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“What’s Your Favorite Scary Movie?” Ranking Scream: The Meta and the Madness

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A decade later, a new Scream is finally back in theaters, and all good horror buffs are bingeing the series in anticipation. Returning to its unique dissection of the slasher genre is always a blast, and while they have all earned my adoration, some made the cut above others in my ranking.


1. Scream

 It goes without saying that the original is killer. Scream released during a drought in quality slashers and mainstream horror; a cesspool of b-movie sequels trying to recapture the magic of films like Halloween, with writing and acting as chaotic as a meth lab explosion. It cut off the genre’s head, filled its corpse with new ideas, and injected it with some much-needed adrenaline. The script, which seriously should have been nominated for Best Original Screenplay if The Academy ever gave horror the time of day, served us a meta slasher whodunit that kept audiences guessing, laughing, and clutching their pearls. The cheek, the nerve, the gall, the audacity, and the gumption it took to kill off Hollywood royalty Drew Barrymore in the film’s opening made it clear that all bets were off!

My inaugural viewing of Scream took place hidden away in my cousin’s bedroom after finding the VHS on her bookshelf. I saw the cover art and, having briefly heard about the movie on TV, thought something along the lines of, “Why is she gagging so?” I was perhaps too young to be watching (around 9) and most certainly too immature to understand the intricacies of its script, but everyone thought I was playing video games, and I knew I could get away with a screening. I was immediately invested and sitting on the edge of my seat, desperate to know who the killer was while I covered my eyes from the gore. Over time, my love for the original only appreciated, especially for the personal story at its center and the impeccable cast. No character was written off as cannon fodder: The bitchy bestie Tatum and ruthless gay icon Gale Weathers proved women in horror can still have depth, and gave us two to fear second only to Ghostface himself; Randy the Meta Machine explained horror and its tropes to both characters and audience, essentially “don’t go in there!” personified; Billy and Stu, the OG killers, brought brooding hair, a touch of homoeroticism, and a scene-stealing wackadoo performance by Matthew Lillard; and the final girl herself, Neve Campbell as Sidney Prescott, was the girl next door with bangs and a backbone.

The original Scream deserves all the praise and respect it’s earned and retained throughout its 25 years. It lands the #1 spot on this list partially due to this reverence, but also because the quality of the writing, acting, and direction make it one of the few films I can watch ad nauseum. Like Sidney self-referentially states in the fourth movie: “Don’t fuck with the original.”

Gale’s Best Lewk: The first time we see Gale is in her lime green blazer and skirt, and it is everything. She stepped onto set and said, “I’ve arrived,” hitting us with a flamboyant representation of 90s fashion that Gen Z only wishes they could have pulled off during their recent mass appropriation of 90s culture.

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2. Scream 4

 It was a bit of a struggle deciding between Scream 4 and the next one on my list, but ultimately I gave it to the 2011 sequel that, to me, did what the series does best and elevated the genre. Released about a decade after the previous entry (much like the upcoming 5cream), the film’s tagline, “New Decade, New Rules,” proved true. Not so much focused on Sidney’s past, the fourth film in the series is more a rumination on the fame a tale like hers inspires and the jealous rage those without the glory may experience. This time around, Ghostface is the stuff of legend, and this new generation of teenage cutting boards almost can’t believe they’re in a scary movie.

Replete with a mega-meta movie-within-a-movie opening that highlights Scream’s influence on our world as much as within that of the films themselves, some of the better kills and thrills in the series (poor Olivia’s bedroom looked like something out of a Rob Zombie flick), and another fresh young cast, Scream 4 feels like going home again. The fact that a fourth film was released after such a long hiatus also upped the tension by suggesting the possibility that one of the original trio loses their fight against Ghostface – it didn’t happen, but the gamble is back in 2022.

The real star of Scream 4 is Emma Roberts as Jill, who was almost certainly cast due to her nasty performance as Madison Montgomery, the narcissistic witch you love to hate in American Horror Story: Coven. Initially, a demure clone of her cousin Sidney, the climax reveals Jill to be the killer seeking the fame she’s witnessed Sid achieve. What follows is an iconic Reaction Whore™ moment where we see Jill, thinking she’s won, proceed to rip out her hair, stab herself, bash her head into a wall, and throw herself onto a glass table to complete her transition from defenseless victim to survivor and, most importantly, celebrity. The insanity of this moment had me cheering for the psycho like I wanted her to win, so maybe Kevin Williamson was on to something… The irony of Jill’s attempt at going viral is that Sidney’s fame is undesirable; she’s suffered immensely because of it. Jill killed all her friends, her mother, and even herself to attain it. Scream 4 asks: “Was it worth it?”.

