The Scream movie is an American slasher film franchise with six movies and a seventh being actively developed. It was first released in 1996 and has been going strong ever since. This movie was a major game-changer in the horror genre. The success of the Wes Craven films led to five sequels, and in 2022, a new host of characters was introduced to the mix.
It was released on December 20, 1996, and was not expected to receive rave reviews. However, the movie went on to gross approximately 173 million dollars through the strength of the movie and word of mouth, making it one of the year’s highest-grossing movies. Let’s explore the films within the franchise and how they ranked.
Scream Movie Rankings!
The Debut Movie is Number One
The first Scream movie debuted in 1996. This movie is ranked #1 and for good reason! It is the beginning of the discovery of a girl, Sidney Prescott, and the discovery of her past. She led an ordinary life, or so she thought. Sidney was in High School, had her friends, and had her perfect boyfriend, Billy Loomis.
Early on in the film, Billy pressures Sidney to have sex with him. He sneaks into her bedroom window and tries to seduce her by sharing innuendos about scary movies. Billy quoted phrases throughout the film, such as “We all go a little mad sometimes” from Psycho. This suggests everyone has a dark side, and Billy’s is coming out.
Billy frames the situation as a scary game—a scary movie, in fact—that he is playing with Sidney. He tries to manipulate her by making her feel like a character in a horror film. Her best friend is murdered at a party, and most of her other friends are murdered.
It all came to light in the end when Billy revealed that he had killed Sidney’s mother and framed someone else because her mother had an affair with his father. With the help of Gale Weathers and Deputy Dewey, they survive the madness, and, in the end, Sidney prevails. She kills Stu Mocker and Billy Loomis, who are best friends and planned this horrific movie plot in their minds, and they murder together. This movie brought horror back to life in the 90s when the genre was dying.
Scream Movie VI
It is ranked #2 on our list. This movie has a unique feel as it explores the connection between Sam and her father, Billy Loomis. Not only are the rules for surviving a horror movie changing, but so is the definition of the final surviving girl in the movie.
Scream Movie (2022)
The 2022 edition is ranked #3 on our list. This is an ideal sequel. There is nothing new or exciting, just a new group of friends who do what they do best: survive a horror movie. This movie is a loving celebration of the past, but while effectively highlights how things need to change to break the cycle of the murders.
The Scream Movie (Scream 4)
This is ranked #4. The opening sequence was genius. It was like a big, bloody bath hug for anyone who remembers the first movie, 1996. That is thanks to Billy and Stu, who were the original killers in the first movie.
Scream 2
The Scream movie was released in 1997 and ranked #5. This movie featured most of the original cast, but now Sidney was in college. Dewey and Gale were cast in the film, as was Randy (one of her friends who survived the first movie). The killings started to happen again. “What’s your favorite scary movie?” Trying to figure out who the killer was. Was it her new boyfriend? A sorority sister? The possibilities are endless.
Scream 3
The film, Scream 3, is ranked 6th. This movie is set in Hollywood, where “Stab 3” is shot. Think of this as a movie within a movie with the same twists as the others in the franchise. The killer in this movie decides to kill off the cast in the order of the screenplay. Only Sid can solve this riddle.
The Scream movie seven cast will feature the return of legacy characters from the original 4, original cast, including but not limited to Neve Campbell as Sidney Prescott and Courtney Cox as Gale Weathers.
