RANKING EVERY SCENE IN THE SCREAM FRANCHISE

Scream’s gory arrival into cinemas in December of 1996 revitalized the horror genre and gave it the stab in the chest it so desperately needed. A movie about sadistic serial killers obsessed with scary movies went on to become a box office smash, spawning countless imitators and an entire franchise. Over twenty-five years later, a sixth Scream is on the way and audiences (including me!) could not be any more excited for the next bloodbath.

In anticipation for Scream 6 (or Scream!! or Scream VI), what better way to revisit the franchise than by cutting open the body of work. How? By ranking every scene, Yes, every single scene in all five movies. From Casey Becker answering the phone to what might be Sidney’s last run-in with Ghostface.

The series has blessed horror fans with so many iconic moments, but we would be lying if we didn’t admit there have been a few questionable decisions along the way (the voice changer in Scream 3 that could replicate everyone’s voice makes zero sense to this day). Yet for every fan who dislikes certain aspects of the movies, you’ll surely find another ferociously defending it. I will say, I definitely favour certain entries more than I do others, but I do think all five films are brilliant in their own twisted way. And compared to most other horror franchises, Scream doesn’t have the same dip in quality – they’re all solid. Whether it be their intricately crafted terror scenes by Wes Craven and Radio Silence, the mystery of finding out who is behind the mask, or the growth of the franchise’s characters. Some could argue Neve Campbell’s Sidney Prescott has become the ultimate final girl, dare I say more so than Halloween’s Laurie Strode. After all, Sidney, along with tabloid journalist-turned-celebrity Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox) both managed to survive five separate massacres. Can Jamie Lee Curtis say the same?

Remember, these are one man’s thoughts. If your opinion differs, slide into my DMs (@tonyfilangeri) and call me a doofus if you feel inclined. Also, in case you haven’t noticed, I LOVE these movies. Scream turned me into the horror movie-obsessed writer that I am today and I will forever be grateful. To prove my case, I have a signed Craven poster on my bedroom wall and I even named my cat Sidney Prescat. And before we begin, let me be frank, a “bad” Scream scene is still a scene I shamelessly have all the words memorized for. Even if I desperately wish I could forget one of the worst lines in cinema history…

“Fuck Bruce Willis.”

Now let’s get to it, with the very worst scene in the series…

133) Scream 4: Bruce Willis and Wind Chimes (1:02:02-1:10:31)

There’s nothing more cringe than something that tries to be funny and fails miserably. “Fuck Bruce Willis” is offensively bad. Characters should not be cracking jokes after being stabbed in the head. Especially jokes that are unfunny. Scream is comical, but the rest of the movies take their kill scenes seriously. In comparison, could you imagine if Tatum cracked a joke while she was being lifted by the garage door?

Sidney’s Aunt Kate (played by Mary McDonnell who is criminally underused) also dies here but it’s hard to care since she has two lines in the movie. Maureen Prescott’s sister could have been so much more.

To end the scene, Sidney flees to Kirby’s for the finale but doesn’t ask Deputy Judy (Marley Shelton) to join her. Why couldn’t Sidney tell Judy where she was going? Couldn’t they have both gone to Kirby’s to save the day? Couldn’t she tell Judy, so Judy could tell Dewey? I get it, Sidney’s got trust issues, but come on…

132) Scream 4: Robbie’s Gay? (1:17:28-1:18:35)

Robbie Mercer (played by Erik Knudsen) wanders outside for no reason especially when you consider there’s a serial killer on the loose. Unsurprisingly, he is killed by Ghostface but not before begging for his life by proclaiming that he’s gay. Another death scene trying to be funny. It doesn’t work.

131) Scream 4: Sidney’s Introduction (0:10:55-0:11:58)

It’s been ten years since the audience has seen the character of Sidney Prescott. We’re expecting her introduction to be grand. Instead, she arrives at the book shop with her publicist Rebecca Walters (Alison Brie) and laughs at some joke about killing a cat.

130) Scream 4: Dewey and Gale’s Introduction (0:11:58-0:12:19)

Again, it’s been ten years since we’ve seen these characters and we get nothing to sink our teeth into. This short scene establishes that ten years after the events of Scream 3, Dewey (David Arquette) and Gale are still together but did this have to be it?