Gale’s Best Lewk: Listen, Gale wasn’t stunting pretty here like she used to. Her writing career was struggling, and she got stabbed in a barn! However, I’ll give props to the Bedpan Couture hospital gown she wore during her showdown with the killer.


3. Scream 2

 In terms of pure fun, Scream 2 is a fantastic slasher sequel. It is well-written and brings us back into the world of our main trio without a hitch. The college setting is a natural progression of the story, and the cast is full of rising and current stars of the time (hello, Sarah Michelle Gellar!). It features a classically shocking Screamopening, an unhinged killer (hello, Laurie Metcalf!), the best chase sequence in the series in which Gale hides from Ghostface in a sound studio, and even the brutal death of our beloved Randy Meeks. So why isn’t this, at the very least, number two on my ranking? Well, it just doesn’t do anything new for the series other than be a surprisingly good sequel.

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The original constantly toyed with the idea of what it means to be in a horror movie, and Scream 4 took that a step further by asking if the starring role is worth the price of admission. While Scream 2 touches on the influence of movies and media on the American psyche through the lens of copycat killer Mickey’s motive, this point is sidelined by Mrs. Loomis’ revenge quest. Mickey is unceremoniously shot dead by Mrs. L, and she wants bloody vengeance for the death of her son Billy, plain and simple. The film’s reflection on the genre thus boils down to an expected discussion on sequels (and again, it does this well) rather than subverting our expectation of what should happen next. Also, I need a horror nerd vent session: Sarah Michelle Gellar’s chase scene in I Know What You Did Last Summer is far more suspenseful and tragic than what we get here; not to mention, running around a college theatre dodging foam cobblestones pales in comparison to the other Final Parties in the series (and yes, I get it, Sidney is staging her own finale this time). And finally, let’s be honest with ourselves here; no matter how cute you think it is, Jerry O’Connell’s cafeteria serenade is a moment that should be wiped from Scream canon. Sue me!

Gale’s Best Lewk: The sleeveless black dress with her red highlights is the best Gale has looked in the entire series. She’ll step on your neck AND get that story, sweetie!


4. Scream 3

This one is at the bottom of most rankings, and it isn’t just because of Gale’s hedge clipper bangs. Scream 3focused so much on ending the trilogy that it didn’t stop to think why it was doing so. Per the horror rules, the third film in a trilogy brings it all back to the beginning. As such, we get an underwhelming retcon of the original film. Roman, the director of Stab 3 and Ghostface himself, is revealed to be Sidney’s neglected half-brother and the director, if you will, behind Billy and Stu’s 1996 murder spree. While I’m not necessarily bothered by this revelation (although I understand why some feel it betrays the spark of the original), it felt contrived and rushed in its delivery. Sidney never even meets Roman until he takes off his mask during the big reveal; less “you’re the killer?” and more “who the hell are you?”. Add to this a series of underwhelming kills, pacing issues, and a cheesy ending that a series such as this should be satirizing rather than earnestly taking part in, and you get the weakest entry in the series. Randy would be horrified.

HOWEVER, this is still a Scream movie, and I cannot leave here only speaking poorly of the threequel. The cursed production of Stab 3 actually works as a logical setting for an entry in the series, and the script is genuinely funny. We are graced with the gloriously goofy Parker Posey as Jennifer Jolie, the Stab actor portraying Gale Weathers, and her buddy-cop pairing with the real Gale allows them to riff off one another in sublime fashion. The film’s comedy is truly the best thing about it. Another outstanding example is a set-piece involving Jennifer’s house and fax machine that exhibits almost I Love Lucy tier farce. Since Sidney is less of a focal point early on, actors Cox, Arquette, and Posey can really dive into their characters and shine. Sidney also undergoes some growth befitting the end of a trilogy, making important strides in overcoming her fears and isolation from the outside world. And lastly, setting the Final Party in an old Hollywood mansion complete with hidden passages and a basement filled with horror props is truly emblematic of the series. It’s just a shame that Scream 3 got bogged down in the trilogy trappings it should have been ripping apart.

Gale’s Best Lewk: The red leather pants, white turtleneck, hoodie, and “those bangs” that Gale wears to Jennifer Jolie’s house is an underrated gem. She is the millennium.

