Oh, the Scream franchise – the gift that keeps on giving… nightmares. From the ’90s to the not-so-roaring 2020s, this series has been hacking away at our peaceful slumber with varying degrees of success. So, grab your favorite stabbing knife (I’m kidding, please don’t), and let’s rank these bad boys from ‘meh’ to ‘please check under my bed.’
1. Scream 3 (2000)
Scream 3 is like that one trick-or-treater who shows up with a store-bought mask and expects full-sized candy bars. This installment tries so hard to be meta that it trips over its own Hollywood-centric plot. The film extends its deconstruction to horror trilogies, but ends up as a moot point, a concluding chapter to a series that refuses to die There was no reason for this film
. It’s like watching someone explain a joke for two hours – the punchline gets old fast. 
2. Scream 4 (2011)
The fourth stab at the franchise, Scream 4, is like a high school reunion: familiar faces trying to pretend they haven’t aged a day. It attempts to modernize the series with old-school scares and new twists, but sometimes feels like it’s trying too hard to fit into skinny jeans from its youth. Screenwriter Kevin Williamson returns, but even his sharp dialogue can’t always cut through the nostalgia. Be careful what you wish for, Scream 4
, because sometimes you end up being a parody of your own past glory. 
3. Scream 2 (1997)
Ah, Scream 2, you’re like the middle child who didn’t quite eclipse your big sibling’s legacy but didn’t embarrass the family name either. You followed the unwritten rule of not being quite as good as the first film – Early in Scream 2, a class of film students discuss sequels, and movie geek Randy challenges his friends to name a sequel that improves on the original
. Despite being ten minutes longer and having more elaborate death scenes, you’re still sitting at the kids’ table come Thanksgiving. 
4. Scream (2022)
The latest addition to the family album is Scream (2022), which is kind of like when your favorite band gets back together and you’re not sure if it’s for the love of music or just to pay their mortgages. With a mix of new and legacy characters, this reboot-sequel hybrid wraps you up in a warm blanket of familiarity before turning into an absurd safety net of horror parody. The conflux where Scream’s story stops working, looking inward for its humor
, makes us wonder if it should have just stayed as a fond memory in our twisted hearts. 
5. Scream (1996)
And then there’s the O.G., Scream (1996). The cool kid who made slashing through clichés an art form and had everyone asking, ‘Do you like scary movies?’ This flick wasn’t just groundbreaking; it was earth-shattering for horror fans everywhere. With its unexpected plot twists and self-aware humor, it revitalized a genre that had become as stale as last year’s Halloween candy. It’s no wonder this movie continues to be adored by many generations; it’s like the high school quarterback who actually lived up to all the hype. 
In conclusion, while some of these films might have been better left on the cutting room floor (looking at you, number three), there’s no denying that Ghostface has left an indelible mark on horror cinema. From ‘meh’ to ‘nightmare fuel,’ each installment has given us something to scream about, even if sometimes it’s just at the screen in frustration.
