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{{Infobox media franchise
| color = Black
| title = Scream
| image = Scream series logo.svg{{!}}class=skin-invert
| image_upright =
| caption =
| creator = [[Kevin Williamson (screenwriter)|Kevin Williamson]]
| origin = ''[[Scream (1996 film)|Scream]]'' (1996)
| owner = {{idp|
* [[Miramax Films]] (''1''–''3''; 1996–2000)
* [[The Weinstein Company]] (''4''; 2011)
* [[Paramount Pictures]] (''5'' onwards;{{efn|Ownership of first three films via [[Miramax]]}} 2022–present)
* [[Spyglass Media Group]] (''5'' onwards; 2022–present)
}}
| years = 1996–present
| films = {{Plainlist|
* ''[[Scream (1996 film)|Scream]]'' (1996)
* ''[[Scream 2]]'' (1997)
* ''[[Scream 3]]'' (2000)
* ''[[Scream 4]]'' (2011)
* ''[[Scream (2022 film)|Scream]]'' (2022)
* ''[[Scream VI]]'' (2023)
* ''[[Scream 7]]'' (2026)
}}
| tv_series = ''[[Scream (TV series)|Scream: The TV Series]]'' (2015–2019)
| soundtracks = {{Plainlist|
* ''[[Scream (1996 soundtrack)|Scream]]'' (1996)
* ''[[Scream 2 (soundtrack)|Scream 2]]''
* ''[[Scream 3 (soundtrack)|Scream 3]]''
* ''[[Scream 4 (soundtrack)|Scream 4]]''
* ''[[Scream (2022 soundtrack)|Scream]]'' (2022)
* ''[[Scream VI (soundtrack)|Scream VI]]''
}}
}}

'''''Scream''''' is an American [[Slasher film|slasher]] [[Media franchise|franchise]] that includes seven films, a television series, merchandise, and games.<ref>{{Cite web |date=March 24, 2023 |title=How the Scream Franchise Has Outlived So Many Slasher Series |url=https://movieweb.com/scream-how-its-outlived-slashers/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230701162301/https://movieweb.com/scream-how-its-outlived-slashers/ |archive-date=July 1, 2023 |access-date=July 1, 2023 |website=MovieWeb |language=en}}</ref><ref name="ColliderHeart">{{Cite web |date=March 9, 2023 |title=''Scream'' Works Because at Its Heart, It's Really a Mystery Series |url=https://collider.com/scream-mystery-series/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230701162301/https://collider.com/scream-mystery-series/ |archive-date=July 1, 2023 |access-date=July 1, 2023 |website=[[Collider (website)|Collider]] |language=en}}</ref> The first four films were directed by [[Wes Craven]]. The series was created by [[Kevin Williamson (screenwriter)|Kevin Williamson]], who wrote the first two films and the fourth, and returned to write and direct the seventh film. [[Ehren Kruger]] wrote the third. The fifth and sixth installments were directed by [[Matt Bettinelli-Olpin]] and [[Tyler Gillett]], with [[Guy Busick]] and [[James Vanderbilt]] serving as writers and Williamson returning as executive producer. [[Dimension Films]] produced the first four films. [[Spyglass Media Group]] took over the rights from the fifth film on with [[Paramount Pictures]] distributing. The film series has grossed over {{US$|1{{nbsp}}billion|link=yes}} at the global box office.

[[Neve Campbell]], [[Courteney Cox]], [[David Arquette]], and [[Roger L. Jackson]] (who voices the various [[Ghostface (Scream)|Ghostface]] killers) starred in the first five films, and returned for the seventh. Cox and Jackson also reprised their roles for the sixth film and are the only cast members to feature in all seven films to date, with Cox also being the only actress to appear in seven consecutive films of a horror franchise.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Colangelo |first=B. J. |date=July 18, 2022 |title=Scream 6 Will See Courteney Cox Break A Cool Horror Movie Record |url=https://www.slashfilm.com/931543/scream-6-will-see-courteney-cox-break-a-cool-horror-movie-record/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230310142511/https://www.slashfilm.com/931543/scream-6-will-see-courteney-cox-break-a-cool-horror-movie-record/ |archive-date=March 10, 2023 |access-date=March 10, 2023 |website=[[/Film]] |language=en-US}}</ref> [[Hayden Panettiere]] stars in the fourth and sixth films, while [[Melissa Barrera]], [[Jenna Ortega]], [[Mason Gooding]], and [[Jasmin Savoy Brown]] star in the fifth and sixth, with Gooding and Brown also reprising their roles in the seventh. [[Jamie Kennedy]] and [[Liev Schreiber]] feature in the first three films, and [[Marley Shelton]] appears in the fourth and fifth. [[Skeet Ulrich]] stars in the first and cameos in the fifth and sixth installments, [[Matthew Lillard]] stars in the first and features in the seventh, [[Laurie Metcalf]] stars in the second and cameos in the seventh, [[Scott Foley]] stars in the third and cameos in the seventh, and [[Jack Quaid]] stars in the fifth and cameos in the sixth. Additionally, [[Heather Matarazzo]] makes cameo appearances in the third and fifth films, as does [[Nancy O'Dell]] in the second, third and fourth. Having appeared in the iconic opening scene of the first film and on its poster, [[Drew Barrymore]] is strongly associated with the franchise.<ref>{{Cite web |date=September 6, 2022 |title=Drew Barrymore opens up about the brilliance of ''Scream'' |url=https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/drew-barrymore-brilliance-of-scream/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230211181835/https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/drew-barrymore-brilliance-of-scream/ |archive-date=February 11, 2023 |access-date=March 12, 2023 |website=faroutmagazine.co.uk |language=en-US}}</ref> The series has also featured many notable actors making single-film appearances in supporting cast roles or as cameos

''[[Scream (1996 film)|Scream]]'' (1996), ''[[Scream 2]]'' (1997), ''[[Scream (2022 film)|Scream]]'' (2022), and ''[[Scream VI]]'' (2023) received high praise from critics. ''[[Scream 3]]'' (2000) received a more mixed response, as did ''[[Scream 4]]'' (2011), Craven's final film; both were later reappraised and the fourth film was generally seen as a return to form for the series. Meanwhile, ''[[Scream 7]]'' (2026) received negative reviews from critics, becoming the worst reviewed film in the franchise. Commercially, the first three films and the fifth and sixth were high performers at the box office, while ''Scream 4'' had a disappointing domestic run.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Scream Franchise Box Office History |url=https://www.the-numbers.com/movies/franchise/Scream |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230306094657/https://www.the-numbers.com/movies/franchise/Scream |archive-date=March 6, 2023 |access-date=March 6, 2023 |website=The Numbers}}</ref> The film series has also been the recipient of several [[Scream (franchise)#Awards and nominations|awards and nominations]], including winning [[MTV Movie Award for Movie of the Year|Best Movie]] twice at the [[MTV Movie & TV Awards]] (for ''Scream'' in 1996 and ''Scream VI'' in 2023).

== Overview ==
The first four films follow [[Sidney Prescott]] and her struggle against a succession of murderers who adopt the guise of [[Ghostface (Scream)|Ghostface]] to stalk and kill their victims, the killers often motivated by revenge, jealousy, and seeking notoriety. Sidney receives support from town policeman [[Dewey Riley]], tabloid reporter [[Gale Weathers]], and film-geeks [[Randy Meeks]] and [[Kirby Reed]], along with various other friends, romantic partners, and acquaintances that change as the series progresses. The fifth and sixth films follow [[Samantha Carpenter]] and her sister, [[Tara Carpenter (Scream)|Tara]], who are targeted due to their connection to the original killers. Together with their friends [[List of Scream (film series) characters#Mindy Meeks-Martin|Mindy]] and [[List of Scream (film series) characters#Chad Meeks-Martin|Chad Meeks-Martin]] (niece and nephew of Randy Meeks) and some of the original survivors (including Sidney, Gale, Dewey, and Kirby), they must contend with new Ghostface killers. The focus switches back to Sidney - now Sidney Evans - in the seventh film, alongside Gale, Mindy, and Chad, and also follows Sidney's daughter, Tatum Evans, and her group of friends, who are all stalked by a new killer.

The first film, ''[[Scream (1996 film)|Scream]]'', was released on December 20, 1996, and became the highest-grossing slasher film in the world until the release of ''[[Halloween (2018 film)|Halloween]]'' (2018).<ref name="highestslasher">{{cite web |title=Horror – Slasher |url=https://boxofficemojo.com/genres/chart/?id=slasher.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110302113533/http://boxofficemojo.com/genres/chart/?id=slasher.htm |archive-date=March 2, 2011 |access-date=March 22, 2011 |work=[[Box Office Mojo]]}}</ref> The second entry, ''[[Scream 2]]'', was released less than a year later on December 12, 1997. The third installment, ''[[Scream 3]]'', was released on February 4, 2000, and was originally the concluding chapter of the series. Eleven years later, the franchise was revived with a fourth installment, ''[[Scream 4]]'', which was released on April 15, 2011. An [[Anthology series|anthology]] television series ''[[Scream (TV series)|Scream]]'', which followed new characters and settings and is not [[Canon (fiction)|canon]] to the films, aired for three seasons from 2015 to 2016 on [[MTV]] and on [[VH1]] in 2019. A [[Scream (2022 film)|fifth installment]] in the film series was released on January 14, 2022,<ref name="Scream2022Release">{{cite web |last=D'Alessandro |first=Anthony |date=August 28, 2020 |title=''Scream'' Relaunch Eyes 2022 Release, ''Snake Eyes'' Rolls To 2021 & More – Paramount Release Date Changes |url=https://deadline.com/2020/08/scream-relaunch-eyes-2022-release-snake-eyes-rolls-to-2021-more-paramount-release-date-changes-1203026483/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200829085149/https://deadline.com/2020/08/scream-relaunch-eyes-2022-release-snake-eyes-rolls-to-2021-more-paramount-release-date-changes-1203026483/ |archive-date=August 29, 2020 |access-date=August 29, 2020 |work=[[Deadline Hollywood]]}}</ref> directed by Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett. Busick and Vanderbilt wrote the screenplay, and original creator Williamson returned as an executive producer. It is the first installment in the film series to not be directed by Wes Craven, who died in 2015. A sixth installment, ''[[Scream VI]]'', was released on March 10, 2023, developed by the same directors and screenwriters as the fifth film.

Williamson's original script for the first film was bought by [[Miramax]] and developed under the [[Dimension Films]] label. Craven recruited composer [[Marco Beltrami]] to score the film. Williamson was unable to write ''Scream 3'' due to his commitment to other projects. [[Ehren Kruger]] replaced him as screenwriter. Kruger also provided uncredited rewrites for ''Scream 4''. Craven ran into conflicts with the [[Motion Picture Association of America film rating system|Motion Picture Association of America]] over the series and was forced to reduce the violence in ''Scream 3'' due to the [[Columbine High School massacre]] resulting in increased focus on violence in the media. ''Scream'' became notable for its use of established and recognizable actors, which was uncommon for slasher films at the time.

The first film has been credited with revitalizing the horror genre in the late 1990s by combining a traditional slasher film with humor, characters aware of horror film [[cliche]]s and a clever plot. It was one of the highest-grossing films of 1996 and became the highest-grossing slasher film in the world, an honor it held until it was surpassed by 2018's ''[[Halloween (2018 film)|Halloween]]''. Its success was matched by ''Scream 2'', which not only broke box-office records of the time but was also considered superior to the original by some critics. ''Scream 3'' fared worse than its predecessors critically, with many reviewers commenting that it had become the type of horror film it originally parodied in ''Scream'' and ''Scream 2'', while others praised it for successfully completing the film trilogy. The movie and its themes were re-evaluated in the wake of the [[MeToo movement]]<ref name="WeinsteinScream3Vice">{{Cite web |date=October 31, 2017 |title=The Weinstein-Esque Character You Missed in the Weinstein-Produced ''Scream 3'' |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/the-weinstein-esque-character-you-missed-in-the-weinstein-produced-scream-3/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220115030805/https://www.vice.com/en/article/wjgx7q/the-weinstein-esque-character-you-missed-in-the-weinstein-produced-scream-3 |archive-date=January 15, 2022 |access-date=March 6, 2023 |website=Vice.com |language=en}}</ref><ref name="WeinsteinScandalSlate">{{Cite news |last=Phelan |first=Matthew |date=November 1, 2019 |title=How the Harvey Weinstein Scandal Changes the Way We Watch Scream 3 |url=https://slate.com/culture/2019/10/scream-3-harvey-weinstein-producer-character.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200814112145/https://slate.com/culture/2019/10/scream-3-harvey-weinstein-producer-character.html |archive-date=August 14, 2020 |access-date=March 6, 2023 |work=Slate |language=en-US |issn=1091-2339}}</ref> and it underwent a positive reappraisal in the years since its release.<ref name="io9Scream4">{{Cite web |date=April 8, 2021 |title=I've Been Wrong About Scream 4 for 10 Years |url=https://io9.gizmodo.com/ive-been-wrong-about-scream-4-for-10-years-1846635465 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210430175342/https://io9.gizmodo.com/ive-been-wrong-about-scream-4-for-10-years-1846635465 |archive-date=April 30, 2021 |access-date=May 8, 2021 |website=io9 |language=en-us}}</ref> ''Scream 4'' also received mixed reviews, with criticism mainly aimed at its use of horror film cliches, although many considered it an improvement over its predecessor.<ref>{{cite news |last=Levin |first=Josh |date=April 15, 2011 |title=Cutting Edge: Scream 4 puts the self-aware horror franchise back on track |url=https://slate.com/culture/2011/04/scream-4-reviewed-the-self-aware-horror-franchise-gets-back-on-track.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190225102958/https://slate.com/culture/2011/04/scream-4-reviewed-the-self-aware-horror-franchise-gets-back-on-track.html |archive-date=February 25, 2019 |access-date=February 24, 2019 |work=Slate}}</ref> Like the third film, it was critically reappraised years after its release.<ref>{{Cite web |date=April 8, 2021 |title=I've Been Wrong About Scream 4 for 10 Years |url=https://gizmodo.com/ive-been-wrong-about-scream-4-for-10-years-1846635465 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230307181255/https://gizmodo.com/ive-been-wrong-about-scream-4-for-10-years-1846635465 |archive-date=March 7, 2023 |access-date=March 6, 2023 |website=Gizmodo |language=en}}</ref> Both films, especially ''Scream 4'' and its killers' motives, are now widely seen as being ahead of their time.<ref>{{Cite web |date=February 3, 2020 |title=Scream 3 was a manic misfire – in the wake of Weinstein, it now feels like an early warning shot |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/scream-3-harvey-weinstein-wes-craven-rose-mcgowan-a9298696.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220618/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/scream-3-harvey-weinstein-wes-craven-rose-mcgowan-a9298696.html |archive-date=June 18, 2022 |access-date=March 6, 2023 |website=The Independent |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last1=Egan |first1=Toussaint |last2=Radulovic |first2=Petrana |last3=Goslin |first3=Austen |date=February 25, 2023 |title=The best movies leaving Netflix, Hulu, Prime, and HBO Max at the end of February 2023 |url=https://www.polygon.com/what-to-watch/2023/2/25/23607079/best-movies-netflix-amazon-hulu-hbo-leaving-february-2023 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230306065105/https://www.polygon.com/what-to-watch/2023/2/25/23607079/best-movies-netflix-amazon-hulu-hbo-leaving-february-2023 |archive-date=March 6, 2023 |access-date=March 6, 2023 |website=[[Polygon (website)|Polygon]] |language=en-US}}</ref> The fifth and sixth entries received mostly positive reviews.<ref name="Scream2022RT" /><ref>{{Citation |title=Scream VI |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/scream_vi |access-date=March 9, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230316034325/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/scream_vi |archive-date=March 16, 2023 |url-status=live |language=en}}</ref> ''[[Collider (website)|Collider]]'' said the franchise worked so well because at heart it is really a mystery series.<ref name="ColliderHeart" />

== Films ==
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align: center;"
|-
! Film
! U.S. release date
! Director(s)
! Screenwriter(s)
! Story by
! Producers
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:left" | ''[[Scream (1996 film)|Scream]]''
| style="text-align:left" | December 20, 1996
| rowspan="4" | [[Wes Craven]]
| colspan="2" rowspan="2" | [[Kevin Williamson (screenwriter)|Kevin Williamson]]
| [[Cary Woods]], Harvey Weinstein, & [[Cathy Konrad]]
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:left" | ''[[Scream 2]]''
| style="text-align:left" | December 12, 1997
| Wes Craven, Cathy Konrad, Harvey Weinstein, & [[Marianne Maddalena]]
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:left" | ''[[Scream 3]]''
| style="text-align:left" | February 4, 2000
| colspan="2"| [[Ehren Kruger]]
| Cathy Konrad, Kevin Williamson, Harvey Weinstein, & Marianne Maddalena
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:left" | ''[[Scream 4]]''
| style="text-align:left" | April 15, 2011
| colspan="2" | Kevin Williamson
| Wes Craven, Iya Labunka, & Kevin Williamson
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:left" | ''[[Scream (2022 film)|Scream]]''
| style="text-align:left" | January 14, 2022
| rowspan="2" | [[Matt Bettinelli-Olpin]] & [[Tyler Gillett]]
| colspan="2" rowspan="2" | [[James Vanderbilt]] & [[Guy Busick]]
| rowspan="3" | Paul Neinstein, William Sherak & James Vanderbilt
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:left" | ''[[Scream VI]]''
| style="text-align:left" | March 10, 2023
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:left" | ''[[Scream 7]]''
| style="text-align:left" | February 27, 2026
| Kevin Williamson
| Kevin Williamson and Guy Busick
| James Vanderbilt & Guy Busick
|}

=== ''Scream'' (1996) ===
{{Main|Scream (1996 film){{!}}''Scream'' (1996 film)}}
The film series began with ''Scream'', premiering on December 18, 1996, at the [[AMC Theatres|AMC]] Avco theater in [[Westwood, Los Angeles|Westwood, California]]<ref name="screampremieres">{{cite web |last=Wayne |first=Gary |year=2011 |title=Locations of Hollywood Movie Premieres |url=http://www.seeing-stars.com/meet/moviepremierelocations.shtml |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110408184749/http://www.seeing-stars.com/Meet/MoviePremiereLocations.shtml |archive-date=April 8, 2011 |access-date=April 4, 2011}}</ref> and was generally released on December 20, 1996. Based on a screenplay by screenwriter [[Kevin Williamson (screenwriter)|Kevin Williamson]] and directed by [[Wes Craven]], creator of the [[A Nightmare on Elm Street (franchise)|''A Nightmare on Elm Street'' franchise]], ''Scream'' offered a self-referential approach to horror by featuring a cast of characters aware of the conventions/clichés of the [[horror film]] genre and able to use them to survive. The film focuses on teenager [[Sidney Prescott]] as she comes under attack from a mysterious character dubbed [[Ghostface (Scream)|Ghostface]] while dealing with the anniversary of her mother's murder. The film went on to be a financial success and received considerable critical acclaim for its deconstruction of the horror genre. It is credited with revitalizing the horror genre in the mid 90s and inspiring an array of imitators.<ref name="ImpactHorrorFilmHistory">{{cite web |last=Karina |first=Wilson |title=Horror movies of the 1990s: ''Silence of the Lambs'', ''Se7en'', ''Jacob's Ladder'', ''Scream'', ''The Sixth Sense'', ''New Nightmare'', ''Serial Killers'' |url=http://www.horrorfilmhistory.com/index.php?pageID=1990s |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101215211144/http://horrorfilmhistory.com/index.php?pageID=1990s |archive-date=December 15, 2010 |access-date=April 4, 2011 |work=Horror Film History}}</ref> It was particularly notable for its casting of established and popular actors and actresses which was previously uncommon in horror films.<ref name="Docu1">{{Cite AV media |title=Going to Pieces: The Rise and Fall of the Slasher Film |date=2006 |medium=DVD |publisher=[[Starz Entertainment]] |location=United States |people=J. Albert Bell (Writer) Rachel Belofsky (Writer) Michael Derek Bohusz (Writer)}}</ref>

=== ''Scream 2'' (1997) ===
{{Main|Scream 2{{!}}''Scream 2''}}

The series continued with ''Scream 2'', premiering at [[TCL Chinese Theatre|Mann's Chinese Theater]],<ref name="screampremieres" /> followed by a general release on December 12, 1997. Written by Williamson and directed by Craven, released less than a year after the original film. Like ''Scream'', the film features characters aware of the horror genre and the conventions of the horror sequel, mocking them while simultaneously falling victim to them. Set in 1998, the film again focuses on the character of Sidney Prescott, now a college student, as a series of [[copycat crime]]s begin, the killers again using the disguise of Ghostface. The film was financially successful,<ref name="scream2gross" /> and received similar critical praise for its deconstruction of the horror film sequel and commentary on the influence of the media in society. The script for ''Scream 2'' was leaked during production revealing the identity of the killers and so the film underwent extensive rewrites, changing the identity of the killers, though their motivation remained the same.<ref name="imsdb2">{{cite web |year=1998 |title=Scream 2 screenplay by Kevin Williamson |url=https://www.imsdb.com/scripts/Scream-2.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110713022156/http://www.imsdb.com/scripts/Scream-2.html |archive-date=July 13, 2011 |access-date=March 15, 2011}}</ref><ref name="scriptleak2">{{cite web |date=April 30, 2010 |title=Scream 2 rewritten after script leak |url=http://www.hollywood.com/news/Scream_2_rewritten_after_script_leak/6845335 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20121206011700/http://www.hollywood.com/news/Scream_2_rewritten_after_script_leak/6845335 |archive-date=December 6, 2012 |access-date=March 15, 2011}}</ref>

=== ''Scream 3'' (2000) ===
{{Main|Scream 3{{!}}''Scream 3''}}

The series continued with ''Scream 3'', which premiered on February 3, 2000, at the AMC Avco theater in Westwood, California<ref name="scream3premiere">{{cite web |last=Wayne |first=Gary |year=2000 |title=Hollywood Movie Premieres – 2000 |url=http://www.seeing-stars.com/calendar/calendarpast2000.shtml |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110509031322/http://www.seeing-stars.com/calendar/calendarpast2000.shtml |archive-date=May 9, 2011 |access-date=April 4, 2011}}</ref> and was generally released on February 4, 2000. Like previous entries, the film was directed by Craven, but Williamson was unable to formulate a complete script due to his commitment to the short-lived television series ''[[Wasteland (American TV series)|Wasteland]]'' and his original film ''[[Teaching Mrs. Tingle]]'' (1999). Consequently, he wound up being replaced by [[Ehren Kruger]] who finalized a script based on several ideas supplied by Williamson. Set in 2000, the film focuses on Sidney Prescott who faces a new Ghostface killer and the truth about her mother that led to the start of the Ghostface killings. The film, like its predecessors, featured characters who were self-aware of horror conventions, in this case the rules and structure of the final entry in a movie trilogy. ''Scream 3'' was less successful than the previous two installments, commentators noting that the film had become akin to the horror films it originally parodied in ''Scream'' and ''Scream 2''. Others were critical of the change in tone, focusing more on humor instead of horror and violence. However, critics who reacted positively were supportive of this change in tone and praised the film for successfully completing the film trilogy.<ref name="rt3" /> The movie and its themes were re-evaluated and examined in the wake of the [[MeToo movement]].<ref name="WeinsteinScream3Vice" /><ref name="WeinsteinScandalSlate" />

=== ''Scream 4'' (2011) ===
{{Main|Scream 4{{!}}''Scream 4''}}

In July 2008, [[The Weinstein Company]] announced the development of a new sequel, ''Scream 4'', written by Williamson with Craven being secured for the project in March 2010. In May 2010, [[Cathy Konrad]], producer of the original three ''Scream'' films filed a {{US$|3{{nbsp}}million|link=yes}} lawsuit against The Weinstein Company alleging they violated an agreement with her company, Cat Entertainment, that gave them first rights to produce all ''Scream'' films.<ref name="Reuters">{{Cite news |last=Belloni |first=Matthew |date=May 20, 2010 |title=Producer says Weinsteins cut her out of Scream 4 |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE64J0O820100520 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100524133004/http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE64J0O820100520 |archive-date=May 24, 2010 |access-date=December 26, 2010 |work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] |location=Los Angeles |agency=Reuters}}</ref> The Weinstein Company argued that the agreement requires Konrad's services to be exclusive to the franchise, an argument that Konrad called "false pretext" as the previous films did not make this stipulation.<ref name="Reuters" /> Konrad accused the Weinsteins of attempting to force her to walk away without compensation in order to hire a cheaper producer (Craven's wife Iya Labunka) and cut costs.<ref name="the wrap">{{cite news |last=Dickey |first=Josh |date=May 18, 2010 |title=Konrad Sues Weinsteins Over ''Scream 4'' |url=https://www.thewrap.com/movies/article/konrad-sues-weinsteins-over-scream-4-17502 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100521162655/http://www.thewrap.com/article/cathy-conrad-sues-weinsteins-over-scream-rights-17502 |archive-date=May 21, 2010 |access-date=May 20, 2010 |work=[[The Wrap]]}}</ref> In April 2011, it was reported that the case had been settled out of court by The Weinstein Company.<ref name="ConradScream4" />

The film underwent reshoots of some scenes in January 2011 with Craven stating that they were to enhance some scenes but that the ending remains untouched, countering criticism that, following a January 6, 2011 [[test screening]],<ref name="test screenings">{{cite web |last=Sciretta |first=Peter |date=January 7, 2011 |title=Early Buzz: ''Scream 4'' |url=https://www.slashfilm.com/early-buzz-scream-4/#more-95326 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110110032725/http://www.slashfilm.com/early-buzz-scream-4/ |archive-date=January 10, 2011 |access-date=January 27, 2011 |work=[[/Film]]}}</ref> the film may undergo significant changes due to poor audience responses.<ref name="scream4reshoots">{{cite web |date=February 2, 2011 |title=Wes Craven Talks Scream 4 Reshoots |url=http://www.movieweb.com/news/wes-craven-talks-scream-4-reshoots |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120930073350/http://www.movieweb.com/news/wes-craven-talks-scream-4-reshoots |archive-date=September 30, 2012 |access-date=March 18, 2011 |work=MovieWeb}}</ref> The fourth installment premiered on April 11, 2011, at Grauman's Chinese Theater with a general release on April 15, 2011. The film takes place ten years after the previous film, and once again follows Sidney Prescott as she returns to Woodsboro, the fictional town where ''Scream'' takes place, on the last stop of her book tour and encounters another set of murders and a killer, again using the guise of Ghostface.<ref name="scream4premiere">{{cite web |year=2011 |title=Upcoming Premieres |url=http://www.manntheatres.com/premieres/upcoming.php |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101008163559/http://manntheatres.com/premieres/upcoming.php |archive-date=October 8, 2010 |access-date=April 4, 2011}}</ref><ref name="scream4premiere2">{{cite magazine |last=Stack |first=Tim |date=April 11, 2011 |title=''Scream 4'': Watch the star-studded premiere red carpet arrivals here! |url=http://insidemovies.ew.com/2011/04/11/scream-4-premiere/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150118213358/http://insidemovies.ew.com/2011/04/11/scream-4-premiere/ |archive-date=January 18, 2015 |access-date=September 28, 2016 |magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]}}</ref>

