Beware of Ghostface! All 7 'Scream' movies ranked, including new one

Brian Truitt, USA TODAYSat, February 28, 2026 at 7:15 PM UTC

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From Randy's rules to survive a horror movie and the "Stab" franchise-within-a-franchise to resident iconic masked menace Ghostface, the "Scream" films have spent 30 years tackling scary flicks in the most meta fashion.

With OG final girl Sidney Prescott (played by Neve Campbell), intrepid reporter Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox) and lovable lawman Dewey Riley (David Arquette), director Wes Craven's original 1996 film took pop culture by storm. It set the stage for three decades of important reveals, notable cameos and gory kills that kept audiences on the edge of their seats.

The masked menace Ghostface returns to hunt down an old foe in "Scream 7."

"Scream 7" (in theaters now) features Sidney squaring off yet again with her nemesis Ghostface. Now, however, her teen daughter Tatum (Isabel May) is at risk when the villain tracks Sidney down to her quiet new hometown. Which means a fresh body count, a mix of old and new faces, and another surprise assailant under Ghostface's hood.

But where does the new slasher rank in the franchise? Here's every "Scream" movie so far, from worst to best. (The first six films are all streaming on Paramount+.)

7. 'Scream 3' (2000)

In "Scream 3," Gale (Courteney Cox, right) teams up with Jennifer (Parker Posey), the actress playing her in "Stab 3."

By the time "Scream" reached the end of its first trilogy, it became a quasi-parody of itself. Ghostface goes on a killing spree with the cast of "Stab 3," and Sidney is pulled back into the fray to deal with the carnage, plus has to grapple with new facts about her dead mom. (She also meets her half-brother and, yeah, not the greatest family reunion.) Leaning too hard into the comedy, Craven's final "Scream" was underwhelming but the series needed to go away for a bit to come back stronger.

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6. 'Scream 7' (2026)

Sidney (Neve Campbell) and her police-chief husband Mark (Joel McHale) are concerned when their teen daughter is targeted by Ghostface in "Scream 7."

Original "Scream" writer Kevin Williamson directs the latest effort, which finds Sidney relocated to small-town Indiana, where she's built a new life for herself. Naturally, Ghostface comes calling again, targeting her daughter Tatum (Isabel May) – who's 17, the same age when Sidney was targeted – and Mom is forced to deal with faces from her past. "Scream 7" weaves in elements of AI and deepfake technology to ratchet up the tension, but dull supporting characters, a formulaic plot and a lack of the usual cleverness expose a tired franchise in need of a shake-up.

5. 'Scream' (2022)

OG main character Dewey Riley (David Arquette) needs to get his lawman mojo back in 2022's "Scream," the fifth installment of the franchise.

Although confusing, calling the fifth movie "Scream" is fitting since it's essentially a franchise reboot. After younger sister Tara (Jenna Ortega) is attacked by Ghostface, who's targeting those connected to Woodsboro's bloody past, Sam (Melissa Barrera), boyfriend Richie (Jack Quaid) and a new crew work with the returning Sidney, Gale and Dewey to save the day. No. 5 interestingly tackles the evolution of "elevated horror" and creates scintillating family ties, but ultimately lacks the originality and wit of the best "Scream" outings.

4. 'Scream 2' (1997)

Timothy Olyphant (left), Jamie Kennedy, Neve Campbell, Jerry O'Connell and Elise Neal star in "Scream 2," which unleashed Ghostface's slasher shenanigans on a college campus.

The original film's cold-blooded opening with Drew Barrymore gets a ton of love, but the sequel's answer doesn't disappoint, with the introduction of the "Stab" films and poor Jada Pinkett getting knifed in the middle of a movie theater. This one takes Sidney and the gang out of Woodsboro and graduates them to college, where Sidney gets a less-murderous boyfriend (Jerry O'Connell), Ghostface of course shows up on campus and the final reveal gets a little too complicated.

3. 'Scream VI' (2023)

Ghostface follows sisters Sam (Melissa Barrera, left) and Tara (Jenna Ortega) to New York City in "Scream VI."

Jason took Manhattan back in the day, so why not Ghostface? The sixth "Scream" follows Sam and Tara to New York City after they survived No. 5, and so does the nefarious villain. This one tries hard, digging into the effects of survivor trauma with different characters, and the big-city environment gives the franchise a welcome locational refresh. That said, it really misses Sidney (after Campbell turned down a role in a pay dispute) and the mixed bag of victims/suspects lacks personality.

2. 'Scream 4' (2011)

Anna Paquin (left) and Kristen Bell were some of the new blood introduced in "Scream 4."

After the lackluster third chapter, Craven and "Scream" gots their mojo back with a bunch of new blood and a smart take on online celebrity and the growing appeal of social media. It's the 15th anniversary of the original Woodsboro murders, Sidney returns for the festivities (and a book tour stop) and teens are again being targeted by Ghostface, including Sidney's cousin Jill (Emma Roberts) and the kid's horror-loving bestie Kirby (Hayden Panettiere). Also, the best Ghostface killer reveal of them all except for, of course ...

1. 'Scream' (1996)

Neve Campbell (with Rose McGowan, right) became an instantly iconic final girl in 1996's first "Scream."

The reason why we're seven "Scream" movies deep at this point is because the first one was a chef's kiss of humor, violence and clever chutzpah. Thanks to Craven and Williamson, a simple phone became a hellish source of doom for Sidney as Ghostface pops up on the anniversary of her mother's death. Chaos reigns in Woodsboro as the bodies pile up, and a stressed-out but determined Sidney scrambles to find the killer before it's too late. The movie's self-awareness, though, was what separated it from its gory peers, and the way "Scream" upended expectations made the characters and their world appealing to both horror fans and scaredy-cats alike.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Every 'Scream' movie ranked from worst to best

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