ScreamComplete Watch Order Guide
An American slasher series set largely around the fictional small town of Woodsboro, California, in which various groups of teens become the target of a masked killer, soon to be known nationwide as “Ghostface".
Scream Release Timeline
What order should you watch the Scream movies?
Release order — click any era to expand or collapse. All 7 released films shown below.
3 films released between 1996 and 2000.
1 film released between 2011 and 2011.
4 films released between 2022 and NaN.
Additional Films
Watch Scream in Order
Watch the Scream movies in release order, starting with Scream (1996) and continuing through Scream 7 (2026). The series spans 7 films, released between 1996 and 2026. Audiences rate the franchise 6.6/10 on average.
What order should you watch Scream?
For most viewers, release order is the recommended way to watch Scream. This is how the story was crafted and revealed to audiences — earlier films seed details, callbacks, and twists that pay off in later entries. Watching in release order preserves those reveals and matches the pacing the filmmakers intended.
Scream largely tracks its own in-universe chronology, so release order and chronological order overlap closely. You can use either without losing much, though release order is still the safest first watch.
About the Scream franchise
An American slasher series set largely around the fictional small town of Woodsboro, California, in which various groups of teens become the target of a masked killer, soon to be known nationwide as “Ghostface".
Each film builds on the previous one, rewarding viewers who watch in sequence.
Scream by the Numbers
Every figure below is calculated from the full film list on this page.
- 7
- Films released
- 30
- Years running
- 6.6/10
- Average audience rating
- 7.4/10
- Highest rated
- 6.0/10
- Lowest rated
- Flat
- Rating trajectory
- 11 years
- Longest gap between films
Scream has 7 released films, the first in 1996 and the most recent in 2026.
The series has been running for 30 years, from 1996 to 2026.
Across its 7 rated films, Scream averages 6.6/10 on TMDB, from 31,026 audience ratings.
The highest-rated entry is Scream (1996) at 7.4/10 on TMDB.
The lowest-rated entry is Scream 3 (2000) at 6.0/10 on TMDB.
Its first 3 films average 6.7/10 on TMDB and its most recent 3 average 6.6/10, so audience ratings have held flat across the series.
The longest gap between consecutive films is 11 years, between Scream 3 (2000) and Scream 4 (2011).
Computed by Movies in Order from The Movie Database (TMDB) collection data for Scream, covering all 7 released films. Last recalculated November 2026.
Scream Fun Facts & Trivia
The Scream franchise spans 30 years, from 1996 to 2026.
The highest-rated entry is Scream with a 7.4/10 audience score.
Across all films, the franchise averages a 6.6/10 rating from audiences.
Scream films have collected over 31k audience ratings combined.
The most recent entry, Scream 7 (2026), continues a franchise that began 30 years earlier.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best order to watch Scream?
What is the first Scream movie?
What is the most recent Scream movie?
How many Scream movies are there in total?
How long does it take to watch all Scream movies?
What is the highest-rated Scream movie?
Can I watch Scream movies without watching them in order?
Where can I watch Scream movies online?
More Movies in Order
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See the original timeline, full stats, and editorial intro on the franchise overview page.
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