=== ''Scream'' (2022)<span id="Scream 5"></span> ===
{{Main|Scream (2022 film){{!}}''Scream'' (2022 film)}}

In 2011, Craven confirmed he was contracted to work on a fifth and sixth installment of the ''Scream'' franchise, to be made if the fourth film achieved a successful release and reception.<ref name="cravenFuture">{{cite magazine |title=Exclusive: New ''Scream 4'' poster, plus an interview with Craven |url=http://popwatch.ew.com/2010/04/28/scream-4-poster-wes-craven/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120119181937/http://popwatch.ew.com/2010/04/28/scream-4-poster-wes-craven/ |archive-date=January 19, 2012 |access-date=March 16, 2011 |magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]}}</ref> Williamson also stated he had contractual obligations for scripts for ''Scream 4'' and ''Scream 5'', having submitted concepts for three films leading up to ''Scream 6'', though his contract for the sixth film had not yet been finalized. Williamson indicated that if a ''Scream 5'' were to be made, it would be a continuation of the story of the characters who lived through ''Scream 4'' but that ''Scream 4'' would not include any cliffhangers that led into the potential sequel.<ref name="FEARnetLaurenGraham" />

Before the release of ''Scream 4'', actor David Arquette also added his support for a potential future of the franchise.<ref>{{cite web |last=Douglas |first=Edward |date=October 27, 2010 |title=Exclusive: Will Scream 4 Relaunch the Franchise? |url=http://shocktillyoudrop.com/news/topnews.php?id=17014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120503094258/http://www.shocktillyoudrop.com/news/topnews.php?id=17014 |archive-date=May 3, 2012 |access-date=April 6, 2011 |work=Shock Till You Drop}}</ref> In February 2012, when asked about the potential for making ''Scream 5'', Williamson stated at the time that he did not know if it would be made, saying "I'm not doing it."<ref name="FutureMarch2012">{{cite web |last=Bernstein |first=Abbie |date=February 9, 2012 |title=Exclusive Interview: The Season 3 scoop on THE VAMPIRE DIARIES from Kevin Williamson |url=http://www.assignmentx.com/2012/exclusive-interview-the-season-3-scoop-on-the-vampire-diaries-from-kevin-williamson/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120217062001/http://www.assignmentx.com/2012/exclusive-interview-the-season-3-scoop-on-the-vampire-diaries-from-kevin-williamson/ |archive-date=February 17, 2012 |access-date=March 22, 2012 |work=Assignment X}}</ref>

On September 30, 2013, Harvey Weinstein expressed his interest in a fifth installment.<ref>{{cite web |last=Smith |first=Nigel M. |date=September 30, 2013 |title=The 10 Best Things Harvey Weinstein Said at His Zurich Film Festival Masterclass |url=https://www.indiewire.com/article/the-10-best-things-harvey-weinstein-said-at-his-zurich-film-festival-masterclass?page=2#articleHeaderPanel |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303230014/http://www.indiewire.com/article/the-10-best-things-harvey-weinstein-said-at-his-zurich-film-festival-masterclass?page=2#articleHeaderPanel |archive-date=March 3, 2016 |access-date=September 28, 2016 |website=IndieWire.com}}</ref> Two years later in June 2015, the ''Washington Street Journal'' reported Bob Weinstein, when asked about the possibility of a film continuation after ''Scream 4'', firmly denied the possibility of a fifth installment or any further continuation of the film franchise, citing the [[Scream (TV series)|MTV television series]] as the right place for the franchise to find new life.<ref>{{cite web |last=Jurgensen |first=John |date=June 25, 2015 |title=Can ''Scream'' Help MTV Win Back Missing Teens? |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/can-scream-help-mtv-win-back-missing-teens-can-scream-help-mtv-1435257855 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161017075846/http://www.wsj.com/articles/can-scream-help-mtv-win-back-missing-teens-can-scream-help-mtv-1435257855 |archive-date=October 17, 2016 |access-date=September 28, 2016 |work=Wall Street Journal}}</ref> But after the death of Craven in 2015 and the [[Harvey Weinstein sexual abuse cases|sexual misconduct allegations against Harvey Weinstein]] shut down the Weinstein Company, the series's future was in limbo.

However, in early 2019, it was reported that [[Blumhouse Productions]] was interested in reviving the series, and that head of studio [[Jason Blum]] was working on making such ''Scream'' installments happen.<ref>{{Cite web |date=February 18, 2019 |title=Blumhouse is Considering New Scream and Hellraiser Movies |url=https://www.cinemablend.com/news/2467099/blumhouse-is-considering-new-scream-and-hellraiser-movies |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200520064835/https://www.cinemablend.com/news/2467099/blumhouse-is-considering-new-scream-and-hellraiser-movies |archive-date=May 20, 2020 |access-date=July 2, 2019}}</ref> In November 2019, [[Spyglass Media Group]] acquired the rights to make a new ''Scream'' film.<ref>{{Cite web |date=November 7, 2019 |title=Spyglass Resurrecting Ghostface in New ''Scream'' Movie &#91;Exclusive&#93; |url=https://bloody-disgusting.com/movie/3593128/spyglass-resurrection-ghostface-new-scream-exclusive/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200227131204/https://bloody-disgusting.com/movie/3593128/spyglass-resurrection-ghostface-new-scream-exclusive/ |archive-date=February 27, 2020 |access-date=November 7, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=November 7, 2019 |title=Ghostface to Return as Scream 5 is Officially in Development |url=https://wegotthiscovered.com/movies/ghostface-return-scream-5s-officially-happening/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200426122637/https://wegotthiscovered.com/movies/ghostface-return-scream-5s-officially-happening/ |archive-date=April 26, 2020 |access-date=November 7, 2019}}</ref> The next month, it was announced that the film would feature a new cast but could possibly feature appearances from previous main cast members.<ref>{{Cite web |date=November 26, 2019 |title=Scream Reboot Will Set up Future Movies with New Cast Members |url=https://wegotthiscovered.com/movies/scream-reboot-set-future-films-cast/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200426125026/https://wegotthiscovered.com/movies/scream-reboot-set-future-films-cast/ |archive-date=April 26, 2020 |access-date=December 17, 2019}}</ref>

In March 2020, it was announced that [[Matt Bettinelli-Olpin]] and [[Tyler Gillett]] would direct the fifth installment, with Williamson serving as an executive producer, and that the film had already entered official development, with filming planned to begin in May 2020.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gemmill |first=Allie |date=March 12, 2020 |title=''Scream 5'' Scores ''Ready or Not'' Team Radio Silence to Direct (& Scare Us Silly) |url=https://collider.com/scream-5-ready-or-not-radio-silence-director-plot-details/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200429191002/https://collider.com/scream-5-ready-or-not-radio-silence-director-plot-details/ |archive-date=April 29, 2020 |access-date=March 15, 2020 |website=[[Collider (website)|Collider]]}}</ref> That same month, it was announced [[David Arquette]] would be reprising his role of [[List of Scream (film series) characters|Dewey Riley]] for the fifth film; [[James Vanderbilt]] and [[Guy Busick]] were announced as additional writers.<ref name="DavidArquetteScream5Casting">{{cite web |last=D'Alessandro |first=Anthony |date=May 18, 2020 |title=''Scream'': David Arquette Returning As Dewey Riley In Spyglass Media Group Reboot |url=https://deadline.com/2020/05/scream-david-arquette-cast-in-sequel-spyglass-media-group-1202937288/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200703035900/https://deadline.com/2020/05/scream-david-arquette-cast-in-sequel-spyglass-media-group-1202937288/ |archive-date=July 3, 2020 |access-date=July 4, 2020 |work=[[Deadline Hollywood]]}}</ref> In June 2020, ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' reported that the film would be distributed by [[Paramount Pictures]] and was initially aiming for a 2021 release, which would be 25 years since the first movie was released in 1996. On July 31, 2020, Cox confirmed her return to the franchise for the fifth installment. The news was then confirmed by various other outlets.<ref>{{cite web |last=O'Connell |first=Sean |date=July 31, 2020 |title=Courteney Cox Confirms Scream 5 Return With Cool New Video |url=https://www.cinemablend.com/news/2551573/courteney-cox-confirms-scream-5-return-with-cool-new-video |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200821231445/https://www.cinemablend.com/news/2551573/courteney-cox-confirms-scream-5-return-with-cool-new-video |archive-date=August 21, 2020 |access-date=September 22, 2020 |work=[[CinemaBlend]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=D'Alessandro |first=Anthony |date=July 31, 2020 |title=''Scream'': Courteney Cox Reprising Her Role As News Reporter Gale Weathers In Spyglass Media Group & Paramount Relaunch |url=https://deadline.com/2020/07/courteney-cox-joins-scream-sequel-paramount-spyglass-1203000820/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200731174431/https://deadline.com/2020/07/courteney-cox-joins-scream-sequel-paramount-spyglass-1203000820/ |archive-date=July 31, 2020 |access-date=September 22, 2020 |work=[[Deadline Hollywood]]}}</ref> In August 2020, [[Melissa Barrera]] and [[Jenna Ortega]] were cast in undisclosed roles.<ref>{{cite web |last=Wiseman |first=Andreas |date=August 17, 2020 |title=''Scream'': ''Vida'' & ''In The Heights'' Star Melissa Barrera Set For Key Role In Spyglass & Paramount Slasher Movie Relaunch |url=https://deadline.com/2020/08/scream-vida-star-melissa-barrera-joins-courteney-cox-movie-spyglass-media-group-paramount-1203015161/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200924105517/https://deadline.com/2020/08/scream-vida-star-melissa-barrera-joins-courteney-cox-movie-spyglass-media-group-paramount-1203015161/ |archive-date=September 24, 2020 |access-date=August 17, 2020 |work=[[Deadline Hollywood]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=D'Alessandro |first=Anthony |date=August 19, 2020 |title=''Scream'': Jenna Ortega Joins Spyglass Media Group & Paramount Pictures' Horror Relaunch |url=https://deadline.com/2020/08/scream-jenna-ortega-joins-spyglass-media-group-paramount-pictures-horror-relaunch-1203017853/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200819221821/https://deadline.com/2020/08/scream-jenna-ortega-joins-spyglass-media-group-paramount-pictures-horror-relaunch-1203017853/ |archive-date=August 19, 2020 |access-date=August 20, 2020 |work=[[Deadline Hollywood]]}}</ref> In the same month, Paramount Pictures announced that the film is scheduled to be released on January 14, 2022, having been delayed from its original 2021 tentative release due to the COVID-19 pandemic.<ref>{{cite web |last=Miska |first=Brad |date=August 28, 2020 |title=Relaunch of ''Scream'' Slashing Into Theaters on January 14, 2022! |url=https://bloody-disgusting.com/movie/3629595/scream-5-slashing-theaters-january-14-2022/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200903041754/https://bloody-disgusting.com/movie/3629595/scream-5-slashing-theaters-january-14-2022/ |archive-date=September 3, 2020 |access-date=August 28, 2020 |work=BloodyDisgusting}}</ref> In September 2020, [[Jack Quaid]] joined the cast in an undisclosed role.<ref>{{cite web |last=Rubin |first=Rebecca |date=September 1, 2020 |title=Jack Quaid Cast in ''Scream'' Reboot (EXCLUSIVE) |url=https://variety.com/2020/film/news/jack-quaid-scream-reboot-1234755696/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200901182234/https://variety.com/2020/film/news/jack-quaid-scream-reboot-1234755696/ |archive-date=September 1, 2020 |access-date=September 1, 2020 |work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]}}</ref> In the same month, it was confirmed that Neve Campbell and Marley Shelton would return to reprise their roles with [[Dylan Minnette]], [[Mason Gooding]], [[Kyle Gallner]], [[Jasmin Savoy Brown]], [[Mikey Madison]], and [[Sonia Ben Ammar]] joining the cast.<ref>{{cite web |last=Squires |first=John |date=September 10, 2020 |title=Neve Campbell is Back as Sidney Prescott in Spyglass and Paramount's ''Scream'' Relaunch! [Exclusive] |url=https://bloody-disgusting.com/exclusives/3630063/neve-campbell-confirmed-return-sidney-prescott-new-scream-movie/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200910180237/https://bloody-disgusting.com/exclusives/3630063/neve-campbell-confirmed-return-sidney-prescott-new-scream-movie/ |archive-date=September 10, 2020 |access-date=September 10, 2020 |work=Bloody Disgusting}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Kroll |first=Justin |date=September 10, 2020 |title=Mason Gooding And Dylan Minnette Join Ensemble Of New ''Scream'' Movie |url=https://deadline.com/2020/09/love-victors-mason-gooding-dylan-minnette-scream-movie-1234574582/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200910213853/https://deadline.com/2020/09/love-victors-mason-gooding-dylan-minnette-scream-movie-1234574582/ |archive-date=September 10, 2020 |access-date=September 10, 2020 |work=[[Deadline Hollywood]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Keslassy |first=Elsa |date=September 17, 2020 |title='Sonia Ammar Joins Cast of ''Scream 5'', Set to Start Shooting Later This Month (EXCLUSIVE) |url=https://variety.com/2020/film/global/sonia-ammar-joins-cast-of-scream-5-set-to-start-shooting-later-this-month-exclusive-1234773213/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200920184209/https://variety.com/2020/film/global/sonia-ammar-joins-cast-of-scream-5-set-to-start-shooting-later-this-month-exclusive-1234773213/ |archive-date=September 20, 2020 |access-date=September 17, 2020 |work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]}}</ref> Filming began on September 22, 2020.<ref>{{cite web |date=September 22, 2020 |title=Filming for horror relaunch gets underway in Wilmington |url=https://www.wwaytv3.com/2020/09/22/filming-for-horror-relaunch-gets-underway-in-wilmington/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200924105526/https://www.wwaytv3.com/2020/09/22/filming-for-horror-relaunch-gets-underway-in-wilmington/ |archive-date=September 24, 2020 |access-date=September 22, 2020 |work=[[WWAY]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Evangelista |first=Chris |date=September 17, 2020 |title=''Scream 5'' Casting Continues as Film Plans to Start Shooting This Month |url=https://www.slashfilm.com/scream-5-casting/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201023055426/https://www.slashfilm.com/scream-5-casting/ |archive-date=October 23, 2020 |access-date=September 18, 2020 |website=[[/Film]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Kelassy |first=Elsa |date=September 17, 2020 |title=Sonia Ammar Joins Cast of ''Scream 5'', Set to Start Shooting Later This Month (EXCLUSIVE) |url=https://variety.com/2020/film/global/sonia-ammar-joins-cast-of-scream-5-set-to-start-shooting-later-this-month-exclusive-1234773213/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200920184209/https://variety.com/2020/film/global/sonia-ammar-joins-cast-of-scream-5-set-to-start-shooting-later-this-month-exclusive-1234773213/ |archive-date=September 20, 2020 |access-date=September 18, 2020 |website=Variety}}</ref> In November 2020, Williamson confirmed that the film's official title would simply be ''Scream''.<ref name="Twitter">{{cite tweet |number=1329091344397082626 |user=kevwilliamson |title=That's a wrap on Scream, which I'm excited to announce is the official title of the next film! Nearly 25 years ago, when I wrote Scream and Wes Craven brought it to life, I could not have imagined the lasting impact it would have on you, the fans. (1/3) |first=Kevin |last=Williamson |author-link=Kevin Williamson (screenwriter) |date=November 18, 2020 |access-date=November 18, 2020}}</ref>

''Scream'' was released on January 14, 2022, by [[Paramount Pictures]].<ref name="ReleaseDate">{{cite web |last=Miska |first=Brad |date=August 28, 2020 |title=Relaunch of ''Scream'' Slashing Into Theaters on January 14, 2022! |url=https://bloody-disgusting.com/movie/3629595/scream-5-slashing-theaters-january-14-2022/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200903041754/https://bloody-disgusting.com/movie/3629595/scream-5-slashing-theaters-january-14-2022/ |archive-date=September 3, 2020 |access-date=August 28, 2020 |work=BloodyDisgusting}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=October 12, 2021 |title=''Scream'' 2022: Trailer, Cast, Poster, Release Date & Everything You Wanna Know |url=https://maxblizz.com/scream-2022-trailer-cast-poster-release-date-everything-you-wanna-know/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220406225945/https://maxblizz.com/scream-2022-trailer-cast-poster-release-date-everything-you-wanna-know/ |archive-date=April 6, 2022 |access-date=October 12, 2021 |website=Maxblizz}}</ref>

=== ''Scream VI'' (2023) ===
{{Main|Scream VI{{!}}''Scream VI''}}

Campbell and the fifth film's directors have expressed interest in making future films in the series.<ref>{{Cite web |date=January 11, 2022 |title=Scream 6 Updates: Original Cast Discuss Possible Return |url=https://screenrant.com/scream-6-neve-campbell-david-arquette-return-response/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220727185107/https://screenrant.com/scream-6-neve-campbell-david-arquette-return-response/ |archive-date=July 27, 2022 |access-date=January 12, 2022 |website=[[Screen Rant]]}}</ref> A sixth installment was officially greenlit on February 3, 2022, with the same creative team returning and with production slated to begin in mid-2022 in [[Montreal]], Canada.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kroll |first=Justin |date=February 3, 2022 |title=''Scream'' Sequel Moving Forward At Paramount And Spyglass |url=https://deadline.com/2022/02/scream-sequel-moving-forward-at-paramount-and-spyglass-1234925874/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220203173217/https://deadline.com/2022/02/scream-sequel-moving-forward-at-paramount-and-spyglass-1234925874/ |archive-date=February 3, 2022 |access-date=February 3, 2022 |website=[[Deadline Hollywood]]}}</ref> In March 2022, it was announced that the film was scheduled for release on March 10, 2023,<ref>{{cite web |last=Treese |first=Tyler |date=March 18, 2022 |title=Scream 6 Release Date Announced by Paramount |url=https://www.comingsoon.net/movies/news/1215095-scream-6-release-date-announced-by-paramount |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220614085334/https://www.comingsoon.net/movies/news/1215095-scream-6-release-date-announced-by-paramount |archive-date=June 14, 2022 |access-date=March 18, 2022 |website=ComingSoon}}</ref> and that Courteney Cox would reprise her role as Gale Weathers.<ref>{{cite news |date=March 18, 2022 |title=Courteney Cox Officially Returning For ''Scream 6'' |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/scream-6-courteney-cox-return-confirmed |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220608150834/https://www.ign.com/articles/scream-6-courteney-cox-return-confirmed |archive-date=June 8, 2022 |access-date=March 24, 2022 |website=[[IGN]]}}</ref> On May 10, 2022, it was announced that Melissa Barrera, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Mason Gooding, and Jenna Ortega would also return for the sixth film.<ref>{{Cite web |last=D'Alessandro |first=Anthony |date=May 10, 2022 |title=''Scream'' Sequel Seeing Return Of Melissa Barrera, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Mason Gooding & Jenna Ortega |url=https://deadline.com/2022/05/scream-sequel-jenna-ortega-melissa-barrera-mason-gooding-jasmin-savoy-brown-1235020399/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220510170408/https://deadline.com/2022/05/scream-sequel-jenna-ortega-melissa-barrera-mason-gooding-jasmin-savoy-brown-1235020399/ |archive-date=May 10, 2022 |access-date=May 10, 2022 |website=[[Deadline Hollywood]] |language=en-US}}</ref> The following day, it was announced that [[Hayden Panettiere]] would reprise her role of [[Kirby Reed]] from the fourth film.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kit |first=Borys |date=May 11, 2022 |title=Hayden Panettiere Returns to ''Scream'', Joining Newest Installment of Horror Franchise (Exclusive) |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/hayden-panettiere-reprises-scream-role-sequel-1235145056/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220511223301/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/hayden-panettiere-reprises-scream-role-sequel-1235145056/ |archive-date=May 11, 2022 |access-date=May 11, 2022 |website=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] |language=en-US}}</ref> On June 3, 2022, [[Dermot Mulroney]] joined the cast.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kit |first=Borys |date=June 3, 2022 |title=Dermot Mulroney Joins Latest ''Scream'' Horror Movie (Exclusive) |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/scream-6-casts-dermot-mulroney-1235158747/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220609050840/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/scream-6-casts-dermot-mulroney-1235158747/ |archive-date=June 9, 2022 |access-date=June 3, 2022 |website=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] |language=en-US}}</ref> On June 6, 2022, it was announced Campbell would not be returning as Sidney Prescott for the sixth film. The actress made a statement about how her contract and salary negotiations had stalled with Paramount; she said, "As a woman I have had to work extremely hard in my career to establish my value, especially when it comes to ''Scream''. I felt the offer that was presented to me did not equate to the value I have brought to the franchise."<ref name="pulling out of scream 6">{{cite news |last1=D'Alessandro |first1=Anthony |date=June 6, 2022 |title=Neve Campbell Won't Be Back For ''Scream 6'' |url=https://deadline.com/2022/06/neve-campbell-scream-not-returning-1235038974/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220609020635/https://deadline.com/2022/06/neve-campbell-scream-not-returning-1235038974/ |archive-date=June 9, 2022 |access-date=June 6, 2022 |work=[[Deadline Hollywood]]}}</ref>

=== ''Scream 7'' (2026) ===
{{Main|Scream 7{{!}}''Scream 7''}}

In 2023, ''Scream'' (2022) and ''Scream VI'' directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillet were "hopeful" for a seventh film in the series.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Tinoco |first1=Armando |last2=Shilstone |first2=Scott |date=March 7, 2023 |title=''Scream 6'' Directors Are Hopeful For ''Scream 7'' "Whether We're Involved Or Not" |url=https://deadline.com/2023/03/scream-6-directors-hopeful-scream-7-future-film-franchise-1235281159/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230314095110/https://deadline.com/2023/03/scream-6-directors-hopeful-scream-7-future-film-franchise-1235281159/ |archive-date=March 14, 2023 |access-date=March 10, 2023}}</ref> They also stated that they wanted Campbell to return in future installments.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Davids |first=Brian |date=March 13, 2023 |title=''Scream VI'' Filmmakers Radio Silence Talk the "Feel-Good" Ending, Starting Fake Rumors and Not Giving Up on Neve Campbell |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-features/scream-vi-ending-radio-on-who-dies-neve-campbell-1235349310/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230313182602/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-features/scream-vi-ending-radio-on-who-dies-neve-campbell-1235349310/ |archive-date=March 13, 2023 |access-date=May 12, 2023 |website=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] |language=en-US}}</ref> In August 2023, it was announced [[Christopher Landon (filmmaker)|Christopher Landon]] was set to direct the seventh film.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Kit |first1=Borys |date=August 2, 2023 |title=Christopher Landon to Direct ''Scream 7'' |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/christopher-landon-to-direct-scream-7-1235549639/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230805014404/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/christopher-landon-to-direct-scream-7-1235549639/ |archive-date=August 5, 2023 |access-date=August 2, 2023 |work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]}}</ref> Production had been slowed by the [[2023 SAG-AFTRA strike]] and [[2023 Writers Guild of America strike]]; plans were pushed back again on November 21, 2023, when [[Melissa Barrera]] was fired from the film for social media posts in support of Palestine during the [[Gaza war]], which were interpreted as antisemitic by the producers.<ref name="mbdropped">{{Cite news |last=Couch |first=Aaron |date=November 21, 2023 |title=Melissa Barrera Dropped From ''Scream VII'' After Social Media Posts Amid Israel-Hamas War |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/melissa-barrera-fired-scream-vii-1235669458/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231121220455/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/melissa-barrera-fired-scream-vii-1235669458/amp/ |archive-date=November 21, 2023 |accessdate=November 21, 2023 |work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] |language=en-US}}</ref> The next day, it was announced that [[Jenna Ortega]] was not returning due to scheduling conflicts with filming the Netflix series ''[[Wednesday (TV series)|Wednesday]]'',<ref name="JOnotreturning">{{Cite web |last=D'Alessandro |first=Anthony |date=November 22, 2023 |title=Jenna Ortega Not Returning For ''Scream 7'' Due To ''Wednesday'' Shooting Schedule – The Dish |url=https://deadline.com/2023/11/jenna-ortega-scream-departure-melissa-barrera-wednesday-1235634200/ |access-date=November 22, 2023 |website=Deadline |language=en-US}}</ref> though later sources said it was due to a salary dispute with Spyglass Media Group.<ref>{{cite web |date=November 29, 2023 |title=It's a Scary Time for the ''Scream'' Franchise |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/scream-franchise-jenna-ortega-melissa-barrera-1235683989/ |website=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]}}</ref> Ortega spoke out in 2025, stating that her leaving the project "had nothing to do with pay or scheduling" but rather the losses of Barrera, Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillet.<ref>{{cite web |last=Scharf |first=Zach |date=April 7, 2025 |title=Jenna Ortega Says ''Scream 7'' Exit 'Had Nothing to Do With Pay or Scheduling' Despite Reports: 'It Was Falling Apart' After Melissa Barrera Got Fired |url=https://variety.com/2025/film/news/jenna-ortega-scream-7-exit-pay-scheduling-1236361667/ |work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]}}</ref> It was also reported that screenwriters Vanderbilt and Busick were now tasked with "starting from scratch".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Donnelly |first=Brent Lang |date=November 23, 2023 |title=''Scream 7'' Faces Full Creative Reboot After Losing Jenna Ortega; Neve Campbell and Patrick Dempsey on Wish List (EXCLUSIVE) |url=https://variety.com/2023/film/news/scream-7-eyes-neve-campbell-patrick-dempsey-to-return-1235805929/ |access-date=November 23, 2023 |website=Variety |language=en-US}}</ref> Landon announced on December 23, 2023, that he was no longer associated with the sequel.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Kit |first1=Boris |last2=Couch |first2=Aaron |date=December 23, 2023 |title=''Scream VII'' Loses Director Christopher Landon: 'A Dream Job That Turned Into a Nightmare' |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/scream-vii-director-christopher-landon-drops-out-1235680696/ |access-date=December 23, 2023 |website=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Devore |first=Britta |date=December 23, 2023 |title=Director Christopher Landon Exits ''Scream 7'' |url=https://collider.com/scream-7-director-christopher-landon-exits/ |access-date=December 23, 2023 |website=[[Collider (website)|Collider]]}}</ref>