There’s actually a deleted scene expanding on this showcasing Dewey and Gale’s marital problems, and it even explains why Neil Prescott, Sidney’s father, isn’t in this movie. It is deleted scenes like this (there’s plenty in Scream 4), little character moments, that should have remained in the final cut.

129) Scream 4: Gale’s Writer’s Block (0:16:22-0:17:06)

Yes, another Scream 4 scene. And here all you Scream fanatics be hating on Scream 3.

We get a nice tidbit with Sidney being interviewed by Nancy O’Dell about her new book ‘Out Of Darkness’, and Gale has writer’s block. How do we know? Because she literally writes it out for us…

“I HAVE NO FUCKING IDEA WHAT TO WRITE.”

128) Scream 4: Dewey and Judy Introduction (0:14:56-0:16:22)

This scene tries too hard to drive the point home that Deputy Judy has a crush on Dewey Riley.

JUDY: Sheriff. You’re not cheating on your wife if you eat my lemon square.

DEWEY: No, but I would be cheating on my diet.

What is this dialogue??

On a plus side: Dewey does deliver “One generation’s tragedy is the next one’s joke” marvelously. David Arquette really does play this character to perfection. Also, check out the deleted scene of the police finding the bodies of Jenny Randall and Marnie Cooper. It’s a travesty it didn’t make it into the movie.

127) Scream 3: Kincaid and Sidney at the Police Station (1:11:56-1:15:01)

Here we are! Scream 3!

This scene isn’t bad at all, but if you tend to rewatch this franchise as much as I do, it suffers from being boring. Mark Kincaid (played by McDreamy – Patrick Dempsey) and Sidney talk about movie trilogies as one would expect people to do in these movies. Sidney eventually opens up about not knowing who her mother was, but Kincaid changes her perspective by simply saying… “You know who she was to you.” This is nice, and I think these words help Sidney change her perspective on how to feel moving forward.

Then comes the cheesiest of cheese. Sidney for some reason asks Mark what his favourite scary movie is. To which Mark replies, by leaning in to almost kiss her… “My life.” Future lovers for sure.

126) Scream 4: Afterparty At Kirby’s (1:10:57-1:13:20)

There’s a psycho murderer on the loose, so the teens of Woodsboro go to Kirby’s house located in the middle of nowhere with no adult supervision just so they can continue drinking while watching horror movies – even though they are all quite clearly the targets. It’s way too easy and convenient.

Kirby Reed and Charlie Walker (Hayden Panettiere and Rory Culkin) play horror trivia while Jill Roberts (Emma Roberts) insists Trevor Sheldon (Nico Tortorella) never texted her, so she disappears to find her phone – aka start stabbing people.

125) Scream 4: Dewey and Gale At The Hospital (1:10:31-1:10:57)

Gale is rushed to the hospital and Dewey is by her side. We should care that Gale might die, but it’s played for laughs. Instead of a touching moment, we have Gale ask Dewey to “catch the mother fucker.”

It is nice to see Dewey’s love for Gale shine through though.

124) Scream 4: The Woodsboro Teens & Their Phones (0:21:23-0:21:49)

Nothing wrong here, but a very quick scene of the young cast all finding out about Jenny Randall and Marnie Cooper’s murders through some new technology for the series: smartphones.

123) Scream 4: Gale Entices Robbie and Charlie (0:40:01-0:41:39)

Yes, another Scream 4 scene. For all you Scream 4 fans reading this, don’t hate me.

Gale Weathers uses her sex appeal and charm to convince Robbie and Charlie to invite her to their Cinema Club. They could honestly care less about Mrs. Weathers, as Charlie declares it’s Sidney they want at their club. This scene makes more sense once you know Charlie tried to stab Sidney an hour before.

122) Scream 3: Gale, Jennifer, and Dewey Out For A Ride (1:15:01-1:15:54)

A short scene where Dewey receives a call from the killer disguised as Sidney (*sigh*), asking them to meet her (him?) at John Milton’s mansion. There’s not much going on here, but it does its job in giving Dewey and Gale a reason to go to the Birthday party to almost get slaughtered.

