The Scream series, ranked

The Ghost Face killer has been stalking our screens in many iterations for 28 years; Several motivated, moderately psychotic teens and a small handful of equally psychotic relatives have tortured Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) to the point where Sidney couldn't be bothered any more and didn't appear in Scream 6. It would be too easy to think that each Scream movie is the same, or has had the same impact on cinema as all the others.

Here, we've broken down the best and worst moments of each Scream movie, decided which were the most well acted, least predictable, had the most rewatch potential, and placed them in order from best to worst.

Scream 3

Your thoughts are very loud right now.. "Scream 3. Seriously?" Yes, very serious. Scream 3 is easily the best Scream movie on the whole if you really break it down to consider the following points:

• This is the movie with the most rewatch potential. Because of the Columbine Massacre and the backlash against violence in the media, the studios asked that this film be less slasher and a bit more audience friendly for the time. Because of this reduction in violence, we see a lot more character development and more of a fleshed out plot than we've seen in previous Scream films where the fore was the focus.
  

• The Re-Write situation. With the above in mind, it's worth mentioning that there were famously a lot of rewrites on this film, which is even referenced by Jenny McCarthy's character Sarah in frustration when she thinks there's been another script change. It's funny self-aware moments like this that make the film so engaging, but it's a brilliant film considering the pressure the actors and crew were under while this was in production.

  
  

• Less commentary on horror movie making. Yes, there was still commentary. Yes, the film was set in Hollywood, on a film set. Yes, there was an awesome Randy inclusion. But it wasn't an in your face dissection of the genre, and actually felt like it was in there to serve a genuine purpose, not to give the audience a lesson in film making.
  

• It's relevant, even today. The second Harvey Weinstein had allegations thrown against him, this movie was at the fore front of this horror lovers mind, particularly the scene where Gale, Dewey and fake Gale are investigating John Milton, and criticizing the way that Maureen Prescott (Sidneys mother and the catalyst of the events in Scream) was treated back in the day. That scene is a searing portrait of men in Hollywood and a potential indirect commentary that we needed on the way Hollywood actually works.

  
  

• Carrie Fischer. Who doesn't love her? And her scathing indictment on the women sleeping with the director for a job role. On reflection, Wes Craven really was making a solid point with this movie.

  
  

• Courteney Cox's hair. Yes, really. It was an awful haircut and I feel sorry for the stylist whoever suggested that would be a good look for her, but it was also absolute genius at the same time. Sacrificing Cox's pride for a peice of marketing that just won't die is genius. We're all still talking about her hair 24 years later. If you've forgotten that film, but remember her hair, it's a great talking point to get people interested in the movie again.

Scream 4

This was a surprising entry as well. Until this list was being compiled, there was an assumption that Scream 4 would rank slightly lower, but it has a few high points that make it enjoyable to watch and worthy for a place at number 2.

• Return to Woodsborough. This really is where the Scream films started, but the previous two films followed Sidney around as she attended college and then became a recluse. This film being a reboot and starting at the beginning was a great way to remind us of the why, as well as the still relatively fresh impact that the original murders had on such a small town.

  
  

• The new cast was rather charming. This cast was thoroughly enjoyable, and though the majority of the actors and actresses were brilliant in their own way. Fan favourite Kirby Reed (Hayden Panettierre) as a huge stand out as an engaging character who played with tropes of the genre without being in your face. I also really enjoyed the cameraderie between Robbie (Erik Knudsen) and Charlie (Rory Culkin) as their natural banter and comedy made the characters feel more real and relatable, even if the subject matter was not.

  
  

• Less Sidney Prescott. At this point in the franchise Sidney has started to become dull to watch and her subplots, though really important to give context to her characters growth since she's experienced the most trauma, they're a bit of a drag. Taking her out of the main focus and trying to shine the light on a new star made for a great reboot and charming peice of self- reflective cinema.

  
  

Scream 6 

Also known as "the film we weren't expecting to like with the new cast, but it actually was a lot better than I thought it was going to be." This particularly film took a while to rank due to many hours writing and wrestling with my conscience, but the reboot has enough strength of it's own to carry itself as a standout film in the newer movies in the franchise.