In March 2024, [[Neve Campbell]] announced she would return as Sidney Prescott for the seventh film. [[Kevin Williamson (screenwriter)|Kevin Williamson]] was additionally announced as the film's director.<ref name="CampbellScream7">{{Cite web |last=Moreau |first=Jordan |date=March 12, 2024 |title=Neve Campbell Returning for ''Scream 7'' After Exiting Franchise Over Salary Controversy |url=https://variety.com/2024/film/news/neve-campbell-scream-7-return-1235939728/ |access-date=March 12, 2024 |website=Variety |language=en-US}}</ref> In October 2024, Paramount announced ''Scream 7'' would be released on February 27, 2026. [[Courteney Cox]]'s return was confirmed in December.<ref name="cox-scream7">{{Cite web |title=''Scream 7'' with Neve Campbell will officially arrive in 2026 |url=https://ew.com/scream-7-release-date-cast-neve-campbell-8721395 |access-date=October 1, 2024 |website=EW.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Malkin |first=Marc |date=December 18, 2024 |title=Courteney Cox Returning for ''Scream 7'' (Exclusive) |url=https://variety.com/2024/film/columns/courteney-cox-scream-7-2-1236224050/ |access-date=December 18, 2024 |website=Variety |language=en-US}}</ref> In November 2024, it was reported that [[Isabel May]] would portray a daughter of Sidney Prescott in the film.<ref>{{Cite web |last=D'Alessandro |first=Anthony |date=November 20, 2024 |title=''Scream 7'': Isabel May Is Set To Play Sidney Prescott's Daughter In Pic |url=https://deadline.com/2024/11/scream-7-isabel-may-1236183337/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241121042647/https://deadline.com/2024/11/scream-7-isabel-may-1236183337/ |archive-date=November 21, 2024 |access-date=November 21, 2024 |website=[[Deadline Hollywood]]}}</ref> In December 2024, it was announced that [[Anna Camp]],<ref>{{Cite web |last=Grobar |first=Matt |date=December 17, 2024 |title=Anna Camp Joins ''Scream 7'' |url=https://deadline.com/2024/12/scream-7-adds-anna-camp-cast-1236209071/ |access-date=December 17, 2024 |website=[[Deadline Hollywood]]}}</ref> [[Celeste O'Connor]],<ref>{{Cite web |last=Grobar |first=Matt |date=December 2, 2024 |title=''Scream 7'' Adds Celeste O'Connor To Cast |url=https://deadline.com/2024/12/scream-7-adds-celeste-oconnor-1236191718/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241202235258/https://deadline.com/2024/12/scream-7-adds-celeste-oconnor-1236191718/ |archive-date=December 2, 2024 |access-date=December 3, 2024 |website=[[Deadline Hollywood]]}}</ref> [[Asa Germann]],<ref>{{Cite web |last=Grobar |first=Matt |date=December 5, 2024 |title=''Scream 7'' Adds Asa Germann To Cast |url=https://deadline.com/2024/12/scream-7-adds-asa-germann-to-cast-1236195769/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241205235304/https://deadline.com/2024/12/scream-7-adds-asa-germann-to-cast-1236195769/ |archive-date=December 5, 2024 |access-date=December 5, 2024 |website=[[Deadline Hollywood]]}}</ref> [[Mckenna Grace]],<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kroll |first=Justin |date=December 12, 2024 |title=''Scream 7'' Adds Mckenna Grace To Cast |url=https://deadline.com/2024/12/scream-7-mckenna-grace-1236202102/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241212210729/https://deadline.com/2024/12/scream-7-mckenna-grace-1236202102/ |archive-date=December 12, 2024 |access-date=December 12, 2024 |website=[[Deadline Hollywood]]}}</ref> and [[Sam Rechner]]<ref>{{Cite web |last=Grobar |first=Matt |date=December 13, 2024 |title=Sam Rechner Joins ''Scream 7'' |url=https://deadline.com/2024/12/scream-7-sam-rechner-joins-paramount-spyglass-movie-1236203139/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241213224531/https://deadline.com/2024/12/scream-7-sam-rechner-joins-paramount-spyglass-movie-1236203139/ |archive-date=December 13, 2024 |access-date=December 13, 2024 |website=[[Deadline Hollywood]]}}</ref> would appear in the film, with [[Mason Gooding]] and [[Jasmin Savoy Brown]] reprising their roles from ''Scream'' (2022) and ''Scream VI''.<ref name="GoodingScream7" /><ref name="BrownScream7">{{Cite web |last=Malkin |first=Marc |date=January 16, 2025 |title=Jasmin Savoy Brown Returning for ''Scream 7'' (EXCLUSIVE) |url=https://variety.com/2025/film/columns/jasmin-savoy-brown-returning-scream-7-1236276227/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250116223303/https://variety.com/2025/film/columns/jasmin-savoy-brown-returning-scream-7-1236276227/ |archive-date=January 16, 2025 |access-date=January 16, 2025 |website=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]}}</ref> In March 2025, it was announced that [[David Arquette]] would appear in the film and reprise his role as [[Dewey Riley]].<ref name="arquette-return">{{Cite web |last=Cordero |first=Rosy |date=March 4, 2025 |title=David Arquette Returning As Deputy Dewey Riley In ''Scream 7'' |url=https://deadline.com/2025/03/david-arquette-scream-7-return-1236310976/ |access-date=March 5, 2025 |website=Deadline}}</ref>

On January 7, 2025, it was announced that filming for ''Scream 7'' had begun.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Tinoco |first=Armando |date=January 8, 2025 |title=Kevin Williamson Starts Filming ''Scream 7'': 'I'm So Grateful For This Opportunity & To Wes Craven' |url=https://deadline.com/2025/01/kevin-williamson-starts-filming-scream-7-1236250827/ |access-date=January 8, 2025 |website=Deadline |language=en-US}}</ref>

== Television ==
{{main|Scream (TV series){{!}}''Scream'' (TV series)}}

On June 4, 2012, it was reported that MTV was in the early stages of developing a weekly television series spun off from the ''Scream'' franchise.<ref name="FutureJune2012">{{cite web |last=Bernstein |first=Abbie |date=June 3, 2012 |title=Exclusive: MTV Developing Scream TV Series |url=http://tvline.com/2012/06/03/scream-tv-series-mtv/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120605011850/http://tvline.com/2012/06/03/scream-tv-series-mtv/ |archive-date=June 5, 2012 |access-date=March 22, 2012 |work=[[TVLine]]}}</ref> David Arquette stated on Twitter that he would not be a part of the television series.<ref name="twitter.com">{{cite tweet |number=209732640390135808 |user=davidarquette |title=not a part of the MTV scream series @jpitt32225 |first=David |last=Arquette |author-link=David Arquette |archive-url=https://archive.today/20121225112641/http://twitter.com/davidarquette/status/209732640390135808 |archive-date=December 25, 2012}}</ref> On April 25, 2013, ''[[The Hollywood Reporter]]'' confirmed that MTV had greenlit the TV series, with Craven in talks about directing the pilot.<ref name="hollywoodreporter.com">{{cite news |last=Ng |first=Philiana |date=April 25, 2013 |title=MTV Greenlights ''Scream'' Pilot, Renews ''Snooki & JWOWW'' |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/mtv-greenlights-scream-pilot-renews-446563 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200517085327/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/mtv-greenlights-scream-pilot-renews-446563 |archive-date=May 17, 2020 |access-date=April 16, 2020 |work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]}}</ref> On July 26, 2013, it was reported that ''[[Criminal Minds]]'' writers Jay Beattie and Dan Dworkin had been recruited to write the pilot script.<ref name="Fitzpatrick">{{cite web |last=Fitzpatrick |first=Kevin |date=July 26, 2013 |title=MTV's ''Scream'' TV series hires ''Revenge'' writers, eyes 2014 premiere |url=https://screencrush.com/mtv-scream-tv-series-jay-beattie-dan-dworkin/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130728075619/http://screencrush.com/mtv-scream-tv-series-jay-beattie-dan-dworkin/ |archive-date=July 28, 2013 |access-date=June 6, 2013 |work=Screencrush.com}}</ref> On April 2, 2014, it was reported that the show would be penned by Jill Blotevogel (''[[Ravenswood (TV series)|Ravenswood]]'', ''[[Eureka (2006 TV series)|Eureka]]'' and ''[[Harper's Island]]''), and would focus on a YouTube video gone viral which would have adverse repercussions for teenagers of Lakewood and serve as the "catalyst for a murder that opens up a window to the town's troubled past".<ref>{{cite web |last=Slezak |first=Michael |date=April 2, 2014 |title=''Scream'' TV Series: Bi-Curious Teen, ''Gilmore Girls''-esque Duo in Cast |url=http://tvline.com/2014/04/02/scream-mtv-pilot-update-cast/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160921182318/http://tvline.com/2014/04/02/scream-mtv-pilot-update-cast/ |archive-date=September 21, 2016 |access-date=September 28, 2016 |work=[[TVLine]]}}</ref> The lead actors are [[Willa Fitzgerald]], [[Bex Taylor-Klaus]], [[Bobby Campo]], [[Connor Weil]], [[Carlson Young]], [[Amadeus Serafini]] and [[John Karna]].<ref>{{cite web |last=Miska |first=Brad |date=February 3, 2015 |title=[TV&#93; "Scream" Series Script Pages Posted Online |url=https://bloody-disgusting.com/news/3330752/tv-scream-series-script-pages-posted-online/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160602025312/http://bloody-disgusting.com/news/3330752/tv-scream-series-script-pages-posted-online |archive-date=June 2, 2016 |access-date=September 28, 2016 |work=Bloody Disgusting!}}</ref>

On April 12, 2015, the first trailer for the series was aired during the [[2015 MTV Movie Awards]] presented by [[Bella Thorne]], also revealing the final premiere date of the series, which aired on June 30, 2015.<ref>{{cite web |last=Lincoln |first=Ross A. |date=April 12, 2015 |title=MTV's ''Scream'' TV Series Serial Kills First Trailer |url=https://deadline.com/2015/04/mtv-scream-tv-show-first-trailer-mtv-movie-awards-1201408741/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160329081335/http://deadline.com/2015/04/mtv-scream-tv-show-first-trailer-mtv-movie-awards-1201408741/ |archive-date=March 29, 2016 |access-date=September 28, 2016 |website=[[Deadline Hollywood]]}}</ref> An official promotional picture of the series' re-imagined mask was revealed in early June 2015. Initially, Craven expressed his approval of the redesign and hinted at its origins and possible plot significance.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Stack |first=Tim |date=June 4, 2015 |title=''Scream'' first look: We reveal the killer new mask for MTV's reboot |url=https://www.ew.com/article/2015/06/04/scream-first-look-new-mask/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180107060927/http://www.ew.com/article/2015/06/04/scream-first-look-new-mask/ |archive-date=January 7, 2018 |access-date=January 6, 2018 |magazine=Entertainment Weekly}}</ref> However, Craven was later critical about the network's decision to abandon the Ghostface mask in the television series.<ref>{{cite web |last=McDermott |first=Emmet |date=April 17, 2015 |title=MTV's Terrifying Mistake? Wes Craven Explains Why the Original ''Scream'' Mask Is Too "Perfect" to Scrap |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/wes-cravens-last-interview-horror-788393 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180107061143/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/wes-cravens-last-interview-horror-788393 |archive-date=January 7, 2018 |access-date=January 6, 2018 |work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]}}</ref>

On August 30, 2015, [[Wes Craven]] died of brain cancer. The first-season finale, "Revelations", included a tribute to him during the opening credits.<ref>{{cite web |title=Scream's 10th episode, dedicated to Wes Craven's memory |url=https://freedistrict.com/entertainment/screams-10th-episode-dedicated-to-wes-cravens-memory-14394.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150902171910/http://freedistrict.com/entertainment/screams-10th-episode-dedicated-to-wes-cravens-memory-14394.html |archive-date=September 2, 2015}}</ref> The second season of ''[[Scream (TV series)|Scream]]'' premiered on May 30, 2016.<ref>{{cite web |date=March 10, 2016 |title=MTV and Dimension TV's "Scream" Adds New Cast and Sets Premiere Date |url=http://thefutoncritic.com/news/2016/03/10/mtv-and-dimension-tvs-scream-adds-new-cast-and-sets-premiere-date-87302/20160310mtv01/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20160409075032/http://thefutoncritic.com/news/2016/03/10/mtv-and-dimension-tvs-scream-adds-new-cast-and-sets-premiere-date-87302/20160310mtv01/ |archive-date=April 9, 2016 |access-date=March 16, 2016 |work=The Futon Critic}}</ref>

On October 14, 2016, MTV renewed the ''Scream'' television series for a six-episode third season.<ref name="Andreeva">{{cite web |last=Andreeva |first=Nellie |date=October 14, 2016 |title=''Scream'' Renewed For Short Third Season By MTV, Changes Showrunners Again |url=https://deadline.com/2016/10/scream-renewed-third-season-mtv-1201836291/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161016023513/http://deadline.com/2016/10/scream-renewed-third-season-mtv-1201836291/ |archive-date=October 16, 2016 |access-date=October 14, 2016 |website=[[Deadline Hollywood]]}}</ref><ref name="ScreamS3release" /><ref name="Goldberg">{{cite web |last=Goldberg |first=Lesley |date=July 17, 2017 |title=Tyga, C.J. Wallace to Star in Rebooted ''Scream'' Season 3 (Exclusive) |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/tyga-cj-wallace-star-rebooted-scream-season-3-1021559 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171203224559/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/tyga-cj-wallace-star-rebooted-scream-season-3-1021559 |archive-date=December 3, 2017 |access-date=July 17, 2017 |work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Andreeva |first=Nellie |date=February 28, 2018 |title=Maggie Malina Exits As MTV & VH1 Head Of Scripted |url=https://deadline.com/2018/02/maggie-malina-exits-mtv-vh1-head-of-scripted-1202305340/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180228224834/http://deadline.com/2018/02/maggie-malina-exits-mtv-vh1-head-of-scripted-1202305340/ |archive-date=February 28, 2018 |access-date=March 1, 2018 |website=[[Deadline Hollywood]]}}</ref> On April 26, 2017, MTV announced that they would be [[Reboot (fiction)|rebooting]] the series with the third season instead of completing the original storyline, with a new cast and setting. As part of the reboot process, it was revealed that [[Brett Matthews]] will be serving as the main showrunner. In addition, Matthews, [[Queen Latifah]], Shakim Compere and Yaneley Arty will be added as executive producers for the series under [[Flavor Unit Entertainment]].<ref name="Deadline">{{cite web |last=Petski |first=Denise |date=April 26, 2017 |title=''Scream'': Queen Latifah & New Showrunner Join Season 3 Revamp |url=https://deadline.com/2017/04/scream-queen-latifah-new-showrunner-season-3-revamp-1202077736/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170426213350/http://deadline.com/2017/04/scream-queen-latifah-new-showrunner-season-3-revamp-1202077736/ |archive-date=April 26, 2017 |access-date=April 27, 2017 |website=[[Deadline Hollywood]]}}</ref><ref name="ScreenRant">{{cite web |last=Chapman |first=Tom |date=April 26, 2017 |title=Scream TV Series Reboot Confirmed; New Showrunner Announced |url=https://screenrant.com/scream-tv-series-season-3-reboot-showrunner/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170427102905/http://screenrant.com/scream-tv-series-season-3-reboot-showrunner/ |archive-date=April 27, 2017 |access-date=April 27, 2017 |website=[[Screen Rant]]}}</ref> On July 19, 2017, ''[[The Hollywood Reporter]]'' announced that the series would transition into an [[anthology series]] following the third season if it was a success, information corroborated by MTV president Chris McCarthy.<ref>{{cite web |last=Goldberg |first=Lesley |date=July 19, 2017 |title=MTV President Unveils Scripted Slate and Explains His New Approach |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/mtv-president-unveils-scripted-slate-explains-his-new-approach-1022369 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171021015131/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/mtv-president-unveils-scripted-slate-explains-his-new-approach-1022369 |archive-date=October 21, 2017 |access-date=October 20, 2017 |work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]}}</ref> The new cast members for the season are [[RJ Cyler]], [[Christopher Jordan Wallace|C.{{nbsp}}J. Wallace]], [[Tyga]], [[Keke Palmer]], [[Jessica Sula]], [[Giullian Yao Gioiello]], [[Giorgia Whigham]] and [[Tyler Posey]].<ref>{{cite web |last=Petski |first=Denise |date=September 13, 2017 |title=''Scream'': Keke Palmer, RJ Cyler, Jessica Sula, More Round Out Season 3 Cast |url=https://deadline.com/2017/09/scream-keke-palmer-rj-cyler-jessica-sula-giorgia-whigham-giullian-yao-gioiello-season-3-cast-1202169106/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170913220828/http://deadline.com/2017/09/scream-keke-palmer-rj-cyler-jessica-sula-giorgia-whigham-giullian-yao-gioiello-season-3-cast-1202169106/ |archive-date=September 13, 2017 |access-date=September 13, 2017 |website=[[Deadline Hollywood]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Lenker |first=Maureen |date=September 18, 2017 |title=Keke Palmer to lead third season of Scream on MTV |url=https://ew.com/tv/2017/09/13/keke-palmer-scream-mtv/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170920045059/http://ew.com/tv/2017/09/13/keke-palmer-scream-mtv/ |archive-date=September 20, 2017 |access-date=September 18, 2017 |work=EW}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Goldberg |first=Lesley |date=September 25, 2017 |title=''Teen Wolf'' Star Tyler Posey Joins MTV's ''Scream'' (Exclusive) |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/teen-wolfs-tyler-posey-joins-mtvs-scream-1042576 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171203224552/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/teen-wolfs-tyler-posey-joins-mtvs-scream-1042576 |archive-date=December 3, 2017 |access-date=September 25, 2017 |work=Hollywood Reporter}}</ref>

On September 18, 2017, it was announced that the Ghostface mask from the film series would be making an appearance in the third season.<ref>{{cite web |last=Kennedy |first=Michael |date=September 18, 2017 |title=Scream Season 3 to Feature Classic Ghostface Mask |url=https://screenrant.com/scream-season-3-ghostface-mask/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170918211039/http://screenrant.com/scream-season-3-ghostface-mask/ |archive-date=September 18, 2017 |access-date=September 18, 2017 |work=[[Screen Rant]]}}</ref> On October 10, 2017, Keke Palmer confirmed in an interview that [[Roger L. Jackson]], who voiced Ghostface in the film series, would return for the third season, replacing Mike Vaughn, who served as the voice for two characters, the Lakewood Slasher in the first two seasons and the Shallow Grove Slasher in the Halloween special episodes of the second season.<ref>{{cite web |date=October 14, 2017 |title=Keke Palmer Talks Sexual Harassment, New Music, Berlin Station, Star, Horror Movies & More |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B44Fhd6ZL-k |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190626230715/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B44Fhd6ZL-k |archive-date=June 26, 2019 |access-date=November 4, 2017 |work=[[YouTube]]}}</ref>

After the second season, the series moved from MTV to VH1.<ref name="ScreamS3release" /> The third and final season, subtitled "Resurrection", premiered on [[VH1]] from July 8 to 10, 2019.<ref name="ScreamS3release">{{cite web |last=Swift |first=Andy |date=June 24, 2019 |title=Scream Series (Finally) Returns in July on New Network — Watch First Trailer |url=https://tvline.com/2019/06/24/scream-resurrection-trailer-season-3-premiere-date-vh1-video/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190624234007/https://tvline.com/2019/06/24/scream-resurrection-trailer-season-3-premiere-date-vh1-video/ |archive-date=June 24, 2019 |access-date=June 24, 2019 |work=[[TVLine]]}}</ref>

== Recurring cast and characters ==
{{further|topic=individual characters|List of Scream (film series) characters{{!}}List of ''Scream'' (film series) characters}}
{{further|topic=television characters|List of Scream (TV series) characters{{!}}List of ''Scream'' (TV series) characters}}
{{Cast indicator|A|C|E|M|O|P|U|V|Y|appeared=two or more releases in the franchise}}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
! rowspan="3" | Character
! colspan="7" | Films
! colspan="3" | Television series
|-
! ''[[Scream (1996 film)|Scream]]''
! ''[[Scream 2]]''
! ''[[Scream 3]]''
! ''[[Scream 4]]''
! ''[[Scream (2022 film)|Scream]]''
! ''[[Scream VI]]''
! ''[[Scream 7]]''
! colspan="3" | ''[[Scream (TV series)|Scream]]''
|-
! 1996
! 1997
! 2000
! 2011
! 2022
! 2023
! 2026
! [[List of Scream episodes#Season 1 (2015)|Season 1]]<br />2015
! [[List of Scream episodes#Season 2 (2016)|Season 2]]<br />2016
! [[List of Scream episodes#Season 3: Resurrection (2019)|Season 3]]<br />2019
|-
! [[Ghostface (Scream)|Ghostface]]
| colspan="7" | [[Roger L. Jackson]]{{ref|voice|V}}{{efn|Also voiced by [[Beth Toussaint]], [[Neve Campbell]], [[Liev Schreiber]], [[Courteney Cox]], [[David Arquette]], and [[Lynn McRee]] during ''[[Scream 3]]''}}
| colspan="2" {{cEmpty}}
| Roger L. Jackson{{ref|voice|V}}
|-
! [[Sidney Prescott]]
| colspan="5" | [[Neve Campbell]]
| {{cEmpty}}
| Neve Campbell<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Staff |last2=Moreau |first2=Jordan |date=March 12, 2024 |title=Neve Campbell Returning for ''Scream 7'' After Exiting Franchise Over Salary Controversy |url=https://variety.com/2024/film/news/neve-campbell-scream-7-return-1235939728/ |access-date=April 24, 2024 |website=Variety Australia |language=en-AU}}</ref>
| colspan="3" {{cEmpty}}
|-
! [[Gale Weathers]]
| colspan="7" | [[Courteney Cox]]<ref>{{Cite web |last=Malkin |first=Marc |date=2024-12-18 |title=Courteney Cox Returning for ''Scream 7'' (Exclusive) |url=https://variety.com/2024/film/columns/courteney-cox-scream-7-2-1236224050/ |access-date=December 19, 2024 |website=Variety}}</ref>
| colspan="3" {{cEmpty}}
|-
! [[Dewey Riley]]
| colspan="5" | [[David Arquette]]
| {{cEmpty}}
| David Arquette{{ref|cameo|C}}<ref name="arquette-return" />
| colspan="3" {{cEmpty}}
|-
! [[Randy Meeks]]
| colspan="2" | [[Jamie Kennedy]]
| Jamie Kennedy{{ref|cameo|C}}{{ref|movie|M}}
| colspan="7" {{cEmpty}}
|-
! [[List of Scream (film series) characters#Cotton Weary|Cotton Weary]]
| [[Liev Schreiber]]{{ref|cameo|C}}{{ref|movie|M}}
| colspan="2" | Liev Schreiber
| colspan="7" {{cEmpty}}
|-
! [[Billy Loomis]]
| [[Skeet Ulrich]]
| colspan="3" {{cEmpty}}
| colspan="2" | Skeet Ulrich{{ref|cameo|C}}
| colspan="4" {{cEmpty}}
|-
! [[List of Scream (film series) characters#Stu Macher|Stu Macher]]
| [[Matthew Lillard]]
| colspan="5" {{cEmpty}}
| colspan="1" | Matthew Lillard{{ref|cameo|C}}<ref>{{Cite web |last=Murphy |first=J. Kim |date=2025-01-31 |title=Matthew Lillard Returning for ‘Scream 7’ |url=https://variety.com/2025/film/news/matthew-lillard-returning-scream-7-1236291995/ |access-date=2026-02-14 |website=Variety |language=en-US}}</ref>
| colspan="3" {{cEmpty}}
|-
! [[List of Scream (film series) characters#Neil Prescott|Neil Prescott]]
| Lawrence Hecht<ref name="auto">{{Cite web |last=Horn |first=Shawn Van |date=March 11, 2023 |title=''Scream'' Side Characters That Could Still Come Back |url=https://collider.com/scream-side-characters/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230319030411/https://collider.com/scream-side-characters/ |archive-date=March 19, 2023 |access-date=April 29, 2023 |website=[[Collider (website)|Collider]]}}</ref>
| {{cEmpty}}
| Lawrence Hecht{{ref|cameo|C}}
| colspan="7" {{cEmpty}}
|-
! [[List of Scream (film series) characters#Hank Loomis|Hank Loomis]]
| C.{{nbsp}}W. Morgan<ref name="auto" />
| {{cEmpty}}
| C.{{nbsp}}W. Morgan{{ref|cameo|C}}{{Ref|movie|M}}
| colspan="7" {{cEmpty}}
|-
! [[Casey Becker]]
| [[Drew Barrymore]]
| [[Heather Graham]]{{ref|movie|C}}{{ref|cameo|M}}
| colspan="8" {{CEmpty}}
|-
! Reporter
| {{cEmpty}}
| colspan="3" | [[Nancy O'Dell]]{{ref|cameo|C}}{{ref|movie|M}}<ref>{{Cite web |date=February 4, 2015 |title=Flashback: ''Scream 3'' Turns 15! On Set With the Cast in 1999 |url=https://www.etonline.com/movies/159175_flashback_scream_3_turns_15_on_set_with_the_cast_1999 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220321094818/https://www.etonline.com/movies/159175_flashback_scream_3_turns_15_on_set_with_the_cast_1999 |archive-date=March 21, 2022 |access-date=April 29, 2023 |website=Entertainment Tonight}}</ref>
| colspan="6" {{cEmpty}}
|-
! [[List of Scream (film series) characters#Nancy Loomis|Nancy Loomis]]
| {{cEmpty}}
| [[Laurie Metcalf]]
| colspan="4" {{cEmpty}}
| Laurie Metcalf{{ref|cameo|C}}<ref>{{Cite web |last=Tinoco |first=Armando |date=2026-02-26 |title=‘Scream 7’ Premiere Red Carpet Photos: Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, Mason Gooding & More |url=https://deadline.com/gallery/scream-7-premiere-red-carpet-photos-paramount/ |access-date=2026-02-26 |website=Deadline |language=en-US}}</ref>
| colspan="3" {{cEmpty}}
|-
! [[List of Scream (film series) characters#Martha Meeks|Martha Meeks]]
| colspan="2" {{cEmpty}}
| [[Heather Matarazzo]]
| {{cEmpty}}
| Heather Matarazzo{{ref|cameo|C}}
| colspan="5" {{cEmpty}}
|-
! [[List of Scream (film series) characters#Roman Bridger|Roman Bridger]]
| colspan="2" {{cEmpty}}
| [[Scott Foley]]
| colspan="3" {{cEmpty}}
| Scott Foley{{ref|cameo|C}}<ref>{{Cite web |last=Tinoco |first=Armando |date=2025-03-14 |title=Scott Foley On ‘Scream 7’ Return Despite Character Death: “I Don’t Know How It Works Out” |url=https://deadline.com/2025/03/scott-foley-scream-7-return-roman-bridger-1236326638/ |access-date=2026-02-14 |website=Deadline |language=en-US}}</ref>
| colspan="3" {{cEmpty}}
|-
! [[Kirby Reed]]
| colspan="3" {{cEmpty}}
| [[Hayden Panettiere]]
| {{N/A|Hayden Panettiere}}{{ref|photo|P}}{{efn|Panettiere received a "special thanks" in ''Scream'' (2022).<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dominguez |first=Noah |date=January 19, 2022 |title=''Scream'' Quietly Confirms a Fan-Favorite Character Survived a Previous Film |url=https://www.cbr.com/scream-2022-confirms-kirby-survived/ |access-date=June 30, 2024 |website=CBR}}</ref>}}
| Hayden Panettiere
| colspan="4" {{cEmpty}}
|-
! [[List of Scream (film series) characters#Judy Hicks|Judy Hicks]]
| colspan="3" {{cEmpty}}
| colspan="2" | [[Marley Shelton]]
| colspan="5" {{cEmpty}}
|-
! [[Sam Carpenter (Scream)|Sam Carpenter]]
| colspan="4" {{cEmpty}}
| colspan="2" | [[Melissa Barrera]]
| colspan="4" {{cEmpty}}
|-
! [[Tara Carpenter]]
| colspan="4" {{cEmpty}}
| colspan="2" | [[Jenna Ortega]]
| colspan="4" {{cEmpty}}
|-
! [[List of Scream (film series) characters#Chad Meeks-Martin|Chad Meeks-Martin]]
| colspan="4" {{cEmpty}}
| colspan="3" | [[Mason Gooding]]<ref name="GoodingScream7">{{Cite web |last=Cope |first=Ben |date=December 17, 2024 |title=Mason Gooding to Return for ''Scream 7'' (Exclusive) |url=https://variety.com/2024/film/columns/mason-gooding-scream-7-returning-cast-1236250911/ |access-date=December 17, 2024 |website=Variety}}</ref>
| colspan="3" {{cEmpty}}
|-
! [[List of Scream (film series) characters#Mindy Meeks-Martin|Mindy Meeks-Martin]]
| colspan="4" {{cEmpty}}
| colspan="3" | [[Jasmin Savoy Brown]]<ref name="BrownScream7" />
| colspan="3" {{cEmpty}}
|-
! [[List of Scream (film series) characters#Richie Kirsch|Richie Kirsch]]
| colspan="4" {{cEmpty}}
| [[Jack Quaid]]
| {{N/A|Jack Quaid}}{{ref|cameo|C}}{{ref|movie|M}}{{ref|uncredited|U}}
| colspan="4" {{cEmpty}}
|-
! Lakewood Slasher<hr>Shallow Grove Slasher
| colspan="7" {{cEmpty}}
| colspan="2" | Mike Vaughn{{ref|voice|V}}
| {{cEmpty}}
|-
! [[List of Scream (TV series) characters#Emma Duval|Emma Duval]]
| colspan="7" {{cEmpty}}
| [[Willa Fitzgerald]]<hr>{{small|Karsyn Darby}}{{ref|young|Y}}<hr>{{small|[[Madison Wolfe]]}}{{ref|young|Y}}
| Willa Fitzgerald
| {{cEmpty}}
|-
! [[List of Scream (TV series) characters#Audrey Jensen|Audrey Jensen]]
| colspan="7" {{cEmpty}}
| colspan="2" | [[Bex Taylor-Klaus]]
| {{cEmpty}}
|-
! [[List of Scream (TV series) characters#Noah Foster|Noah Foster]]
| colspan="7" {{cEmpty}}
| colspan="2" | [[John Karna]]
| {{cEmpty}}
|-
! [[List of Scream (TV series) characters#Kieran Wilcox|Kieran Wilcox]]
| colspan="7" {{cEmpty}}
| colspan="2" | [[Amadeus Serafini]]
| {{cEmpty}}
|-
! [[List of Scream (TV series) characters#Brooke Maddox|Brooke Maddox]]
| colspan="7" {{cEmpty}}
| colspan="2" | [[Carlson Young]]
| {{cEmpty}}
|-
! [[List of Scream (TV series) characters#Maggie Duval|Maggie Duval]]
| colspan="7" {{cEmpty}}
| [[Tracy Middendorf]]<hr>{{small|Anna Grace Barlow}}{{ref|young|Y}}
| Tracy Middendorf<hr>{{small|Caitlin Ashley-Thompson}}{{ref|young|Y}}
| {{cEmpty}}
|-
! [[List of Scream (TV series) characters#Jake Fitzgerald|Jake Fitzgerald]]
| colspan="7" {{cEmpty}}
| colspan="2" | [[Tom Maden]]
| {{cEmpty}}
|-
! [[List of Scream (TV series) characters#Seth Branson|Seth Branson]]
| colspan="7" {{cEmpty}}
| colspan="2" | [[Bobby Campo]]
| {{cEmpty}}
|-
! [[List of Scream (TV series) characters#Quinn Maddox|Quinn Maddox]]
| colspan="7" {{cEmpty}}
| colspan="2" | [[Bryan Batt]]
| {{cEmpty}}
|-
! [[List of Scream (TV series) characters#Piper Shaw|Piper Shaw]]
| colspan="7" {{cEmpty}}
| [[Amelia Rose Blaire]]
| Amelia Rose Blaire{{ref|cameo|C}}{{ref|uncredited|U}}
| {{cEmpty}}
|-
! [[List of Scream (TV series) characters#Rachel Murray|Rachel Murray]]
| colspan="7" {{cEmpty}}
| colspan="2" | [[Sosie Bacon]]
| {{cEmpty}}
|-
! [[List of Scream (TV series) characters#Nina Patterson|Nina Patterson]]
| colspan="7" {{cEmpty}}
| [[Bella Thorne]]
| colspan="2" {{cEmpty}}
|-
! [[List of Scream (TV series) characters#Kevin Duval|Kevin Duval]]
| colspan="7" {{cEmpty}}
| colspan="2" | [[Tom Everett Scott]]
| {{cEmpty}}
|-
! [[List of Scream (TV series) characters#Stavo Acosta|Gustavo Acosta]]
| colspan="8" {{cEmpty}}
| [[Santiago Segura (American actor)|Santiago Segura]]
| {{cEmpty}}
|}

