Watch Scream in release order from Scream (1996). Each sequel comments on the film before it and on horror sequels in general, so the jokes and the killer reveals depend on order.
- Titles
- 8
- Films
- 7
- Series
- 1
- Watch time
- 34 hours
- Box office
- $1.13 billion
- Avg IMDb
- 6.4
Scream movies in release order
Here is every Scream title in the order it came out, 1996 to 2026: 7 films and 1 series. Optional entries are marked; you can skip them on a first watch.
| # | Title | Year | Type | Runtime | IMDb |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Scream | 1996 | Film | 1h 52m | 7.4 |
| 2 | Scream 2 | 1997 | Film | 2h | 6.4 |
| 3 | Scream 3 | 2000 | Film | 1h 56m | 5.7 |
| 4 | Scream 4 | 2011 | Film | 1h 51m | 6.3 |
| 5 | Scream: The TV Series optional | 2015 | Series | 20h 31m | 7 |
| 6 | Scream | 2022 | Film | 1h 54m | 6.3 |
| 7 | Scream VI | 2023 | Film | 2h 3m | 6.4 |
| 8 | Scream 7 | 2026 | Film | 1h 54m | 5.5 |
Scream timeline: movies in chronological order
The same titles in story order, by when they take place, with the year or era each one is set in.
| # | Title | Set in | Released |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Scream | 1996 | 1996 |
| 2 | Scream 2 | 1997 | 1997 |
| 3 | Scream 3 | 2000 | 2000 |
| 4 | Scream 4 | Eleven years later | 2011 |
| 5 | Scream | Twenty-five years after the first | 2022 |
| 6 | Scream VI | A year later | 2023 |
| 7 | Scream 7 | After Scream VI | 2026 |
| 8 | Scream: The TV Series | Lakewood | 2015 |
Release or chronological: which order is best?
Release order and story order disagree on 4 titles here. In release order you start with Scream (1996); in story order you start with Scream, set in 1996.
First time through, watch in release order. That is how the twists, returning characters and callbacks were built to land, and later entries assume you have seen the earlier ones. On a rewatch, try story order. It turns Scream into one continuous story and makes the prequels play as setup instead of backstory.
Scream also runs a separate continuity: The TV series. It has its own line on the timeline, so you can watch it on its own without breaking the main story.
Where to start
Start with Scream and go in release order, skipping the 1 optional titles on the first pass.
The essentials are 7 titles and about 14 hours, 60% less than the full run.
The three highest rated: Scream (7.4), Scream: The TV Series (7), and Scream 2 (6.4).
Every Scream movie, explained
One entry per title in release order: what it is about, why it matters to the bigger story, who is in it and how it did.
No. 01 · 1996 · Film · 1h 52m
Scream
A year after the murder of her mother, a teenage girl is terrorized by a masked killer who targets her and her friends by using scary movies as part of a deadly game.
Why it matters: Ghostface terrorises Woodsboro; the place to start.
- Starring
- Neve Campbell, Skeet Ulrich, and Rose McGowan
- Director
- Wes Craven
- Box office
- $173 million on a $14 million budget
- Scores
- IMDb 7.4 · Rotten Tomatoes 78%
No. 02 · 1997 · Film · 2h
Scream 2
Two years after the Woodsboro murders, Sidney Prescott acclimates to college life while someone donning the Ghostface costume begins a new string of killings.
Why it matters: Sidney at college, mocking sequels as it goes.
- Starring
- Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, and David Arquette
- Director
- Wes Craven
- Box office
- $172 million on a $24 million budget
- Scores
- IMDb 6.4 · Rotten Tomatoes 83%
No. 03 · 2000 · Film · 1h 56m
Scream 3
As bodies begin dropping around the Hollywood set of STAB 3, the third film based on the gruesome Woodsboro killings, Sidney and other survivors are once again terrorized by another Ghostface killer.
Why it matters: Hollywood and the end of the original trilogy.
- Starring
- Neve Campbell, David Arquette, and Courteney Cox
- Director
- Wes Craven
- Box office
- $162 million on a $40 million budget
- Scores
- IMDb 5.7 · Rotten Tomatoes 45%
No. 04 · 2011 · Film · 1h 51m
Scream 4
Fifteen years after the original Woodsboro murders, Sidney Prescott returns home to promote her new book about surviving trauma, only for a new Ghostface killer to emerge, targeting a new group of teens.