121) Scream 4: Dewey Receives A Call From Judy (1:13:21-1:13:55)

After Sidney flees the scene of the crime, Judy calls Dewey to inform him that Kate Roberts, Deputy Hoss, and Deputy Perkins were all stabbed to death. There’s not much to report here but David Arquette and Marley Shelton get to act serious for a second and it’s refreshing.

120) Scream 4: Sidney Fires Rebecca (0:41:39-0:42:58)

Another shining example of characters not talking like real people in Scream 4, Rebecca tries to painstakingly convince Sidney to go on The View and Nancy Grace and says some pretty shitty things. Sidney refuses to put up with her crap and fires her, ultimately sending her to her death.

119) Scream 4: The Finale At The Hospital (1:35:14-1:43:31)

If you accept the silliness of Scream 4’s finale, it makes it easier to digest. But yikes. Since when does Sidney talk about movies as if she’s Randy Meeks, spewing lines like “Consider this an alternate ending” and “You forgot the first rule of remakes…” As lovely as that line is… “Don’t fuck with the original”, would Sidney say this? Oh, and let’s not forget one of the final lines of the movie:

“Wear the vest, save your chest”.

Also, where are the staff among the chaos? Gunshots galore and no call for help? Even if Jill succeeded in killing Sidney, the hospital cameras would have caught everything. The Scream movies are supposed to be intelligent and at this point, the franchise became a parody of itself and we can see why the franchise was put on hold.

I will say, Emma Roberts is delightful and takes great pleasure in playing a psychopath.

118) Scream (2022): Introduction of Sam Carpenter (and Richie) (0:11:18 – 0:13:38)

A happy song transitions from the previous scene and we’re immediately introduced to Tara’s sister, Sam (Melissa Barrera), who’s popping pills like they’re tic tacs. A boner joke is made and we cringe, but so do Sam and Richie (Jack Quaid). They’re cute together, and at this point, I thought Richie was way too sweet to be the killer. Silly me. When Wes calls, the scene turns deadly serious.

WES: She said it was someone in fucking ghost face mask.

As an introduction to our new heroine though, it’s not that memorable

117) Scream 2: Sidney and Derek On Campus After Their Attack (0:43:53-0:45:15)

Derek (Jerry O”Connell) really is the perfect boyfriend for Sidney and it’s a shame he doesn’t make it past the credits – for Sidney’s sake, not the audiences (he’s the most boring character in the series).

This is the first time in the film where Sidney isn’t quite sure whether or not she fully trusts Derek. It’s important and necessary for Sidney’s arc, but also not that memorable.

116) Scream 2: Cafeteria Scene (0:46:28-0:49:50)

The second act of Scream 2 drags a little and this scene is one of the reasons why.

Jerry O’Connell’s Derek sings his heart out for Sidney to try and prove he’s not a killer. It’s sort of cute, it’s sort of touching, but he could have just gave her the necklace a few scenes earlier.

115) Scream 2: Derek Says Goodbye to Sidney and is Kidnapped By His Fraternity (1:23:04-1:25:30)

Sidney’s guards are tasked with taking her and new best friend Hallie (Elise Neal) somewhere safe. To where we’re not sure. Sidney says goodbye to Derek and gives him one last kiss. Literally, one last.

As the girls drive off, we think we see Ghostface in the darkness, but psych! It’s only Derek’s fellow fraternity members in robes. They kidnap him for giving Sidney a necklace and we sadly see the very last of Lois and Murphy (Portia De Rossi and Rebecca Gayheart).

114) Scream (2022): Sam Visits Tara In Hospital (0:17:18 – 0:19:13)

Sam’s all smiles when she visits her younger sister who was almost murdered. We get a very awkward reunion between old friends, but Amber (Mikey Madison) and Richie “meeting” is a whole new level of awesome when you know the climax.

When Tara (Jenny Ortega) breaks into tears (“I was so scared”), our hearts break.

Also, I really hope they have big plans for Christina Carpenter – Sam and Tara’s mother – for Scream 6. Her daughters are being attacked and she’s stuck at a conference in London? There’s no way they can make this woman likable in any future sequel given she never shows up. Her backstory is juicy. We want more! Will she be the new Maureen Prescott, full of scandalous backstories? Maybe she actually wanted her daughters to die? Or maybe in Scream 6 she will be stuck at a conference in Italy.