== Crew ==
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width:99%;
|-
! rowspan="3" | Crew/detail
! colspan="7" | Films
|-
! ''[[Scream (1996 film)|Scream]]''
! ''[[Scream 2]]''
! ''[[Scream 3]]''
! ''[[Scream 4]]''
! ''[[Scream (2022 film)|Scream]]''
! ''[[Scream VI]]''
! ''[[Scream 7]]''
|-
! 1996
! 1997
! 2000
! 2011
! 2022
! 2023
! 2026
|-
! Composer
| colspan="4" | [[Marco Beltrami]]
| [[Brian Tyler]]
| {{ubl|list_style=text-align:center;|Brian Tyler|Sven Faulconer}}
| Marco Beltrami
|-
! Cinematographer
| [[Mark Irwin]]
| colspan="3" | [[Peter Deming]]
| colspan="2" | Brett Jutkiewicz
| Ramsey Nickell
|-
! Editor
| colspan="3" | [[Patrick Lussier]]
| Peter McNulty
| Michel Aller
| Jay Prychidny
| Jim Page
|-
! Production company
| Woods Entertainment
| colspan="2" | {{ubl|list_style=text-align:center;|Konrad Pictures|[[Craven/Maddalena Films]]}}
| {{ubl|list_style=text-align:center;|Corvus Corax Productions|[[Outerbanks Entertainment]]|[[The Weinstein Company]]}}
| colspan="2" | {{ubl|list_style=text-align:center;|[[Radio Silence Productions]]|Project X Entertainment|[[Spyglass Media Group]]}}
| colspan="2" | {{ubl|list_style=text-align:center;|Project X Entertainment|Spyglass Media Group}}
|-
! Distributor
| colspan="4" | [[Dimension Films]]
| colspan="3" | [[Paramount Pictures]]
|}
{{Update|part=section|date=January 2025|reason=Information for ''Scream'' (2022), ''VI'', and ''7'' needs to be added. Text only covers up to ''Scream 4''}}
Craven initially intended to hire talented, but relatively unknown actors who had not yet had a "big break" in the film industry, as he had done with ''[[A Nightmare on Elm Street]]''{{'}}s [[Johnny Depp]] and ''[[Shocker (film)|Shocker]]''{{'}}s [[Peter Berg]].<ref name="fangoria160" /> However, the decision was made to cast actors who already had a notable body of work, marking a change from many previous horror films where casting current, popular actors was unheard of. Craven believed their budget was inadequate to secure the actors they were pursuing but felt that [[Drew Barrymore]]'s presence made people eager to take part and accepting of a lower salary.<ref name="behindthescreamdocu">{{Cite AV media |title=Behind the ''Scream'' documentary from Ultimate Scream Collection |date=September 26, 2000 |medium=DVD |publisher=Dimension Home Video |location=United States |people=Wes Craven}}</ref>

Barrymore initially approached the production herself after reading the script and was signed to play Sidney Prescott.<ref name="ETrueHollywoodStory">{{Cite AV media |title=E! A True Hollywood Story: Scream |date=October 31, 2001 |medium=Television Production |publisher=E! Entertainment Television |location=United States |people=Diana Rico}}</ref> However, as time progressed, her schedule commitments meant she would be unable to remain in the leading role, so she volunteered to play the smaller role of [[Casey Becker]] who dies early in the film.<ref name="ETrueHollywoodStory" /> The production felt that killing off an actress of Barrymore's stature early on would be a risk but thought that it would be shocking to the audience and make them believe that no other character was safe.<ref name="scream1dvdcommentary" /> Following Barrymore's changed role, [[Alicia Witt]] and [[Brittany Murphy]] auditioned for the lead and the production also considered contacting [[Reese Witherspoon]]. The role was ultimately given to [[Neve Campbell]] after the director saw her in ''[[Party of Five]]'', believing she could best embody a character who was "innocent" but also able to handle herself while dealing with the physicality and emotions of the role.<ref name="behindthescreamdocu" /><ref name="scream1dvdcommentary" /> Though reluctant to undertake another horror film so soon after ''[[The Craft (film)|The Craft]]'',<ref name="behindthescreamdocu" /> Campbell chose to do ''Scream'' as it would be her first leading role and she adored the character, saying "She's a fantastic character for any kind of movie."<ref name="fangoria162" /> The production wanted a recognizable face for the role of [[news reporter]] [[Gale Weathers]], offering it to both [[Brooke Shields]] and [[Janeane Garofalo]].<ref name="InsideStoryScream" /> [[Courteney Cox|Cox]], who was starring in the hit [[NBC]] sitcom ''[[Friends]]'' at the time, was not considered due to her history of playing softer, kinder characters. Cox however lobbied hard for the role for that reason, wishing to play a "bitch" character, her efforts ultimately succeeding when she was cast.<ref name="behindthescreamdocu" /> Actresses [[Melinda Clarke]] and [[Rebecca Gayheart]] auditioned for the role of [[Tatum Riley]] before [[Rose McGowan]] was cast due to her best embodying the "spunky" nature of the character.<ref name="InsideStoryScream" /> It was believed the collective strong female cast of Campbell, Barrymore, Cox and McGowan would help draw a significant female audience to the film.<ref name="scream1dvdcommentary" />

Kevin Patrick Walls, who played Barrymore's boyfriend Steve Orth in the opening of ''Scream'', was one of the final candidates for the role of Sidney's boyfriend, [[Billy Loomis]], alongside [[Justin Whalin]] before it was won by [[Skeet Ulrich]].<ref name="scream1dvdcommentary" /><ref name="screamultimatecollectionbonus">{{Cite AV media |title=Ultimate Scream Collection DVD Bonus Feature Screen Tests |date=September 26, 2000 |medium=DVD |publisher=Dimension Films |location=United States |people=Wes Craven (Director)}}</ref> Campbell and Ulrich had a prior working relationship on ''The Craft'' which they believed help them better develop the relationship between Sidney and Billy.<ref name="fangoria162" /> [[David Arquette]] was also approached for the role of Billy Loomis but instead wanted the role of Dewey. The role was described as "[[beefcake|hunky]]" instead of the younger, "goofier" approach of Arquette but Craven appreciated the idea and cast him in the role.<ref name="behindthescreamdocu" /> [[Matthew Lillard]] was cast by chance as he had accompanied his then-girlfriend to a separate audition where ''Scream'' [[casting director]] Lisa Beach saw him and asked him to audition, where he secured the role of [[List of Scream (film series) characters#Stu Macher|Stu Macher]].<ref name="InsideStoryScream" /> The role of [[Randy Meeks]] was contested between [[Jamie Kennedy]] and [[Breckin Meyer]] with the production favoring Kennedy.<ref name="InsideStoryScream" /> Having no major role prior to ''Scream'', the studio wanted a more prominent actor than Kennedy in the role but the production were adamant that he was the best choice and successfully fought to keep him in.<ref name="ETrueHollywoodStory" /> [[Roger L. Jackson]], voice of the character Ghostface, was picked at the end of several weeks of local casting in Santa Rosa. The production had originally intended to only use his voice temporarily but ultimately decided that it was perfect for the role.<ref name="scream3dvdcommentary">{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0134084/ |title=Scream 3- Commentary by Wes Craven, Patrick Lussier & Marianne Maddalena |date=February 4, 2000 |medium=DVD |publisher=Dimension Films |location=United States |access-date=June 29, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180803224049/https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0134084/ |archive-date=August 3, 2018 |url-status=live |people=Wes Craven (Director)}}</ref> He was intentionally kept from meeting many members of the cast in all three original ''Scream'' films as it was thought it would help their performance if they could not put a face to the menacing voice. The calls made by his character were genuine phone calls conducted on set by Jackson to the characters, again with the intention of aiding the interaction between his character and the character being "stalked" in a scene.<ref name="scream1dvdcommentary" /> Craven commented, on Jackson's contribution to the film, "I can't imagine ''Scream'' without Ghostface ... Roger Jackson's voice is very remarkable, it's got an evil sophistication."<ref name="fangoria160" />

For ''Scream 2'', Campbell had been contracted for a possible sequel before filming began on ''Scream''. However actors with surviving characters had a sequel option added after it was known which character would be eligible to appear in the next film.<ref name="fangoria162" /> In interviews, the production staff of ''Scream 2'' stated they believed that Barrymore's role in ''Scream'' added an element of respectability to the genre that made actors normally reluctant to engage a horror film, eager to sign on to ''Scream 2''.<ref name="fangoria169" /> Many of the actors involved including Campbell, Cox, [[Sarah Michelle Gellar]] and [[Jerry O'Connell]] were starring in their own television series at the time making scheduling their availability with the film difficult. Gellar in particular had also recently finished work on another Williamson-penned film, ''[[I Know What You Did Last Summer]]'' (1997) which was released two months prior to ''Scream 2''. She would admit in interviews that she signed on to ''Scream 2'' without having read the script, based on the success of the first film.<ref name="behindthescreamdocu" /> Craven took their desire to participate in the film despite their workload as a compliment to the film's quality.<ref name="fangoria169" /> To obtain the role of Derek, O'Connell and other candidates had to audition by performing a scene from the film where the character sings "[[I Think I Love You]]".<ref name="scream2dvdcommentary">{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120082/ |title=Scream 2 – Commentary by Wes Craven, Patrick Lussier & Marianne Maddalena |date=February 6, 1998 |medium=DVD |publisher=Dimension Films |location=United States |access-date=June 29, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180803162158/https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120082/ |archive-date=August 3, 2018 |url-status=live |people=Wes Craven (Director)}}</ref> The cast was rounded out by [[Laurie Metcalf]], who had just finished a nine-year run on the popular sitcom ''[[Roseanne (TV series)|Roseanne]]'', [[Lewis Arquette]], father of David Arquette, [[Jada Pinkett Smith|Jada Pinkett]] and [[Timothy Olyphant]] in what was his first leading role in a feature film. Rebecca Gayheart, who had unsuccessfully auditioned to play Tatum Riley in ''Scream'', auditioned for the roles of [[List of Scream (film series) characters#Hallie|Hallie]], [[Casey "Cici" Cooper|Cici]] and [[List of Scream (film series) characters#Maureen Evans and Phil Stevens|Maureen Evans]] before being cast as [[Sorority]] Sister Lois.<ref name="behindthescreamdocu" />

For ''Scream 3'', Craven stated in an interview that convincing the central cast to return was not difficult but their burgeoning fame and busy schedules made arranging their availability with the film's production troublesome.<ref name="fangoria189">{{cite journal |last1=Shapiro |first1=Marc |date=January 2000 |title=Scream Goodbye |journal=Fangoria |issue=189 |pages=26–29, 67}}</ref> Campbell in particular was only available for 20 days of filming which resulted in a significantly reduced role for her character and a focus on Cox and Arquette's characters.<ref name="scream3dvdcommentary" /> [[Emily Mortimer]] was cast as [[List of Scream (film series) characters#Angelina Tyler|Angelina Tyler]] but shortly after filming began it was discovered she lacked the required permit to work, resulting in her being flown to [[Vancouver, Washington|Vancouver]] to obtain one.<ref name="scream3dvdcommentary" /> [[Carrie Fisher]] made a cameo in the film at the suggestion of Bob Weinstein and Fisher helped write her character.<ref name="scream3dvdcommentary" /> [[Kelly Rutherford]] was cast after filming had begun as the production was undergoing constant rewrites and the opening scene evolved from requiring only a female corpse to needing a live actress with whom Schreiber could interact.<ref name="scream3dvdcommentary" /> In a 2009 interview, [[Matthew Lillard]], who played [[List of Scream (film series) characters#Stu Macher|Stu Macher]] in ''Scream'', claimed that he was signed to reprise his role in ''Scream 3'' as the primary antagonist but after the script moved in a direction without his character, he was bought out of his contract.<ref name="stuscream3">{{cite web |date=November 2009 |title=Matthew Lillard and I do the talk talk |url=http://www.bobbendickpodcast.com/BBP/download_shows/Entries/2010/1/9_Matthew_Lillard.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110708074954/http://www.bobbendickpodcast.com/BBP/download_shows/Entries/2010/1/9_Matthew_Lillard.html |archive-date=July 8, 2011 |access-date=March 15, 2011}}</ref>

When production of ''Scream 4'' was announced, Campbell initially refused offers to reprise her role as Sidney, forcing early script drafts to be written in consideration of her absence.<ref name="shocktillyoudrop">{{cite web |date=April 1, 2010 |title=Williamson on Making Scream 4 Work |url=http://www.shocktillyoudrop.com/news/topnews.php?id=14724 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121011162118/http://www.shocktillyoudrop.com/news/topnews.php?id=14724 |archive-date=October 11, 2012 |access-date=March 23, 2011 |work=ScoreTrack.net}}</ref> However, in September 2009, Campbell, Cox and Arquette were all confirmed as reprising their roles as Sidney, Gale and Dewey respectively,<ref name="EWScream4Return">{{cite magazine |last=Young |first=John |date=April 28, 2010 |title=Exclusive: New ''Scream 4'' poster, plus an interview with director Wes Craven |url=http://popwatch.ew.com/2010/04/28/scream-4-poster-wes-craven/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100501142001/http://popwatch.ew.com/2010/04/28/scream-4-poster-wes-craven/ |archive-date=May 1, 2010 |access-date=May 1, 2010 |magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]}}</ref> with Jackson's commitment confirmed in July 2010.<ref name="BD2">{{cite news |date=July 5, 2010 |title=Ghostface Voice Actor Returns for ''Scream IV'' |url=https://www.bloody-disgusting.com/news/20790 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100708191637/http://www.bloody-disgusting.com/news/20790 |archive-date=July 8, 2010 |access-date=July 5, 2010 |work=[[Bloody Disgusting]]}}</ref> Continuing the trend started in ''Scream'', the production cast established and popular actors [[Hayden Panettiere]], [[Rory Culkin]], [[Anna Paquin]], [[Kristen Bell]] and [[Emma Roberts]]. Roberts was cast as Jill, Sidney Prescott's cousin, beating out [[Ashley Greene]] for the role. [[Lake Bell]] and [[Lauren Graham]] were cast in the film but dropped out early into production, Bell citing scheduling conflicts.<ref name="FEARnetLaurenGraham">{{cite news |last=McCabe |first=Joseph |date=April 23, 2010 |title=Exclusive: Kevin Williamson Talks ''Scream 4'', ''5'' and ''6'' |url=http://www.fearnet.com/news/interviews/b18914_exclusive_kevin_williamson_talks_scream.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100429145856/http://www.fearnet.com/news/interviews/b18914_exclusive_kevin_williamson_talks_scream.html |archive-date=April 29, 2010 |access-date=May 1, 2010 |work=[[FEARnet]]}}</ref><ref name="DigitalSpyLakeBell">{{cite news |last=Reynolds |first=Simon |date=June 25, 2010 |title=Craven's ''Scream 4'' loses cast member |url=http://www.digitalspy.com/movies/news/a233183/cravens-scream-4-loses-cast-member.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120913154739/http://www.digitalspy.com/movies/news/a233183/cravens-scream-4-loses-cast-member.html |archive-date=September 13, 2012 |access-date=June 25, 2010 |work=Digital Spy}}</ref> [[Nico Tortorella]] auditioned five times to secure the role of Trevor, the ex-boyfriend of Roberts' character, by reenacting a scene from ''Scream'' where the character of Billy Loomis reveals he is one of the killers.<ref name="Zap2ItNicoTortorella">{{cite news |last=Schillachi |first=Sophie |date=April 7, 2011 |title=''Scream 4''s' Nico Tortorella's throwback audition: Resurrecting Billy Loomis |url=http://blog.zap2it.com/pop2it/2011/04/scream-4s-nico-tortorellas-throwback-audition-resurrecting-billy-loomis.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110410224004/http://blog.zap2it.com/pop2it/2011/04/scream-4s-nico-tortorellas-throwback-audition-resurrecting-billy-loomis.html |archive-date=April 10, 2011 |access-date=April 7, 2011 |work=[[Zap2it]]}}</ref>

== Production ==
=== Writing ===
{{Update|part=section|date=May 2023|reason=Information for ''Scream'' (2022) and ''VI'' needs to be added. Text only covers up to ''Scream 4''}}

''[[Scream (1996 film)|Scream]]'' (1996) was conceived under the title ''Scary Movie'' by screenwriter [[Kevin Williamson (screenwriter)|Kevin Williamson]] as an 18-page script inspired by a series of murders by the [[Danny Rolling|Gainesville Ripper]] that Williamson had seen in a news story and his own experience alone in a friend's house, after discovering an open window he had not previously noticed. The treatment covered what would become the opening scene of ''Scream'' featuring [[Drew Barrymore]]. Williamson began to expand this script into what ultimately became ''Scream'' because his previous script, ''[[Teaching Mrs. Tingle]]'', was in [[development hell]], writing it in only three days in [[Palm Springs]]<ref name="InsideStoryScream">{{Cite AV media |title=Scream: The Inside Story |date=April 6, 2011 |medium=TV |publisher=[[The Biography Channel]] Video |location=United States |people=Daniel Farrands (Director) Thommy Hutson (Writer)}}</ref> and bringing it to his agent in June 1995 to put it up for sale.<ref name="behindthescreamdocu" /><ref name="ETrueHollywoodStory" /> Accompanying the script were two 5-page outlines for potential sequels to the film, Williamson hoping to provide added incentive to buy the script by providing potential for a franchise.<ref name="ETrueHollywoodStory" /><ref name="fangoria169" /> Williamson would later claim he wrote the screenplay partly because it was a film he wanted to watch and "nobody else is making it".<ref name="fangoria168">{{cite journal |last1=Palmer |first1=Randy |date=January 1998 |title=The Screams of Summer |journal=Fangoria |issue=168 |pages=14–18}}</ref> The script was self-referential, featuring characters who watched [[horror film]]s and were aware of the conventions of the genre and featured numerous homages to many preceding horror films which Williamson would claim inspired him, including ''[[Halloween (franchise)|Halloween]]'', ''[[Friday the 13th (franchise)|Friday the 13th]]'', ''[[A Nightmare on Elm Street (franchise)|A Nightmare on Elm Street]]'' and ''[[Prom Night (franchise)|Prom Night]]''.<ref name="fangoria160">{{cite journal |last1=Garcia |first1=Chris |date=May 1997 |title=One Last Scream |journal=Fangoria |issue=160 |pages=20–23}}</ref>

Williamson was told early on by his agent, Rob Paris, that the saturation of violence and gore in his script would make it "impossible" to sell and following its purchase by [[Miramax]] he was required to remove much of the gorier scenes. However, once Craven was confirmed to direct, he was able to bring much of the excised content back.<ref name="fangoria160" /> Williamson intended to remove a scene in the film that took place inside the fictional school's bathroom, feeling it was awkward but Craven salvaged it believing it had potential. Williamson later confirmed that he was glad Craven did so.<ref name="scream1dvdcommentary" /> The death of the character [[List of Scream (film series) characters#Principal Himbry|Principal Himbry]] was added at the request of producer [[Bob Weinstein]] who noted that there was thirty pages (thirty on-screen minutes) without a murder occurring. This later aided Williamson who was struggling to find motivation for characters to leave a party in the film's finale, now able to use the discovered corpse of the Himbry character.<ref name="scream1dvdcommentary" /> When writing the finale, Williamson was unsure what to cite as a motivation for the killers or whether to give them one at all. Opinions were split between staff on the picture, some who felt that a motive was necessary for the audience to be given resolution while others felt it was scarier without one. Ultimately Williamson decided to do both, giving the character Billy Loomis the motive of maternal abandonment while not giving the character of Stu Macher one, instead having the character jokingly suggest "peer pressure".<ref name="scream1dvdcommentary" />

Following the release of ''Scream'', Williamson confirmed that he had considered a concept for a sequel where the character Sidney Prescott attends college and a [[copycat crime|copycat]] killer begins stalking her. Dimension Films agreed to pursue a sequel in May 1997, by which point Williamson had already written 42 pages of the new script.<ref name="fangoria169" /> By July 1997, filming began on ''Scream 2'', but his completed script was [[Internet leak|leaked]] on the Internet revealing much of the plot including the finale and the identity of the film's killers. As a result, the production was forced to continue filming with only a partial script as Williamson conducted rewrites, changing much of the finale, the killer's victims and the killer's identity.<ref name="scriptleak2" /> To prevent the identity of the killer or important plot points being revealed again, the actors were not given the last pages of the script until weeks before shooting, and the pages that revealed the killer's identity were only provided on the day the scene was shot.<ref name="fangoria169" /> The short production schedule on ''Scream 2'' and his work on other projects meant that Williamson's final script used for the film was detailed in some areas but lacking in others, the intention being for Craven to fill out these scenes on set.<ref name="fangoria171">{{cite journal |last1=Spelling |first1=Ian |date=April 1998 |title=Wes Craven Screams Again |journal=Fangoria |issue=171 |pages=24–28}}</ref>

Williamson was approached by Bob and Harvey Weinstein in early 1999 to pen a script for ''Scream 3'' but at the time he was involved with the writing and directing of his original script ''Teaching Mrs. Tingle''<ref name="ETrueHollywoodStory" /> and developing the short-lived TV series ''[[Wasteland (American TV series)|Wasteland]]''. Unable to write a full script, Williamson provided a draft outline for the film that involved the filming of the [[film within a film]] "Stab 3", based on the previous film's in-universe murders, that took place in the fictional town of Woodsboro from the original ''Scream''.<ref name="fangoria190">{{cite journal |last1=Spelling |first1=Ian |date=March 2000 |title=Joining the Scream Team |journal=Fangoria |issue=190 |pages=19–22}}</ref> ''[[Arlington Road]]'' scribe [[Ehren Kruger]] was brought into the production by the Weinstein brothers to develop a script using Williamson's notes, though Kruger admitted that without having been involved with the characters in the previous two films he struggled to write them true to character. Early scripts by Kruger had the character of Sidney Prescott much like "[[Sarah Connor (Terminator)|Linda Hamilton]] in ''[[Terminator 2]]''" at which point Craven would intervene to bring the character closer to previous iterations. Kruger admits that Craven had a hand in writing the script though he remained uncredited for it.<ref name="fangoria190" /> Kruger's script would differ in many ways from Williamson's original including the removal of one of the killers and the inclusion of the death of [[List of Scream (film series) characters#Cotton Weary|Cotton Weary]] who was originally absent from the film. Additionally, the film's location changed from Woodsboro to Hollywood as Kruger believed that the characters should be moving to bigger places from high school, to college to Hollywood.<ref name="fangoria190" /> However, there were also considerations that creating a film containing acts of murder in and around the fictional Woodsboro school would receive negative attention following the [[Columbine High School massacre]] that occurred less than a year before the film's eventual release.<ref name="ETrueHollywoodStory" /> The film was given a greater emphasis on humor over violence and fared worse than previous installments both financially and critically.