Following from the events in Scream 5, several characters have relocated to New York City for University and to get along with their lives as normal. The movie does not open with these characters, but interestingly something completely different. A young woman, revealed to be a college professor, is meeting a social media date who is late and lost, so she leaves the bar to find him. She is brutally murdered in an alleyway by ghostface, in what can only be described as an homage to the first film: It's basically the same scene, but it is completely different. Immediate points scored. The killers victory is short lived, however, as he is murdered in his own home by a second Ghostface killer.

This is where we meet the new cast once again: The Carpenter sisters and the Meek Twins, survivors of the most recent massacre, plus their friends - The minxy female room mate, the girlfriend, the "dorky" male room mate. Sam is in therapy and struggling with an online conspiracy suggesting that she was Ghostface all along, before she and Tara are once again attacked and framed for a new set of murders. Cue a guest appearance from Hayden Panettierre as fan favourite character Kirby Reed, who is now an FBI agent and helping the cops solve the crime as an expert on the murders, right to the final setting which was not expected and completely new for this set of movies.

The cast are great, really enjoyable, and hands down the most entertaining since Scream 4 (closely followed by Scream 1.) We kind of figured out the killer within the first 15 minutes of the film, but as we were wine- drunkenly shouting out random killer theories based on Liana Liberato (the female minx roommate) being in a lot of things we watch, I'm not too sure if this is a reflection on the film itself or on us.

Either way, it didn't ruin the experience for us and it was great fun to watch. Even if some of the parts were extremely unrealistic. (Jenna Ortega dangling from the balcony, we're looking at you here.) This film felt completely different from the rest of the Scream films, despite sharing the core similarities the franchise needs, so it felt fresher and back to what made Scream so original in the first place. And we're bored of Sydney now, so the new record is nice to play.

Scream (Original)

The movie that started it all. This is the movie that bought Wes Craven to the attention of a new generation of horror lovers. The movie that redefined the concept of what a Final Girl is and what qualities she has in this new generation. The movie that provided it's audience with an insight into the building blocks of the horror genre, a feature which has continued to trickle down through the rest of the movies in the franchise and continue to educate the next generation of horror fiends.

Is it a brilliant movie? Yes.

The opening scene is fantastic (though it's really hard to ignore the Carmen Electra parody now.) Casting such a well known actor to play the character that is murdered in the opening scene is ballsy and attention grabbing, and sets up the rest of the film nicely: It is going to be grisly. It's going to capture your attention and keep you hooked. There will be some moments that you don't expect.

This carries on throughout the film as we explore the origins that set the cyclical chains of events into motion, following Sydney Prescott and her friends as they are hunted down one by one, by a psychotic killer in a halloween mask who is referred to as "Ghostface." The subplot: Sydneys mother was brutally murdered a year prior. Her supposed killer and former lover, Cotton Weary, is in jail protesting his innocence, with only media mouth peice Gale Weathers fighting his corner. The two intersect in a climax that culminates only as any teen movie can: at a House Party!

The cast are great in their individual roles, though there are a few standouts in the characters played by Rose McGowan, Matthew Lillard and Courteney Cox. The plot is interesting to, the way both stories combine is delicately done and very much a credit to the screenwriters. Overall, it is a good movie, that you can watch over and over again, but it's never the one that you're likely to pick up first.

Scream 2

Sydney Prescott and her friend Randy are the two survivors from their original friendship group, and are now together at University. As we do when there is a significant tragedy, Hollywood made a movie about it (incidentally starting the meta movie references that drag on in a more in your face and direct capacity for the rest of the franchise.)

Sydney is still being harassed by random people who think they are funny, before a new Ghostface killer appears out of nowhere and starts murdering people again. Dewey and Gale come back as well to help, and Cotton Weary, fresh from jail now that he has been exonerated, also makes an appearance.

It's an okay film. It takes the turn you'd expect it to; What is the next step for the heroine and how many people have an axe to grind and want to use this murderous character to exact their revenge? The cast is watchable and the premise of the film is good. The twist ending is the most surprising in the entire franchise but the motivations of the secondary killer just seem stupid as the film ages.

The film itself isn't very memorable. From this point, each film that follows wants to outshine the one that came before, so this movie does get left in the background, despite it's excellent atmosphere and clever storytelling.

Scream 5 - Dewey. Need we say more. Predictable, far too many eye roll moments with Gail and Sydney jumping in to save the day with their own eye rolls. Puh-lease. Only bit of the movie I do like is the fact that the wind bag killer is the one that barely committed any of the murders and is more about the attitude than the act itself.

Don't agree with the list? Let us know what you think in the comments below.