Wes Craven gave many audiences bad dreams with slashers like A Nightmare on Elm Street. But in the 1990s, the legendary horror director began taking the joke on himself with Scream, a slasher that was an intense thriller but also a hilarious satire on the genre’s cliches. While Craven directed the first four Scream movies, the franchise continues with legacy sequels, TV shows, and even parodies like Scary Movie.
If you are interested in watching these horror classics, our guide will take you through the right viewing order and all the options available to stream all the Scream movies online.
How to watch the Scream franchise in chronological order
The Scream franchise is quite straightforward to follow as you can watch every movie in the same order as their release date.
- Scream (1996)
- Scream 2 (1997)
- Scream 3 (2000)
- Scream 4 (2011)
- Scream (2022)
- Scream VI (2023)
- Untitled Seventh Scream Film (TBA)
Standalone entry
- Scream The TV Series (2015-2019)
The first four movies directly followed each other with each sequel featuring a new killer taking the Ghostface identity. Neve Campbell’s protagonist Sidney Prescott also appeared in the first four Scream films, turning from a terrified girl to a formidable enemy to Ghostface. But from 2022 onwards, the franchise received a soft reboot with a fifth film also titled Scream.
While the 2022 Scream was also a direct sequel, it allowed a newer and younger cast to take the lead with legacy characters like Sidney and news reporter Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox) turning into supporting characters.
After Wes Craven directed the first four Scream films, the fifth one was helmed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett. The new ensemble included Jenna Ortega, Melissa Barrera, Mikey Madison, among others. These characters returned in Scream VI with Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett returning to direct.
An upcoming sequel will continue the story of the old and new characters with the franchise’s regular screenwriter Kevin Williamson turning director. The franchise’s newest stars like Ortega and Barrera will not be returning, however Neve Campbell will yet again reprise her role as Sidney.
The Scream franchise also includes a TV show that ran for three seasons from 2015 to 2019. The series works as a standalone addition to the films with its anthology format focusing on different storylines for each season. The Scream TV series isn’t directly connected to the movies but it still has callbacks such as the Ghostface killer or a killing spree in small suburban American towns. The series is a mixed bag of spooky and funny stories, entertaining the dedicated fanbase of the films.
How to watch the Scream franchise in release order and online
To watch the Scream franchise in release order, you can watch all the movies in chronological order. Just add the series as a middle chapter between Wes Craven’s first four films and the legacy sequels from the 2020s.
The list below shows you all the platforms in India where you can stream, buy, and rent the Scream movies and TV series. So, get your Ghostface mask on and gear up for a blood-soaked binge session!
