Where to Watch “Scream”: A Guide to Streaming the Iconic Franchise — and When We'll See Ghostface Again

From ‘Scream’ to ‘Scream VI’, here’s how each 'Scream' movie connects to the franchise storyline

Wes Craven’s Scream franchise is one of the most iconic horror series in cinema history.

The first movie premiered in 1996 and turned the slasher genre on its head. It poked fun at traditional horror tropes, had meta references to the film industry and made its own rules that kept audiences guessing. Scream turned Neve Campbell into a bonafide Scream Queen and has since launched five sequels as well as a TV series that also centers around Ghostface but doesn't tie into the movies.

One of Scream’s biggest changes to the horror formula is that it didn’t have just one “Final Girl” and instead had three main protagonists, with Courteney Cox’s Gale Weathers and David Arquette’s Deputy Dewey joining Campbell’s Sidney Prescott as the franchise’s leads.

Related: Scream 7: All About the Latest Installment of the Hit Horror Franchise

Throughout the decades, the Scream movies have had many other stars face off against Ghostface as well, including Drew Barrymore, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Emma Roberts, Patrick Dempsey and Jenna Ortega among many others.

With Scream 7 finally given an official release date in early 2026, now is a great time to start watching (or rewatching) the franchise. Here is everything to know about the interconnected storylines of each Scream movie — and where to watch each film this Halloween season.

Scream (1996)

The original Scream movie centers around high school student Sidney Prescott and her friends who live in the small town of Woodsboro, Calif.

One night, a popular girl at school (Barrymore) is brutally killed at her home, and the town soon learns that her murder was just the beginning of a killing spree perpetrated by someone wearing a black robe and white mask, known by fans as Ghostface.

It also becomes apparent that Sidney is the main target, and the film’s twist ending sets the stage for all the Scream sequels to come.

Watch Scream on Max

Scream 2 (1997)

After the first movie grossed more than $173 million at the box office, a sequel soon followed. Sidney is now in college and Hollywood has just made a movie about her ordeal in Woodsboro called Stab. Sidney’s life is thrust into chaos once again when a copycat killer arrives on campus and starts killing her friends one by one.

Scream 2 has a huge ensemble cast that includes everyone from Jada Pinkett Smith to Timothy Olyphant, Sarah Michelle Gellar and even Tori Spelling and Heather Graham as stars in the fictional Stab film.

Watch Scream 2 on Max

Scream 3 (2000)

Scream 3 took the franchise to its most meta place yet. This time around, the movie takes place in Los Angeles during the production of Stab 3. But the film’s actors start getting murdered so Sidney, Gale and Dewey all find their way to L.A. to investigate.

Scream 3 has a lot more humor than the previous films and takes numerous swipes at Hollywood and horror sequels. It also has some fantastic cameos, including a scene-stealing performance by Carrie Fisher. Also in the cast are Parker Posey, Jenny McCarthy and Scott Foley.

Watch Scream 3 on Max

Scream 4 (2011)

After Scream 3, the franchise took an 11-year hiatus before returning in 2011. Scream 4 brought the series into the modern age with smartphones, streaming and social media. The movie picks up on the 15th anniversary of the Woodsboro killings when Sidney just so happens to be in town promoting her new self-help book.

Naturally, a killing spree kicks off yet again, forcing Sidney to stay in town and find out who the killer is. Dewey and Gale also make their way back to Woodsboro for the fourth film and are joined by a new, younger cast, including Adam Brody, Rory Culkin, Alison Brie and fan-favorite Hayden Panettiere.

Watch Scream 4 on Max

Scream (2022)

After Scream 4, the franchise took another 11-year hiatus, with many fans wondering if Scream would ever return. But in 2022, Sidney, Dewey and Gale all return to Woodsboro once again after a young girl, Tara Carpenter (Ortega) is violently attacked by someone wearing the infamous Ghostface mask.

Tara’s sister Sam (Melissa Barerra) also comes back to town and the two learn that they’re intricately connected to Sidney’s past. Joining the legacy characters in the self-described “requel” is a new generation of cast members, including Jack Quaid and Jasmin Savoy Brown.

Watch Scream on Paramount+

Scream VI (2023)

After surviving the events of the previous movie, Tara and Sam now live in New York City and Tara attends Blackmore University. But their new life is quickly ruined when someone wearing the Ghostface mask starts rampaging through the Big Apple.

Cox was the only legacy actor to return for the sixth film and Scream 4’s Kirby (Panettiere) also reprised her role. Earning more than $166 million at the box office, Scream VI is the third highest-grossing movie in the franchise.

Watch Scream VI on Paramount+

Scream 7 (2026)

Slated for a 2026 premiere, there are still lots of questions about Scream 7.

Both leads from the franchise's last two installments are not returning for the seventh: Barrera was fired from the Scream series in November 2023 after she made comments on social media about violence in Israel and Palestine and Ortega stated that she also wouldn’t return for the sequel due to the production schedule for her Netflix series Wednesday.

Then, in March 2024 it was revealed that Campbell would be reprising her role as Sidney. How the franchise plans on pivoting away from the Carpenter sisters in New York and back to Sidney is unknown, but many fans are excited about the sequel nonetheless.

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