Movies
“What’s Your Favorite Scary Movie?” Ranking Scream: The Meta and the Madness
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.
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.
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.
Two of today’s most celebrated horror luminaries, Jordan Peele and Zach Cregger, launched their careers with sketch comedy. David Gordon Green directed big-budget comedies like Pineapple Express before polarizing fans with his Halloween reboot trilogy. And after John Krasinski played a beloved sitcom character for nine years before he made his directorial debut with A Quiet Place, kickstarting one of the genre’s most durable franchises.
It’s no wonder a slew of modern horror creators got their start in comedy. Horror and comedy are two sides of the same screaming mutant baby. Both genres deal in extremity. They both rely on the build-up and release of tension. They both inspire physical and often visceral reactions in viewers. Since the 2000s ’ American Psycho and 2004’s Shaun of the Dead, the horror comedy genre – once anathema to play-it-safe Hollywood executives – has exploded in popularity. Here are the best horror comedies of the last two decades, guaranteed to inspire shrieks of laughter and revulsion.
The Best Horror Comedies of the Last 20 Years
10. In Fabric (2018)
Peter Strickland’s giallo-inspired arthouse oddity about a killer dress is “every frame a painting” gorgeous – and totally bonkers. The first half follows Marianne Jean-Baptiste, whose charisma quotient grows the more she works to downplay it, as demure divorcee Sheila, who purchases a mysterious red dress that wreaks havoc on her humdrum middle-class existence.
In the second half, the dress falls into the possession of working class repairman Reg (Leo Bill), who possesses the odd ability to lull people into a trance whenever he drones on about washing machines. In Fabric is a droll yet unsettling send-up of fashion, consumerism, and how capitalism weaponizes desire. Like a flowing wrap dress and dazzling statement clutch, this movie perfectly pairs with this year’s fashion-fixated ghost tale, Mother Mary.
9. Drag Me To Hell (2009)
In terms of pure popcorn-munching thrills, this unhinged Sam Raimi yarn remains an undeniable banger. A wealth of horror comedies, including many on this list, code-switch between horror and comedy: funny scenes are funny, scary scenes are scary. The tonalities take turns politely. Drag Me to Hell is of the rare breed in which the horror and comedy are intertwined like DNA helices.
As Christine (Alison Lohman) finds herself under more and more extreme attacks from evil forces, Raimi’s signature Evil Dead-style frenetic direction – including coked-up camerawork, slam-bang edits, and gotcha-good haunted-house jump scares – are designed to leave viewers laughing while watching through splayed fingers. It all coalesces into one of the genre’s most stunning and sidesplitting finales.
8. Climax (2018)
This dance-driven horror excursion comes from the mind of Gaspar Noé, so you know it’s going to be unhinged. But is it a comedy? That depends on you. You might not find anything funny about a troupe of excitable dancers drinking from a punch bowl spiked with LSD during a rehearsal and inflicting total mayhem and brutality onto each other. But for the gleeful sadists and masochists out there, this experimental film isn’t not a comedy. There’s something mordantly witty about the way Noé first celebrates the art of dance (and by extension art) as the product of humans working in concert with each other to create magic… and then turns the equation on its head by reveling in nightmarish entropy brought on by unseen circumstances.
Climax perches itself on the blurred line between collaboration and chaos: it’s no coincidence that this en masse maniacal breakdown looks like one extended piece of bizarre modern dance in and of itself, inviting the viewer to ponder the film on a meta-textual level: how much of Climax’s comedy of grave errors was choreography, and how much of it truly was pure unplanned chaos?
7. Jennifer’s Body (2009)
Time has been merciful to Jennifer’s Body, despite the emo aesthetics, pop culture references, and presence of Adam Brody as a would-be teen heartthrob, all of which plant this horror comedy firmly in the late 2000s. A box-office bomb castigated by viewers and critics upon release, it’s since gained cult status as a seminal text in the modern queer horror canon. Writer Diablo Cody regards the central relationship between Needy (Amanda Seyfried) and Jennifer (Megan Fox) as seriously as a devil’s pact. As their friendship descends into its inevitable breakdown, the horror lies not so much in the newly demon-possessed Jennifer ripping her unsuspecting paramours to shreds – that’s just good-natured fun!
