Released in 1996, the original “Scream” caught everyone’s attention with its unique premise: what if the teens in a slasher movie were aware of the rules of slasher movies? Could they use their knowledge of horror movies to survive? The meta-narrative helped make “Scream” a slasher pic unlike any other, and the end result was a sleeper hit at the box office. At the time of release, the horror genre had grown somewhat stale, and “Scream” helped revitalize things. Horror was back on top. Lots of people think of “Scream” as a comedy, and I think that has something to do with the parody “Scary Movie” franchise. But while there’s definitely humor in the “Scream” movies, they are, first and foremost, horror pics, and the horror is often graphic and disturbing. And that horror continues on. The fans can’t get enough.
As of now, there are six films in the franchise. There’s also a TV show, but since we’re only dealing with the movies here, we won’t worry about that. Let’s stick with the movies, and also the correct order to view them. There’s no secret trick here: the best order is the release order, as the storylines are continuous across the films. You can view the first film on its own, but the sequels don’t really work like that.
Here’s the correct order: start with “Scream” (1996), then continue with “Scream 2” (1997), “Scream 3” (2000) and “Scream 4” (2011). These first four films are all directed by Wes Craven. “Scream 4” would be Craven’s final film, as he died in 2015.
