With Scream 7 stalking its way into cinemas this week, there’s no better time to revisit the franchise’s most sacred tradition: the opening kill. From subversive fake-outs to era-defining terror, the first ten minutes of a Scream movie are its thesis statement – laying out the rules, the tone, and the body count to come. Some nailed it. Others…answered the phone a little too late.
Here’s our definitive ranking of the six Scream openings so far, from weakest to most wicked.
6. Scream 4 (2011)
Meta overload, minimal menace.
There’s plenty to admire in Scream 4‘s audacity: a STAB universe “film within a film within a film,” plus cheeky cameos from Anna Paquin and Kristen Bell. It leans hard into commentary on the series’ own mythology and the culture of remakes, and that self awareness is fun…in theory.
In practice, the actual opening kill is shortened, sanitised, and anchored by two characters we barely get to know. For a film that’s otherwise indulgent in its violence (the infamous bedroom kill, anyone?), the opener feels surprisingly tame and emotionally hollow.
5. Scream 3 (2000)
High-profile victim, low-impact tension.
The third film scores immediate points for killing off a major returning character in Liev Schreiber‘s Cotton Weary. It’s a bold move that signals nobody is safe.
Unfortunately, the surrounding sequence struggles to sustain dread. The violence lacks bite, and the tension never fully simmers, and Kelly Rutherford‘s doomed girlfriend simply can’t compete with the tortured women who opened the earlier films. Compared to its predecessors, this one feels oddly restrained.
4. Scream VI (2023)
Rule-breaking brilliance – at a cost.
This opener thrives on subversion. What starts as a familiar call-and-kill setup flips the script with an early Ghostface reveal, proving the sequel isn’t interested in playing by old rules. The shock of one Ghostface murdering another is a franchise first – and a clever one.
It does sting that the impossibly charming Samara Weaving is dispatched so quickly, but the audacity carries it through. And let’s be honest: “Who gives a f**k about movies?” ranks among the mask’s hardest exit lines.
3. Scream (2022) (aka Scream V)
A requel that knows its roots.
There’s no immediate kill here, but the tension is relentless. The generational spin on the classic phone call – layered with horror trivia – perfectly reflects the film’s requel mindset: reverent to the original while carving out its own identity.
Jenna Ortega more than holds her own as a would-be victim who survives a truly brutal attack, staggering into the opening credits after absorbing more stabs than most characters endure in a lifetime. It’s homage and evolution in one blood-soaked package.
2. Scream 2 (1997)
Death in a crowd – and no one helps.
There’s something uniquely sinister about this public execution. Jada Pinkett Smith‘s seemingly savvy college student is murdered in a packed cinema, surrounded by people who mistake real horror for performance.
It’s a chilling escalation from the first film and a sharp commentary on spectatorship: on how audiences watch violence unfold and do nothing. The sequel announces itself as bigger, bolder, and crueler within minutes.
1. Scream (1996)
The gold standard of slasher openings.
It always comes back to the original – just as the series itself loves to remind us. Try as they might, the sequels have never topped what was achieved here: a menacing phone call, a deadly game, and Drew Barrymore enduring thirteen minutes of escalating terror.
Inspired by When a Stranger Calls, the simple question “What’s your favourite scary movie?” was forever transformed once Casey Becker answered. Screaming, crying, and fighting for her life, Barrymore redefined what an opening kill could be – iconic, emotional, and genuinely horrifying.
As Scream 7 sharpens its knife, expectations for its opening sequence couldn’t be higher. Will it reinvent the rules again, or return to stripped-back terror? One thing’s certain: in this franchise, the first call is always the most important. And somewhere, the phone is already ringing.
Scream 7 is screening in Australian theatres from February 26th, 2026.
