The latest Scream was released in cinemas yesterday.
As huge fans of the Scream movies, we thought now was the perfect time to rank all the films in the series.
So without any further ado, let's get into the ranking:
5. Scream 3 (2000)
The plot twists: 8/20
Ada: The killer was always going to be Roman, it literally couldn’t have been anyone else. The third film in every franchise is poor and this was living proof of it. 3/10
Hani: Unlike all the other Screams, you can't really guess along – the few "hints" we got were just too obviously misleading. The backstory reveal was pretty shocking, but the entire thing could’ve been executed way better (magic voice changing machine, I’m looking at you). 5/10
The characters: 10/20
Ada: Courteney Cox’s fringe set the tone for the whole film, the second we saw that we should’ve known how things were going to go. There were way too many characters, but no time to get to know the new additions, so when they eventually died I didn’t care. 3/10
Hani: Off the top of my head, I'd struggle to name any of the newbies that were killed off in this one, and Roman wasn't particularly compelling. That aside, Scream 3 was the movie where we saw something new for the main characters – Sidney got some closure, Dewey finally got his dream girl, and Gale was actually kinda relatable. I’m convinced her hair humbled her. 7/10
The scariness: 7/20
Ada: A film can’t be scary when you know who the killer is the whole time. Scream 3 verges on parody, probably because they were also filming a parody in the film. There’s a lot happening but not enough of the right stuff to create genuine fear. 2/10
Hani: It's just not really all that scary when you're just not invested in the victims – things were just way too meta. And was anyone actually scared for Sidney? We all knew she'd make it out. Plus, this Ghostface didn't have any of the twisted creativity we see with the others. The whole backstory with the producer and Sidney's mum is scary though. 5/10
Total points: 25/60
Iconic moment: the big confrontation.
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4. Scream 2 (1997)
The plot twists: 11/20
Ada: This was a pretty decent twist because you definitely could not see Billy's mum being part of the equation. I also was slightly surprised with the franchise continuing with the two killer plotlines because I thought it would’ve been too obvious, but they got me. 6/10
Hani: I have to say, when it comes to whodunnits, I think it’s a bit of a cop-out to make the killer a character who's barely part of the story and then turns out to actually have a secret identity. We didn’t expect the killer to be Billy’s mum because why would we be thinking about Billy’s mum? I do rate the return of the duo killer though. 5/10
The characters: 13/20
Ada: The Black characters getting gutted within the first five minutes hurt me deeply, but then I remember we’re playing with clichés, so of course the Black characters had to die first. Fame-obsessed Cotton Weary was a true moment, and is a character I can definitely see existing in today's world – you’ve got to capitalise on your 15 minutes any way you can, I applaud him sticking with it even when death was literally on the line. 7/10
Hani: Even the minor characters in Scream 2 are memorable (I’m still not over the Jada Pinkett-Smith scene). I love the whole Scooby-Doo vibe the gang had, and Randy deserved better, he was clearly the MVP. I'm deducting some points for Cotton Weary's annoyingly unrelenting persistence though. 5/10
The scariness: 13/20
Ada: Following the original Scream they had to shake up the fear factor in the sequel, and they successfully did that. I think they had more realistic elements which made it all that scarier – copycat killers and shameless quests for fame are things we've all seen play out in real life. 6/10
Hani: Scream 2 has all the suspense, jump scares, and shout-at-the-screen moments you could want. The motives aren’t quite as chilling as the first, but there are enough close calls with Ghostface (hello, police car escape scene) for me to still be too afraid to watch this one alone. 7/10
Iconic moment: the cinema scene.
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Total points: 40/60
Joint 2nd place: Scream 4 (2011)
The plot twists: 16/20
Ada: The illusion of Trevor being the killer wasn’t fooling anyone; however, the actual killer's identity ended up being was a big twist. Scream 4 managed to combine the themes of revenge, thirst for fame, and betrayal that we saw from all of the previous films in the franchise. 10/10
Hani: By the fourth movie, we knew to expect twists, but I don't think anyone could've imagined this one. Charlie's motive felt a little too cliché though. Was I left shocked when Jill was revealed? Yes. Am I being extra picky here because I think Ada’s score is ridiculously high? Also yes. 6/10
The characters: 14/20
Ada: Scream 4 brought us back to where everything began, which allowed tenured characters like Sindey and Gale to fall back into the versions of themselves we fell in love with at the very start. Emma Roberts as Jill was the perfect villain, just the perfect amount of deranged that will also have you rooting for her at the end. And a special mention to Hayden Panettiere – I am obsessed with her in this film, easily one of my favourite characters. 8/10
Hani: Kirby (the greatest bestie since Tatum) was my favourite part of Scream 4. Most of the other new additions were so annoying that I just wasn't all that bothered when they were slashed. Jill was great though, even if she only really got interesting after her identity was revealed. 6/10
The scariness: 11/20
Ada: Scream 4 has an advantage because it was released 11 years after Scream 3, so the level of horror and gore was upped by 100%. Compared to films like Saw or Final Destination it’s not really at an “I won’t be able to sleep at night” level, but in comparison to the rest of the franchise, it’s definitely at the top. 7/10
Hani: Gory, yes. Scary, meh. It wasn’t truly terrifying until Jill revealed just how deeply deranged she is – that’s when I was afraid. Until Sidney said that line about remakes, that is. Like the first one, the idea that this feels like it could actually happen is what makes it chilling. 4/10
Best moment: Jill revealing her twisted motives.
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Total points: 41/60
Joint 2nd place: Scream (2022)
The plot twists: 13/20
The characters: 16/20
The scariness: 12/20
Total points: 41/60
First place: Scream (1996)
The characters: 16/20
Ada: It’s important to always remember that the Scream series was made as a comment on clichés, so with that in mind my doubts on character development and general cheesiness will be put aside for this film only. It’s the original, it’s what kicked off one of my all-time favourite franchises, so it’s perfect in my eyes. 8/10
Hani: Every single character is iconic in their own right – we didn’t get much backstory, but each one was such a caricature of the classic tropes we know and love, it’s impossible to not be invested in them. As a final girl, Sidney was a little blah, but the killer’s sadism is SO infuriating that it’s impossible not to root for her. Ghostface walked so Jigsaw could run. 8/10
The plot twists: 13/20
Ada: The villain is exactly who I expected it to be, with additional help. The only real twist was that even covered in blood Skeet Ulrich is still a solid 10/10. 5/10
Hani: Yes, the whole hot-boyfriend-turns-out-to-be-the-killer doesn’t really stand the test of time, but two besties doing a tag team? THAT was a twist I didn’t expect. Ripping the beloved Drew Barrymore from us 10 minutes into the story? Inspired. They kept us on our toes with the fake stabbing scenario too – extra points for the "pig’s blood." 8/10
The scariness: 14/20
Ada: If this was the early 2000s I would have maybe rated the scariness a solid 7/10. But unfortunately, seeing films like The Conjuring and Midsommar over the past couple of years changed my view on what's scary changed quite a bit. 6/10
Hani: So, blood and gore wise, Scream isn’t that scary. But when you think about the fact that something like this could actually happen (it was even based on a true story), that’s pretty terrifying. From the first killing, we see just how twisted Ghostface is, and that set the tone for this – no one was safe. I’ll never not be creeped out by Stu’s manic laugh, and the fact that he essentially didn’t have a motive and just joined in for a laugh. Chilling. 8/10
Total points: 43/60
Iconic moment: the unmasking.
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Let us know what you think down below!