The true terror lies in how Needy’s world destabilizes as she works to decipher how once-bestie Jennifer now codes in her life: Friend in need? Social threat? Object of desire? The movie might be named after Jennifer’s body, but the real thrill ride here is Needy’s mind – and these two actresses do wonders in embodying this tender and toxic friendship. Seyfried is heartbreaking with every uncertain glance and stutter, and Fox loads her performance with a captivating undercurrent of guilt and quiet woe.
6. You’re Next (2011)
A wealthy family gathers at a cabin in the woods, where they’re besieged by masked intruders wielding crossbows and gnarly booby traps galore. You’re Next doesn’t spend too much time pausing the blood-soaked action to hit the viewer with didactic satire, unlike future “eat the rich” horror narratives such as The Menu. Instead, director Adam Wingard relies on his nimble improv-forward cast to deliver grounded performances that both humanize and skewer these characters to killer effect. Sharni Vinson commands every moment as fish-out-of-water Erin, who must endure a tense first meeting with her boyfriend’s family.
Genre icon Barbara Crampton is a hoot as the family’s wound-up matriarch. The stalwart supporting cast also includes mumblecore auteur Joe Swanberg and horror favorite Ti West. Some Letterboxd reviewers mistakenly believe You’re Next has nothing to say, that the story ends without ramping up to a “point.” Those critics may do well to consider: perpetrators don’t always need to write on the wall for us to understand their motives. Consider this movie as a sort of pre-Succession romp, with amplified bloodshed. The humor and horror lie in poisoned family dynamics that mutate cutthroat behavior into literal cut throats.
5. The Substance (2023)
Jordan Peele nabbing the Best Original Screenplay Oscar for Get Out punched desperately needed holes in the Academy’s historical exclusion of horror comedies. The Substance made those holes even bigger as it poured through them like a wild, unstoppable geyser, with Demi Moore leading a fiery Best Actress campaign (ultimately losing to Mikey Madison) and the effects team picking up a statue for Best Makeup thanks to the film’s crowning achievement, the beautiful abomination Monstro Elisasue. Coralie Fargeat’s ribald exegesis on aging subverts the “fountain of youth” trope. The story’s cardinal sin (for every great horror narrative is built around sin) isn’t Elisabeth Sparkle’s obsession with youth, but that of a broken culture that debases anyone who falls outside its cruel and unusual beauty standards.
The psychological horror of Elisabeth waging war on her own self has serious resonance in today’s modern society that leaves us toggling between fractured selves (online self vs. IRL self, work self vs. home self). But this movie’s true miracle is how it managed to garner accolades from the Academy, despite its gut-busting finale that mocks the timeworn ritual of media professionals dressing up in spiffy formalwear to gather and self-congratulate.
4. Obsession (2026)
Horror comedy’s newest buzzy darling on the block is also one of the subgenre’s best. Curry Barker’s debut feature doesn’t necessarily dazzle on its premise alone: the idea of wishing a crush into reciprocating romantic feelings against their will has been explored everywhere from The Twilight Zone to Buffy to The Fairly OddParents. Yet similar to The Substance (see above), Barker’s crackerjack script interrogates the insidious implications of the narrative “magic bean” that fulfills the protagonist’s greatest desire. Lead actor Michael Johnston has the unenviable task of embodying a main character whose demise many in the audience will clamor for – but he fulfills the assignment with aplomb.
As his character Bear caves deeper into his own cowardice, his regrettable actions come off as disturbingly human. But the real star is Inde Navarrette as Nikki. Her swing-for-the-fences performance is akin to a modern-day conjuring of Isabelle Adjani’s epic turn in Possession. See this one with an audience for the complete horror comedy experience: you’ll likely witness the crowd’s nervous laughter growing more raucous as the story grows more disturbing. Obsession pulls no punches as it forces viewers to contend with what we really want out of our partners – and how much we’re willing to take from them to get it.
