By Ahmad El Moussaoui
Over the March break, I was ecstatic to see the new Scream movie. While I may have only seen the original prior to watching the newest film in the franchise, I did read a bunch of analysis on the rest of the movies. Though after watching Scream 6, I knew I had to immerse myself in Wes Craven’s Scream universe. I grabbed as many snacks as I could and binged Scream 2-5 for 8 hours straight. Obviously, the fun part is the ranking of the films. So, here’s my personal ratings of the Scream franchise.
6. Scream 3
Scream 3, the film that completed the original trilogy, falls flat in comparison to the rest–and the studio is to blame. At first, Wes Craven wrote a completely different storyline than the one seen in the film. It consisted of the return of Stu Macher as he puppeteers students to do his killings from prison. However, because of the Columbine Shooting, the studio felt it was too soon and made the director write a new script with insufficient time. There weren’t enough chase scenes or jump scares, the first two acts lacked the usual Wes Craven intrigue, the new characters were too unlikeable, and the opening scene is by far the worst in the franchise. Not to mention the awful bangs they gave Courtney Cox. However, audiences will still have an enjoyable time watching this film. Scream 3 sets its audience in the world of Hollywood, where a sequel to the Stab movie is being made (this is where the heavy-meta comes in). Wes Craven comments on the rapists and abusers who work at the top of the industry, like Weinstein, without them even noticing! The interactions between Gale Weathers and Jennifer Jolie (the famous actress character who’s playing Gale) are absolutely the funnest part of the film, as their witty humour and chemistry perfectly mix with the horror of the film. And while the first two acts may be boring, the ghostface reveal is one of the best. Roman had one of the best motives, and his final fight with Sidney reels the audience in. Although I rank Scream 3 last, it is definitely worth a watch.
Rating: 2.5/5
5. Scream (2022)
11 years after the last Scream film, a requel (a reboot-sequel) was created, introducing the franchise to a whole new cast of characters and a new final girl. Although Scream 5 mirrors the first Scream, it lacks the creativity of its predecessors. The film’s opening scene rivals the opening scene of the first, with Jenna Ortegua giving an immersing performance, but the film goes downhill from there. Through this film’s introduction of a new final girl, Sidney Prescott is turned into a supporting character which is a clear weakness of the storyline, as she has always been the star of the franchise. The actors give amazing performances of a weak script, rendering the audience to care less about their characters. Thus, the legacy characters are once again the moving force of the story. This film is the first in the franchise to have the guts to kill off a legacy character, which feels pointless as the ghostfaces in Scream 5 are the worst of all. However, the best parts in this film are the emotional sequences—from the relationship between the sisters Sam and Tara, to old relationships like Gale, Dewey and Sidney. If the film were to focus on these characters instead of rushing the first two acts, it would have felt more deserving of a higher spot. Nonetheless, it’s a painfully average film.
Rating: 3/5
4. Scream 4
“I don’t need friends, I need fans!” Scream 4 birthed the greatest Ghostface in all its franchise. A girl who simply wanted to be famous, and she’d do anything for fame. The last Scream film to be directed by Wes Craven before he passed, Scream 4 feels like the neglected middle child as there isn’t a connection between the past movies or the future ones, which is why it’s exactly in the middle of this ranking. For the first time in the franchise, the new characters were much more intriguing than the legacy ones. Jill is the only Ghostface to almost succeed (succeeded on a technicality), and Kirby is a character you just love. But, that’s exactly why it loses points. The kills were fantastic, and the reveal may be the best yet, however the writing around the legacy characters felt bland. The sub-plot of Gale’s jealousy towards Sidney feels out of place, as Gale has always respected Sidney. Moreover, Dewey and Gale’s relationship problems render their character developments throughout the franchise void. The opening scene–while the most creative–wasn’t as interesting as the rest, and is second to last after Scream 3’s opening. The film’s target audience is directly aimed towards teens of the early 2010’s, with the dialogue surrounding Facebook and the horrendous filters used at the time. Scream 4 had the most potential of the franchise, and if it had had a proper sequel, it would have topped the list.
Rating: 3.5/5
3. Scream 2
A fantastic sequel, Wes Craven succeeds in keeping the Woodsboro feel of the original all the while having a completely new storyline. This film has the best chase scene in the entirety of the franchise. Gale and Dewey’s relationship shines through in this film, especially when Gale witnesses his stabbing right in front of her, leaving the audience in shock and in tears. Sidney’s trauma in this film is handled extremely well, and the audience sees why she’s the star of the franchise as she kicks ASS. The opening kill occuring in a theatre as Jada’s character comments on the racism in the horror genre before her tragic death is nothing short of humorous; although, the criticism on racism feels too meta as Wes continues the trend in all his films. Scream 2 is near perfect, and it would be higher if the Ghostface reveal weren’t one of the weakest in the franchise.
Rating: 4/5
2. Scream 6
Released only recently, Scream 6 is getting rave reviews and has seen the best criticism since 1997. Scream 6 is the first not to include Sidney Prescott, as the actress was underpaid for her vital role. Nonetheless, the film ups the gore, the horror, the deaths, and the jump scares. My biggest positive critique about the film, however, is that the writers did proper character work on the new leads (the core four, as they call themselves). It was my biggest complaint in Scream 5, and the writers demonstrated why the new characters are worthy of continuing the franchise. The opening scene was fantastic, and Gale’s chase scene rivals even her chase scene in Scream 2. The train sequence might be the scariest scene in the whole franchise, and the Ghostface kills are by far the best. Kirby’s guest appearance felt like the writers truly understood the fans, as her character is a fan favourite. The only complaint I have is the reveal of the Ghostfaces, but Scream 5 is to blame. The franchise is built on the continuation of its predecessors, and since the Ghostfaces were related to the antagonist of Scream 5, the reveal was underwhelming as Richie and Amber had the worst motives in the previous film. Nevertheless, the last act was still immersing as the audience got to see the Carpenter sisters in full action.
Rating: 4/5
1. Scream
Nothing. Beats. The. Original. Scream revolutionised the slasher genre. It created both the most iconic final girl and most well known horror villain. The film handles the mix of comedy and horror unlike any other in the franchise, plus the storyline has little to no faults. Drew Barrymore’s opening scene has yet to be topped as it shocked the world in 1996; to see the most acclaimed actress in the film, who was promoted as the lead in every poster, be brutally murdered in the first fifteen minutes is the best twist you can get. Billy and Stu are flawless antagonists, as they murdered loveable side characters like Tatum were great foils to Sidney’s character. Potentially Wes Craven’s best work, Scream will continue to live on as a legendary film in the horror genre, and the start of the meta-horror subgenre.
Rating: 5/5
The Scream movies may be the only franchise to not have a single weak film. While Scream 3 is my least favourite of the bunch, it is still a great watch. Wes Craven created a universe that captures the essence of the horror genre, and the importance of the voice of the fans. After the raging success of Scream 6, a Scream 7 and Scream 8 have been greenlit, meaning the franchise will continue to subvert our expectations and Craven’s legacy will live on.