The “Scream” franchise, created by Kevin Williamson and masterfully directed by Wes Craven, has always been known for its iconic opening scenes. These sequences set the tone for the rest of the horrific yet delightfully self-aware narrative. Below, we’ve ranked all the opening scenes from the franchise, starting with the least impressive and working our way to the absolute best.

5.Scream 3 (2000)

At the bottom of the list is “Scream 3.” The opener features Cotton Weary (Liev Schreiber), a character from the previous films now with a popular talk show. Unfortunately, while it tries to comment on fame and its perils, it lacks the same spark and suspense that made other openings legendary.

4.Scream 4 (2011)

Coming in next is “Scream 4,” which cleverly uses a ‘film within a film’ concept to play with audience expectations. The introduction of new characters in a copycat situation mirrors past events but struggles to reach the ingenuity or impact of earlier sequences.

3.Scream 2 (1997)

“Scream 2” starts with a bang at a movie theatre premiere of “Stab,” the film-within-a-film based on the murders from the first “Scream.” The chaos that unfolds as Maureen Evans (Jada Pinkett Smith) is attacked among an unsuspecting crowd clad in Ghostface masks creates palpable tension and horror, making it one of the most memorable starts in slasher movie history.

2.Scream (2022)

The recent installment surprisingly stands near the top with its opening scene. Paying homage to Drew Barrymore’s scene in the original, Tara Carpenter’s (Jenna Ortega) modern encounter with Ghostface incorporates smart home technology into the mix bringing a fresh and terrifying twist to the familiar phone call trope.

1.Scream (1996)

Topping our list is no other than the original “Scream” from 1996. This scene has become an iconic piece of horror cinema. Featuring Drew Barrymore as Casey Becker, who receives a flirtatious phone call that quickly turns sinister, it’s simply masterful with slowly building tension that erupts into an unforgettable climax. It’s frightening, it’s intelligent, and it deconstructs horror tropes while still being genuinely scary – making it not only the best opening scene in Scream history but also one of the greatest openings in film.

The impact of these opening scenes cannot be overstated; they’ve become benchmarks against which many other horror movies are measured. Each opener has tried to capture that fine balance between terror and meta-commentary, with varying degrees of success – but no matter what, they’ve consistently provided viewers with screams and surprises right from the start.