In 1996, Wes Craven and Kevin Williamson’s slasher satire Scream helped redefine a dormant subgenre.
The film spawned a franchise and a procession of imitators, some of which (I Know What You Did Last Summer) were better than others (Do You Want to Know a Secret?). But all were gleefully lapped up by tried-and-true slasher fans and a new wave of bloodthirsty teenage audiences.
The Scream series has amassed over $900 million at the global box office, and a forthcoming seventh installment, directed by Williamson, might push the series over the billion-dollar mark. Although there was a decade-long hiatus between the fourth and fifth entries, which saw the reins passed to Ready or Not helmers Tyler Gillett and Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, the franchise remains strong.
With six installments (and counting) to catch up on, including two with an identical title, the timeline may be tricky for franchise newbies. Below, Entertainment Weekly lays out how to watch the Scream movies in order.
Scream (1996)
Dimension/courtesy Everett Collection
A year after the brutal murder of her mother, Woodsboro High student Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) is targeted by the Ghostface Killer, a horror-obsessed slasher picking her friends off one by one. With the help of her best friend Tatum (Rose McGowan), boyfriend Billy (Skeet Ulrich), and cine-literate nerds Randy (Jamie Kennedy) and Stu (Matthew Lillard), Sidney sets out to determine who’s behind the mask. Could it be Tatum’s brother, dimwitted Deputy Dewey (David Arquette)? Or might it be cold-blooded journalist Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox)?
Craven’s slasher satire reinvented the genre forever and set the template for teen chillers moving forward. Many movies tried to recreate its magic mixture, including some of its own sequels, but few achieved the merry concoction of frights, gore, and giggles that Craven handled so masterfully.
Where to watch Scream: Amazon Prime (to rent)
Scream 2 (1997)
Miramax/courtesy Everett Collection
The sequel doubles down on the original’s meta-ness. Here, the events of Scream have become immortalized in a ripped-from-the-Woodsboro-headlines slasher movie, Stab. Meanwhile, our survivors are just trying to move on with their lives, which are the basis for the hit film.
Sidney and Randy are in college, and they’ve got a new circle of friends. But as luck would have it, Ghostface is (somehow) back, and our heroes must contend with a brand new rash of lethal stabbings. Dewey and Gale are roped back into the proceedings, as everyone sets out to solve the mystery of who — and how.
Craven’s follow-up hit screens just a year after the original. While Scream touched on the best-known slasher tropes, this sequel gets to stretch its wings and take on less illuminated corners of the subgenre.
Where to watch Scream 2: Amazon Prime (to rent)
Scream 3 (2000)
Miramax/Courtesy Everett Collection
Sidney, Dewey, and Gale head to Hollywood, where the third Stab feature is currently in production. Unsurprisingly, a new Ghostface shows up on set and begins picking off both the cast and their real-life counterparts.
Released post-Columbine and heavily influenced by that tragedy, Scream 3 walks back from the gruesome violence and flashes of genuine nastiness that permeated the previous installments. This sequel is much more concerned with the satirical element of things, functioning nominally as a live-action, R-rated episode of Scooby-Doo.
Scream 3 has a fractured reputation among fans, but most can agree it contains one of Parker Posey’s finest performances.
Where to watch Scream 3: Amazon Prime (to rent)
Scream 4 (2011)
Dimension Films/courtesy Everett Collection
Craven returned once again for this late-era sequel, which ended up being his final film. One decade after she last survived Ghostface’s blade, Sidney, now a successful author, returns to Woodsboro for a book tour and a visit with her estranged cousin Jill (Emma Roberts). Of course, it’s not long before Ghostface starts slashing his way through a new crop of kids, including Adam Brody, Alison Brie, and fan favorite Hayden Panettiere.
Scream 4 landed with a thud upon release, but history has rescued its reputation among die-hards. The period between sequels left plenty of room for satire at the expense of the horror genre, which expanded rapidly in the wake of the original film. Craven wisely avoids venturing into the then-trendy “torture porn” arena.
Where to watch Scream 4: Tubi
Scream (2022)
Brownie Harris / Paramount Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection
Eleven years after Scream 4 came this soft reboot, or “requel,” which features legacy stars Campbell, Cox, and Arquette, but largely hands the franchise over to a younger cast of new characters. After her sister, Tara (Jenna Ortega), is attacked by Ghostface, troubled Sam Carpenter (Melissa Barrera) returns to Woodsboro with her doting boyfriend (Jack Quaid) to defend her family.
Though it feels like a standalone feature, Scream is an extended homage to its namesake series, as if replaying the hits. Using the first film’s structure to tell a somewhat new story — which contains a sturdy callback to one original character — Gillett and Bettinelli-Olpin successfully update the franchise for a new generation while still appealing to the fans who made it popular in the first place.
Historically speaking, it may be best remembered for Mikey Madison’s turn just a couple of years before her Oscar-winning performance in Anora (2024).
Where to watch Scream: Paramount+
Scream VI (2023)
Philippe Bosse / Paramount Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection
The Scream 2 of the 2020s, this follow-up to the reboot arrived in cinemas a year after its predecessor. Scream VI transports the action to “New York City” (Canada), where Tara is now attending college and being overseen by helicopter sister Sam. Ghostface returns and, well, you know the rest.
Scream VI is the first installment in which Campbell does not appear, due to a salary dispute. Though Cox has a small role and Panettiere returns, the lack of legacy characters makes this feel like a cheap imitator at times. The rushed production didn’t help, nor the cast’s apparently superhuman resistance to blades.
Where to watch Scream VI: Paramount+
