The opening sequences of the Scream sequels are now at the center of a hotly contested fan debate. The smash hit slasher film franchise, which began with Wes Craven's original Scream in 1996, has now run for five films and three seasons of a spinoff television series. Craven returned to direct every film through 2011's Scream 4, his final film before his death in 2015, at which point the follow-up film Scream 2022 was taken over by Ready or Not directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett. The duo is returning later this year with Scream VI, which is due in theaters on March 10.Every film in the Scream franchise opens with a scene of the Ghostface killer (voiced by Roger L. Jackson) menacing a new victim, usually a high-profile star making a cameo. Recently, Twitter user Beyond the Mask asked fans which of the sequels' opening sequences were the best. Although fans had differing opinions, arguing for the merits of their favorite scenes, the vast majority of them agree that the prize should go to 1997's Scream 2, in which Omar Epps and Jada Pinkett are stalked by Ghostface at the premiere of Stab, a movie based on the events of the first Scream. Check out select tweets of users sharing their favorites below:
​​​​​​​
​​​​​​​
​​​​​​​
​​​​​​​
​​​​​​​
Why the Scream Franchise's Opening Scenes Are So Important
The Scream franchise's opening sequences have become something of a calling card, putting pressure on the filmmakers to make sure and get it right. This is due to the fact that the opening scene of the original Scream has become one of the most iconic horror sequences of all time. That scene follows Ghostface tormenting Drew Barrymore's character over the phone before eventually murdering her, shocking audiences who thought that Barrymore was the lead of the movie, an impression that the publicity campaign of the film endeavored to give them.
After so successfully catching fans off guard with that extended opening in the first film, Craven and Scream screenwriter Kevin Williamson solidified the series' penchant for opening sequences by making the opening sequence of Scream 2 even splashier. They also upped the ante by layering in the meta element of having a recreation of the Barrymore scene playing on the screen while Epps' and Pinkett's characters are being killed. This kicked off a series of attempts to continue one-upping themselves with subsequent sequels, with Scream 3's opening killing off major franchise character Cotton Weary (Liev Schreiber) and Scream 4's opening presenting a series of nested murder sequences, several of which were revealed to be the openings of different Stab movies.
The opening murder sequence became such an important element of the Scream franchise that Scream 2022 shocked audiences by not killing off a character. That film's scene saw Ghostface attack Jenna Ortega's Tara Carpenter, a character who lived to see the end credits and will indeed be reappearing in the upcoming Scream VI. While fans all have their personal favorites, each film is attempting to do something unique and captivating with that sequence, one that comes with a heavy burden of fan expectation the more and more the franchise proves it can pull them off.
Source: Various (see above)