Why it matters: A new generation, 15 years later.
- Starring
- Neve Campbell, David Arquette, and Courteney Cox
- Director
- Wes Craven
- Box office
- $97 million on a $40 million budget
- Scores
- IMDb 6.3 · Rotten Tomatoes 61%
No. 05 · 2015 · Series · 20h 31m · 8th in story order · optional
Scream: The TV Series
What starts as a YouTube video going viral, soon leads to problems for the teenagers of Lakewood and serves as the catalyst for a murder that opens up a window to the town's troubled past. Everyone has secrets. Everyone tells lies. Everyone is fair game.
Why it matters: An MTV series in its own continuity; optional.
- Starring
- Willa Fitzgerald, Bex Taylor-Klaus, and Carlson Young
- Creator
- Jay Beattie, Dan Dworkin, Jill E. Blotevogel, and Brett Matthews
- Scores
- IMDb 7
- Episodes
- 29 across 3 seasons
No. 06 · 2022 · Film · 1h 54m · 5th in story order
Scream
Twenty-five years after a streak of brutal murders shocked the quiet town of Woodsboro, a new killer has donned the Ghostface mask and begins targeting a group of teenagers to resurrect secrets from the town’s deadly past.
Why it matters: A "requel" that hands over to the Carpenter sisters.
- Starring
- Melissa Barrera, Jenna Ortega, and Mason Gooding
- Director
- Tyler Gillett and Matt Bettinelli-Olpin
- Box office
- $139 million on a $24 million budget
- Scores
- IMDb 6.3 · Rotten Tomatoes 76%
No. 07 · 2023 · Film · 2h 3m · 6th in story order
Scream VI
Following the latest Ghostface killings, the four survivors leave Woodsboro behind and start a fresh chapter.
Why it matters: The Carpenter sisters in New York.
- Starring
- Melissa Barrera, Jenna Ortega, and Jasmin Savoy Brown
- Director
- Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett
- Box office
- $169 million on a $33 million budget
- Scores
- IMDb 6.4 · Rotten Tomatoes 77%
No. 08 · 2026 · Film · 1h 54m · 7th in story order
Scream 7
When a new Ghostface killer emerges in the quiet town where Sidney Prescott has built a new life, her darkest fears are realized as her daughter becomes the next target. Determined to protect her family, Sidney must face the horrors of her past to put an end to the bloodshed once and for all.
Why it matters: Sidney Prescott returns.
- Starring
- Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, and Isabel May
- Director
- Kevin Williamson
- Box office
- $214 million on a $45 million budget
- Scores
- IMDb 5.5 · Rotten Tomatoes 30%
Scream box office and budgets
The 7 Scream films with reported numbers have grossed $1.13 billion worldwide on about $220 million in combined budgets, roughly 5.1 times what they cost. The biggest is Scream 7 at $214 million, 19% of the franchise's total on its own, followed by Scream ($173 million) and Scream 2 ($172 million).
Measured against what it cost, the best return belongs to Scream, which made 12 times its $14 million budget. The weakest was Scream 4 at 2.4 times its $40 million budget. As a rule of thumb, a film needs about two and a half times its budget at the box office to cover marketing and the theaters' cut.
The best and worst rated Scream movies
Across 8 rated titles, Scream averages 6.4 on IMDb. The top of the list is Scream at 7.4, then Scream: The TV Series (7) and Scream 2 (6.4). At the bottom: Scream 7 (5.5) and Scream 3 (5.7). Money and quality don't line up perfectly: the highest grosser, Scream 7, is only the 8th best rated.
