The Scream franchise has had four movies, with a fifth on the way, three seasons of a television series, and three decades of time to stew in the public consciousness. Beloved by horror fans for reinvigorating the genre with a sense of realism, the series posits a world where the characters know the tropes of a horror movie, yet fall victim to them all the same.
These movies are a product of their time, so seeing them with fresh eyes can make one realize that there are certainly some issues. These issues range from content and lines to characters and production members. Sidney may have dealt with a lot, but some of these things didn’t need to be included.
Spacing (Scream 2)
The killers in slashers are always given a bit of leeway with their routines, including how they get to and from places. Teleporting is a common trait of later Friday the 13th films, as Jason is everywhere at once. However, Scream is supposed to be a realistic take on the slasher genre.
Granted, in three of the four films, there are multiple killers, but situations like the car scene in Scream 2 lend toward a more supernatural enemy, as Ghostface practically teleports behind Hallie for a quick kill. That scene is concurrent with Mrs. Loomis stabbing Dewey, so it wasn’t a switcheroo.
Pop Culture Phenomena (All Films)
As with any film, there are bound to be some things that are included that don’t seem interesting or cool a decade or two down the line. There are many bits and pieces that don’t have any cultural impact, such as the cops freaking out over Billy having a phone in Scream.
Many things haven’t aged well because popular culture is ever-changing. From Gale’s bangs in the third film to Tatum’s outfits in the first, each of these movies is a time capsule of the good and bad of the time.
Women Hatred (Scream 3)
Scream 3 is an interesting case for the treatment of women. On the one hand, there are in canon conversations about how poorly a female character is written in the movie being filmed. But then, there are also many moments of just plain women-hating to be found in the movie.
Roman’s motivation in the movie is based on Maureen (more on her in a minute), and it turns him into a woman-hating stereotype. The death scenes of the women included way too many instances of the Killer just punching them in the face than is seen in a typical slasher and it feels off.
Resurgence (Scream 2, 3, 4)
Initially put into the end of Scream as a meta-contextual moment tying it to other slasher films, the act of the killer getting back up for one more scare is lost in the subsequent movies. There is a difference between paying homage and directly copying, and Scream 2, 3, and 4, all perform the latter.
Billy getting this surge of life is a tad unbelievable, but necessary for the movie. When it comes to the later killers, Mickey, Roman, and Jill, this jumps to the completely unnecessary and unbelievable.
Guns, Knives, And More Guns, Oh My! (All Films)
The slasher genre is named as such because the typical method of murder is via slashing weapons, like knives and machetes. The Scream franchise acts like it is heavily influenced by these movies, but as soon as a gun can come into play, it is the focus.
Gun violence is a huge issue and even affected the writing of Scream 3, as the Columbine shooting had just happened. Ghostface is known for wielding a knife, but a significant number of kills throughout the series are done by gun, which detracts from the meta-narrative at play.
Weinstein’s Involvement (Scream 3)
As an executive producer for all of the films in the series, Harvey Weinstein played a large role in keeping the franchise running. Obviously, there have been many movies produced by him and his family, but Scream 3 has its own cause for concern.
Just having his name attached is bad enough, but with the plot of Scream 3 including so much about a woman being sexually assaulted by studio executives, well-written or not, it feels a little too on the nose to make any audience member feel comfortable today.
“Sexually Anorexic” (Scream)
The virgin trope is still commonly used as a horror movie staple, but in a world where this trope is subverted in so many ways, including in Scream itself, there isn’t exactly a place for this type of descriptor.
Sidney says the line, “How many guys would put up with a girlfriend who is sexually anorexic,” and it shows the flagrant use of terms that wouldn’t be used this way today. There are quite a few lines in the movie that seem stuck right in the 90s, but as language evolves, phrases like this are thankfully out of use.
The Voice Changer (Scream 3)
Perhaps the number one complaint about Scream 3 from most fans is the voice changer, which viewers were done with by the time the movie got into the first 20 minutes. As a plot device, it is a miracle invention that cannot exist the way Roman uses it in the movie.
It is not often that a single item in a movie can frustrate an entire audience, but the voice changer is one of the few. While this certainly was an issue back when the movie first came out, it makes the movie less enjoyable to watch today, especially if rewatching the opening scene for the first time in years.
“I’m Gay” (Scream 4)
The idea of rebooting the series was a challenge for Scream 4 to take on, but it was an overall success. There were some issues throughout, such as pushing the red herring button on every single person to the extreme, but the payoff was still enjoyable.
Robbie’s death is a bit jarring today, for more than just its violence. After he is stabbed twice, he looks up to Ghostface and says “I’m gay!” as a hopeful saving grace. It doesn’t make sense for him to say this, and it feels like a strange and tacked-on thing to say in the moment.
Maureen’s Backstory (All Films)
As noted, Roman’s backstory is entirely based on Maureen’s. Maureen is the mother of Sidney and it was the anniversary of her death that drove the events of the first movie into action. A former Hollywood star, Maureen was raped, which led to the birth of Roman, and routinely cheated on her husband, Sidney’s father.
That is the entirety of her character for the movies. For as much time the writers spent on the character, they really drove home how terrible she was for being sexually assaulted and never truly recovering, something that wasn't good then and certainly isn't today.