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Alex Warrick is a film lover and gaymer living the Los Angeles fantasy by way of an East Coast attitude. Interested in all things curious and silly, he was fearless until a fateful viewing of Poltergeist at a young age changed everything. That encounter nurtured a morbid fascination with all things horror that continues today. When not engrossed in a movie, show or game he can usually be found on a rollercoaster, at a drag show, or texting his friends about smurfs.

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‘Queens of the Dead’ Took a Bite Out of Brooklyn Horror Fest

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Brooklyn Horror Film Fest kicked off its 10th year with a screening of the highly anticipated Queens of the Dead. This sparkly and zombie-fied night was presented by Horror Press and set the tone for at least two after parties. As a good queen does.

Before the movie began, director and co-writer, Tina Romero, took the stage to share that she isvery proud to be my dad’s kid, and proud to carry his torch, and super super proud to do it in a way that shows queer joy and queer resilience.After watching the film, it’s clear Romero meant business as she expanded on the zombie world built by her dad, the genre icon George A. Romero.

A Scrumptious Evening

The opening night film was also unforgettable because it was followed by a Q&A afterward moderated by New York’s baddest emcee, Xero Gravity. Tina Thee Romero took the stage with cast members Samora la Perdida, Julie J., Tomas Matos, and Nina West. They kept the vibe fun but also addressed why this movie is especially important in dire times like these.

Nina West said,I’m really proud that this movie is coming out specifically right now.West explained,We talked about how important this film is right now. How queer people, I think, are going to have the opportunity to grab onto it and hopefully feel a sense of community, a sense of self, and a reminder of how vital it is to have chosen family and the ability to have space. Watching it tonight with an audience, that’s what I’m reminded of.”

The Romero Legacy is Very Much Alive and Well

Gravity opened the talk by addressing Romero’s dad’s work,So, Tina, your father’s legacy is invaluable to the horror community, especially the horror community of marginalized people. When I look into the audience, I see a bunch of queer people, a bunch of different skin tones, I see people with disabilities, and for that, I know we all appreciate George A. Romero’s legacy in terms of allyship.”

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When the applause died down, she asked Romero what Queens of the Dead has to say about our current state in society. Romero said she felt incredibly grateful that Shudder and IFC Films are putting this movie out in 2025.

Romero elaborated,It’s not easy to get a little indie movie out into the world. It’s so important that it’s coming out this year because what a year we have had. Holy shit.” 

Romero continued,It feels so good to have a big queer movie coming out in a time when our community is feeling really under the threat of erasure and under attack. I feel like what our movie says is we are here and we are wonderful, come along for the ride. I really hope that this movie brings a little bit of empathy. A little bit ofI can’t help but laugh at and love these characters.” 

Romero concluded, “I really love my father.  I love the films he made. It was very important to me to make sure his legacy continued in a way that said some shit and with queerness on screen.” 

A Night of Glitter and Gore

During the talk back, Romero shared a lot of cool facts. One being that her and co-writer Erin Judge worked on this film for ten years. She also shared that Dawn of the Dead is her favorite movie in her dad’s franchise when Gravity pointed out a couple of nods to the movie in Queens of the Dead.

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The Q&A went by entirely too quickly as the audience fell in love with this amazing crew. However, the love and community spilled into the bar area afterward. People were given the opportunity to thank everyone for their work and tell them they loved the film. People were offered penis-shaped cakes, which is a fun gag from the film. Attendees were also given a chance to get a little bloody at the hands of local makeup artist Dime. They applied bite marks and blood to everyone who wanted to feel like they were a part of the hottest zombie movie of the year. 

It was another scrumptious evening in Brooklyn. It also left many of the audience with an axe wound right in the heart. I’m excited to see how Brooklyn Film Fest follows this movie, and I will be in the bar area this weekend, waiting to see. 

Queens of the Dead will slay in theaters on October 24. 

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The Worst Blumhouse Movies and Why They Miss the Mark

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I feel like I’m always taking swings at Blumhouse Productions and would like to explain why I’m usually frustratedly screaming into a mic, “For whomst?!” My relationship as a horror fan with most of the movies this company produces cannot be summed up in quick, snide comments and eyerolls. It’s bigger than that because when Blumhouse gets it right, they get it right. Get Out, Us, Creep, Creep 2, Happy Death Day, Freaky, M3GAN, and Drop are some of my favorite movies from the last 10 years. The Paranormal Activity franchise is the reason I show up for found footage films today. 

