Spanning almost three decades, the Scream franchise has become one of the best and most beloved horror franchises of all time. Following a crop of new and old characters across six movies, from Neve Campbell‘s badass final girl Sidney Prescott to new horror movie icon Jenna Ortega‘s Tara Carpenter (alongside sister Sam, played by Melissa Barrera), the suspenseful and scary encounters with Ghostface have audiences coming back for more with every new installment.

While the franchise is loved by audiences as a whole, that doesn’t stop fans from passionately debating which movie is their favorite, who the best Ghostface killer is, and which scenes and kills are the most terrifying. It is fair to say that every single movie in the Scream franchise has the power to raise the heart rate of audiences, but some definitely come out on top in terms of scare factor.

Editor’s note: This article contains spoilers for the ‘Scream’ franchise

6. ‘Scream 2’ (1997)

Directed by Wes Craven

Image via Dimension Films

The Scream franchise’s opening scenes are some of the most iconic across the horror genre, and Scream 2‘s opening is undeniably one of the scariest. Depicting Maureen (Jada Pinkett Smith) and Phil (Omar Epps) at a screening of the fictional movie Stab, based on Gale (Courteney Cox)’s book The Woodsboro Murders, the movie theater is filled with people in Ghostface costumes, emphasizing the lack of knowing who is behind the mask. When the couple are horrifically killed, stabbed in the bathroom and in the cinema, the audience believes their cries for help to be part of the movie.

This horror sets a great precedent for the movie and its sequels, where the real world of the characters’ collective trauma and the fiction of the adaptations struggle to be separated, putting everyone in more danger. However, being set in a college setting, similar to that of the first movie in high school, the scares are arguably less intense due to somewhat replicating those of Scream.

5. ‘Scream 3’ (2000)

Directed by Wes Craven

Image Via Dimension Films

Scream 3 is diagetically set up as a parody of the genre and the franchise itself, largely taking place in Hollywood, on the set of Stab 3. However, in the eyes of many audience members, Scream 3 ends up being something of a mockery itself, being the movie in the franchise that leans on jokes and gags more than any other, and therefore lets major scares take a backseat.

While there are undeniably scary scenes, such as Ghostface using Sidney’s dead mother’s voice to taunt her, and the attacks/killings on the Stab film set, the new crops of characters in the movie not only take up screen time unnecessarily, but their ignorance and arrogance are more annoying than frightening.

4. ‘Scream 4’ (2011)

Directed by Wes Craven

Image via Dimension Films

While Scream 4 is still a worthy addition to the iconic franchise, the time between this movie and the previous installment, and the growth of the legacy characters, completely changes how the audience views the story and the scares. With Dewey (David Arquette) settling into his profession and Sidney no longer being a vulnerable teenager, some of Ghostface’s edge is lost.

However, the third-act scene with Kirby Reed (Hayden Panettiere) is on par with the other terrifying scenes in installments such as Scream and Scream V, leaving the audience biting their nails as she sorts through her horror movie knowledge in an attempt to save a peer. Emma Roberts gives what is potentially one of the most terrifying performances of the franchise, going to truly scary lengths to carry out her mission as Ghostface and attempt to murder her cousin, Sidney.

3. ‘Scream VI’ (2023)

Directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett

Image via Paramount Pictures

Despite being set in the vast space of New York City, Scream VI arguably feels more intense and claustrophobic than other installments, as the older generation losing Dewey, and the younger core group (Mason Gooding and Jasmin Savoy Brown shine alongside Barrera and Ortega) experiencing serious betrayal from loved ones in the previous installment is still fresh on all their minds. Therefore, when they come face to face with a new Ghostface killer, the big city seems to offer them little protection.

These feelings are only heightened further by the public villainization and threatening of Sam, the gang being easily separated across the city, and the realization that the Ghostface killers have done extensive research about previous murderers, attempting to finish off what they started. Overall, Scream VI’s general unease and uncertainty are what make the movie successfully scary.

2. ‘Scream’ (2022)

Directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett

Image via Paramount Pictures

After a decade, the Scream franchise returned with a bang, with 2022’s Scream from Radio Silence. Featuring returning characters Sidney, Gale, and Dewey, but focusing on a new group of young people, the fifth installment completely blew open the franchise, leaving room for new surprises and suspense.

Audiences found themselves in a similar situation to the original 1996 movie, not knowing which of the new teens they could trust to not be behind that mask. Utilizing this lack of trust, the movie creates a deeply unsettling atmosphere, making almost every character appear guilty or shifty in some capacity. Audiences often name Amber Freeman (Mikey Madison) as one of the best and most terrifying Ghostface killers of the entire franchise, as the harshness with which she snaps out of the ‘best friend’ character and into someone who wants to kill Tara, is incredibly disturbing. Scream also features some of the most terrifying images of the franchise, from Amber’s burning, charred body, to a close-range gunshot to the head for Tara’s friend Liv (Sonia Ammar).

1. ‘Scream’ (1996)

Directed by Wes Craven

Image via Dimension Films

The movie that started it all, horror maestro Wes Craven‘s Scream, tops many lists of the greatest horror movies of the ’90s. Creating a unique storyline and tackling classic horror tropes, Scream is memorable for many reasons, especially the fear and intensity that radiates throughout the entire runtime. In the first movie in the franchise, audiences didn’t know what to expect from Ghostface, but it becomes clear just how scary the villain really is from the iconic opening scene starring Drew Barrymore and a very famous phone call.

Introducing an entirely new story to audiences, along with unknown characters and unknown motives, Scream is arguably the most suspenseful of the franchise, as no one really knows who they can trust. Each kill is over-the-top and terrifying, and the final Ghostface reveal sets a precedent for the movies to follow: it could really be anyone behind that mask.