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(Photo by Paramount / Courtesy Everett Collection. SCREAM 7)

Scream Movies and Series, Ranked by Tomatometer

The latest: Ghostface and Sidney Prescott returns in Scream 7! In theaters everywhere this weekend!

We’re ranking all of the Scream franchise, including the ’90s teen slasher classic, the sequels and TV series, and the reboot twenty-five years later! The 1996 original from Wes Craven was responsible for reviving the horror genre in the ’90s out of their creative doldrums, polishing the teen slasher formula with a knowing, post-modern twist. The 1997 sequel, released just a year after, further satirized rushed franchise follow-ups. The third and fourth movies, along with a tv series, kept the Scream name in the zeitgeist but not much else. The 2022 reboot showed there was still life behind the Ghostface mask, leading to a sequel that picks back up the series numbering: Scream VI. —Alex Vo

Scream 2 (1997)

83%

Critics Consensus: As with the first film, Scream 2 is a gleeful takedown of scary movie conventions that manages to poke fun at terrible horror sequels without falling victim to the same fate.

Synopsis: Sydney (Neve Campbell) and tabloid reporter Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox) survived the events of the first Scream, but their nightmare isn't over. When two college... View Full Synopsis

Starring: David Arquette, Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, Sarah Michelle Gellar

Directed By: Wes Craven

Scream (1996)

78%

Critics Consensus: Horror icon Wes Craven's subversive deconstruction of the genre is sly, witty, and surprisingly effective as a slasher film itself, even if it's a little too cheeky for some.

Synopsis: The sleepy little town of Woodsboro just woke up screaming. There's a killer in their midst who's seen a few too many scary movies. Suddenly... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Neve Campbell, David Arquette, Courteney Cox, Matthew Lillard

Directed By: Wes Craven

Scream VI (2023)

77%

Critics Consensus: Certain aspects of horror's most murderously meta franchise may be going stale, but a change of setting and some inventive set pieces help keep Scream VI reasonably sharp.

Synopsis: Following the latest Ghostface killings, the four survivors leave Woodsboro behind and start a fresh chapter.

Starring: Melissa Barrera, Jenna Ortega, Courteney Cox, Jasmin Savoy Brown

Directed By: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett

Scream (2022)

76%

Critics Consensus: The fifth Scream finds the franchise working harder than ever to maintain its meta edge -- and succeeding surprisingly often.

Synopsis: Twenty-five years after a streak of brutal murders shocked the quiet town of Woodsboro, a new killer has donned the Ghostface mask and begins targeting... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, David Arquette, Melissa Barrera

Directed By: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett

Scream

61%

59%

Synopsis: MTV teams with super-producers Bob and Harvey Weinstein on a TV series adaptation of the hit horror film franchise. Instigated by a cyberbullying incident that... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Willa Fitzgerald, Bex Taylor-Klaus, John Karna, Amadeus Serafini

Scream 4 (2011)

61%

Critics Consensus: The franchise is showing its age, but Scream 4 is undeniably an improvement over its predecessor, with just enough meta humor and clever kills.

Synopsis: It has been many years since the Ghostface Killer cut a deadly path through the town of Woodsboro. In order to get over the trauma... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, David Arquette, Emma Roberts

Directed By: Wes Craven

Scream 3 (2000)

45%

Critics Consensus: Despite some surprising twists, Scream 3 sees the franchise falling back on the same old horror formulas and cliches it once hacked and slashed with postmodern abandon.

Synopsis: In the final installment to this trilogy, a murder spree begins to happen again; this time targeted toward the original Woodsboro survivors and those associated... View Full Synopsis

Starring: David Arquette, Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, Patrick Dempsey

Directed By: Wes Craven

Scream 7 (2026)

31%

Critics Consensus: Less a return to Scream's roots than a disappointing creative regression, this seventh entry draws little blood with its dull knife of a script.

Synopsis: When a new Ghostface killer emerges in the quiet town where Sidney has built a new life, her darkest fears are realized as her daughter... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, Isabel May, Jasmin Savoy Brown

Directed By: Kevin Williamson