Coming off a year that saw blockbusters like Sinners and The Conjuring: Last Rites, 2026 is shaping up to be another huge year for horror. The next 12 months are lined up with anticipated sequels, reboots, and original films that are already generating a lot of buzz, including 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, Robert Eggers’ Werwulf, and Sam Raimi’s Send Help. Ahead of one franchise’s return to theaters next month, fans can now stream one of the best horror trilogies of all time after it landed on Paramount+.
We’re just a little more than a month out from Scream 7’s February 27th premiere, but before heading to theaters, fans can revisit the films that started it all. Wes Craven’s original Scream trilogy started streaming on Paramount+ on January 1st, making the entire horror franchise available on the platform. The trilogy sees Neve Campbell’ Sidney Prescott, Courteney Cox’ Gale Weathers, and David Arquette’ Dewey Riley going up against a rotating cast of killers who become known as Ghostface.
Scream Is the Horror Franchise That Keeps Going Strong
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When it comes to horror franchises, there’s almost always a few hits and misses mixed in with the good, but Scream is one of the rare horror series that has been consistently good across entries. Even at its lowest, the Scream franchise has been remarkably consistent in quality and extremely entertaining, and despite Scream 3 being the lowest-rated movie in the franchise, the original trilogy is incredibly good.
Much of what works about the franchise is the fact that, unlike other long-running horror franchises, Scream has never abandoned its continuity. Rather than rebooting and retconning films and storylines, the franchise has remained dedicated to a single timeline with familiar characters, allowing for a unique depth of character and mythology across decades. That doesn’t mean that the franchise hasn’t evolved, Scream constantly reinvents itself to remain relevant and self-aware, using meta-commentary to satirize and adapt to the modern horror landscape, helping later installments like Scream 4 and the 2020 installments become massive hits. Add to that an iconic final girl in Sydney, a memorable villain in Ghostface, the movies’ strong mystery and twists, and an ability to deliver both scares and laugh, and it’s really no surprise that Scream is still going strong even as it prepares to mark its 30th anniversary.
What’s New on Paramount+?
Paramount+ has plenty of great streaming options this January, and Scream, Scream 2, and Scream 3 are just a handful of them. After binge-watching the three movies, fans may want to check out Scary Movie and Scary Movie 3, iconic horror comedy movies that spoof the horror genre, including Scream. If a scary movie isn’t what you’re in the mood for, then Paramount+ is offering titles spanning genres, including Baby Driver, Pixels, Spider-Man: Homecoming, and Zoolander 2.
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