the same hand I think they focused too much on the Stab characters and it got campy this go around. Sidney, Gale and Dewey knocked it out the park per usual and Courtney Cox figured out the one hairstyle she couldn’t pull off. After Scream 2, I wanted red streaks. After this one, I didn’t look to Gale for hair trends.

Scream 2

I think we all fell in love with Scream in the 90’s because of how meta it is was. Scream took the tropes that we all know from horror movies and drew attention to it(yes, I know, literal definition of meta). Having it so self-aware though was perfect. We all know sequels never surpass the original but Scream 2 definitely does not disappoint. It didn’t try to exhaust the storyline of Scream like the newest film. It gave us a fresh perspective of a continuing storyline. Sidney remembered the rules and prevailed again. Oh, did you catch the Easter Egg below?

Scream(1996)

I don’t think there’s a single person that would dispute the original Scream being at the top. Scream set the stage for other 90’s slashers and started the meta horror genre. There are so many good lines in Scream that people still refer to, today.

No, please don’t kill me Mr. Ghostface, I want to be in the sequel!

Do You Like Scary Movies?

My Mom and Dad are gonna be so mad at me!

I could literally keep on going with the one-liners. Maybe just a couple more…

There are certain rules that one must abide by in order to successfully survive a horror movie.

Mmm…corn syrup. Same stuff they used for pigs blood in Carrie.

I could watch Scream over and over again. I revisit it often throughout the year, I never tire of it. A lot of movies from my childhood paved the way for my love for all things horror and my desire to write horror. A part of that is attributed to this franchise. Who knows where we would be without Scream.

How would you rank these films and why?