All 7 Scream Movies, Ranked From Worst To Best

Hello again, Sidney. "Scream 7" is just hitting theaters, and now it's time to take a fond look back at all of the kills, thrills, and (blood) spills that the franchise has thrown at us over the past three decades. But as the "Scream" series has added more and more films to its roster, the danger of clunkers being released has increased. For every wonderful movie in the anthology, there's a stinker. It can be quite frustrating trying to comb through all of the detritus to find the very biggest bang for your buck.

In the end, while there may have been many Woodsboro Killers, only one "Scream" movie can kill the competition and stand head and shoulders above the rest. Which one is it? And which one deserves to lie at the bottom of an abandoned Blockbuster's return slot? This list — ranked by authorial opinion — will tell you everything you need to know. Want to discover which "Scream" flick needed a rewrite and which one was totally sequel-worthy? Look no further.

• Cast: Neve Campbell, Isabel May, Anna Camp
• Director: Kevin Williamson
• Runtime: 114 minutes
• Rating: R
• Where to Watch: Now in Theaters

In this flick, Sidney has settled down in Pine Grove, Indiana with her family. Unfortunately, her life continues to be anything but tranquil — she finds herself stalked by someone using an AI deepfake of Stu Macher (Matthew Lillard) to taunt her. Ghostface resurfaces, and Sidney's daughter Tatum (Isabel May) quickly becomes its new new target. Sid and a host of old and new friends have to rally to protect her family. But is Stu really alive?

The latest addition to the "Scream" timeline, "Scream 7" is a disappointment on almost every single front. Predictable, dull, and an insult to Kevin Williamson and his well-assembled cast, it leans on easy nostalgia bait and barely bothers to add anything new to the mix. Even worse, it seems to think that its commentary on the weight of trauma and obsessive fandom is new, but "Scream 4" already did it. Its attempt at revisiting some of the franchise's old haunts and characters is purely hollow — the same things happen in every single "Scream" movie. You can't go back home again, and Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) and Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox) prove that adage as they find themselves floundering as they hold the plot up by the skin of their teeth. The talented Isabel May makes for a good scream queen and Anna Camp is a fine surprise, but they're the only ones working on Campbell and Cox's level.

• Cast: Neve Campbell, Parker Posey, Courteney Cox
• Director: Wes Craven
• Runtime: 117 minutes
• Rating: R
• Where to Watch: Pluto, Paramount+

Sidney tries to start her life over in anonymity, using an assumed name and working as a crisis counselor for a hotline that protects abused women. Ghostface resurfaces in Hollywood and begins killing off the actors who're appearing in "Stab 3." Soon, Sid starts getting calls from someone using a voice changer to sound like her late mom, Maureen (Lynn McRee). All bets are now off, and Sid heads to LA to confront her latest attacker.

"Scream 3" has been much maligned by fans of the series for years, if only because it's home to some of the biggest plot holes in the "Scream" franchise – seriously, where did Sidney's bulletproof vest come from? But it's not the absolute worst entry in the series (we can thank the existence of "Scream 7" for that). Still, it's got some good qualities and some memorably snarky scenes. Parker Posey's Jennifer Jolie still slays, and Carrie Fisher has a flick-stealing cameo as secretary Bianca Burnette, one of the best meta moments in the "Scream" movies. Its kills, however, are the weakest and least-memorable of the bunch, which puts it close to the bottom of the pile.

• Cast: Melissa Barrera, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Jenna Ortega, Mason Gooding
• Director: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett
• Runtime: 122 minutes
• Rating: R
• Where to Watch: Pluto, Paramount+

After the events of "Scream," Sam (Melissa Barrera) and Tara Carpenter (Jenna Ortega) and Mindy (Jasmin Savoy Brown) and Chad Meeks-Martin (Mason Gooding) have relocated to New York City for college. Ghostface follows them, the murders soon begin again — and thanks to an online conspiracy theory, Sam is blamed for the crimes. Sam has to fight to clear her name and figure out how she feels about her status as Billy Loomis's (Skeet Ulrich) daughter, while Ghostface's aggression increases and allies like Gale Weathers and Kirby Reed (Hayden Panettiere) ride to the rescue. 