- Scream7.4 · RT 78%
- Scream: The TV Series7
- Scream 26.4 · RT 83%
- Scream VI6.4 · RT 77%
- Scream 46.3 · RT 61%
- Scream6.3 · RT 76%
- Scream 35.7 · RT 45%
- Scream 75.5 · RT 30%
Who appears in the most Scream movies
Neve Campbell leads with 6 appearances as Sidney and Sidney Prescott, ahead of Courteney Cox (6) and David Arquette (5). Counted from each title's top-billed cast.
| Actor | Role | Titles | First and latest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Neve Campbell | Sidney / Sidney Prescott | 6 | Scream (1996) to Scream 7 (2026) |
| Courteney Cox | Gale Weathers / Gale Weathers-Riley | 6 | Scream (1996) to Scream 7 (2026) |
| David Arquette | Deputy Dewey / Dewey Riley | 5 | Scream (1996) to Scream (2022) |
| Roger L. Jackson | Phone Voice / 'The Voice' | 3 | Scream (1996) to Scream 7 (2026) |
| Mason Gooding | Chad Meeks-Martin | 3 | Scream (2022) to Scream 7 (2026) |
| Jasmin Savoy Brown | Mindy Meeks-Martin | 3 | Scream (2022) to Scream 7 (2026) |
| Skeet Ulrich | Billy / Billy Loomis | 2 | Scream (1996) to Scream (2022) |
| Jamie Kennedy | Randy / Randy Meeks | 2 | Scream (1996) to Scream 2 (1997) |
| Liev Schreiber | Cotton Weary | 2 | Scream (1996) to Scream 2 (1997) |
| Hayden Panettiere | Kirby Reed | 2 | Scream 4 (2011) to Scream VI (2023) |
| Melissa Barrera | Sam Carpenter | 2 | Scream (2022) to Scream VI (2023) |
| Jenna Ortega | Tara Carpenter | 2 | Scream (2022) to Scream VI (2023) |
Scream directors and creators
8 filmmakers have directed or created Scream; Wes Craven has the most, with 4.
- Wes CravenScream (1996), Scream 2 (1997), Scream 3 (2000), and Scream 4 (2011)
- Tyler GillettScream (2022) and Scream VI (2023)
- Matt Bettinelli-OlpinScream (2022) and Scream VI (2023)
- Jay BeattieScream: The TV Series (2015)
- Dan DworkinScream: The TV Series (2015)
- Jill E. BlotevogelScream: The TV Series (2015)
- Brett MatthewsScream: The TV Series (2015)
- Kevin WilliamsonScream 7 (2026)
How long it takes to watch every Scream movie
All 8 titles add up to 34 hours: 14 hours of film and 21 hours of series, counting every episode. That is about 18 two-hour evenings, or 4 days of ten-hour binges. The essentials cut it to 14 hours. The longest film is Scream VI at 2h 3m.
The 4 best rated films: Scream, Scream 2, Scream VI, and Scream 4.
Everything takes about 5 weeks; the essentials about 2 weeks.
Track what you've watched on the timeline and it counts the hours left.
Which Scream movies can you skip?
1 title can go without losing the main story. They are side stories, spin-offs or entries the later films ignore. Dropping them saves 21 hours.
- Scream: The TV Series2015 · Series · 20h 31m · optionalAn MTV series in its own continuity; optional.
Upcoming Scream movies
- Scream 8Date to be announced
Common questions
What order should I watch the Scream movies in?
Watch Scream in release order from Scream (1996). Each sequel comments on the film before it and on horror sequels in general, so the jokes and the killer reveals depend on order.
How many Scream movies and shows are there?
There are 8 titles in the Scream franchise: 7 films and 1 series, released from 1996 to 2026. 1 more is announced: Scream 8.
How long does it take to watch all the Scream movies?
About 34 hours for all 8 titles, counting every episode. The essentials only (7 titles) take about 14 hours.
What is the first Scream title in chronological order?
Scream, set in 1996. In release order the first is Scream (1996).
Which Scream titles can I skip?
Scream: The TV Series. They are spin-offs, side stories or non-canon entries; the main story holds without them.
What is the next Scream release?
Scream 8, date to be announced.
What is the best Scream movie?
By IMDb score, Scream (1996) at 7.4, followed by Scream: The TV Series at 7.
What is the highest-grossing Scream movie?
Scream 7 (2026), with $214 million worldwide. Scream films have made $1.13 billion in total.
Who has appeared in the most Scream movies?
Neve Campbell, in 6 of them as Sidney.
What is the longest Scream movie?
Scream VI, at 2h 3m.
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