Today marks the 19th anniversary of Wes Craven’s revolutionary slasher film Scream, a movie that reinvigorated the horror genre, injecting it with a healthy dose of black humor and a strong meta attitude. Now, obviously tons of horror movies before then had humor and several also went meta, including Craven’s own New Nightmare, which came out two years prior. But Scream was different in that it resounded with audiences and critics in ways that hadn’t been felt for several years.
To say that the Scream series is still an important foundation within the horror community is an understatement. Just four years ago we received Scream 4, which came over a decade since the third entry. And earlier this year, we got the first season of MTV’s “Scream“, a series that was been met with conflicting emotions but apparently did well enough to lock down a second season, which premieres in April of 2016.
So, instead of leaving a wildly open question like I usually do each Sunday, I’m going to narrowly target this week’s discussion post and ask a pretty straightforward question: How would you rank the ‘Scream’ movies?
Below is ranking and explanations and then I really look forward to reading yours in the comments!
#4 Scream 3
Something about Scream 3 just annoyed me. I understand that the series is supposed to be meta but this felt like it took it too far. The characters were bland, the end reveal felt totally forced, and it simply wasn’t as thrilling or exciting as the previous entries.
#3 Scream 4
I genuinely enjoyed Scream 4. I thought some of the performances felt a bit off, almost like subtly disdainful mockeries of the originals, but the story was fresh, it was fun, and the new “teens” were pretty great. Plus, returning to Woodsboro after so many years was pretty damn great!
#2 Scream
And it’s here that I fear I’m going to lose the support of some of you. Don’t get me wrong here, okay? I love the original! I think it’s a fantastic movie and the opening sequence is quite possibly one of the best intros in horror history. To say that it set the stage for the rest of the movie is an understatement. It revolutionized what a movie experience was meant to be. Nothing felt safe after that first scene and everything and everyone was game. But the movie hasn’t aged exceptionally well for me and some of the acting was a bit too over-the-top. Still, it’s one of the greats and I’ll always be happy to watch it!
#1 Scream 2
It felt like Scream 2 took the ideas of the first film and matured them, creating something that was simply stronger, better, and nailed everything I could want from the concept. By using the rules and events of the first film, the second created a climate of paranoia and fear that had every viewer jumping from one person to another as to “Who is the killer?” I love this sequel and everything it brought to the table.
