Wes Craven is one of the best-known horror directors of all time. A significant reason he is so well known is that he found ways to make iconic, decade-defining horror films throughout his career. One of his most memorable contributions to the genre is the Scream franchise, which helped to usher in an era of meta films that were not only genre films, but also served as commentary on the genre at the same time.
The upcoming fifth film in the franchise will be the first not directed by the late Wes Craven. Before that film is released, let’s take a look back at how critics received the first four installments, ranking the films from lowest to highest based on a combined critic score of Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic.
Scream 3 – 48
The lowest rated installment in the Scream franchise is Scream 3, which was released in 2000. Screenwriter Kevin Williamson, who penned the first two in the series, did not return for this film where final girl Sidney Prescott is living as a recluse while Ghostface strikes again, killing off the cast and crew of the latest installment of the Stab franchise. In the Scream universe, the Stab movies are the fictionalized version of the crimes Sidney has survived in one of the most meta elements of the whole franchise. This marks the only installment where only one person operates as Ghostface, and Sidney doesn’t actually kill them in the end.
With a Rotten Tomatoes score of 40 and a Metacritic score of 56 for a combined critic score of 48, the third is also the worst of the Scream films. Critics seem to agree that this film is missing the sharpness of the first two, falling short in its references and genre commentary.
Scream 4 – 56
Despite Scream 3 claiming to be the completion of a trilogy, the series returned for a fourth installment in 2011 with Scream 4. The film introduces Sidney’s extended family, her mother’s sister and Sidney’s cousin. When Sidney returns to Woodsboro, California, to promote her new book, Ghostface returns to splatter blood across the small town. The film opens with multiple meta openings of the Stab films before showing the first “real” slaughter.
Metacritic actuals scores this installment lower than Scream 3 with a 52, but it carries a much higher Rotten Tomatoes score of 60, pushing it up in the rankings for a combined critic score of 56. Released during the height of horror franchise sequels, critics noted how the film tries to comment on the repetition prevalent in the genre while also contributing to the pattern of franchise-building based on brand recognition.
Scream 2 – 72
Scream 2 is often in the conversation about sequels that actually live up to the original — and rightfully so. The Rotten Tomatoes score for the sequel is higher than the original with 81, but the Metacritic score is lower with 63 for a combined score of 72, which actually ties the sequel with the original. Many critics believed that the sequel is effective in its scares and horror commentary; it just doesn’t quite eclipse the original installment.
The sequel ups the stakes when Ghostface follows Sidney to college. Once again, Sidney, Gale, Dewey and Randy must do what they can to survive a new onslaught of slasher violence. Sidney must come to terms with the trauma she experienced in the first film while trying to unmask the new killer. Scream 2 also introduces the meta-in-series franchise Stab, which permeates the rest of the franchise.
Scream – 72
It’s hard to top the original Scream in terms of ingenuity, genuine scares and horror commentary, even though the sequel has the same combined critic score of 72. Scream has a Rotten Tomatoes score of 79 and a Metacritic score of 65. Introducing the horror villain icon of Ghostface, a masked killer who slaughters the students and residents of Woodsboro, California, the film helped usher in meta films to the mainstream.
Critics called the film “clever” but also gave Scream credit for its actual horror elements as well. The film works because of the accurate metacommentary, and its gore and violence are equally as slashing. The opening sequence is disturbing and memorable, perfectly setting the tone for the rest of the films to come.
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