20 Best Quotes From The Scream Franchise
The Scream franchise is one of the most popular slasher horror franchises globally, known for its unique, satirical, dark-humor undertone. Over the four films so far in the franchise, we saw countless iconic scenes and heard countless awesome quotes from the characters. Some were funny, others suspenseful, making them so memorable.
Here are the 20 best quotes from the Scream franchise that will make you want to rewatch the films again while anticipating the newest film’s arrival.
Best Quotes From Scream (1996)
“It’s just; what’s the point? They’re all the same. Some stupid killer stalking some big-breasted girl who can’t act, who’s always running up the stairs when she should be going out the front door. It’s insulting.”
So, you’re watching a horror film, and there’s suspense, you await for mayhem to ensue, the girl is on the phone with the killer. And then, Wes Craven breaks it with a quote that made me laugh out loud when I heard it.
Sidney just said what we all think every time we watch horror films. Why would you investigate? Why don’t you run away? Where the hell are you going?!
Well, she quickly learns that it’s not as simple when a psychopathic killer is hunting you with a huge knife. She ends up locking herself in a room, so the killer gives up… for now.
Small bits and comments about horror movies being cliche and then doing the same thing is a common theme throughout the franchise. If you haven’t watched Scream yet, give it a go – I bet you’ll enjoy it.
“‘Jesus! The camera, hurry!’ ‘My name isn’t Jesus.”
Gale Weathers is a reporter that would do anything for a good story. She turns horrifying events and psycho killers into bestselling novels, and she’s not afraid to get her hands dirty.
She works as a camera operator. At one moment, she wants him to turn on the camera quickly and start shooting. The gentle giant delivers this hilarious passive-aggressive quote that’s probably my favorite quote of the franchise.
“I know that you’re about fifty pounds overweight, but when I say hurry, please interpret that as, ‘Move your fat, tub of lard ass now!”
Kenny is a big guy, and the senseless reporter Gale Weathers, portrayed by the outstanding Courteney Cox, isn’t afraid to let him know he’s a big guy.
Kenny is slow to react when she tells him to hurry up, so she goes a bit berserk. To her, every second matters when telling a story because the woman knows what sells. It’s a subtle comment about the media and their eagerness to sell a story regardless of how ruthless or insensitive they need to be or how horrifying the story is.
“If I’m right about this, I could save a man’s life. Do you know what that could do for my book sales?”
Just as you get a glimpse of hope that there’s some humanity inside Gale Weathers, she lets you down again. As she comes to a certain conclusion in the film, she talks about potentially saving someone’s life. That’s a noble thing to do when you know a psychotic serial killer is on the loose, right?
Well, not when your true motive is book sales. Weathers just wants to brag about saving someone’s life and profit off of it. The man’s life is just a means to an end.
Best Quotes From Scream 2 (1997)
“You can’t blame real-life violence on entertainment.”
Throughout the Scream franchise, characters often watch a fictional slasher-movie franchise within the film called Stab. It’s about a killer wearing a Ghostface mask, going around and murdering innocent people. Sounds familiar?
The same thing was happening in college, where Sidney was now a student. Everyone sees the uncanny resemblance and blames the movie for the violence and murders happening around campus. One of the girls in Sidney’s film class, Cici, argues that you can’t blame the movie for someone being psycho enough to imitate it.
Two guys from the class respond that the movie was directly responsible for what was going on, as the killer wears the same mask and kills his victims in the same way.
Well, they all end up being right, as it was revealed that the murderer was a copycat of the original Ghostface mask killer that terrorized Sidney and her friends back in Woodsboro, California – the one who the franchise Stab was made after.
“Sequels suck. Oh, please. Please. By definition alone, they’re inferior films.”
By now, you already get the gist. In the sequel for Scream, people in film class talk about sequels sucking and being inferior to the original films. However, another guy argues how many sequels were better than the first movie, taking Alien as an example.
Not sure they hit the money on that one, as it’s purely a matter of taste (as Cici says), but when they mentioned T2, the sequel to James Cameron’s Terminator? Nobody can argue with that being the superior film.
“I’d let the geek get the girl.”
Randy is a nerd, so when the conversation in film class starts steering toward originality in horror movies and all the movies being the same, they ask him how he would make it different.
Randy says, “I’d let the geek get the girl.” Of course, he’s referring o the fact that the handsome, macho guy always gets the girl in the end. Can you guess what happens at the end of the film?
“Hey, you need to check your conscience at the door, sweetie. We’re not here to be loved.”
Joel joins Gale Weathers and her reporting crew, so of course, some hatred and backlash spewed their way for the insensitive approach they have in their stories about the murders. Well, if Joel wants to survive in the business, Gale has some wise words about how it goes.
There are no feelings, emotions, or conscience in this line of work. You have to turn off emotions, stop caring who loves you and thinks what, and do your job as you would if you were talking about butterflies.
It’s a tough life, kid. The sooner you deal with it, the better.
“Stupid people go back. Okay? Smart people run.”
This one came from Hallie – it was another satirical cliche-breaker about people in movies always checking out what was going on or turning back to the place they know the killer might be. I couldn’t agree more. Run people, there’s no free candy back there!
Best Quotes From Scream 3 (2000)
“He was making a movie called Stab. He was stabbed.”
In the third movie, the cast members of Stab start getting killed off one by one – a new Ghostface killer is on the loose, but it’s unclear why they are targeting them specifically.
However, there were some obvious conclusions one could come to after Cotton was murdered. John Milton asks the detectives if there’s reason to presume that his death has anything to do with the movie, to which Wallace, one of the detectives, answers with this epic quote.