Almost ten years after the last installment, in late 2009,<ref name="EntertainmentWeekly1150" /> Williamson formulated a concept for a new installment and approached Bob Weinstein who, after hearing his pitch, told Williamson to begin writing a script for what would become ''Scream 4''.<ref name="EntertainmentWeekly1150">{{cite magazine |last1=Stack |first1=Tim |date=April 15, 2011 |title=Scream |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |pages=30–37 |issue=1150}}</ref> Campbell initially refused to return to the series for ''Scream 4'' forcing early script drafts to be written in consideration of her characters absence with Cox and Arquette's characters becoming the focus.<ref name="shocktillyoudrop" /> Early versions of the script involved Campbell's character being attacked and killed in the opening, a key point of contention for Weinstein who had it removed,<ref name="EntertainmentWeekly1150" /> while another version had Cox and Arquette's characters as parents, but this too was removed as it was believed that them having a child would be unworkable in the context of the film.<ref name="EntertainmentWeekly1150" /> After Williamson was forced to leave the production due to contractual commitments to ''[[The Vampire Diaries]]'', under threat of legal action,<ref name="Scream4WilliamsonLeaves">{{cite web |last=Eggertsen |first=Chris |date=March 31, 2011 |title=Wes Craven Discusses Kevin Williamson ''Scream 4'' Controversy, Plans for Fifth Installment |url=https://www.bloody-disgusting.com/news/24018 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110402151559/http://www.bloody-disgusting.com/news/24018 |archive-date=April 2, 2011 |access-date=March 31, 2011}}</ref> controversy arose in July 2010 when ''Scream 3'' writer Ehren Kruger was brought in by Weinstein to perform re-writes on Williamson's script, about which Craven was outspoken on "losing control" of the story. He would later explain that despite rewrites it was still Williamson's characters and script,<ref name="TotalFilm">{{cite web |date=March 16, 2011 |title=Wes Craven talks Scream 4's script controversy |url=http://www.totalfilm.com/news/wes-craven-talks-scream-4-s-script-controversy |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111014121632/http://www.totalfilm.com/news/wes-craven-talks-scream-4-s-script-controversy |archive-date=October 14, 2011 |access-date=March 17, 2011 |work=[[Total Film]]}}</ref> stating:
{{quote|Look, there was a bumpy period when things shifted over from Kevin to Ehren. I signed up to do a script by Kevin and unfortunately that didn't go all the way through the shooting. But it certainly is Kevin's script and concept and characters and themes.<ref name="TotalFilm" />}}

Weinstein clarified that Kruger was brought in to "punch up" the film's dialog but his involvement with the writing was not to the same extent as with ''Scream 3''.<ref name="EntertainmentWeekly1150" /> To preserve the secrecy of the script and the identity of the film's killer, the cast were only provided with 75 pages of the 140-page-long script.<ref name="the wrap2">{{cite news |last=Sneider |first=Jeff |date=July 1, 2010 |title=Exclusive: Mary McDonnell, Alison Brie Join ''Scream 4'' |url=https://www.thewrap.com/movies/column-post/exclusive-mary-mcdonnell-alison-brie-join-scream-4-18952 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100705114611/http://www.thewrap.com/movies/column-post/exclusive-mary-mcdonnell-alison-brie-join-scream-4-18952 |archive-date=July 5, 2010 |access-date=March 23, 2011 |work=[[The Wrap]]}}</ref> Like the two previous installments in the series, the script underwent rewrites often, with pages sometimes only ready on the day of shooting.<ref name="EntertainmentWeekly1150" />

=== Development ===
{{Update|part=section|date=May 2023|reason=Information for ''Scream'' (2022) and ''VI'' needs to be added. Text only covers up to ''Scream 4''}}[[File:Ghostfacemaskdiscovery.jpg|thumb|right|The Fun World "Ghostface" mask as it was first discovered by Marianne Maddalena while scouting the ''[[Shadow of a Doubt]]'' home]]
The script for ''Scream'' (1996), then known as ''Scary Movie'' was released for sale on a Friday and by 8 a.m. the following Monday had become involved in a significant bidding war from several studios, including [[Paramount Pictures]], [[Universal Pictures]] and [[Morgan Creek Productions|Morgan Creek]], with producer [[Cathy Konrad]] bringing it to the attention of [[Bob Weinstein]].<ref name="EntertainmentWeekly1150" /> The bidding eventually rose to an amount that the choice ultimately came down to [[Oliver Stone]], who was at the time working with [[Cinergi Pictures]], and Weinstein under [[Miramax]].<ref name="ETrueHollywoodStory" /><ref name="scream1dvdcommentary">{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0117571/ |title=Scream – Commentary by Wes Craven and Kevin Williamson |date=December 20, 1996 |medium=DVD |publisher=Dimension Films |location=United States |access-date=June 29, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180713202723/https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0117571/ |archive-date=July 13, 2018 |url-status=live |people=Wes Craven (Director)}}</ref><ref name="InsideStoryScream" /> Williamson agreed to terms with Miramax for $400,000 plus a contract for two sequels and a third, unrelated film, believing their label, [[Dimension Films]], would produce ''Scream'' immediately and without significant restriction.<ref name="fangoria160" /><ref name="ETrueHollywoodStory" /> [[Wes Craven]] was approached early on to helm the film but he was occupied with remaking ''[[The Haunting (1999 film)|The Haunting]]'' and so other directors including [[Robert Rodriguez]], [[Danny Boyle]], [[George A. Romero]] and [[Sam Raimi]] were approached.<ref name="InsideStoryScream" /> Concerns were raised by Williamson and Weinstein when many of the approached directors, having read the script, believed the film to be a comedy, making them reluctant to hire those particular directors, believing they "didn't get it".<ref name="fangoria162">{{cite journal |last1=Spelling |first1=Ian |date=May 1997 |title=Scream and Scream Again |journal=Fangoria |issue=162 |pages=66–68}}</ref> Craven was approached and passed on the film several times, wanting to move away from the genre, but was enticed once Drew Barrymore became involved, reasoning that it may be different from his previous works if an actress of her recognition was involved.<ref name="InsideStoryScream" /> Ultimately the production of ''The Haunting'', at that time, fell through and Craven was able to take over directing duties on the film.<ref name="fangoria160" /> Close to the end of the film's production, the Weinstein brothers had the film's title changed from ''Scary Movie'' to ''Scream'' inspired by the [[Michael Jackson]] song of the [[Scream (Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson song)|same name]] as Bob Weinstein felt "Scary Movie" was not suitable when the film also contained elements of satire and comedy.<ref name="InsideStoryScream" /> The change was immediately disliked by both Williamson and Craven who considered it "stupid" but would later remark that it was a positive change.<ref name="scream1dvdcommentary" />

Following a successful screening with a [[test screening|test audience]] and Miramax executives, both Williamson and Craven were offered a two-picture contract for sequels to ''Scream'', Williamson already having been offered a three-picture deal by Miramax for unrelated films.<ref name="fangoria160" /> Bob Weinstein ordered that the film be released on December 20, 1996, a date others were critical of as it was the Christmas season where seasonal and family films were more prevalent.<ref name="InsideStoryScream" /> Weinstein argued this fact was in the film's favor, as it meant that horror fans and teenagers had nothing interesting to watch.<ref name="InsideStoryScream" /> When ''Scream''{{'}}s first weekend takings amounted to only $6{{nbsp}}million, it was considered that this release date gamble had failed, but the following week the takings did not drop but increased and continued the following week, leading to a total U.S. gross of over $100{{nbsp}}million.<ref name="InsideStoryScream" /> As ''Scream''{{'}}s box-office takings grew, a lawsuit would be filed against Dimension Films by [[Sony Pictures]] who claimed that the title ''Scream'' was too similar to that of Sony's own film ''[[Screamers (1995 film)|Screamers]]'' (1995). The case was settled out of court with the details remaining secret but producer [[Marianne Maddalena]] would confirm that the production were able to use the current and potential future titles of ''Scream 2'' and ''Scream 3''.<ref name="fangoria169" />

A sequel was considered in January 1997 after the first film proceeded to gross more than $50{{nbsp}}million in its first month. ''[[Scream 2]]'' was [[greenlit]] with a budget of $24{{nbsp}}million, and was released before the first film's anniversary.<ref name="fangoria169">{{cite journal |last1=Shapiro |first1=Mark |date=April 1998 |title=Super-Secret Scream 2 |journal=Fangoria |issue=169 |pages=20–25}}</ref> The production of the film suffered a significant setback when the script was leaked revealing plot details including the identity of the killers, resulting in the script being modified to change many details.<ref name="scriptleak2" /> In an interview, Craven commented on the rushed schedule for the film, starting in July 1997 with a December release date, with many scenes in the script provided with only a loose outline forcing him to develop scenes on set.<ref name="fangoria171" /> Various titles were considered for the sequel at different points in the film's production, including ''Scream Again'', ''Scream Louder'' and ''Scream: The Sequel'' before the studio decided to simply use ''Scream 2''.<ref name="WesCravenArtofHorror">{{cite book |last=Muir |first=John Kenneth |title=''Wes Craven: The Art of Horror'' |date=February 24, 2004 |publisher=[[McFarland & Company|McFarland]] |isbn=0-7864-1923-7}}</ref>

''[[Scream 3]]'' (2000) was released just over two years after ''Scream 2'' with Craven again attached to direct the film on a greatly increased budget of $40{{nbsp}}million. Shortly before production began on the film, the [[Columbine incident]] occurred and with it came an increased scrutiny on the media and its effect on people, particularly films. There were considerations at the time about whether the studio should continue production of a third installment in the aftermath of the incident but the studio decided to continue, albeit with changes.<ref name="ETrueHollywoodStory" /> The studio was much more apprehensive concerning violence and gore in the film than with previous installments with them pressing for a greater emphasis on the series' humor while scaling back on the violence. At one point in the production, the studio demanded that the film feature no blood or on-screen violence but Craven intervened stating that the film should either have the violence present in earlier ''Scream'' films or should be called something other than ''Scream''.<ref name="fangoria190" /> As with production of ''Scream'', Craven would again state in an interview that issues with censorship and the MPAA made him consider leaving the horror genre.<ref name="fangoria189" />

Production of a new film, ''[[Scream 4]]'' (2011) was announced in July 2008 by [[The Weinstein Company]] who approached Williamson about formulating a new script, with the intention of creating a new ''Scream'' trilogy if the fourth film proved successful.<ref name="WilliamsonScriptScream4">{{cite web |date=April 30, 2010 |title=Interviewed: Wes Craven |url=http://scream-trilogy.net/2010/04/interviewed-wes-craven/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120308220551/http://scream-trilogy.net/2010/04/interviewed-wes-craven/ |archive-date=March 8, 2012 |access-date=March 23, 2011 |magazine=Entertainment Weekly}}</ref> By late 2009, Williamson managed to develop an idea for the film and potential sequels and began work on the script.<ref name="EntertainmentWeekly1150" /> The film was given a budget of $40{{nbsp}}million and the principal cast were signed to the film in September 2009 followed by Craven as director in March 2010. In May 2010, [[Cathy Konrad]], producer on the original three films filed a $3{{nbsp}}million lawsuit against The Weinstein Company accusing them of violating an agreement that her company, Cat Entertainment, be given first rights to produce all ''Scream'' films in order to cut costs by getting a cheaper producer (Craven's wife Iya Labunka, not named in the suit).<ref name="Reuters" /> In April 2011, it was reported that the Weinsteins had settled out of court with Conrad, the details remaining confidential. ''[[The Hollywood Reporter]]'' however, claimed that Conrad received a cash payment and entitlement to a percentage of the profits derived from ''Scream 4''.<ref name="ConradScream4">{{Cite news |last=Belloni |first=Matthew |date=April 5, 2011 |title=Weinsteins Pay to Settle Producer Cathy Konrad's ''Scream 4'' Lawsuit (Exclusive) |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/weinsteins-pay-settle-producer-cathy-175058 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110407013554/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/weinsteins-pay-settle-producer-cathy-175058 |archive-date=April 7, 2011 |access-date=April 7, 2011 |work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] |location=Los Angeles |agency=Reuters}}</ref> In addition, she was given an executive producer credit on the film. Williamson and Bob Weinstein came into repeated conflict with each other during production with Williamson citing the creative direction of the film as the cause while Weinstein blamed the time constraints on the film's development. Williamson and Weinstein did not speak to each other after Williamson left the production, claiming other responsibilities, and he had not seen the finished version of the film prior to its release.<ref name="EntertainmentWeeklyWillWein">{{cite magazine |last=Stack |first=Tim |date=April 7, 2011 |title=This Week's Cover: The bloody battle over ''Scream 4'' |url=http://popwatch.ew.com/2011/04/07/scream-4-this-weeks-cover/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110409061649/http://popwatch.ew.com/2011/04/07/scream-4-this-weeks-cover/ |archive-date=April 9, 2011 |access-date=April 7, 2011 |magazine=Entertainment Weekly}}</ref>

=== Filming ===
{{Update|part=section|date=May 2023|reason=Information for ''Scream'' (2022) and ''VI'' needs to be added. Text only covers up to ''Scream 4''}}

Filming for ''Scream'' began on April 15, 1996, and finished on June 8, 1996. Filming was intended to take place in [[North Carolina]], but the location was deemed unsuitable, with scouts unable to find useful locations that would not require extensive building or modification to make fit the requirements of the film. The production instead turned to [[Vancouver, Washington]] and Los Angeles before discovering [[Sonoma County, California]], and the areas within it: [[Santa Rosa, California|Santa Rosa]], [[Healdsburg, California|Healdsburg]] and [[Tomales Bay]]. The house used by Barrymore's character is situated on Sonoma Mountain Road opposite the house used in the horror film ''[[Cujo (film)|Cujo]]'' (1983). Before filming began, the production approached Santa Rosa High School about using it as Woodsboro High School. The school board insisted on seeing the script and objected to the content of the film's dialog and the foul-mouthed, aggressive character of [[List of Scream (film series) characters|Principal Himbry]].<ref name="scream1dvdcommentary" /> The matter reached local newspapers who also raised criticism but there the production received support from students of the school and local residents who supported the economic benefits of the film's presence and others who defended its [[First Amendment to the United States Constitution|First Amendment]] rights. Opposition to the film came from those who deplored its content of violence against children (teenagers), as the area had suffered the tragic kidnap and murder of [[Polly Klaas]] three years prior.<ref name="InsideStoryScream" /> The matter resulted in a three-hour debate on the topic scheduled for April 16, one day after filming was to begin. Unwilling to be delayed, Craven began filming as scheduled on April 15, with the opening scene of the film featuring Barrymore<ref name="ETrueHollywoodStory" /> which took five days to complete.<ref name="EntertainmentWeekly1150" /> The result of the Santa Rosa debate was that permission be denied and the production was forced to find another location for the school, ultimately being offered the Sonoma Community Center, which appears as Woodsboro High School in ''Scream''.<ref name="ETrueHollywoodStory" />

For the film's killer, Williamson's script had provided Craven only with the description "masked killer", forcing him and his design team to [[Ghostface (Scream)#Concept and creation|create the Ghostface costume from scratch]] to conceal the killer's identity. While awaiting permission from Fun World, creators of the Ghostface mask design, Craven had the design team KNB Effects create an alternative that was used in two scenes before being replaced by the original Fun World design once permission was granted.<ref name="scream1dvdcommentary" /> Bob Weinstein disliked the Ghostface mask, believing it was not "scary", and the studio, upon reviewing the [[dailies]] footage of the opening scene, were concerned that it was progressing in a direction they did not want and there was consideration that Craven could ultimately be replaced.<ref name="InsideStoryScream" /> To assuage their concerns, the first thirteen minutes of the opening scene were compiled as a [[workprint]], a rough version of the finished film, and upon seeing it, the studio were content to let Craven continue and Weinstein was satisfied that the mask could be scary.<ref name="InsideStoryScream" /> The third and final act of the film, set at a house party, was over forty minutes long and shot at a vacant property in Tomales over twenty-one nights.<ref name="InsideStoryScream" /> The scene was considered the most difficult to shoot, as it took place entirely in one location, yet featured the individual stories and deaths of multiple characters, and as it was set at night, meant that production had to halt at daybreak.<ref name="InsideStoryScream" />

After filming completed in June, Craven spent two months editing the final product, encountering repeated conflicts with the [[Motion picture rating system|film rating]] body [[Motion Picture Association of America film rating system|MPAA]] concerning the content of scenes, being forced to tone down or obscure the more intense scenes and violence to avoid an [[Motion Picture Association of America film rating system#X is replaced by NC-17|NC-17]].<ref name="scream1dvdcommentary" /> Though Dimension Films had previously released NC-17 films, the rating made those films difficult to market and attract an audience and thus they were desperate for a less restrictive [[Motion Picture Association of America film rating system|R-rating]].<ref name="ETrueHollywoodStory" /> For an early scene involving the death of the character [[Casey Becker]], Craven lied to the MPAA by claiming he had only one take of the scene and could not replace it with something less intense, in order to keep it in the film.<ref name="scream1dvdcommentary" /> In interviews, Craven indicated that the conflict was enough that, at the time, he was considering leaving the horror genre, stating:
{{quote|I'm a director who can do something very well but am not allowed to put it on screen. And they ultimately get you, as they did on this one, on intensity. They say, "it's not a specific shot, it's not blood, it's just too intense".<ref name="fangoria160" />}}

In total, Craven sent eight different cuts of the film to the MPAA before Bob Weinstein intervened and personally contacted the MPAA, believing they misunderstood to which genre ''Scream'' belonged.<ref name="InsideStoryScream" /> Weinstein explained to the organisation that although he agreed it was intense, it also had comedic elements and satirized its content and was not just a horror film glorifying violence.<ref name="InsideStoryScream" /> The MPAA reviewed their decision and granted the film an R-rating.<ref name="ETrueHollywoodStory" />

Production of a sequel, ''[[Scream 2]]'', was [[greenlit]] in May 1997, with filming beginning on September 17, 1997, with a budget of $24{{nbsp}}million and wrapping on October 30, 1997. Filming took place largely in [[Atlanta, Georgia]], over four weeks before moving to Los Angeles. [[Agnes Scott College]] in Atlanta and [[University of California, Los Angeles]] were used to represent the fictional Windsor College that appears in the film.<ref name="scream2dvdcommentary" /> The opening scene featuring the premiere of the fictional "Stab" film was filmed over three days in the Vista theater on Sunset Drive, Hollywood, the exterior represented by the Rialto Theater in [[South Pasadena, California|South Pasadena]].<ref name="scream2filmlocations">{{cite web |last=Reeves |first=Tony |title=Scream 2 film locations |url=http://www.movie-locations.com/movies/s/scream2.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110528102356/http://www.movie-locations.com/movies/s/scream2.html |archive-date=May 28, 2011 |access-date=April 4, 2011 |work=Movie-Locations}}</ref> Due to the large number of [[Extra (actor)|extras]] present in the scene, its details were leaked onto the Internet shortly after filming completed, which Craven cited as the productions first experience of a major plot leak.<ref name="scream2dvdcommentary" /> After his interactions with the MPAA in ''Scream'', Craven sent them a copy of the film that was intentionally much more graphically violent than they were planning to release, featuring [[Omar Epps]]' [[List of Scream (film series) characters#Maureen Evans and Phil Stevens|character]] being stabbed in the ear three times and an extended scene of [[List of Scream (film series) characters#Randy Meeks|Randy Meeks]]' death. Their idea was that the MPAA would force them to remove the content the production already did not want while keeping the content they did. However, the MPAA gave them an R rating for the more violent cut, stating that they felt the message of the film was significant.<ref name="behindthescreamdocu" /> Following a script leak early into filming, security around the production was significantly increased, with a focus on closed [[Set construction|film sets]] and strict restriction on what personnel could be present during filming and have access to the script, and with all present required to sign [[non-disclosure agreements]]. The script was printed on specialty paper to prevent [[Photocopier|photocopying]] and was often destroyed after use.<ref name="ETrueHollywoodStory" />

Filming for ''[[Scream 3]]'' began on July 6, 1999, in and around [[Hollywood, Los Angeles]], in the areas of [[San Fernando Valley]], [[Macarthur Park]], [[Beverly Hills]], [[Hollywood Hills]] and [[Silver Lake, Los Angeles, California|Silverlake]],<ref name="scream3filmlocations">{{cite web |last=Reeves |first=Tony |title=Scream 3 film locations |url=http://www.movie-locations.com/movies/s/scream3.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120419180704/http://www.movie-locations.com/movies/s/scream3.html |archive-date=April 19, 2012 |access-date=March 28, 2011 |work=Movie-Locations}}</ref> with a $40{{nbsp}}million budget and wrapped on September 29, 1999.<ref name="ETrueHollywoodStory" /> The isolated home of Campbell's character is situated in [[Topanga, California|Topanga Canyon]] and Cox's character is introduced in a classroom at [[University of California, Los Angeles|UCLA]].<ref name="scream3dvdcommentary" /> A scene where Campbell's character is pursued through [[movie set]] replicas of locations from ''Scream'' was not scripted but the sets were built because Craven knew he wanted to revisit the original film in some way, after which they wrote the scene around the set.<ref name="scream3dvdcommentary" /> Due to the constantly changing script used for the film, which would often be usable on the day of filming, the production filmed large amounts of footage of different variations of the same scenes in order that, should the script again change, they would ideally have a scene they could use without having to film new ones at a later date. In particular, the opening scene had three variants and the three-minute scene featuring the character of Randy Meeks had two-hours of filmed footage.<ref name="scream3dvdcommentary" /> The ending too was refilmed in January 2000, three months after principal photography finished, adding in the character of [[List of Scream (film series) characters#Mark Kincaid|Mark Kincaid]] ([[Patrick Dempsey]]) and having Campbell's character beaten and then shot by Ghostface after it was decided she defeated him too easily.<ref name="scream3dvdcommentary" /><ref name="scream2dvdcommentary" /> So in flux was the script that the final scene of the movie was filmed with three variants of Dempsey's character, one with him absent, one with his arm in [[bandage]]s and one with him in a normal condition as they were unsure of what his fate would be.<ref name="scream3dvdcommentary" />

[[Principal photography]] for ''[[Scream 4]]'' began on June 28, 2010, with a budget of $40{{nbsp}}million and concluded on September 24, 2010.<ref name="EWScream4Return" /> Filming took place in [[Michigan]] in the areas of [[Ann Arbor, Michigan|Ann Arbor]], [[Dearborn, Michigan|Dearborn]], [[Livonia, Michigan|Livonia]] and [[Northville, Michigan|Northville]]. In January 2011, the film underwent an additional four days of filming to reshoot two scenes, following a [[test screening]] – the opening scene and a later scene that took place in a [[parking garage]] with [[Alison Brie]].<ref name="EntertainmentWeekly1150" /> Amidst criticism that the reshoots meant the film was in trouble and the result of a negative response from the test audience, director Craven countered:
{{quote|They're not reshoots, we had a couple test screenings and we saw two scenes where they had moments you could add to and we just saw a spectacular opportunity ... The two scenes were really good, but we saw how they could be spectacular, so we thought, let's just go for it. They were key moments of the script, so we just decided to go back and go for the grand slam on them.<ref name="scream4reshoots" />}}

Craven also complimented the film's ending, labeling it "kick-ass" and stated that it remained untouched as part of the reshoot process.<ref name="scream4reshoots" /> In an interview, Craven also highlighted that the script was so long they had filmed many scenes which had to be cut from the final film to reduce its running time.<ref name="scream4shootingcuts">{{cite web |last=Turek |first=Ryan |date=March 31, 2011 |title=Wes Craven On: Williamson Hasn't Seen Scream 4, DVD Deleted Scene, Part 5 |url=http://www.shocktillyoudrop.com/news/topnews.php?id=18643 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121011161910/http://www.shocktillyoudrop.com/news/topnews.php?id=18643 |archive-date=October 11, 2012 |access-date=April 1, 2011 |work=Shock Till You Drop}}</ref>

=== Music ===
{{Update|part=section|date=May 2023|reason=Information for ''Scream 4'', (2022) and ''VI'' needs to be added. Text only covers up to ''Scream 3''.}}{{main|Music of the Scream franchise{{!}}Music of the ''Scream'' franchise}}

The score for the ''Scream'' series was provided by [[Marco Beltrami]], starting with ''Scream'' in what was his feature film debut. Beltrami was brought onto the production of ''Scream'' after Craven's assistant [[Julie Plec]] requested input on the now defunct site "Hollywood Cafe", asking for opinions on was "new", "fresh" and "wonderful" and was provided with Beltrami's name by several people. Craven sent for samples of Beltrami's work and was impressed by what he heard, bringing him to the set to view the first thirteen minutes of the film featuring the introduction and murder of the character [[Casey Becker]]. Craven had Beltrami produce music based on this scene and then demonstrate it, impressing Craven enough to hire him.<ref name="scream1dvdcommentary" /><ref name="beltramiinterview">{{cite web |last=Saldhana |first=Jorge |date=July 2003 |title=MARCO BELTRAMI Exclusive interview for ScoreTrack.Net |url=http://www.scoretrack.net/beltrami.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120303035247/http://www.scoretrack.net/beltrami.html |archive-date=March 3, 2012 |access-date=March 21, 2011 |work=ScoreTrack.net}}</ref> For ''Scream'' (1996), the decision was made to intentionally use music to raise the tension in scenes where it was unnecessary when the characters were entering a situation where the audience may expect a killer to suddenly appear, only to not deliver on that expectation, part of the film's theme of playing with horror conventions.<ref name="scream1dvdcommentary" /> Craven and editor [[Patrick Lussier]] provided Beltrami with advice on how best to deliver the music during scary and tense scenes as Beltrami had no prior experience in developing a horror score.<ref name="beltramiinterview" /><ref name="bsospiritbeltrami">{{cite web |title=An Evening with Marco Beltrami on the Phone |url=http://www.bsospirit.com/entrevistas/beltrami_e.php |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120310114624/http://www.bsospirit.com/entrevistas/beltrami_e.php |archive-date=March 10, 2012 |access-date=March 21, 2011 |work=Bsospirit.com}}</ref> Beltrami intentionally avoided conventional horror score styles and approached the film as a [[Western film|western]], taking influence from [[Ennio Morricone]], prolific composer of many western films, in the creation of ''Scream''{{'}}s music.<ref name="beltramisite">{{cite web |title=Macro Beltrami Biography |url=http://www.marcobeltrami.com/biography.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110411185717/http://www.marcobeltrami.com/biography.html |archive-date=April 11, 2011 |access-date=March 21, 2011 |work=Marcobeltrami.com}}</ref> When scoring a theme for the character of Dewey, Beltrami approached him as a sheriff but also as a "quirky" character, using a Morricone-style guitar accompaniment to maintain the Western approach.<ref name="BeltramiScoreRunMovies">{{cite web |last=Mansell |first=John |title=Marco beltrami interview |url=http://www.runmovies.eu/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=153:marco-beltrami-interview&catid=35:interviews |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130107094546/http://www.runmovies.eu/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=153:marco-beltrami-interview&catid=35:interviews |archive-date=January 7, 2013 |access-date=April 5, 2011 |work=Runmovies.eu}}</ref> An acoustic cover of [[Blue Öyster Cult]]'s "[[Don't Fear the Reaper]]" plays softly in the background to Sidney and Billy's discussion of their relationship, which analyst Jeff Smith describes as:
{{quote|An ironic comment on the brutality we have just seen in the opening sequence. More importantly, however, the allusion to the Blue Öyster Cult classic recasts the song's title by literalizing its meaning. While the title itself invokes the Reaper as a popular symbol for death, the film presents us with an actual person, who not only dresses as the Grim Reaper but also unleashes homicidal vengeance on the other characters of the film. The irony here, of course, is that Billy himself proves to be one of the film's dual slashers and is, in fact, the "Reaper" to be feared.<ref>{{cite book |last=Smith |first=Jeff |url=https://archive.org/details/soundtrackavaila00pame/page/422 |title=Soundtrack available: essays on film and popular music |publisher=Duke University Press |year=2001 |isbn=0-8223-2800-3 |editor1-last=Robertson Wojcik |editor1-first=Pamela |page=[https://archive.org/details/soundtrackavaila00pame/page/422 422] |chapter=Popular Songs and Comic Allusion in Contemporary Cinema |editor2-last=Knight |editor2-first=Arthur |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/soundtrackavaila00pame |chapter-url-access=registration}}</ref>}}

