How to watch the Scream movies in order

Here’s your guide to the Scream movies in order and where you can watch them, whether you’re looking for release or chronological order.

Do you like scary movies? Particularly the Scream movies? Or have you actually never seen any of them?

The Scream franchise has been going strong over the past quarter of a century, with its newest iteration, Scream 6, hitting cinemas last year. With new stars like Jenna Ortega, new audiences are now looking to get into the saga.

But in what order do you need to watch the Scream movies, do the films have a different timeline, did they come out chronologically, and just where can you watch them? Well, let us guide you. To reiterate, we will only be focusing on the Scream movies, so this list won’t include the Scream TV series, which can be viewed on Netflix.

Contents

• How many Scream movies are there?
• Scream movies in release order
• Scream movies in chronological order
• Where can I watch the Scream movies?

How many Scream movies are there?

There are a total of six Scream movies in all. The franchise started in 1996 with Scream, and the current film is 2023’s Scream 6.

You can find out more about Scream 6 here.

List of all Scream movies in release order

The Scream franchise’s movies were filmed and released in a mix, some were filmed in a short amount of time with each other, whereas others took over a decade to come out.

Here’s the order of how they were released:

• Scream (1996)
• Scream 2 (1997)
• Scream 3 (2000)
• Scream 4 (2011)
• Scream 5 (2022)
• Scream 6 (2023)

Scream movies in chronological order

Now, you can pretty much watch every movie from the Scream franchise in the order that it was released if you wish to watch the films chronologically. That is, you can watch it in this order:

• Scream (1996)
• Scream 2 (1997)
• Scream 3 (2000)
• Scream 4 (2011)
• Scream 5 (2022)
• Scream 6 (2023)

Scream (1996)

Paramount Pictures

Scream, the first film in the franchise, follows this official plot: “As a masked killer with a penchant for horror trivia terrorizes a teen and her friends, a dogged reporter tries to find out who’s behind the murders.”

Scream changed the horror game when it first dropped, re-igniting the slasher craze, and showing that horror films could be funny and pop-culture savvy. It introduced us to the best final girl that is Sidney Prescott, and shocked audience when its biggest star, Drew Barrymore, bit it in the opening scene. We’d say spoilers, but come, on, everyone’s seen that moment.

Scream 2 (1997)

Paramount Pictures

Scream 2’s IMDb plot states that the film is set “two years after the first series of murders, as Sidney acclimates to college life, someone donning the Ghostface costume begins a new string of killings.”

Scream was a hard act to follow, but Scream 2 did its best, this time satirizing the concept of horror sequels themselves, while keeping it all very meta. But on top of that, the film wasn’t afraid to kill off big characters, more stars got the slasher treatment (such as Sarah Michelle Gellar) and Sidney got even more badass.

Scream 3 (2000)

Paramount Pictures

Scream 3’s Miramax plot is as thus, “While Sidney Prescott lives in safely guarded seclusion, bodies begin dropping around the Hollywood set of Stab 3, the latest movie sequel based on the gruesome Greensboro killings. When the escalating terror finally brings her out of hiding, Sidney and other Greensboro survivors are once again drawn into an insidious game of horror movie mayhem.”

Now, while the Scream franchise doesn’t really have a dud, Scream 3 is the closest thing to one out of the six. Then again, this could have been intentional. Third films in trilogies often fumble the bag with convoluted plots and twists, and Scream 3, which is satirizing trilogies, certainly did that. However, there are still plenty of cool scenes, and a hilarious take on Hollywood franchises, so the film is still definitely worth a watch.

Scream 4 (2011)

Paramount Pictures

Scream 4’s official plot continues to follow Sidney Prescott, who, “now a successful writer, returns to Woodsboro for her book tour, to face a new killing spree. Welcomed by her aunt and her cousin Jill, Sidney will discover that her faith will be forever locked to the past. No matter if you are a victim or a survivor.”

Since the fourth film took place 11 years after the third, Scream 4 focuses on the concept of reboots, and how the horror rules have changed – or haven’t – in a new age of spooky cinema. While it suffers from some boring new faces and that weird 2011 color grading – you’ll know it when you see it – it did introduce us to the character of Kirby, along with some fun twists of the knife.

Scream 5 (2022)

Paramount Pictures

Scream 5’s IMDb plot is as thus: “25 years after a streak of brutal murders shocked the quiet town of Woodsboro, Calif., a new killer dons the Ghostface mask and begins targeting a group of teenagers to resurrect secrets from the town’s deadly past.”

This Scream will be the last one featuring Neve Campbell as Sidney, and she at least gets to go out on a good film. This film continues to satirize reboots, with new faces and new twists, but it also tackles the concept of elevated horror, which is now dominating the cinema.

Scream 6 (2023)

Paramount Pictures

Scream 6’s official plot goes as such: “Four survivors of the Ghostface murders leave Woodsboro behind for a fresh start in New York City. However, they soon find themselves in a fight for their lives when a new killer embarks on a bloody rampage.”

While Scream 6 has the makings of a lesser film, that being no Sidney or Dewey (both shall be missed), the film surprisingly manages to be one of the better flicks in the franchise. The new cast, while stereotypical, is very likeable, and their arcs are managing to carry them into a potential Scream 7.

Where can I watch the Scream movies?

The Scream movies are actually spread across streaming platforms. Below, we’ve listed each platform that you’re able to view each of the six Scream movies:

• Scream: Paramount+
• Scream 2: Paramount+
• Scream 3: Paramount+
• Scream 4: Max
• Scream 5: Paramount+
• Scream 6: Paramount+

All of the Scream movies are also available to rent via Amazon Prime Video, which you can sign up for here.

Please note that if you click on a product link on this page, we may earn a small affiliate commission.