He was stabbed on a set of the movie Stab. Ironic? Yes. But the connection couldn’t be more obvious, right?
“‘Listen, I know we’ve never met, and I don’t mind you never returning my phone calls, but I have to tell you, after two films, I feel like I am in your mind.’ ‘That would explain my constant headaches.”
Jennifer Jolie is writing a story, so she talks to Gale Weathers, who obviously, won’t return her calls to answer questions for her story.
So, when Jolie tries to get on Gale’s good side, she’s met with a not-so-warm response. Weathers clearly isn’t very fond of her, and she gives the most Gale-Weathers response ever.
“Well, surprise, surprise. Someone dies, and Gale comes running.”
As the murders start happening again, you better believe Gale Weathers will be there to cover it with a story. Possibly even a book. Definitely a book.
Even Dewey Riley, the former Woodsboro sheriff, knows what she’s after and doesn’t shy away from telling that to her face.
“What’s wrong with just being Gale Weathers? I liked her.”
Dewey had a thing for Gale, and Gale kind of had a thing for Dewey. However, she left town, and Dewey, to pursue her career elsewhere. She told him her life in Woodsboro felt like dog years, and like one year there are seven years elsewhere.
She couldn’t say no to the offer that sent her away because, as Gale says, she ‘could’ve been the next Diane Sawyer.’ That’s when Riley hits her right on the money – what is so bad about just being yourself?
Best Quotes From Scream 4 (2011)
“I like the Stab movies. They’re scarier. It’s not aliens, or zombies, or little Asian ghost girls. There’s something real about a guy with a kife who just snaps.”
When Chloe and Rachel sit to watch the Stab 7 movie, they start talking about the fact that the narrative from each movie just keeps getting recycled. Well, Chloe is still a fan, delivering this awesome quote.
I like to call it “getting older.” As a kid, I loved the paranormal, supernatural stuff way more than any other type of horror film. However, as I grew older, I realized that slasher movies are actually way more terrifying. I mean, sure, the old slasher films are funny from today’s perspective – the effects are horrible, and the style is just funny.
But it’s real. It can happen. Ghosts aren’t the scariest thing on this planet. It’s people. The most frightening thing in the world is knowing what kinds of monstrous things human beings are capable of doing.
“You just won’t die, will you? Who are you? Michael f*cking Myers?”
This is technically a Ghostface quote, but it turned out, the killer in Scream 4 was Jill Roberts – she was the new Ghostface.
The quote was hilarious to me because, really, what hasn’t that guy survived? For those who don’t know, Michael Myers is the main antagonist in the Halloween slasher franchise – the guy survived everything you can imagine – that’s what one calls “evil personified.”
So, hearing Jill spit out this comment towards Sidney made me laugh out loud because, well, she survived four movies as the main girl, while Ghostface kills off others like it was nothing.
Plot twist: Sidey IS Michael Myers, puts on HER mask and jumpsuit, and it’s an all-out Mike vs. Ghostface knife duel. Who’d you have winning this one?
Best Ghostface Quotes
“Movies don’t create psychos. Movies make psychos more creative!”
Spoiler alert – Billy was the killer in the first movie all along. The main girl’s boyfriend, as she suspected. The quote came in Scream (1996) when Billy talked about movie psychos. The quote is self-explanatory – he believes that you don’t become a psycho from watching a horror film – but if you already are a psycho, it might give you some new ideas.
“What’s your favorite scary movie?”
The first time we hear Ghostface in Scream was over the phone talking to Casey, the girl everyone thought would be the main girl in the beginning.
Ghostface always starts with a phone call to his victim, asking them questions about horror movies, almost appearing friendly at first. He asks Casey about horror films, chit-chats, and then brutally murders her in cold blood.
The scene became a 101 in tension-building, and the entire conversation should be considered one epic quote.
“You should never say, ‘Who’s there?’ Don’t you watch scary movies? It’s a death wish. You might as well just come out here to investigate a strange noise or something.”
In all that tension during the phone call between Ghostface and Casey, we get a first taste of what would become the backbone of the entire franchise. There’s a satirical undertone throughout the films making fun of horror movie cliches while masterfully implementing those cliches themselves.
Of course, Casey’s death wish eventually comes to fruition, as Ghostface slashes her just like her favorite horror movie’s main antagonist, Michael Myers, slashes his own victims.
“We all go a little mad sometimes.”
This is a quote from the first movie when Billy refers to himself. Him, putting on the Ghostface mask and terrorizing Woodsboro, is simply going a little mad. At least that’s how he sees it.
The quote “We all go a little mad sometimes” is probably the most frequently quoted line from the entire franchise. Even if he took it to the extreme, isn’t Billy right when you think of it? Don’t we all go a little mad sometimes? (No, Billy, we don’t. Not like that.)
“This isn’t a comedy. It’s a horror film. People live, people die. And you’d better start running.”
The Scream franchise often feels like a comedy because it is so satirical and packed with dark humor. However, one mustn’t forget – it’s not a comedy. It’s a horror film.
Even Ghostface knows that, despite his joke-cracking skills. So, when he calls Jenny Randall and tells her that Marnie is on ‘the cutting room floor,’ Jenny responds that it’s not funny.
That’s when Ghostface delivers this epic quote that someone should’ve shared with Jenny much earlier. Of course, it’s not funny, Jenny. It’s scary and bloody. If somebody called me with that kind of talk, I’d be out of that place before he could even hang up the phone.