The theme tune of Sidney Prescott, entitled "Sidney's Lament", became a signature track for the series, variations of the tune appearing across the score of ''Scream'', ''Scream 2'' and ''Scream 3''. The track features a female choral arrangement expressing "sorrow" concerning the fate of the character. In ''Scream'', Beltrami stated that the voice "spoke" for the character, "lamenting" the loss of her mother.<ref name="bsospiritbeltrami" /> In future films it went on to represent the murders and ensuing trauma inflicted on her.<ref name="bsospiritbeltrami" /> Christian Clemmensen of [[Filmtracks.com|Filmtracks]] called the "haunting" vocals of the track the "voice of the franchise".<ref name="scream1score" /> The track "Sid Wears a Dress" features in the finale of ''Scream 3'' where the sorrowful chorus of "Lament" gradually shifts [[Key (music)|key]] to represent "hope" for the characters future following the resolution of her storyline in what was then the final film in the series.<ref name="scream3score1" /><ref name="scream3scoreplusLament">{{cite web |last=Jarry |first=Jonathan |date=August 9, 1998 |title=Scream 3 |url=http://www.soundtrack.net/albums/database/?id=2329 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121007003728/http://www.soundtrack.net/albums/database/?id=2329 |archive-date=October 7, 2012 |access-date=March 3, 2005}}</ref> The female voice would be accompanied by a male addition for the first time in "Pied a Terror" from ''Scream 3'' to represent the brother of the character.<ref name="scream3score1" />

Beltrami returned for ''Scream 2'' (1997), leading the score though there would be a late inclusion by [[Danny Elfman]] in the form of the choral track "Cassandra Aria". In addition, excerpts from the score of ''[[Broken Arrow (1996 film)|Broken Arrow]]'' by [[Hans Zimmer]] appeared in the film, in particular guitar work by [[Duane Eddy]], for the character Dewey, replacing many of the character's related tracks from the original ''Scream'' score. Beltrami later explained that the Zimmer piece was used as a [[Studio recording#The process|scratch track]] for [[test screening]] purposes before the score was finalized. The test audience reaction to it influenced the studio keep the Zimmer piece, reducing "Dewey's Theme", which Beltrami had composed to fill its place, to minor use during more serious scenes involving the character.<ref name="scream2dvdcommentary" /><ref name="bsospiritbeltrami" /> The Zimmer piece would continue to be used in ''Scream 3'' during scenes concerning the evolving relationship between the characters of Dewey and Gale with Beltrami appropriating and adding his own influence to the piece to blend it into the thematic ''Scream 3'' score.<ref name="scream3score1" />

For ''Scream 3'', Beltrami employed seven [[orchestrator]]s to aid in scoring the extensive orchestral accompaniment featured in the film's score. Additionally, he experimented with new styles of sound production by recording instruments in abnormal circumstances such as inserting objects into a piano and recording at various velocities to create a distorted, unnatural sound and modifying the results electronically.<ref name="scream3score1" /><ref name="scream3scoreplusLament" />

== Reception ==
=== Box office performance ===
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders unsortable" style="text-align: center;"
|-
! scope="col" rowspan="2" | Film
! scope="col" rowspan="2" | U.S. release date
! scope="col" rowspan="2" | Budget
! scope="col" colspan="3" | Box office gross
! scope="col" rowspan="2" | All-time ranking worldwide<ref name="worldboxoffice">{{cite web |title=WorldwideBoxoffice (in millions of U.S. dollars) |url=https://www.worldwideboxoffice.com/index.cgi?order=worldwide&start=1900&finish=2023&keyword=scream |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718114859/http://www.worldwideboxoffice.com/index.cgi?order=worldwide&start=1900&finish=2011&keyword=scream |archive-date=July 18, 2011 |access-date=March 4, 2026|work=WorldwideboxoJUNEffice.com}}</ref>
! scope="col" rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | {{Refh}}
|-
! scope="col" | U.S. and Canada
! scope="col" | Other territories
! scope="col" | Worldwide
|-
! scope="row" | ''Scream'' (1996)
| December 20, 1996
| $14{{nbsp}}million
| $103,046,663
| $69,999,977
| $173,046,640
| style="text-align:center;" | #1,145
| style="text-align:center;" | <ref name="screamgross">{{cite web |title=Scream (1996) |url=https://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=scream.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190707095753/https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=scream.htm |archive-date=July 7, 2019 |access-date=March 4, 2026|work=[[Box Office Mojo]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite The Numbers |title=Scream |id=Scream |access-date=March 4, 2026}}</ref>
|-
! scope="row" | ''Scream 2''
| December 12, 1997
| $24{{nbsp}}million
| $101,363,301
| $71,000,000
| $172,363,301
| style="text-align:center;" | #1,152
| style="text-align:center;" | <ref name="scream2gross">{{cite web |title=Scream 2 (1997) |url=https://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=scream2.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190823003738/https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=scream2.htm |archive-date=August 23, 2019 |access-date=March 4, 2026|work=[[Box Office Mojo]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite The Numbers |title=Scream 2 |id=Scream-2 |access-date=March 4, 2026}}</ref>
|-
! scope="row" | ''Scream 3''
| February 4, 2000
| $40{{nbsp}}million
| $89,143,175
| $72,691,101
| $161,838,076
| style="text-align:center;" | #1,245
| style="text-align:center;" | <ref name="scream3gross">{{cite web |title=Scream 3 (2000) |url=https://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=scream3.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190512070216/https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=scream3.htm |archive-date=May 12, 2019|access-date=March 4, 2026|work=[[Box Office Mojo]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite The Numbers |title=Scream 3 |id=Scream-3 |access-date=March 4, 2026}}</ref>
|-
! scope="row" | ''Scream 4''
| April 15, 2011
| $40{{nbsp}}million
| $38,180,928
| $58,957,758
| $97,138,686
| style="text-align:center;" | #2,001
| style="text-align:center;" | <ref name="scream4gross">{{cite web |title=Scream 4 (2011) |url=https://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=scream4.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190831204152/https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=scream4.htm |archive-date=August 31, 2019|access-date=March 4, 2026|work=[[Box Office Mojo]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite The Numbers |title=Scream 4 |id=Scream-4 |access-date=March 4, 2026}}</ref>
|-
! scope="row" | ''Scream'' (2022)
| January 14, 2022
| $24{{nbsp}}million
| $81,641,405
| $57,233,384
| $138,874,789
| style="text-align:center;" | #1,447
| style="text-align:center;" | <ref>{{Cite Box Office Mojo |title=Scream |id=11245972 |access-date=March 4, 2026}}</ref><ref>{{cite The Numbers |title=Scream |id=Scream-(2022) |access-date=March 4, 2026}}</ref>
|-
! scope="row" | ''Scream VI''
| March 10, 2023
| $35{{nbsp}}million
| $108,391,107
| $60,672,743
| $169,063,850
| style="text-align:center;" | #1,178
| style="text-align:center;" | <ref>{{Cite Box Office Mojo |title=Scream VI (2023) |id=17663992 |access-date=March 4, 2026}}</ref><ref>{{cite The Numbers |title=Scream VI |id=Scream-VI-(2023) |access-date=March 4, 2026}}</ref>
|-
! scope="row" | ''Scream 7''
| February 27, 2026
| $45{{nbsp}}million
| $71,379,243
| $33,100,000
| $104,479,243
| style="text-align:center;" | #1,919
| style="text-align:center;" | <ref name="opening">{{Cite web |last=D'Alessandro |first=Anthony |date=2026-02-24 |title='Scream 7' To Yell $60M In Global Debut, Second-Best Start For 30-Year Old Horror Franchise – Box Office |url=https://deadline.com/2026/02/scream-7-box-office-opening-1236734856/ |access-date=March 4, 2026|website=[[Deadline Hollywood]] |language=en-US}}</ref>
|-
! colspan="2" style="text-align:center;" | '''Total'''
! '''$222 million'''
! ${{val|fmt=commas|{{#expr: 103046663+101363301+89143175+38180928+81641405+108391107+71379243}}}}
! ${{val|fmt=commas|{{#expr: 69999977+71000000+72691101+58957758+57233384+60672743+33100000}}}}
! ${{val|fmt=commas|{{#expr: 173046640+172363301+161838076+97138686+138874789+169063850+104479243}}}}
| style="background:lightgrey;" |
| style="background:lightgrey;" |
|}

To date, the franchise has earned over $1 billion worldwide.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Scream Franchise Box Office History |url=https://www.the-numbers.com/movies/franchise/Scream |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230312174530/https://www.the-numbers.com/movies/franchise/Scream |archive-date=March 12, 2023 |access-date=March 4, 2026|website=The Numbers}}</ref> The ''Scream'' series, when compared to other top-grossing American horror series—''[[A Nightmare on Elm Street (franchise)|A Nightmare on Elm Street]]'', ''[[Child's Play (franchise)|Child's Play]]'', ''[[Friday the 13th (franchise)|Friday the 13th]]'', ''[[Saw (franchise)|Saw]]'', ''[[Halloween (franchise)|Halloween]]'', and ''[[The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (franchise)|The Texas Chainsaw Massacre]]''—and adjusting for 2023 inflation, takes fourth place with $779.5 million.<ref>{{cite web |title=Scream box office rankings |url=https://boxofficemojo.com/franchises/chart/?id=scream.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120607052021/http://www.boxofficemojo.com/franchises/chart/?id=scream.htm |archive-date=June 7, 2012 |access-date=January 17, 2008 |work=[[Box Office Mojo]]}}</ref> ''Halloween'' is the highest-grossing horror series in the United States at approximately $1.09 billion,<ref>{{cite web |title=Tom's Inflation Calculator |url=https://www.halfhill.com/inflation_js.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130311153509/http://www.halfhill.com/inflation_js.html |archive-date=March 11, 2013 |access-date=September 21, 2011 |work=Halfhill.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Halloween box office rankings |url=https://boxofficemojo.com/franchises/chart/?id=halloween.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120510194900/http://boxofficemojo.com/franchises/chart/?id=halloween.htm |archive-date=May 10, 2012 |access-date=May 22, 2008 |work=[[Box Office Mojo]]}}</ref> with ''Friday the 13th'' in second at $908.4 million,<ref>{{cite web |title=Friday the 13th box office ranking |url=https://boxofficemojo.com/franchises/chart/?id=fridaythe13th.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090226235738/http://www.boxofficemojo.com/franchises/chart/?id=fridaythe13th.htm |archive-date=February 26, 2009 |access-date=May 22, 2008 |work=[[Box Office Mojo]]}}</ref> and the ''Nightmare on Elm Street'' series in third with $793.5 million.<ref>{{cite web |title=A Nightmare on Elm Street box office rankings |url=https://boxofficemojo.com/franchises/chart/?id=nightmareonelmstreet.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081216140226/http://boxofficemojo.com/franchises/chart/?id=nightmareonelmstreet.htm |archive-date=December 16, 2008 |access-date=May 22, 2008 |work=[[Box Office Mojo]]}}</ref> The ''Saw'' film series is the fifth highest grossing series with $688.3 million.<ref>{{cite web |title=Saw box office rankings |url=https://boxofficemojo.com/franchises/chart/?id=saw.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120506020328/http://boxofficemojo.com/franchises/chart/?id=saw.htm |archive-date=May 6, 2012 |access-date=September 5, 2008 |work=[[Box Office Mojo]]}}</ref> ''The Texas Chainsaw Massacre'' series is in sixth with $459.7 million,<ref>{{cite web |title=The Texas Chainsaw Massacre box office rankings |url=https://boxofficemojo.com/franchises/chart/?id=texaschainsawmassacre.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120506022000/http://boxofficemojo.com/franchises/chart/?id=texaschainsawmassacre.htm |archive-date=May 6, 2012 |access-date=January 17, 2008 |work=[[Box Office Mojo]]}}</ref> and the ''Child's Play'' film series rounding out the list with $305.2 million.<ref>{{cite web |title=Child's Play box office rankings |url=https://boxofficemojo.com/franchises/chart/?id=childsplay.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081216140200/http://boxofficemojo.com/franchises/chart/?id=childsplay.htm |archive-date=December 16, 2008 |access-date=January 17, 2008 |work=[[Box Office Mojo]]}}</ref>

The original ''Scream'' has remained the most successful of the series, accruing a $173,046,663 gross worldwide and receiving a largely positive critical reception, remaining the highest grossing slasher movie of all time until 2018's ''[[Halloween (2018 film)|Halloween]]'' was released.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Scott |first=Ryan |date=October 30, 2018 |title=Halloween Overtakes Scream as the Biggest Slasher Movie of All-Time |url=https://movieweb.com/halloween-2018-box-office-beats-scream-highest-grossing-slasher-movie/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220102165352/https://movieweb.com/halloween-2018-box-office-beats-scream-highest-grossing-slasher-movie/ |archive-date=January 2, 2022 |access-date=April 7, 2023 |website=MovieWeb |language=en}}</ref> Despite competition from other big-name films during its release{{Snd}}including [[Tom Cruise]]'s ''[[Jerry Maguire]]'' and [[Tim Burton]]'s ''[[Mars Attacks!]]''{{Snd}}its release date of December 20, during the Christmas season; and ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' labeling it "[[Dead on arrival|DOA]]" before it was even released;<ref name="InsideStoryScream" /> ''Scream'' became the surprise hit of the year and continued to show in cinemas for nearly eight months.<ref name="InsideStoryScream" /><ref name="WesCravenArtofHorror" />

''[[Scream (1996 film)|Scream]]'' was closely followed by ''Scream 2'' with less than $1{{nbsp}}million separating their respective box-office takings. By late 1998, ''Scream 2'' broke December opening weekend records for its box-office takings in 1997 and held the record until December 15, 2000.<ref name="fangoria171" /><ref name="Scream2Opening">{{cite web |title=Top Opening Weekends by Month |url=https://boxofficemojo.com/alltime/weekends/month/?mo=12&p=.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110302100817/http://boxofficemojo.com/alltime/weekends/month/?mo=12&p=.htm |archive-date=March 2, 2011 |access-date=March 25, 2011 |work=[[Box Office Mojo]]}}</ref> Unlike the first two films, ''Scream 3'' was not well received critically and made less domestically at the box office (though still did very well), taking $89.1{{nbsp}}million, compared to ''Scream'' and ''Scream 2'' with $103{{nbsp}}million and $101.1{{nbsp}}million respectively. The takings of all three installments remained relatively equal in other territories, with less than $2{{nbsp}}million separating them. ''Scream 4'' underperformed domestically, grossing just less than its $40{{Nbsp}}million budget, making $38.2{{Nbsp}}million in the United States and Canada. It did better internationally, grossing $59{{Nbsp}}million in other territories for a total worldwide gross of $97.1{{Nbsp}}million.<ref name="mojo">{{cite web |title=Scream 4 (2011) |url=https://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=scream4.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110511182601/http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=scream4.htm |archive-date=May 11, 2011 |access-date=May 10, 2011 |work=[[Box Office Mojo]]}}</ref> It remains the lowest financially performing entry in the series to date and, according to industry experts, the film's opening weekend was "disappointing",<ref name="deadLineResultsPredictions">{{cite news |last=Finke |first=Nikki |author-link=Nikki Finke |date=April 15, 2011 |title=''Rio 3D'' #1 In US And Foreign With $168M; ''Scream 4'' Whimpers; Weekend Up Overall |url=https://deadline.com/2011/04/first-box-office-rio-bird-winning-intl-battle-with-hop-123287/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110808121553/http://www.deadline.com/2011/04/first-box-office-rio-bird-winning-intl-battle-with-hop/ |archive-date=August 8, 2011 |access-date=April 15, 2011 |website=[[Deadline Hollywood]]}}</ref><ref name="EWBoxOffice">{{cite magazine |last=Young |first=John |date=April 17, 2011 |title=Box office report: ''Rio'' grabs year's best opening with $40 mil, ''Scream 4'' settles for $19.3 mil |url=http://insidemovies.ew.com/2011/04/17/box-office-report-rio-scream-4/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110625193750/http://insidemovies.ew.com/2011/04/17/box-office-report-rio-scream-4/ |archive-date=June 25, 2011 |access-date=April 18, 2011 |magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]}}</ref> with the film representing the second-lowest opening of the ''Scream'' franchise.<ref name="BOMScream">{{cite web |title=Scream Movies Opening Weekends |url=https://boxofficemojo.com/franchises/chart/?view=openings&id=scream.htm&p=.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110427205431/http://www.boxofficemojo.com/franchises/chart/?view=openings&id=scream.htm&p=.htm |archive-date=April 27, 2011 |access-date=April 17, 2011 |work=[[Box Office Mojo]]}}</ref> ''Scream'' (2022) grossed $81.6{{nbsp}}million in the United States and Canada, and $57.2{{nbsp}}million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $138.9{{nbsp}}million.<ref name="scream2022-TheNumbers">{{Cite web |title=Scream (2022) – Financial Information |url=https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Scream-(2022) |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230116020202/https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Scream-(2022) |archive-date=January 16, 2023 |access-date=April 29, 2023 |website=The Numbers}}</ref><ref name="scream2022-BOM">{{Cite Box Office Mojo |id=11245972 |title=Scream |access-date=March 27, 2022}}</ref> ''Scream VI'' had grossed $168.8 million worldwide as of May 1, 2023. It became the highest grossing instalment of the franchise at the domestic US box office (in unadjusted figures) and was the first movie in the franchise to cross $100 million at the domestic US box office in 26 years, since ''[[Scream 2]]'' in 1997.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rubin |first=Rebecca |date=April 6, 2023 |title=''Scream VI'' Crosses $100 Million, First in Franchise to Hit Box Office Milestone in 26 Years |url=https://variety.com/2023/film/box-office/scream-6-box-office-100-million-milestone-1235575749/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230406181804/https://variety.com/2023/film/box-office/scream-6-box-office-100-million-milestone-1235575749/ |archive-date=April 6, 2023 |access-date=April 6, 2023 |website=Variety |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=April 6, 2023 |title=Scream VI hits a franchise best at the box office |url=https://www.avclub.com/scream-vi-crosses-100-million-box-office-first-1850309194 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230406215546/https://www.avclub.com/scream-vi-crosses-100-million-box-office-first-1850309194 |archive-date=April 6, 2023 |access-date=April 6, 2023 |website=[[The A.V. Club]] |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Romanchick |first=Shane |date=April 6, 2023 |title=''Scream VI'' Crosses $100 Million at Domestic Box Office |url=https://collider.com/scream-6-crosses-domestic-box-office-100-million/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230406213425/https://collider.com/scream-6-crosses-domestic-box-office-100-million/ |archive-date=April 6, 2023 |access-date=April 6, 2023 |website=[[Collider (website)|Collider]] |language=en}}</ref>

=== Critical and public response ===
{{Hatnote|Each film is linked to the "Critical response" section of its article}}
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable" style="text-align: center;"
! scope="col" rowspan="2" | Film
! scope="col" colspan="2" | Critical
! colspan="2" scope="col" | Public
|-
! scope="col" | [[Rotten Tomatoes]]
! scope="col" | [[Metacritic]]
! scope="col" | [[CinemaScore]]<ref name="CinemaScore">{{cite web |title=CinemaScore |url=https://www.cinemascore.com/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220413083139/https://www.cinemascore.com/ |archive-date=April 13, 2022 |access-date=August 17, 2023}}</ref>
|-
| ''[[Scream (1996 film)#Critical response|Scream]]'' (1996)
| 78% (130 reviews)<ref name="rt1">{{cite web |title=Scream |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1074316-scream/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161220232540/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1074316-scream |archive-date=December 20, 2016 |access-date=August 17, 2023 |work=[[Rotten Tomatoes]]}}</ref>
| 66 (25 reviews)<ref name="mc1">{{cite web |title=Scream |url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/scream |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100526033336/http://www.metacritic.com/video/titles/scream |archive-date=May 26, 2010 |access-date=February 17, 2026 |work=[[Metacritic]]}}</ref>
| B+<ref>{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2026/02/box-office-scream-7-1236738417/|title='Scream 7' Shrieking At Record Decibels With Franchise-Best $59M Debut – Box Office Update|first=Anthony|last=D'Alessandro|website=[[Deadline Hollywood]]|date=February 27, 2026|accessdate=February 27, 2026}}</ref>
|-
| ''[[Scream 2#Critical response|Scream 2]]''
| 83% (133 reviews)<ref name="rt2">{{cite web |title=Scream 2 |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/scream_2/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191107015519/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/scream_2 |archive-date=November 7, 2019 |access-date=April 24, 2024 |work=[[Rotten Tomatoes]]}}</ref>
| 62 (22 reviews)<ref name="mc2">{{cite web |title=Scream 2 |url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/scream-2 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100526033342/http://www.metacritic.com/video/titles/scream2 |archive-date=May 26, 2010 |access-date=February 17, 2026 |work=[[Metacritic]]}}</ref>
| B+
|-
| ''[[Scream 3#Critical response|Scream 3]]''
| 45% (164 reviews)<ref name="rt3">{{cite web |title=Scream 3 |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/scream_3/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200426203414/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/scream_3 |archive-date=April 26, 2020 |access-date=April 24, 2024 |work=[[Rotten Tomatoes]]}}</ref>
| 56 (32 reviews)<ref name="mc3">{{cite web |title=Scream 3 |url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/scream-3 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170826054421/http://www.metacritic.com/movie/scream-3 |archive-date=August 26, 2017 |access-date=August 17, 2023 |work=[[Metacritic]]}}</ref>
| B
|-
| ''[[Scream 4#Critical response|Scream 4]]''
| 61% (190 reviews)<ref name="rt4">{{cite web |title=Scream 4 |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/scream-4/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170205065705/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/scream-4 |archive-date=February 5, 2017 |access-date=April 24, 2024 |work=[[Rotten Tomatoes]]}}</ref>
| 52 (32 reviews)<ref name="mc4">{{cite web |title=Scream 4 |url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/scream-4 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180104223236/http://www.metacritic.com/movie/scream-4 |archive-date=January 4, 2018 |access-date=August 17, 2023 |work=[[Metacritic]]}}</ref>
| B−
|-
| ''[[Scream (2022 film)#Critical response|Scream]]'' (2022)
| 76% (300 reviews)<ref name="Scream2022RT">{{cite web |title=Scream |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/scream_2022 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220112082641/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/scream_2022 |archive-date=January 12, 2022 |access-date=April 24, 2024 |website=Rotten Tomatoes |language=en}}</ref>
| 60 (49 reviews)<ref>{{cite web |title=Scream |url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/scream-2022 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220112080432/https://www.metacritic.com/movie/scream-2022 |archive-date=January 12, 2022 |access-date=August 17, 2023 |website=[[Metacritic]]}}</ref>
| B+
|-
| ''[[Scream VI#Critical response|Scream VI]]''
| 77% (316 reviews)<ref>{{cite web |title=Scream VI (2023) |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/scream_vi |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230316034325/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/scream_vi |archive-date=March 16, 2023 |access-date=February 17, 2026 |website=Rotten Tomatoes |language=en}}</ref>
| 61 (53 reviews)<ref>{{cite web |title=Scream VI Reviews |url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/scream-vi |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230311142432/https://www.metacritic.com/movie/scream-vi |archive-date=March 11, 2023 |access-date=August 17, 2023 |website=[[Metacritic]]}}</ref>
| B+
|-
| ''[[Scream 7#Critical response|Scream 7]]''
| 31% (171 reviews)<ref>{{cite web |title=Scream 7 (2026) |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/scream_7 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230316034325/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/scream_7 |archive-date=March 16, 2023 |access-date=March 3, 2026 |website=Rotten Tomatoes |language=en}}</ref>
| 36 (38 reviews)<ref>{{cite web |title=Scream 7 Reviews |url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/scream-7 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230311142432/https://www.metacritic.com/movie/scream-7 |archive-date=March 11, 2023 |access-date=March 3, 2026 |website=[[Metacritic]]}}</ref>
| B−
|}

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! Television
! [[Rotten Tomatoes]]
! [[Metacritic]]
|-
! scope="row" | ''[[Scream (TV series)|Scream]]'' <small>(season 1)</small>
| 52% (42 reviews)<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/scream/s01 |title=Scream: Season 1|website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]]}}</ref>
| 57 (20 reviews)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/tv/scream-2015/season-1/|title=Scream: Reviews|website=[[Metacritic]]|access-date=March 1, 2026}}</ref>
|-
! scope="row" | ''[[Scream (TV series)|Scream]]'' <small>(season 2)</small>
| 92% (12 reviews)<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/scream/s02 |title=Scream: Season 2|website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]]}}</ref>
| —
|-
! scope="row" | ''[[Scream (TV series)|Scream]]'' <small>(season 3)</small>
| 40% (5 reviews)<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/scream/s03 |title=Scream: Season 3|website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]]}}</ref>
| —
|}

