What’s your favorite scary movie? Or how about six of them (with a seventh film on the way). Ever since Scream first premiered in 1996, it has remained one of the most popular slasher movies in history. In fact, the film remains the second highest-grossing slasher movie ever, behind only 2018’s Halloween.
If you’re looking to watch the Scream franchise in order, check out our guide below to find out where you can stream every Scream movie online.
Scream (1996)
The movie that started it all. Horror legend Wes Craven wanted to make a slasher movie that would break all the conventional rules from the ‘70s and ‘80s. In the film, high schooler Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) is stalked by a masked killer, and many of her friends start getting killed one by one. It’s revealed in the finale that there’s actually two killers (a massively unconventional plot at the time) and that one of them is none other than her boyfriend Billy Loomis. He wants to kill Sidney because his mother abandoned their family after his father had an affair with Sidney’s mom.
Scream 2 (1997)
A sequel that both honors and mocks sequels, many argue that Scream 2 is the smartest film in the series. Sidney is now in college and a movie called Stab has been made about “the Woodsboro murders” (aka: the events from the first film). Naturally, a masked killer shows up on campus and Sidney once again finds that everyone she loves is dying one by one. This time around the killer is revealed to be Mrs. Loomis, Billy’s mother (played by the amazing Laurie Metcalf), who seeks vengeance for her son’s death.
Scream 3 (2000)
Scream got even more meta in the third installment. Now taking place in Los Angeles during the filming of Stab 3, the movie pokes fun at Hollywood and its obsession with cranking out brainless sequels just to make a buck (Craven and the other filmmakers recognized that Scream 3 was ultimately one of these films and decided to have fun with it). This time around the killer is attacking the cast of the film and Sidney comes to Hollywood to finish things once and for all…
Scream 4 (2011)
Scream 4 brought the franchise into the digital age with a new generation of killers intent on filming everything for fame. The movie added a new batch of characters to the mix played by stars like Hayden Panettiere, Emma Roberts, and Rory Culkin, and all three original stars (Campbell, Courteney Cox and David Arquette) returned to portray Sidney, Gale, and Dewey, respectively. Scream 4 also stands out because, unlike the rest of the films where the killers have some type of motive, Scream 4 has two murderers who simply want to get famous (a plot that has disturbingly become more relatable and real in recent years).
Scream (2022)
Scream, also referred to as Scream V, picks up a little over a decade after Scream 4. After years of peace and quiet, Woodsboro once again sees a killer targeting high schoolers. It’s then discovered that the killer wears the iconic Ghostface mask during the slayings, so Dewey, Gale, and Sidney all return to the small town. A whole group of new characters are also introduced, including Tara Carpenter (Jenna Ortega) and Sam Carpenter (Melissa Barrera) who is revealed to be Billy Loomis’ daughter – inspiring a new killer to go on a rampage.
Scream 6 (2023)
“New city, new rules” was the tagline for Scream 6, which sees the Carpenter sisters now in New York City after escaping from Ghostface in Woodsboro. Gale Weathers also has a prominent role in the sixth film since she lives in Manhattan, and one of the other legacy characters meets their shocking demise. The motive for the killers in the sixth film is later revealed to be avenging their son’s death who was killed in the fifth film… because he was the killer.
Bonus: Scream The TV Series (2015-2019)
Diehard fans will also want to check out the Scream TV show. The anthology series isn’t connected to the films and is not considered canon, but if you love the whodunnit mystery and teen slasher horror of the Scream films, you’ll enjoy watching the TV show too. The series also has tons of easter eggs and shoutouts to other classic horror movies.
Where can I watch the Scream movies online?
Check out our guide below to find out where you can watch all six Scream movies and the Scream TV show online.