3. Get Out (2016)
View Jordan Peele’s contemporary classic from one angle, and there’s not much funny about it. The movie doesn’t play this hellish meet-the-parents scenario for overt laughs. Once Daniel Kaluuya’s Chris discovers the terrible secrets of his partner’s family the Armitages, the movie coaxes the viewer into his mounting dread, starting with an unnerving (and visually arresting) depiction of the so-called Sunken Place, followed by his encounters with the Armitages’ other victims (all displays of brilliant work from the supporting cast), and eventually his heartpounding effort to escape from the Armitages’ secluded property. Yet in a grim gallows-humor kind of way, Get Out is a laugh a minute – and not only because of its scenes of comic relief from Lil Rel Howery as Chris’s exuberant buddy Rod.
Get Out is one of the most rollicking social satires of the 21st century. Ten years on, the phrase “would have voted Obama for a third term” remains in our cultural lexicon as a wry bit of shorthand for a well-to-do white liberal who over-fancies themselves “one of the good ones” – perhaps the most potent sign of this movie’s enduring legacy. Too many filmmakers have since tried and failed to play in the “social horror” subgenre popularized by this movie; their hearts might be in the right place, but they lack Peele’s deft understanding of how to build tension – and humor – with visual composition, editing, and especially music to bring horrific social satire to bear.
2. Cabin in the Woods (2011)
Drew Goddard’s send-up of the horror genre itself is a stuffed cornucopia for horror comedy lovers: with fierce wit and so-clever-it-hurts story machinations, Cabin in the Woods embraces and explodes shopworn horror tropes before throwing everything into the kitchen sink and burning everything down in a blaze of glory. Five years before Bradley Whitford’s turn as the sinister patriarch in Get Out, he leads a winning cast here as a project manager with corny “corporate dad” swagger who has to deliver results – or the whole world will pay the price.
15 years after its release, the genre commentary of Cabin in the Woods doesn’t feel dated: in fact, it feels prescient. Goddard’s pristine script argues that horror will remain forever essential to culture, but creators mustn’t be afraid to discard shortsighted cliches in favor of bold new storytelling ventures. A mere three years after this movie’s release, the genre did indeed experience a kind of evolution with the simultaneous rise of prestige horror, social horror, and horror comedy – proving that the genre has power beyond stories about horny teenagers getting hacked to pieces at a cabin in the woods.
1. Beau Is Afraid (2023)
Since the rise of horror’s mainstream popularity, researchers have been fascinated with the unlikely role the genre plays in allaying viewers’ anxiety. Coltan Scrivner, a psychologist at Arizona State University, writes in a review paper on the subject: “Horror entertainment content allows people to experience fear in a safe, controlled environment, providing an opportunity to practice cognitive reappraisal.” Ari Aster’s Beau Is Afraid feels like a valentine to horror’s most loyal audience: those with debilitating anxiety. Joaquin Phoenix’s perpetual worrywart Beau is all but crippled by fears and phobias, and the movie revels in his warped vision of the world: he’s plagued with threats bursting from all corners, from spiders to knife-wielding assailants to missed appointments to guilt-inducing calls from Mom.
The nightmarish absurdism, pushed to delirious heights, both mocks and sympathizes with Beau’s anxiety, making for an unforgettable first 40 minutes. Then the movie relaxes into a strange and picaresque character study of Beau, which may alienate viewers who wish that Aster had simply kept the frenzied train rolling. But in switching gears to explore Aster’s deeper fears around belonging, desire, and family, the film takes a sincere dive into what makes Beau’s fears so terrifying – and funny. Even as the movie trolls Beau, it resists dehumanizing him. In fact, despite all the terror, guilt, and shame that Beau endures, Beau Is Afraid likely takes the prize for most humane horror comedy of the 21st century.