The ''Scream'' film series has received a largely positive critical response since the release of the first film in 1996 with Kevin Thomas of ''[[The Los Angeles Times]]'' calling ''Scream'' "a bravura, provocative sendup of horror pictures" while ''[[Empire (magazine)|Empire]]''{{'}}s Adam Smith called it "Clever, quick and bloody funny." Other reviews appreciated the shift from the teen slasher films of the 1980s and their "endless series of laborious, half-baked sequels."<ref name="sanfranScream1">{{cite news |last=Stack |first=Peter |date=December 20, 1996 |title=Satirical ''Scream'' Is Out for Blood{{snd}}and Lots of It |url=https://www.sfgate.com/movies/article/FILM-REVIEW-Satirical-Scream-Is-Out-for-2955051.php |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110511180733/http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=%2Fc%2Fa%2F1996%2F12%2F20%2FDD42123.DTL |archive-date=May 11, 2011 |access-date=March 23, 2011 |newspaper=San Francisco Chronicle}}</ref> Williamson's script received praise for its "fiendishly clever, complicated plot" which "deftly mixes irony, self-reference and wry social commentary with chills and blood spills."<ref name="Scream1WashingtonPost">{{cite news |last=Harrington |first=Richard |date=December 20, 1996 |title=Go Ahead and ''Scream'' |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/review96/screamharr.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120131053759/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/review96/screamharr.htm |archive-date=January 31, 2012 |access-date=March 23, 2011 |newspaper=Washington Post}}</ref> Janet Maslin of ''[[The New York Times]]'' was less complimentary saying "[Craven] wants things both ways, capitalizing on lurid material while undermining it with mocking humor. Not even horror fans who can answer all this film's knowing trivia questions may be fully comfortable with such an exploitative mix".<ref name="Scream1NYT">{{cite news |last=Maslin |first=Janet |date=December 20, 1996 |title=Scream |url=https://www.nytimes.com/library/film/scream.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210702031508/https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/library/film/scream.html |archive-date=July 2, 2021 |access-date=March 23, 2011 |work=The New York Times}}</ref>

''Scream'' went on to rank No. 32 on ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]''{{'}}s list of the '50 Best High School Movies<ref name="EW50BestHighSchoolMovies">{{cite news |date=December 2008 |title=The 50 Best High School Movies |url=https://www.ew.com/ew/gallery/0,,20215654,00.html#20488998 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080828034747/http://www.ew.com/ew/gallery/0%2C%2C20215654_22%2C00.html#20488998 |archive-date=August 28, 2008 |access-date=March 23, 2011 |magazine=Entertainment Weekly}}</ref> and No. 13 on [[Bravo (US TV channel)|Bravo]]'s "The 100 Scariest Movie Movements".<ref name="Bravo100Scariest">{{cite web |title=The 100 Scariest Movie Moments |url=http://www.bravotv.com/The_100_Scariest_Movie_Moments/index.shtml |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071030070540/http://www.bravotv.com/The_100_Scariest_Movie_Moments/index.shtml |archive-date=October 30, 2007 |access-date=March 23, 2011 |publisher=Bravo}}</ref> In 2008, ''Entertainment Weekly'' would add additional praise to the film, listing it as No. 60 on their list of the "100 Best Films of the Last 13 years".<ref name="EW100BestFilms">{{cite news |date=June 20, 2008 |title=The 100 Best Films of the Last 13 Years |url=http://www.ew.com/gallery/100-new-movie-classics-no-75-51 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110514094811/http://www.ew.com/ew/gallery/0,,20206983,00.html#20069697 |archive-date=May 14, 2011 |access-date=March 23, 2011 |magazine=Entertainment Weekly}}</ref> The film ranked No. 482 on ''[[Empire (magazine)|Empire]]''{{'}}s 2008 list of "The 500 Greatest Movies of All Time".<ref name="Empire500Greatest">{{cite web |year=2008 |title=The 500 Greatest Movies of All Time |url=https://www.empireonline.com/500/4.asp |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111119163812/http://www.empireonline.com/500/4.asp |archive-date=November 19, 2011 |access-date=March 23, 2011 |work=Empire}}</ref> ''Scream'' received several awards in 1996 including the [[Saturn Award]]'s [[Saturn Award for Best Actress|Best Actress]] for Campbell, [[Saturn Award for Best Writing|Best Writing]] for Williamson and [[Saturn Award for Best Horror Film|Best Horror Film]] plus nominations for Best Director for [[Wes Craven]] and Best Supporting Actor for both Ulrich and Barrymore. The film was also awarded the 1997 [[MTV Movie Award for Best Movie|Best Movie]] by the [[MTV Movie Awards]].<ref name="saturnaward">{{cite web |title=Past Saturn Awards |url=http://www.saturnawards.org/past.html#filmactress |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121001084754/http://www.saturnawards.org/past.html#filmactress |archive-date=October 1, 2012 |access-date=March 14, 2011 |work=Saturnawards.org}}</ref><ref name="mtvmovieaward1996">{{cite web |title=1996 MTV Movie Awards |url=http://www.mtv.com/ontv/movieawards/1996/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150828141846/http://www.mtv.com/ontv/movieawards/1996/ |archive-date=August 28, 2015 |access-date=March 23, 2011 |work=Mtv.com}}</ref>

''Scream 2'' received equally positive critical response with some critics arguing that the film surpassed the original in scares and humor. Both [[Gene Siskel]] and the ''New York Times''' Janet Maslin gave the sequel positive reviews despite their negative response to ''Scream''.<ref name="janetmaslinscream2">{{cite news |last1=Maslin |first1=Janet |date=February 6, 1998 |title=FILM REVIEW; Help! He's Back! Run! Shriek! Tempt Fate! |url=https://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9C03E3DB103CF931A25751C1A961958260 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120516132028/http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9C03E3DB103CF931A25751C1A961958260 |archive-date=May 16, 2012 |access-date=April 16, 2011 |newspaper=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref> The film failed to achieve the same success as the original in terms of awards however, winning only the 1998 MTV Movie Award for [[MTV Movie Award for Best Performance|Best Female Performance]] for Campbell<ref name="mtvmovieaward1998">{{cite web |title=1998 MTV Movie Awards |url=http://www.mtv.com/ontv/movieawards/1998/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150126072819/http://www.mtv.com/ontv/movieawards/1998/ |archive-date=January 26, 2015 |access-date=March 14, 2011 |work=Mtv.com}}</ref> plus Saturn Award nominations for Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress and Best Horror Film for Campbell, Cox and ''Scream 2'' respectively.

''Scream 3'' received mixed reviews, with many critics agreeing it was a step down compared to the first two entries and relied too heavily on horror movie [[cliché]]s.<ref name="rt3" /> Of the characters, Roger Ebert said "[they] are so thin, they're transparent" but praised Campbell's appearance, saying "The camera loves her. She could become a really big star and then giggle at clips from this film at her AFI tribute".<ref name="Scream3RogerEbert">{{cite news |last=Ebert |first=Roger |date=February 4, 2000 |title=Scream 3 |url=http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20000204/REVIEWS/2040303 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111228150758/http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F20000204%2FREVIEWS%2F2040303 |archive-date=December 28, 2011 |access-date=March 23, 2011 |work=Chicago Sun Times}}</ref> Conversely, Kevin Thomas of the ''Los Angeles Times'' called it "genuinely scary and also highly amusing";<ref>{{Cite web |date=February 4, 2000 |title=Edge is Back in Grisly, Scary ''Scream'' |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2000-feb-04-ca-60873-story.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231122163631/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2000-feb-04-ca-60873-story.html |archive-date=November 22, 2023 |access-date=April 16, 2020 |website=[[Los Angeles Times]]}}</ref> Tom Coates at the [[BBC]] similarly stated that "as the conclusion to the trilogy it works more effectively than anyone had a right to expect".<ref name="Scream3BBC">{{cite web |last=Coates |first=Tom |date=May 24, 2001 |title=Scream 3 (2000) |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/films/2001/05/24/scream3_2000_review.shtml |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110421090600/http://www.bbc.co.uk/films/2001/05/24/scream3_2000_review.shtml |archive-date=April 21, 2011 |access-date=March 23, 2011 |publisher=BBC}}</ref> The movie and its themes were re-evaluated and examined in the wake of the [[MeToo movement]], with many seeing the commentary on sexism and abuse in Hollywood as ahead of its time.<ref name="WeinsteinScandalSlate" /><ref name="WeinsteinScream3Vice" />

''Scream 4'' received mixed reviews at the time of its release. While critics said it was an improvement over its predecessor, they were divided over the humor, kills, and its use of clichés.<ref name="Ebert">{{cite news |last=Ebert |first=Roger |author-link=Roger Ebert |date=April 14, 2011 |title=Scre4m :: rogerebert.com :: Reviews |url=http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110414/REVIEWS/110419991 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110417032542/http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F20110414%2FREVIEWS%2F110419991 |archive-date=April 17, 2011 |access-date=April 15, 2011 |work=[[Chicago Sun-Times]]}}</ref><ref name="WashingtonPost">{{cite news |last=O'Sullivan |first=Michael |date=April 15, 2011 |title=Critic Review for Scream 4 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/gog/movies/scream-4,1162201/critic-review.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110822075800/http://www.washingtonpost.com/gog/movies/scream-4,1162201/critic-review.html |archive-date=August 22, 2011 |access-date=April 15, 2011 |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]}}</ref> ''[[New York Daily News]]'' wrote that the film was "dated" and that its reliance "on obvious clichés doesn't seem ironic anymore, just easy".<ref name="NYDailyReview">{{cite news |last=Weitzman |first=Elizabeth |date=April 15, 2011 |title=Scream 4 Review: Wes Craven's Slashef Flick Returns to Old Stomping Grounds |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/movies/2011/04/15/2011-04-15_scream_4_review_wes_cravens_slasher_flick_returns_to_old_stomping_grounds.html?r=entertainment |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120206111318/http://articles.nydailynews.com/2011-04-15/entertainment/29449053_1_craven-and-williamson-gale-weathers-ghostface |archive-date=February 6, 2012 |access-date=April 15, 2011 |work=[[Daily News (New York)|The New York Daily News]]}}</ref> ''[[Empire (magazine)|Empire]]'' gave the film two out of five stars, criticizing the film's old-fashioned formula and lack of scare factor.<ref name="EmpireReview">{{cite web |last=Hughes |first=David |date=April 15, 2011 |title=Empire's Scream 4 Movie Review |url=https://www.empireonline.com/reviews/review.asp?FID=136825 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110515231944/http://www.empireonline.com/reviews/review.asp?FID=136825 |archive-date=May 15, 2011 |access-date=April 15, 2011 |work=[[Empire (magazine)|Empire]]}}</ref> Positive reviews included Colin Covert of the ''[[Star Tribune|Minneapolis Star Tribune]]'', who gave the film a perfect score of four out of four stars, praising the combination of scares, comedy, and twists.<ref name="StarTribuneReview">{{cite web |last=Covert |first=Colin |date=April 15, 2011 |title=Review: ''Scream 4'' finds fresh blood |url=http://www.startribune.com/entertainment/movies/119856344.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110418050006/http://www.startribune.com/entertainment/movies/119856344.html |archive-date=April 18, 2011 |access-date=April 16, 2011 |work=[[Minneapolis Star Tribune]]}}</ref> Reappraising the film, many have credited ''Scream 4'' as also being ahead of its time, foreshadowing the effects of [[Effects of social media on mental health|social media]] and [[Internet celebrity|Internet fame]], while also praising Craven's creative vision before his death four years following the film's release.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lussier |first=Germain |date=April 8, 2021 |title=I've Been Wrong About ''Scream 4'' for 10 Years |url=https://io9.gizmodo.com/ive-been-wrong-about-scream-4-for-10-years-1846635465 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210408204732/https://io9.gizmodo.com/ive-been-wrong-about-scream-4-for-10-years-1846635465 |archive-date=April 8, 2021 |access-date=April 8, 2021 |website=io9}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Keiper |first=Brian |date=April 14, 2021 |title=Bet You Didn't See That Coming: Why ''Scream 4'' May Be the Best Film in the Franchise |url=https://bloody-disgusting.com/editorials/3660168/bet-didnt-see-coming-scream-4-may-best-film-franchise/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210414203341/https://bloody-disgusting.com/editorials/3660168/bet-didnt-see-coming-scream-4-may-best-film-franchise/ |archive-date=April 14, 2021 |access-date=April 15, 2021 |website=Bloody Disgusting! |language=en-US}}</ref>

''Scream'' (2022) received positive reviews from critics, who praised the new and old cast's performances.<ref name="Catsoulis">{{Cite news |last=Catsoulis |first=Jeannette |date=January 13, 2022 |title=''Scream'' Review: Kill Me Again, Again |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/13/movies/scream-review.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220414182326/https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/13/movies/scream-review.html |archive-date=April 14, 2022 |access-date=January 14, 2022 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=January 14, 2022 |title=''Scream'' review – does it live up to the original? |url=https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a38693088/scream-review-2022/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220113173024/https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a38693088/scream-review-2022/ |archive-date=January 13, 2022 |access-date=January 14, 2022 |website=Digital Spy}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Hassenger |first=Jesse |date=January 13, 2022 |title=2022's Scream does for horror what Matrix Resurrections did for sci-fi |url=https://www.polygon.com/reviews/22882012/scream-review-2022-meta-horror |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220113181518/https://www.polygon.com/reviews/22882012/scream-review-2022-meta-horror |archive-date=January 13, 2022 |access-date=January 14, 2022 |website=[[Polygon (website)|Polygon]]}}</ref> Aedan Juvet of ''[[Screen Rant]]'' called the entry an excellent modern slasher and wrote, "Though the franchise has always been a distinguished property with pure perfection, the recent return to ''Scream'' raises the bar for aspiring slashers, once again setting a standard for modern horror – just as it did 25 years ago."<ref>{{Cite web |date=January 21, 2022 |title=Scream (2022): 8 Ways The Movie Perfected Modern Slasher Films |url=https://screenrant.com/scream-2022-ways-movie-perfected-modern-slasher-films/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220214111944/https://screenrant.com/scream-2022-ways-movie-perfected-modern-slasher-films/ |archive-date=February 14, 2022 |access-date=February 14, 2022 |website=[[Screen Rant]] |language=en-US}}</ref> In a more mixed review, Wenlei Ma of [[News.com.au]] rated the film 3 out of 5 and felt that "''Scream 5'' lacks the spark Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett brought to ''[[Ready or Not (2019 film)|Ready or Not]]''. ''Scream 5'' is certainly funny and irreverent, but where it falls over is that it's rarely scary."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Ma |first=Wenlei |date=January 13, 2022 |title=Few scares in exhausting horror movie |url=https://www.news.com.au/entertainment/movies/movie-reviews/scream-review-few-scares-in-latest-horror-franchise-entry/news-story/73a036e891c5d09b4e6df35320dba803 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220114000023/https://www.news.com.au/entertainment/movies/movie-reviews/scream-review-few-scares-in-latest-horror-franchise-entry/news-story/73a036e891c5d09b4e6df35320dba803 |archive-date=January 14, 2022 |access-date=January 14, 2022 |work=news.com.au}}</ref>

''Scream VI'' received positive reviews from critics, who praised the use of [[New York City]] as a fresh setting for the franchise while also praising the increased violence and performances of the cast. ''[[Chicago Sun-Times]]''{{'s}} [[Richard Roeper]] gave the film three out of four stars, writing "Nevertheless, off we go on another aggressively gruesome, wickedly funny and at times cleverly staged ''Scream''-fest that cheerfully defies logic while hitting all the right notes we've come to expect from the franchise." He praised the performances of Barrera, Ortega and Brown and felt the film's ending was "the most outlandish and spectacularly brutal ending of all".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Roeper |first=Richard |author-link=Richard Roeper |date=March 8, 2023 |title=''Scream VI'' goes to New York with some new twists |url=https://chicago.suntimes.com/movies-and-tv/2023/3/8/23627353/scream-vi-review-movie-new-york-melissa-barrera-jenna-ortega-jasmin-savoy-brown |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230308083450/https://chicago.suntimes.com/movies-and-tv/2023/3/8/23627353/scream-vi-review-movie-new-york-melissa-barrera-jenna-ortega-jasmin-savoy-brown |archive-date=March 8, 2023 |access-date=March 8, 2023 |website=[[Chicago Sun-Times]]}}</ref> In a more mixed review, Olly Richards, reviewing the film for ''[[Empire (magazine)|Empire]]'', gave it three out of five stars, opining that it was "still far more inventive and entertaining than most horror franchises of a similar vintage", yet "one of the sillier series entries in terms of plot, but still scary enough and funny enough to leave you hoping Ghostface might yet kill again".<ref>{{cite web |last=Richards |first=Olly |date=March 8, 2023 |title=''Scream VI'' Review |url=https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/scream-vi/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230310033731/https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/scream-vi/ |archive-date=March 10, 2023 |access-date=March 8, 2023 |website=[[Empire (magazine)|Empire]]}}</ref> ''Scream VI'' won the [[MTV Movie & TV Awards|MTV Movie and TV Award]] for Best Movie and Best Fight (Courteney Cox vs Ghostface).<ref name="MTVScreamVI">{{Cite web |last=Franklin |first=McKinley |date=May 7, 2023 |title=MTV Movie & TV Awards 2023 Full Winners List: ''The Last of Us'', ''Scream VI'' Take Top Honors |url=https://variety.com/2023/awards/news/mtv-movie-tv-awards-2023-winners-list-1235605621/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230508031122/https://variety.com/2023/awards/news/mtv-movie-tv-awards-2023-winners-list-1235605621/ |archive-date=May 8, 2023 |access-date=May 8, 2023 |website=Variety |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name="MTVTHR">{{Cite web |last=Thomas |first=Carly |date=May 8, 2023 |title=Most Memorable MTV Movie & TV Awards Moments: Tom Cruise Acceptance Speech, Drew Barrymore Recorded Segments |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/2023-mtv-movie-tv-awards-best-worst-moments-highlights-1235481817/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230508091048/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/2023-mtv-movie-tv-awards-best-worst-moments-highlights-1235481817/ |archive-date=May 8, 2023 |access-date=May 8, 2023 |website=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] |language=en-US}}</ref>

== Awards and nominations ==
{{Incomplete list|date=May 2023}}
The series has won many awards including:
* [[Saturn Awards|Best Horror Film]] at the [[Saturn Awards]] for ''[[Scream (1996 film)|Scream]]'' (1996)
* [[MTV Movie Award for Best Movie]] for ''Scream'' (1996)
* [[Saturn Award]] for Best Actress for [[Neve Campbell]] for ''Scream'' (1996)
* [[Blockbuster Entertainment Award]] for Favorite Actor – Horror for [[David Arquette]] for ''[[Scream 2]]'' (1997)
* Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Actress – Horror for Neve Campbell for ''Scream 2'' (1997)
* [[MTV Movie Award for Best Actor in a Movie]] and [[MTV Movie Award for Best Female Performance]] for Neve Campbell for ''Scream 2'' (1997)<ref name="saturnaward" /><ref name="mtvmovieaward1998" />
* Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Actor – Horror for David Arquette for ''[[Scream 3]]'' (2000)
* Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Actress – Horror for Neve Campbell for ''Scream 3'' (2000)
* [[Teen Choice Award]] for Choice Movie – Chemistry ([[Courteney Cox]] and David Arquette)
* [[Jenna Ortega]] won Most Frightened Performance at the [[MTV Movie & TV Awards]] for ''[[Scream (2022 film)|Scream]]'' (2022), which was also nominated for Best Movie<ref>{{Cite web |date=June 6, 2022 |title=MTV Movie & TV Awards 2022 Winners: The Complete List |url=https://www.eonline.com/news/1333235/mtv-movie-tv-awards-2022-winners-the-complete-list |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220616082948/https://www.eonline.com/news/1333235/mtv-movie-tv-awards-2022-winners-the-complete-list |archive-date=June 16, 2022 |access-date=May 8, 2023 |website=E! Online}}</ref>
* ''[[Scream VI]]'' (2023) won Best Movie (the second time a movie in the franchise has won Best Movie at the MTV Awards) and Best Fight (Courteney Cox vs [[Ghostface (Scream)|Ghostface]]).<ref name="MTVScreamVI" /><ref name="MTVTHR" />
* Jenna Ortega won The Drama Movie Star of the Year award at the 2024 [[People's Choice Awards]] for ''Scream VI'' (2023)
* [[Melissa Barrera]] won [[IMDb]]'s Fan Favorite Star Meter for ''Scream VI'' (2023)

== Home media ==
{{Update|part=section|date=April 2023|reason=This subsection needs updating to reflect releases of latest movies.}}
''[[Scream (1996 film)#Home media|Scream]]'' (1996) was released on [[VHS]] on December 2, 1997, and on [[DVD]] on December 3, 1997, in US territories by [[Buena Vista Home Entertainment]].<ref name="vhsScream1">{{cite AV media |title=Scream [VHS] (1996) |asin=6304675348}}</ref><ref name="dvdreleaseScream1">{{cite web |title=Scream |url=https://www.allmovie.com/dvd/scream-380 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101210133235/http://allmovie.com/dvd/scream-380 |archive-date=December 10, 2010 |access-date=April 2, 2011 |work=AllMovie.com}}</ref> A [[Special edition|collector's edition]] of the film released on December 8, 1998, containing the film as well as [[deleted scene]]s, outtakes, the film's theatrical trailer, cast interviews, directors commentary, and [[behind-the-scenes]] information.<ref name="dvdreleaseScream1CE">{{cite web |title=Scream Dimension Collector's Series |url=https://www.allmovie.com/dvd/scream-ws-directors-cut-2645 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090529031913/http://allmovie.com/dvd/scream-ws-directors-cut-2645 |archive-date=May 29, 2009 |access-date=April 2, 2011 |work=AllMovie.com}}</ref><ref name="dvdScream1features">{{cite AV media |title=Scream (Dimension Collector's Series) (1996) |asin=630521610X}}</ref> On October 19, 2021, for the film's 25th anniversary, [[Paramount Home Entertainment|Paramount]] released a newly remastered 4K version of the film on [[Ultra HD Blu-ray]].<ref name="Bloody Disgusting August 10, 2021">{{cite web |last=Squires |first=John |date=August 10, 2021 |title=Full Details Announced for 4K Ultra HD Release of Wes Craven's ''Scream''; Watch the Remastered Trailer! |url=https://bloody-disgusting.com/home-video/3677700/full-details-announced-4k-ultra-hd-release-wes-cravens-scream-watch-remastered-trailer/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210818160415/https://bloody-disgusting.com/home-video/3677700/full-details-announced-4k-ultra-hd-release-wes-cravens-scream-watch-remastered-trailer/ |archive-date=August 18, 2021 |access-date=August 10, 2021 |website=[[Bloody Disgusting]]}}</ref>

''[[Scream 2#Home media|Scream 2]]'' was released on VHS on December 1, 1998, and on DVD on July 22, 1998, in US territories by Buena Vista Home Entertainment.<ref name="vhsScream2">{{cite AV media |title=Scream 2 [VHS] (1998) |asin=6305089957}}</ref><ref name="dvdreleaseScream2">{{cite web |title=Scream 2 |url=https://www.allmovie.com/dvd/scream-2-1244 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101112202412/http://allmovie.com/dvd/scream-2-1244 |archive-date=November 12, 2010 |access-date=April 2, 2011 |work=AllMovie.com}}</ref> A collector's edition followed on August 7, 2001. The collector's edition features additional material including outtakes, deleted scenes, the film's theatrical trailer, music videos of songs featured in the film, and directors' commentary. On October 4, 2022, for the film's 25th anniversary, Paramount released a newly remastered 4K version of the film on Ultra HD Blu-ray.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Scream 2 Drops On 4K Blu-ray With a 25th Anniversary SteelBook Edition |url=https://comicbook.com/horror/news/scream-2-drops-on-4k-blu-ray-with-a-25th-anniversary-steelbook-edition/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220721214247/https://comicbook.com/horror/news/scream-2-drops-on-4k-blu-ray-with-a-25th-anniversary-steelbook-edition/ |archive-date=July 21, 2022 |access-date=July 22, 2022 |website=Horror}}</ref>

''[[Scream 3#Home media|Scream 3]]'' was released on VHS on October 24, 2000, and on DVD on July 4, 2000, in US territories by [[Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment]], which had rebranded from Buena Vista by 2000.<ref name="vhsScream3">{{cite AV media |url=https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00004Y635 |title=Scream 3 (Special Edition) [VHS] (2000) |access-date=April 2, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220407112550/https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00004Y635 |archive-date=April 7, 2022 |url-status=live |work=Amazon.com}}</ref><ref name="dvdreleaseScream3CE">{{cite web |title=Scream 3 |url=https://www.allmovie.com/dvd/scream-3-8738 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101112202417/http://allmovie.com/dvd/scream-3-8738 |archive-date=November 12, 2010 |access-date=April 2, 2011 |work=AllMovie.com}}</ref> The DVD release was as a collector's edition which features deleted scenes, outtakes, audio commentary, music videos of songs featured in the film, trailers for the film and biographies on the cast and crew involved in the film's production.<ref name="dvdreleaseScream3CE" /> In 2001, the ''Scream 3'' release was nominated for a [[Saturn Awards|Saturn Award]] for Best Home Video Release.<ref name="scream3SaturnDVD">{{cite web |date=June 12, 2001 |title=2001 Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films |url=https://www.imdb.com/event/ev0000004/2001 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110818193807/http://www.imdb.com/event/ev0000004/2001 |archive-date=August 18, 2011 |access-date=April 2, 2011 |work=Internet Movie Database}}</ref>

''[[Scream 4#Home media|Scream 4]]'' was first released on DVD and Blu-ray in Mexico on August 5, 2011.<ref name="saharis.com">{{cite web |date=August 5, 2011 |title=Scream 4 |url=http://www.saharis.com/store/osc/product_info.php?products_id=14332 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120415155601/http://www.saharis.com/store/osc/product_info.php?products_id=14332 |archive-date=April 15, 2012 |access-date=August 7, 2011 |website=saharis.com}}</ref> It was later released in the United Kingdom and Ireland on August 22, 2011,<ref name="Amazon.com.uk">[https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0050I7J92 Scream 4 Blu-ray] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220816000344/https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0050I7J92|date=August 16, 2022}} – Amazon.com.uk</ref> in Canada and the United States on October 4, 2011,<ref>{{cite web |title=Scream 4 [Blu-ray&#93;: Amazon.ca: Neve Campbell, David Arquette, Courteney Cox, Emma Roberts, Hayden Panettiere, Wes Craven: DVD |url=https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0057GUH3C |access-date=August 25, 2011 |work=Amazon.ca}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Scream 4 Coming to DVD.. |url=http://www.shocktillyoudrop.com/news/topnews.php?id=19554 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121012045654/http://www.shocktillyoudrop.com/news/topnews.php?id=19554 |archive-date=October 12, 2012 |access-date=June 19, 2011 |work=Shock Till You Drop}}</ref> and in Australia and New Zealand on October 13, 2011.<ref>{{cite web |title=Scream 4 &#124; MyFunDVD |url=http://dvd.myfun.com.au/Catalogue/Movies/Scream-4.asp |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111124011633/http://dvd.myfun.com.au/Catalogue/Movies/Scream-4.asp |archive-date=November 24, 2011 |access-date=August 25, 2011 |work=Dvd.myfun.com.au}}</ref>

''[[Scream (2022 film)#Home media|Scream]]'' (2022) was released digitally on March 1, 2022, in the United States.<ref>{{Cite web |date=January 12, 2022 |title=''Scream'' (2022) |url=https://itunes.apple.com/us/movie/scream-2022/id1603469106 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220204061513/https://itunes.apple.com/us/movie/scream-2022/id1603469106 |archive-date=February 4, 2022 |access-date=February 2, 2022 |via=[[iTunes]]}}</ref> It was released on Ultra HD Blu-ray, Blu-ray, and DVD on April 5, 2022, by [[Paramount Home Entertainment]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=January 20, 2022 |title=The New ''Scream'' Movie Getting a Solo 4K Release and Two-Pack With Original Movie; Pre-Order Now! |url=https://bloody-disgusting.com/home-video/3699909/new-scream-movie-getting-solo-4k-release-two-pack-original-movie-pre-order-now/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220202215330/https://bloody-disgusting.com/home-video/3699909/new-scream-movie-getting-solo-4k-release-two-pack-original-movie-pre-order-now/ |archive-date=February 2, 2022 |access-date=February 2, 2022 |website=[[Bloody Disgusting]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Scream 4K Blu-ray |url=https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Scream-4K-Blu-ray/303104/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220228173152/https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Scream-4K-Blu-ray/303104/ |archive-date=February 28, 2022 |access-date=February 28, 2022 |website=Blu-ray.com}}</ref>