However, while the mission to seemingly greenlight anything is good on paper, it does lead to some questionable films. Some projects feel irresponsible to fund, and some that are just bad make up the majority of their library. For every diamond, we get a bunch of movies that leave us scratching our heads and wondering if the obvious conversations were not being had. Which is why I picked four Blumhouse movies I have legitimate beef with. I think these are prime examples of why I have a hard time getting excited when the company’s PR starts up for a new project. I’m also respectfully asking if there are things in place to avoid these issues and concerns in the future.

The Exorcist: Believer

Two girls disappear in the woods and return to their families, who soon learn they are possessed by an evil entity. My surface problem with this Blumhouse movie is that they learned nothing from greenlighting the Halloween trilogy and put the cart before the horse again. However, my main grievance is that I was led to believe this would be a Black-led Exorcist movie. That would have been groundbreaking in this almost exclusively white franchise. More importantly, Leslie Odom Jr. and Lidya Jewett were more than capable of leading this movie. So, why were they shoved into the margins? We had a double exorcism and gave the non-Black child most of the cool things to do. The film also made Odom Jr.’s character the chauffeur for Chris MacNeil, who was shoehorned in for fan service and given nothing important to do. The Exorcist: Believer was unbelievably bad to boot.

Dashcam (2021)

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Two friends livestream the most terrifying night of their lives while on a road trip. This movie would have done fine because it was from the team that brought us Host. As we were still in pandemic mode, many of us were curious to see what they would do next. So, there was a lot of face cracks when it came out that problematic Twitter personality Annie Hardy would be basically playing herself in the film. From her political stances, COVID denial, racist rants, and that time she turned a pride flag into a swastika on Twitter, she’s very blatantly a person who does not need a bigger platform.

It’s irresponsible to allow a movie to use her as stunt casting in a Blumhouse production. Again, this movie would have been better off without her because it would have ridden the steam of Host. Instead, it turned people off, and some refused to see it or review it.

They/Them (2022)

A group of teens at an LGBTQ+ conversion camp suffer psychological torture at the hands of the staff while being murdered by a masked killer. I feel there were too many cis people weighing in on this movie. I personally watched an awful person who masquerades as a journalist leap into Twitter conversations where Trans and non-binary people were discussing why this movie wasn’t it. So, I chose to keep my thoughts to myself and listen to the community, who should get a say.

I encourage you to do the same. Here is the Horror Press review by Bash Ortega. I also encourage you to read Kay Lynch’s essay at Bloody Disgusting. Consequence of Sound also had a review that is worth reading. While this was one of the movies under the Blumhouse banner that had its heart seemingly in the right place, we know intention and impact are not the same thing.

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Soft & Quiet (2022)

An elementary teacher meets with other white supremacists and then commits a hate crime. This movie felt like a bunch of shocking events strewn together, and I wanted my money back for this rental. I have no idea how this film came to be what it is. Personally, I hope there is a version that doesn’t feel like racial trauma porn somewhere, but this is not it. I kept wondering who this movie is for, and the internet confirmed it wasn’t for POC. With all the ways to capture white supremacy on film, this is what they did? I feel this is the most irresponsible movie Blumhouse has subjected me to. It’s the reason I no longer get excited when I hear a filmmaker I am rooting for is working with the company. 

In Closing…

I know I come across as flippant when I drag most of Blumhouse’s films. However, it stems from a place of concern and frustration. Bad movies like Firestarter, Unhuman, Night Swim, and Imaginary are one thing. These movies that clumsily handle important topics that are the reason I’m usually waiting for their titles to hit streaming. Whether they’re putting Black leads in the backseat, greenlighting movies where internet trolls are being given roles, or adding to the canon of racial trauma porn, I’m tired. I don’t know how to fix it because I don’t know if it’s a lack of support or interference regarding the writers and directors.

I don’t know if it’s just quantity over quality leading to some messy and unnecessary movies making it through the cracks. However, if Jason Blum can unpack why M3GAN 2.0 flopped, then it would be cool for him to unpack what he’s learned from the movies that should actually be cause for concern. As a film girl, I would love to see these Blumhouse choices laid out like case studies. Whatever lessons learned and actionable items taken to not make these mistakes again, could be beneficial to other production companies that are also struggling. All I know is an honest investigation is needed if they’re going to keep yeeting films out at this rate. We want to root for all horror. However, it’s hard to do that if we’re wondering who is (or is not) in the room for so many important conversations that need to happen.

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