Shudder knows summer is the perfect time to watch scary things in air-conditioned places. Which is why the beloved streamer is giving us newer movies like Heresy, Whistle, This is Not a Test, and Smothered. While it’s always fun to see recent titles arrive alongside classics and deep cuts, my eye isn’t on the films this month. Most of my picks this May are television series and documentaries. Maybe that means I want longer comments with my media and an open library. Or perhaps I’m just reminding myself that I’m a cool nerd and making it your problem too. Whatever the case may be, I have curated another list of titles that I believe deserve our attention. Check out my top five priorities while surfing our favorite streamer below.
Tales From the Crypt (1989 – 1996)
Our beloved 90s anthology is finally making its way to our most cherished streamer. As someone who hasn’t seen Tales From the Crypt since I was a tyke, I’m so giddy that I get to watch it as an adult. More importantly, I get to binge it as John Kassir (the voice of our favorite ghoul) intended. I have been floating since this news was announced at the Overlook Film Festival in April. My insomnia and my Crypt Keeper are about to be reunited, and all is going to be alright in my little world. Come for the celebrities and stay for the puns and wicked deaths. I sincerely hope you call out of work each Friday as a new season gets added to Shudder.
You can watch Tales From the Crypt: Season 1 on May 1st. Subsequent seasons will premiere on Fridays, concluding with Season 7 on June 12
Horror Noire: History of Black Horror (2019)
Based on Dr. Robin R. Means Coleman’s book of the same name, Horror Noire: History of Black Horror is simply that girl. It unpacks the complicated history of Black people in the genre with humor, honesty, and heart. It even gets into the conversations no one seems to want to have and makes room for Black horror icons to actually be heard for once. You could hear the record scratch on Bluesky when this Shudder Original disappeared a few months ago. So, we can all rest easy knowing that it’s coming back home and we can continue to have it in our regular rotation. Horror Noire made many of us feel seen and made us better cinephiles and critics. It’s worth the Shudder subscription on its own if we’re being completely honest.
You can watch Horror Noire: History of Black Horror on May 4th.
The Terror: Devil in Silver (2026)
Your favorite unsettlingly stoic anthology has returned for a new season, and this time, Dan Stevens is in the mix. Stevens plays Pepper, a man with bad luck and a bad temper who gets himself committed to a psychiatric hospital. Any horror fan knows that’s the recipe for many horror bangers, and that’s why I will be sat. The cast also includes CCH Pounder, Judith Light, and Marin Ireland. However, my heart belongs to Karyn Kusama, who is in the director’s chair and the queen of tension. As a Momma Kusma stan account, I am so ready for her to raise my blood pressure and send me to the ER. The demonic duo of AMC+ and Shudder is cooking with this one.
You can watch episode one of The Terror: Devil in Silver on May 7th. Subsequent episodes will premiere weekly, concluding with the season finale on June 11th.
In Search of Darkness 1990-1994 (2024)
We all love to see our faves get together and discuss the horror eras we have romanticized. Which is why watching genre royalty unpack the “lost” decade of horror is something we all probably want to see. As a 90s kid, I feel like we ate pretty well in my day. So, I want to collect all of these stories like infinity stones. Some of the faces we can expect to see are Heather Langenkamp, John Carpenter, Frank Henenlotter, Tim Balme, and Michael Gross. My little nerd heart could bust, and I am happy Shudder is opening the library this May.
You can watch episode one of In Search of Darkness 1990-1994 on May 11th.
Something Is About to Happen (2023)
Things take a turn for a woman who loses her job as a computer programmer. The only movie in my roundup this month goes to the one I perhaps know the least about. Truthfully, I am just here for horror movies about women going through it. Excuse me as I gesture to the world and my bank account. More importantly, Spanish-language horror rarely fails me. So, I am willing to look past the two-hour and two-minute runtime. I am ignoring that it is listed as a romantic horror. I’m doing this because I expect my kind of chaos, and I hope I am right. From one down girl to another, I am rooting for this character on sight.
You can watch episode one of Something Is About to Happen on May 15th.
That is what I plan to use my Shudder Saturdays for this month. Let us know what you’re plotting to hit play on in the comments because we’re nosy.