In foreign territories, ''Scream'', ''Scream 2'' and ''Scream 3'' remained unreleased, including in Europe and Japan, until 2001, when they were simultaneously released on February 26 by Buena Vista Home Entertainment. Each film contained the additional content found in the collector's edition version of their US release, including deleted scenes, outtakes, theatrical trailers, music videos and commentary from each respective film's crew.<ref name="dvdreleaseScream1Region2">{{cite web |title=Scream Region 2 |url=https://www.allmovie.com/dvd/scream-103457 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090529031858/http://allmovie.com/dvd/scream-103457 |archive-date=May 29, 2009 |access-date=April 2, 2011 |work=AllMovie.com}}</ref><ref name="dvdreleaseScream2Region2">{{cite web |title=Scream 2 Region 2 |url=https://www.allmovie.com/dvd/scream-2-106061 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130101225753/http://www.allmovie.com/dvd/scream-2-106061 |archive-date=January 1, 2013 |access-date=April 2, 2011 |work=AllMovie.com}}</ref><ref name="dvdreleaseScream3Region2">{{cite web |title=Scream 3 Region 2 |url=https://www.allmovie.com/dvd/scream-3-103538 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130102014042/http://www.allmovie.com/dvd/scream-3-103538 |archive-date=January 2, 2013 |access-date=April 2, 2011 |work=AllMovie.com}}</ref>

Following the release of ''Scream 3'', the first three films were collected in ''The Ultimate Scream Collection'' by [[Dimension Films]] on September 26, 2000, in a [[box set]] containing ''Scream'', ''Scream 2'' and ''Scream 3'',<ref name="dvdUltimateScream">{{cite web |title=The Ultimate Scream Trilogy |url=https://www.allmovie.com/dvd/scream-trilogy-4-discs-9607 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100317150244/http://www.allmovie.com/dvd/scream-trilogy-4-discs-9607 |archive-date=March 17, 2010 |access-date=April 2, 2011 |work=AllMovie.com}}</ref> plus ''Behind the Scream'', a short documentary about the production of the three films, and additional material, including [[screen test]]s of actors involved in the films, outtakes, and deleted scenes. Additionally, the three films were collected together in a single pack, again released on February 26, 2001, and released as "Scream Trilogy".<ref name="dvdreleaseScreamAllRegion2">{{cite web |title=Scream Trilogy Region 2 |url=https://www.allmovie.com/dvd/scream-107473 |access-date=April 2, 2011 |work=AllMovie.com}}{{Dead link|date=June 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> The three original films were released individually and in a collection in [[Blu-ray|Blu-ray Disc]] format on March 29, 2011, two weeks prior to the release of ''Scream 4'', by [[Lionsgate Home Entertainment]], which included [[1080p]] [[High-definition video|high definition]] versions of the films. In addition to the films, each release contained audio commentary, theatrical trailers and behind-the-scenes footage for each respective film.<ref name="blurayScream">{{cite web |last=S |first=Brian |date=March 2, 2011 |title=Lionsgate to Officially release the SCREAM Trilogy on Blu-ray! |url=http://geektyrant.com/news/2011/3/2/lionsgate-to-officially-release-the-scream-trilogy-on-blu-ra.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20121208131224/http://geektyrant.com/news/2011/3/2/lionsgate-to-officially-release-the-scream-trilogy-on-blu-ra.html |archive-date=December 8, 2012 |access-date=April 2, 2011 |work=Geektyrant.com}}</ref>

== Soundtrack ==
{{main|Music of the Scream franchise{{!}}Music of the ''Scream'' franchise}}

=== ''Scream'' (1996) ===
The ''Scream'' (1996) original soundtrack, released December 17, 1996, by the label [[TVT Records]], features 12 songs by various artists including the original piece "Trouble in Woodsboro"/"Sidney's Lament" from the film's score by [[Marco Beltrami]], most of which appeared in various scenes in the film. The piece "[[School's Out (song)|School's Out]]" by [[Alice Cooper (band)|Alice Cooper]] appeared in the film but was replaced with a cover version of the song by [[The Last Hard Men (band)|The Last Hard Men]] on the album. The album was given 3 out of 5 stars by [[Allmusic]]<ref name="scream1soundtrack">{{cite web |title=Scream Original Soundtrack |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/r248326 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110515034618/http://www.allmusic.com/album/r248326 |archive-date=May 15, 2011 |access-date=March 18, 2011 |website=[[AllMusic]]}}</ref> though it was considered a failure and never charted on the [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]] despite the success of the film.<ref name="scream1soundtrack2">{{cite magazine |title=Scream – Original Soundtrack |url=https://www.billboard.com/album/original-soundtrack/scream/197943#/album/original-soundtrack/scream/197943 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110514194518/http://www.billboard.com/album/original-soundtrack/scream/197943#/album/original-soundtrack/scream/197943 |archive-date=May 14, 2011 |access-date=March 18, 2011 |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]}}</ref><ref name="scream2soundtrack" />

The ''Scream'' score by Marco Beltrami would be his first time scoring a major film release and the ensuing exposure allowed him to go on to score other blockbuster films such as ''[[I, Robot (film)|I, Robot]]'' and ''[[Live Free or Die Hard]]''. The score would not be released commercially until July 14, 1998, by [[Varèse Sarabande]] in a dual-pack with the ''Scream 2'' score. However it was found to lack several pieces from the films, with a runtime of only 12 minutes compared to the more common 30–45 minutes normally found in original scores<ref name="scream2score2">{{cite web |last=Carlsson |first=Mikael |title=Scream/Scream 2 |url=http://www.musicfromthemovies.com/review.asp?ID=79 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061116031301/http://www.musicfromthemovies.com/review.asp?ID=79 |archive-date=November 16, 2006 |access-date=January 27, 2007 |work=Music from the Movies}}</ref> due to the high reuse fees involved in obtaining the rights to commercially release the music.<ref name="scream2soundtrack">{{cite web |last=Goldwasser |first=Dan |date=September 8, 1998 |title=Marco Beltrami – Interview |url=http://www.soundtrack.net/features/article/?id=13 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120106230306/http://www.soundtrack.net/features/article/?id=13 |archive-date=January 6, 2012 |access-date=September 28, 2016 |website=Soundtrack.net}}</ref> Beltrami was considered to have taken inspiration from the synthetic styles of [[Éric Serra]] and other successful scores, the references becoming more pronounced in his score to ''Scream 2''. The theme for the central character Sidney Prescott, "Sidney's Lament" incorporated a "haunting" female solo vocal that would be utilized in other tracks throughout the entire film series.<ref name="scream1score">{{cite web |last=Clemmensen |first=Christian |date=July 21, 1998 |title=Scream/Scream 2 |url=http://www.filmtracks.com/titles/scream1_2.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110209081753/http://filmtracks.com/titles/scream1_2.html |archive-date=February 9, 2011 |access-date=March 18, 2011}}</ref> The score to ''Scream'' received generally positive reviews with Mikael Carlsson labeling it as some of the most intriguing horror scores composed in years<ref name="scream1score" /> while Filmtracks claimed the scores had "[[Cult following|cult status]]".<ref name="scream1score" />

=== ''Scream 2'' ===
The ''Scream 2'' original soundtrack was released December 2, 1997, by [[Capitol Records]] featuring 15 songs in the [[Rhythm and blues|R&B]], [[Hip hop music|rap]] and [[Rock music|rock]] genres by various artists, some of which are represented in the film.<ref>{{cite web |date=May 4, 1997 |title=Marco Beltrami – Scream 2: Music from the Dimension Motion Picture |url=https://www.amazon.com/Scream-Music-Dimension-Motion-Picture/dp/B000002TLV |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305175321/http://www.amazon.com/Scream-Music-Dimension-Motion-Picture/dp/B000002TLV |archive-date=March 5, 2016 |access-date=August 23, 2018 |work=Amazon}}</ref> The album spent ten weeks on the ''Billboard'' 200, rising as high as No. 50<ref name="scream2Billboard">{{cite magazine |title=Scream 2 – Original Soundtrack |url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/billboard-200#/album/original-soundtrack/scream-2/273965 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120812224242/http://www.billboard.com/charts/billboard-200#/album/original-soundtrack/scream-2/273965 |archive-date=August 12, 2012 |access-date=March 18, 2011 |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]}}</ref> but received a lower score than its predecessor from the music guide Allmusic, gaining only 2 out of 5.<ref name="scream2soundtrack" /> Stephen Erlewine of Allmusic opined that the soundtrack was an attempt to compensate for the previous film's lack of a hit soundtrack, but failed to do, creating an "uneven" album of songs not "good enough to make [the artists'] own albums".<ref name="scream2soundtrack2">{{cite web |last=Erlewine |first=Stephen Thomas |title=Scream 2 Original Soundtrack Review |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/scream-2-r325710/review |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110515152318/http://www.allmusic.com/album/scream-2-r325710/review |archive-date=May 15, 2011 |access-date=March 18, 2011 |website=[[AllMusic]]}}</ref>

The ''Scream 2'' score was, as in ''Scream'', developed by Marco Beltrami and was released on July 14, 1998, in a dual-pack with the score to ''Scream'' by Varèse Sarabande. The commercially released score was found to be lacking several pieces used in the film, with a runtime of only 17 minutes compared to the more common 30–45 minutes normally found in original scores.<ref name="scream2score2" /> Included in the missing pieces was the track "Cassandra Aria" created by [[Danny Elfman]], described by soundtrack-review site Filmtracks as "a frenzied, choral-enhanced three minutes" that remains unreleased {{as of|2011|3|lc=y}}.<ref name="scream1score" /> The length of the released score was considered disappointing and blamed on the fees required to be paid to musicians in order to release their music.<ref name="scream2score2" /> The influence of several other famous composers could be heard in the score including [[Hans Zimmer]], [[Elliot Goldenthal]], [[Ennio Morricone]] and [[Christopher Young]]. In particular excerpts of the Hans Zimmer's score to ''[[Broken Arrow (1996 film)|Broken Arrow]]'', featuring guitar by [[Duane Eddy]], would become a component of the theme tune of the character Dewey Riley.

=== ''Scream 3'' ===
The ''Scream 3'' original soundtrack was released on January 25, 2000, by [[Wind-up Records]] featuring 18 songs consisting largely of the [[Heavy metal music|metal]] genre by artists such as [[System of a Down]], [[Slipknot (band)|Slipknot]] and [[Powerman 5000]], some of which are represented in the film. The album fared better than its predecessors, spending fourteen weeks on the ''Billboard'' 200 and reaching a top rank of #32.<ref name="scream3soundtrack1">{{cite magazine |title=Scream 3 – Original Soundtrack |url=https://www.billboard.com/album/original-soundtrack/scream-3-original-soundtrack/397361#/album/original-soundtrack/scream-3-original-soundtrack/397361 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121110155734/http://www.billboard.com/album/original-soundtrack/scream-3-original-soundtrack/397361#/album/original-soundtrack/scream-3-original-soundtrack/397361 |archive-date=November 10, 2012 |access-date=March 19, 2011 |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]}}</ref> and scoring a 2.5 out of 5 from music guide Allmusic. Reviewer Steve Huey claims that the "high pedigree" of the albums contributors had produced a "pretty listenable album".<ref name="scream3soundtrack2" />

The ''Scream 3'' score was again helmed by Marco Beltrami who employed seven [[orchestrator]]s and experimented with the recording of instruments in unusual circumstances such as physically and electronically altering the traditional sound of a piano while continuing to include a heavy vocal orchestra in his tracks<ref name="scream3score1">{{cite web |last=Clemmensen |first=Christian |date=February 29, 2000 |title=Scream 3 |url=http://www.filmtracks.com/titles/scream3.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120218172243/http://www.filmtracks.com/titles/scream3.html |archive-date=February 18, 2012 |access-date=March 19, 2011}}</ref> There was consideration that Beltrami was forced to hire multiple orchestrators to complete the score to meet the film's deadline.<ref name="scream3soundtrack2">{{cite web |title=''Scream 3'' – Score |url=http://www.musicfromthemovies.com/index5.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=%27%20.%20%282941%29%20.%20%27scream |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190706140541/http://www.musicfromthemovies.com/index5.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=%27%20.%20%282941%29%20.%20%27scream |archive-date=July 6, 2019 |access-date=March 19, 2011}}</ref> Like previous scores in the series, the ''Scream 3'' score was released by Varèse Sarabande on February 29, 2000, with a total length of 33 minutes of music, though the album was again found to be missing certain sections of the score utilized within the film.<ref name="scream3score1" /> Beltrami took inspiration from other composers for the score, again incorporating excerpts of the score to ''[[Broken Arrow (1996 film)|Broken Arrow]]'' by Hans Zimmer in the track "Sid Wears a Dress".<ref name="scream3score1" /> Music guide Allmusic awarded the ''Scream 3'' score 2.5 out of 5.<ref name="scream3score3">{{cite web |title=Scream 3 [Score] |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/scream-3-score-r466563 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230208180635/https://www.allmusic.com/album/scream-3-original-score--mw0000054143 |archive-date=February 8, 2023 |access-date=March 19, 2011 |website=[[AllMusic]]}}</ref>

=== ''Scream 4'' ===
The ''Scream 4: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack'' was released on April 12, 2011, by [[Lakeshore Records]].<ref name="soundtrack">{{cite web |title=Scream 4: Music from the Dimension Motion Picture |url=https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004RPQSDC |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120401024412/http://www.amazon.com/Scream-4-Score-Marco-Beltrami/dp/B004RPQSDC |archive-date=April 1, 2012 |access-date=April 7, 2011 |website=Amazon}}</ref> The soundtrack features 12 songs performed by various artists mainly of the [[Rock music|rock genre]], such as [[Ida Maria]], [[The Sounds]] and [[The Novocaines]]. The soundtrack received mixed reactions, with Gotham News stating that "This new album attempts to retain the style of the old, while speaking to the present content-diluted market. It has some success, but no cigar."<ref name="soundtrack2">{{cite web |title=KEVIN'S MUSIC REVIEW: SCREAM 4 ORIGINAL MOTION PICTURE SOUNDTRACK |url=http://www.gotham-news.com/node/5439 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140202120934/http://www.gotham-news.com/node/5439 |archive-date=February 2, 2014 |access-date=April 4, 2011 |work=Gotham-news.com}}</ref> Shadowlocked criticized the soundtrack's overly light tone, saying that "There's little here that I would have picked for a horror movie."<ref name="shadwolocked">{{cite web |title=SCREAM 4 SOUNDTRACK REVIEW |url=http://www.shadowlocked.com/201104041682/reviews/scream-4-soundtrack-review.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110423112803/http://www.shadowlocked.com/201104041682/reviews/scream-4-soundtrack-review.html |archive-date=April 23, 2011 |access-date=April 4, 2011 |work=Shadowlocked.com}}</ref>

A score soundtrack was also released, on April 19, 2011, by [[Varèse Sarabande]].<ref name="soundtrack2" /> The ''Scream 4'' score was yet again developed by Marco Beltrami. It received mixed reviews. Filmtracks stating that "Despite the memorable history Beltrami has afforded the franchise musically, Scream 4 is a substantially disappointing continuation of the narrative. He and four assistant composers handle the 2011 entry from a purely functional stance, tackling individual scenes with stylistic remnants of the previous scores while accomplishing absolutely nothing new."<ref name="filmtracks">{{cite web |title=Scre4m |url=http://www.filmtracks.com/titles/scream4.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110423073205/http://www.filmtracks.com/titles/scream4.html |archive-date=April 23, 2011 |access-date=April 18, 2011 |work=Filmtracks.com}}</ref> Soundtrack-review site Sountrackgeek gave the score a highly favorable review: "It is possibly the best score in the Scream series, because it is so incredibly forceful. It wants to be full of action and chills and it is. It's not the scariest of scores, but Scream has never been about the moody scares, but rather the surprise scare and crazy fight/chase scenes. It succeeds and I had a blast listening to this from start to finish."<ref name="soundtrackgeek">{{cite web |title=Scre4m Soundtrack Review |url=http://soundtrackgeek.com/reviews/scream-4-soundtrack-review.php |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110501075716/http://soundtrackgeek.com/reviews/scream-4-soundtrack-review.php |archive-date=May 1, 2011 |access-date=April 18, 2011 |work=Soundtrackgeek.com}}</ref>

=== ''Scream'' (2022) ===
The ''Scream'' (2022) soundtrack consists of 15 songs{{Snd}}primarily of the [[Pop music|pop]], [[Alternative rock|alternative]], and [[Hip hop music|hip-hop]] genres{{Snd}}featuring artists such as [[Kim Petras]], [[DJ Khaled]], and [[Santigold]]. The soundtrack received positive reviews, with Joséphine Michele of Screen Rant describing it as matching the tone of the ''Scream'' films perfectly while still feeling modern, saying "the movie itself takes heavy inspiration from the first film, but ''Scream'' (2022) ups the gore and violence, and the soundtrack brings it into the 2020s."<ref>{{Cite web |date=January 14, 2022 |title=Scream 2022 Soundtrack Guide: Every Song |url=https://screenrant.com/scream-5-soundtrack-guide-songs-2022/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230207113120/https://screenrant.com/scream-5-soundtrack-guide-songs-2022/ |archive-date=February 7, 2023 |access-date=March 29, 2022 |website=[[Screen Rant]] |language=en-US}}</ref>

The fifth film's score soundtrack was released on January 7, 2022, by [[Varèse Sarabande]]. The score was developed by [[Brian Tyler]], making it the first film in the franchise with a score that was not created by Marco Beltrami.

=== ''Scream VI'' ===
The film is co-scored by [[Brian Tyler]], returning from the previous installment, and Sven Faulconer.<ref>{{cite web |date=December 14, 2022 |title=Brian Tyler Scoring Matt Bettinelli-Olpin's & Tyler Gillett's ''Scream VI'' |url=https://filmmusicreporter.com/2022/12/14/brian-tyler-scoring-matt-bettinelli-olpins-tyler-gilletts-scream-6/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221215000044/https://filmmusicreporter.com/2022/12/14/brian-tyler-scoring-matt-bettinelli-olpins-tyler-gilletts-scream-6/ |archive-date=December 15, 2022 |access-date=December 15, 2022 |work=Film Music Reporter}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=January 26, 2023 |title=Sven Faulconer Joins Brian Tyler to Co-Score Matt Bettinelli-Olpin's & Tyler Gillett's ''Scream VI'' |url=https://filmmusicreporter.com/2023/01/26/sven-faulconer-joins-brian-tyler-to-co-score-matt-bettinelli-olpins-tyler-gilletts-scream-vi/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230205090914/https://filmmusicreporter.com/2023/01/26/sven-faulconer-joins-brian-tyler-to-co-score-matt-bettinelli-olpins-tyler-gilletts-scream-vi/ |archive-date=February 5, 2023 |access-date=March 3, 2023 |website=FilmMusicReporter}}</ref> [[Demi Lovato]] and [[Mike Shinoda]] contributed to the soundtrack with their songs "Still Alive" and "In My Head", respectively.<ref>{{cite web |title=Demi Lovato's Original Song "Still Alive" from ''Scream VI'' Released |url=http://filmmusicreporter.com/2023/03/03/demi-lovatos-original-song-still-alive-from-scream-6-released/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230303204002/http://filmmusicreporter.com/2023/03/03/demi-lovatos-original-song-still-alive-from-scream-6-released/ |archive-date=March 3, 2023 |access-date=March 4, 2023 |website=FilmMusicReporter}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Mike Shinoda Drops Killer New Solo Song For ''Scream VI'' |url=https://www.iheart.com/content/2023-03-10-mike-shinoda-drops-killer-new-solo-song-for-scream-vi/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230314010137/https://www.iheart.com/alternate/amp/2023-03-10-mike-shinoda-drops-killer-new-solo-song-for-scream-vi/ |archive-date=March 14, 2023 |access-date=March 11, 2023 |website=iHeart}}</ref>

== Documentary film ==
A documentary film, ''Still Screaming: The Ultimate Scary Movie Retrospective'',<ref>[https://www.comingsoon.net/movies/news/75980-scream-franchise-documentary-still-screaming-premiering-april-14] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200112112954/https://www.comingsoon.net/movies/news/75980-scream-franchise-documentary-still-screaming-premiering-april-14|date=January 12, 2020}}, Scream Franchise Documentary Still Screaming Premiering April 14</ref> was released in April 2011. This film was written and directed by Ryan Turek. The documentary discusses the first three movies in the series and includes interviews with [[Wes Craven]], [[Neve Campbell]], [[David Arquette]] and other cast members.<ref>[https://www.slashfilm.com/still-screaming-ultimate-scary-movie-retrospective-review/] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200112112956/https://www.slashfilm.com/still-screaming-ultimate-scary-movie-retrospective-review/|date=January 12, 2020}} Germain Lussier (September 5, 2011) ''Still Screaming: The Ultimate Scary Movie Retrospective'' Review</ref> Composer John Corlis wrote the music for the documentary, which was released digitally in 2018.<ref>{{Cite web |date=January 19, 2018 |title=Still Screaming Soundtrack |url=https://johncorlis.com/albums/still-screaming-soundtrack/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231104212615/https://johncorlis.com/albums/still-screaming-soundtrack/ |archive-date=November 4, 2023 |access-date=November 21, 2023 |website=John Corlis |language=en}}</ref>

== Video games ==
In 2011, the game ''Scream 4'' (stylized as ''SCRE4M''), developed by Beefy Media and Codeglue, published by [[The Weinstein Company]], was released for iOS and Android.<ref>{{Cite web |date=February 19, 2012 |title=Codeglue: Scream 4 |url=http://www.codeglue.com/game.php?id=112&game=Scream+4 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120219093338/http://www.codeglue.com/game.php?id=112&game=Scream+4 |archive-date=February 19, 2012 |access-date=November 7, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=February 19, 2012 |title=Codeglue: Scream 4 |url=http://www.codeglue.com/game.php?id=113&game=Scream+4 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120219093343/http://www.codeglue.com/game.php?id=113&game=Scream+4 |archive-date=February 19, 2012 |access-date=November 7, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=April 28, 2012 |title=Products « Beefy Media |url=http://beefymedia.com/products/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120428001158/http://beefymedia.com/products/ |archive-date=April 28, 2012 |access-date=November 7, 2024}}</ref>

Ghostface has appeared as a playable character in the games ''[[Call of Duty: Warzone]]'', ''[[Dead by Daylight]]'', ''[[Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War]]'', ''[[Among Us]]'', ''[[Mortal Kombat 1]]'', and ''[[Fortnite]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Scream's Ghostface Is Coming To Call Of Duty Season 6's Haunting Event |url=https://www.gamespot.com/articles/screams-ghostface-is-coming-to-call-of-duty-season-6-haunting-event/1100-6496855/ |access-date=November 7, 2024 |website=GameSpot |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Shirey |first=J. Brodie |date=October 29, 2024 |title=Mortal Kombat 1 Reveals Ghostface Release Date |url=https://gamerant.com/mortal-kombat-1-ghostface-release-date-scream-mk1/ |access-date=November 8, 2024 |website=Game Rant |language=en}}</ref>

== Controversies ==
{{See also|Scream copycat crimes{{!}}''Scream'' copycat crimes}}
{{Update section|date=February 2025}}
Amidst the series' success, it has also been tinged with controversy with claims of real-world [[copycat crime]] inspirations and inducing violence.

On May 4, 1999, following the [[Columbine High School massacre]] and increasing news media scrutiny on the effects on society of violence in films, games and other media, the [[United States Senate]] [[United States Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation|Commerce committee]] held a hearing about Hollywood's marketing of films to youths and the horror genre of films in particular, using the opening scene of ''Scream'', as an example of negative media which may be viewed by children.<ref name="ETrueHollywoodStory" /><ref name="controversySenate">{{cite web |last1=Jenkins |first1=Dr. Henry |title=Dr. Jenkins Senate Testimony |url=http://www.digitalvillage.org/dv_jenkins1.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120322030927/http://www.digitalvillage.org/dv_jenkins1.html |archive-date=March 22, 2012 |access-date=March 30, 2011 |work=Digital Village}}</ref>

In the 2006 [[murder of Cassie Jo Stoddart]], the perpetrators, Brian Draper and Torey Adamcik, both 16, were said to be inspired by the ''Scream'' franchise.<ref>{{Cite web |title=These Teens Wanted To Kill Their Friend – And Their Plan Was Something Straight Out Of The Movies |url=https://www.ranker.com/list/cassie-jo-stoddart-facts/jacob-shelton |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220121023049/https://www.ranker.com/list/cassie-jo-stoddart-facts/jacob-shelton |archive-date=January 21, 2022 |access-date=March 30, 2022 |website=Ranker |language=en}}</ref>

In January 2022, following the release of the fifth film, Logan Smith, 18, of Cocoa, Florida, tried to strangle a jogger to death after watching ''Scream'', with intent to keep the corpse.<ref name="LoganSmith">{{cite news |last=Reilly |first=Patrick |date=January 23, 2022 |title=Teen inspired by ''Scream'' plotted to kill jogger |url=https://nypost.com/2022/01/23/florida-teen-logan-smith-arrested-for-plot-to-kill-jogger-keep-body-for-sexual-desires/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220123071536/https://nypost.com/2022/01/23/florida-teen-logan-smith-arrested-for-plot-to-kill-jogger-keep-body-for-sexual-desires/ |archive-date=January 23, 2022 |access-date=January 23, 2022}}</ref>

== Notes ==
{{notelist}}

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
* {{IMDb title|qid=Q27411|id=tt0117571|title=Scream{{noitalic| (1996)}}}}
* {{IMDb title|qid=Q270599|id=tt0120082|title=Scream 2}}
* {{IMDb title|qid=Q391784|id=tt0134084|title=Scream 3}}
* {{IMDb title|qid=Q323392|id=tt1262416|title=Scream 4}}
* {{IMDb title|qid=Q88563268|id=tt11245972|title=Scream{{noitalic| (2022)}}}}
* {{IMDb title|qid=Q112183099|id=tt17663992|title=Scream VI}}
* {{IMDb title|qid=Q124758309|id=tt27047903|title=Scream 7}}
* {{Instagram|screammovies}}
* {{Twitter|ScreamMovies}}

{{Scream}}
{{Paramount Franchises}}

[[Category:Scream (franchise)| ]]
[[Category:Horror film franchises]]
[[Category:Slasher film series]]
[[Category:Media franchises introduced in 1996]]
[[Category:Miramax franchises]]
[[Category:Paramount Pictures franchises]]
[[Category:Films about psychopaths and sociopaths]]

{{Wikipedia attribution|original_title=Scream (franchise)|access_date=2026-03-05}}