From here on out, this list is all gravy, and the ranking is really all a matter of how much Sidney you need to make your "Scream" experience feel complete. "Scream VI" does an excellent job of centering itself around the kids who emerged as survivors during the 2022 version of "Scream" without even a cameo from Sid. It's only this low on the list because its thrills are a little less sharp than the ones other films in the series offer up.

• Cast: Neve Campbell, Melissa Barrera, Jenna Ortega, Courteney Cox
• Director: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett
• Runtime: 114 minutes
• Rating: R
• Where to Watch: Pluto, Paramount+

25 years after Billy Loomis and Stu Macher became the very first Woodsboro Killers, Sam Carpenter is attacked and hospitalized by a masked killer. Her pariah older sister, Tara, comes back to town to visit her, and soon the murders escalate. One attack takes the life of beloved Woodsboro cop Dewey Riley (David Arquette), which draws Sidney and Gale back to town. Mayhem ensues, during which Tara must accept her fate and embrace her legacy as the illegitimate daughter of Billy Loomis.

"Scream" is a fascinating passing-of-the-torch film that didn't quite end up passing the torch along to a new generation of survivors. It does an excellent job combining its newer and older characters into a single narrative, but it's not quite as strong as the next three entries on the list.

• Cast: Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, Hayden Panettiere, Emma Roberts
• Director: Wes Craven
• Runtime: 111 minutes
• Rating: R
• Where to Watch: Pluto, Paramount+

Ghostface is back once again, and they're marking the 15th anniversary of the Woodsboro slayings by killing more people. Time and place makes Sidney the prime suspect in the crime, and she takes refuge with family. Her teenage cousin Jill (Emma Roberts) seems a prime candidate for Ghostface's attacks, and like clockwork, soon Jill and her friends are dodging knife attacks. While Sid tries to find the real killer, Gale Weathers tries to cure her writer's block by investigating the murders. A shocking twist leaves Sid fighting for her life — and proves how twisted the Prescott family tree really is.

"Scream 4" would have also served as a fine stopping point for the franchise, should Paramount have pulled the plug on it after Wes Craven's 2015 death. Though the franchise still chugs on without him, this film says goodbye to his contribution to the world of "Scream" with dignity, class, and plenty of one-liners.

• Cast: Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, Rose McGowan
• Director: Wes Craven
• Runtime: 111 minutes
• Rating: R
• Where to Watch: Pluto, Paramount+

In "Scream," popular girl Casey Becker (Drew Barrymore) is killed in a brutal attack. Her high school is abuzz with gossip about who slayed her and why. Randy Meeks (Jamie Kennedy) thinks he's in a horror film, and tries to explain the rules of surviving the genre to his uninterested friends. Meanwhile, Sidney has her own trauma — she's is coping with the upcoming one-year anniversary of the murder of her mother, and is conflicted about giving in to the advances of her boyfriend, Billy. She copes with nosy local journalist Gale Weathers, who keeps angling to capitalize on her big break by covering the Woodsboro slayings. Everything comes to a head during a party thrown at Stu's house, in which a shocking killer is revealed and Sidney must fight for her life.

To paraphrase Sid in "Scream 4," don't mess with the original. There's naturally much to love about the genre-defying first film, from its iconic one-liners to its perfect costumes and expert casting. And there's a reason the Wayans Brothers playfully deconstructed it with "Scary Movie": it's got an appeal that's both quintessentially '90s and utterly timeless. But, believe it or not, its sequel is even better.

• Cast: Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, David Arquette
• Director: Wes Craven
• Runtime: 120 minutes
• Rating: R
• Where to Watch: Pluto, Paramount+

The survivors of the first wave of Woodsboro murders — Sidney Prescott and Randy Meeks — are attending Windsor College when another masked murderer tries to ruin their lives. Gale soon arrives looking for a scoop, and Dewey — who still has unresolved feelings for Gale — comes to give Sid a hand. Calamity soon arrives, threatening the lives of newbies like Sidney's new boyfriend, Derek Feldman (Jerry O'Connell), Randy's friend Mickey Altieri (Timothy Olyphant), and Sid's roommate Hallie McDaniel (Elise Neal).

"Scream 2" is definitely a rarity in the horror world — a sequel that's better than the original. It includes some of the best kills in the entire "Scream" franchise, and it's got some great surprises and fun dialogue. Sidney grows by leaps and bounds during the film, and its shocking Ghostface reveal is still a jaw-dropper decades after its release. Ergo, it's unquestionably the best film in the whole series.