113) Scream 3: Who Gets Killed In Stab 3? (0:30:32-0:33:05)

Let me start things off by saying Jennifer Jolie (played by Parker Posey) is the best thing in the third movie, if not the entire franchise. Okay, maybe not the entire franchise, but she’s a Goddess and steals every single scene she is in. After finding out a second cast member of Stab 3 has been killed, Jennifer has her first cigarette in years and goes off on the real Gale Weathers.

JENNIFER: You! Like I’m ever gonna win an award playing you!

This is all fun. So is Gale finding out Dewey’s been living with Jennifer.

Where the scene goes downhill is when bodyguard Steven Stone (Patrick Warburton) has his moment to talk. He delivers some dialogue aimed at bringing Dewey down that I think is meant to be funny but in actuality, it’s 30 seconds that could have easily been cut from the movie.

112) Scream 4: Trevor Sneaks In Through A Window and Judy Sneaks In Through The Darkness (0:28:40-0:31:17)

Judy emerges from the shadows and is unnecessarily creepy when she reintroduces herself to Sidney. It’s way too obvious of a red herring. Before that though, Sidney walks in on Jill and Trevor and is reminded of the times when Billy used to sneak in through her window. It’s a nice moment and this is Nico’s best part in the movie.

TREVOR: What are you doing in the house with Sidney Prescott? That’s like being on Top Chef with Jeffrey Dahmer.

111) Scream 3: Dewey and Gale Catch Up (0:28:23-0:30:32)

A calm moment between Dewey and Gale. It’s crystal clear the chemistry between them is straight up fire so they should just kiss and make up already. Eventually, Dewey reveals his true purpose for working on the set of Stab 3, as he thinks somebody working on the film is trying to find Sidney and we are hooked.

110) Scream 4: Gale and Rebecca (0:25:42-0:26:56)

Allison Brie is a highlight in Scream 4. Her glee when she finds out two girls have been butchered is twisted yet endearing. Her geeking out over Gale Weathers and then proceeding to insult her while blissfully unaware is amusing. If this scene accomplishes anything, it makes us want more from these two but sadly Rebecca and Gale never meet again.

109) Scream (2022): New Plan (1:13:11 – 1:13:57)

Tara realizes her inhaler is gone so she and Sam beg Richie to make a pit stop at Amber’s so she can get her other one. Like in Scream 3 where Dewey receives a call from “Sidney” to give them an excuse to go to Roman’s party, this scene exists to give these characters an excuse to go to Amber’s party. Do you see the theme here? Whoever’s party they’re going to is always the killer. Make that a rule.

Is it crazy that on first viewing, I started to believe Tara was the killer here? Even though I watched her almost die in the opening scene? These whodunnits really make you second-guess yourself.

108) Scream (2022): Playing Pool (0:19:13 – 0:20:36)

Amber does her best to convince her friends that Sam is sketchy which makes sense given her diabolical plan. It’s also necessary to get Sam’s backstory. Also, Mindy (Jasmin Savoy Brown) accuses Wes (Dylan Minnette) of being the killer because she’s not even half as clever as her uncle was – who unlike her, was able to correctly guess the killers in the first movie.

Vince (Kyle Gallner) shows up full of the worst kind of toxic masculinity and the scene is cut short.

107) Scream 4: Stab-A-Thon (0:53:57-1:02:02)

Okay, this scene had every right to be amazing, but it was underwhelming??

The heartless teenagers of Woodsboro throw a Stab-A-Thon to commemorate the events of the original movie. Assuming the killer will strike, Gale sneaks in and plants cameras at the event which is a lovely throwback to the original. Naturally, things don’t go to plan and Ghostface stabs and nearly kills her.

Cox sleepwalks through her lines at the end of the scene and I can’t say I blame her. Someone who was shanked would be screaming in agony, not calmly explaining how the killer is “making the movie.” Also, Gale Weathers knows the killer is in the barn but goes back in?

Can I also mention how unrealistic the teenagers are portrayed? Their friend Olivia just died and here Robbie and Kirby are getting drunk and having the time of their lives?

This does get points though for set design and a throwback to Heather Graham in Stab.

106) Scream 4: The Girls Arrive At School & The Boys Annoy (0:17:06-0:18:58)

“What’s your favourite scary movie?” Robbie asks the girls as they arrive to school.

KIRBY: Bambi.

There’s a remembrance statue of Principal Himbrey in the hallways of Woodboro High and I love it. We finally meet this Trevor everyone’s been talking about – Jill’s ex. Trevor so desperately wants Jill back while we, the audience watching this for the first time, assume he’s probably the one behind the mask.

105) Scream 4: Rebecca’s Body Tumbles Into a Live Police Report (0:47:16-0:48:32)

“The whole situation is under control” says Dewey to a bunch of reporters, just as Rebecca Walter’s dead body violently crashes on top of a news van. Now that is funny.

The “Team Gale” line is dated though.

104) Scream: Gale and Kenny In The News Van (1:08:45-1:09:15)

Scream’s lowest-ranked scene! There’s nothing wrong here, but it’s short. It sets up the horrific “30-second delay” later on and Gale talks about her dream of winning the Pulitzer Prize.

103) Scream 3: Chaos Outside The Set Of Stab 3 (1:08:03-1:09:01)

Sidney’s just been attacked by Ghostface and she’s hysterical, confusing the set of Stab 3 for Woodsboro. The highlight of this scene is Detective Wallace (Josh Pais) questioning if Angelina (Emily Mortimer) stole a mask before setting his sights on Tyson (Deon Richmond).

TYSON: Don’t look at me, I didn’t take shit.

102) Scream 3: Detectives At Sarah Darling’s Crime Scene (0:33:06-0:34:14)

The killer leaves a second photo of a young Maureen Prescott at the studio where Sarah Darling was murdered.

WALLACE: 10 more murders and we can publish a calendar.

Can we all agree how underrated Detective Wallace (Josh Pais) is in this movie? He’s not in it enough.

We learn that the killer is patterning his murders off the script of Stab 3, but it’s merely a plot device to throw the police off guard and it’s never touched upon again.

101) Scream: Sidney In Class, Staring At Casey’s Empty Seat (0:18:42-0:18:59)

Sidney doesn’t sit next to Casey Becker in English anymore. It’s quite dire, showing how somebody can be there one moment and gone the next.

100) Scream: Billy Suspiciously Shows Up After Tatum Dies (1:07:43-1:08:45)

Unbeknownst to her and everybody else at the party minus two people, Sidney’s bestest friend is dead in the garage. Boyfriend Billy (Skeet Ulrich) suspiciously shows up with a fake jump scare to boot. The identity of the killer is so obvious, yet not obvious at all and this is why this movie is so amazing.

99) Scream 4: Aftermath of Olivia’s Murder (0:38:50-0:40:01)

Sidney’s back in the spotlight but not for the reasons she had hoped. Police and spectators gawk as Sidney leaves the scene of the crime, and I would just like to point out some random person yelling…

“JUST LIKE YOUR MOTHER!”

Lmao, what? Sidney is just like her mother, how?

Dewey confronts Hoss and Perkins (Adam Brody and Anthony Anderson) for you know, not being there to save Olivia when they were supposed to be there to save Olivia. They make up a reason that doesn’t really make sense, and Dewey should have just fired them right then and there as clearly they’re incompetent.

98) Scream 2: Sidney’s Cassandra Performance (0:54:51-1:00:46)

Sidney trying to become an actress seems so out of character to me. For someone who has always hated media attention, why would Sidney choose a career in the spotlight? Does anybody else agree?

During rehearsal for the play Cassandra (the lead character of the play conveniently drawing similarities to Sidney’s life), Ghostface attacks her in plain sight and for some reason nobody sees. Was he actually there or was it just in her head? It’s confusing.

Again, Scream 2’s second act drags just a tiny bit but do not get me wrong. I truly appreciate how big and epic the sequel to the greatest horror movie tries to be and ultimately is.

The “I’m a fighter” line delivery is truly badass though.

Ranking scenes 97 – 59