Making his debut in one of many best cold opens in horror, Scream (1996), Ghostface is a masked villain who taunts his victims over the cellphone earlier than showing and attacking together with his signature weapon: a knife. Donned in a black gown with a white masks, the id of Ghostface is unknown till the third act of every Scream film.
As a result of Ghostface is definitely completely different masked characters in every movie, he feels extra “actual” than a comically unkillable villain like Michael Myers or Jason Vorhees. Ghostface is somebody the characters know: a lover, a fellow highschool pupil or a buddy nobody suspected. As soon as the Ghostface disguise is on, the character appears to channel superhuman power and agility and is exceptionally exhausting to kill. As Randy Meeks says in Scream 3: “Stabbing him gained’t work. Taking pictures him gained’t work. Principally… you gotta cryogenically freeze his head, decapitate him, or blow him up.”
This text lists all 13 iterations of Ghostface within the Scream films, ranked by a wide range of metrics like estimated kill depend, how scary they’re, how effectively they taunted their supposed victims, type, and many others. From least profitable to the GOAT Ghostface, right here’s how every Ghostface carried out:
13. Ethan Bailey
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Film: Scream VI (2023)
Estimated kill depend: 2
Motive: Revenge on Samantha Carpenter for killing his brother, Richie
Ethan was a follower, plain and easy. He went together with being Ghostface as a result of his Daddy mentioned so, he’s the Kendall Roy of Ghostfaces. The truth that changing into Ghostface wasn’t Ethan’s thought exhibits in his lack of enthusiasm (and kills).
12. Jason Carvey
Film: Scream VI (2023)
Estimated kill depend: 1
Motive: To complete the film began by Richie in Scream (2022), revenge on his professor
Jason wasn’t a great Ghostface as a result of he didn’t even final a day. He had just one kill with a fairly cringe motive (he murdered his professor as a result of he was mad at his grade) and was instantly disbursed with by the “actual” Ghostface afterwards. Nonetheless, that first kill was fairly good. It was ballsy to select such a public setting as a New York Metropolis alley off of a busy highway filled with pedestrians. It additionally exhibits Jason was expert sufficient in manipulation to get his professor to depart the security of a restaurant to enterprise right into a darkish alley. He would have ranked greater if he had survived longer.
11. Quinn Bailey
Film: Scream VI (2023)
Estimated kill depend: 1
Motive: Revenge on Samantha Carpenter for killing her brother, Richie
Quinn was an incredible Ghostface. Her enthusiasm for the position was electrical. It additionally took loads of talent to faux to be a buddy/roommate to the Carpenter women for an prolonged time period and faux her personal demise. Nevertheless her father, Detective Bailey, was the principle Ghostface in her film. It could have been cool to see Quinn dwell to see one other movie and watch what she would do with out her household round. She had actual Jill Roberts potential.
10. Charlie Walker
Film: Scream 4 (2011)
Estimated kill depend: 3
Motive: His love/infatuation for Jill Roberts
Charlie was a Stab and horror film buff who actually knew his stuff. He had robust potential as Ghostface, however he wanted a number of extra years of maturing earlier than placing the masks on. In actuality, he performed second fiddle to Jill and will have seen her betrayal coming a mile away. Blinded by love (or, highschool lust), Charlie was a lackey who did Jill’s bidding. Did he even need to kill Kirby? It didn’t look like it, which might be why she survived the stabbing and (ultimately) lived to see the sequel. Charlie is greater on the listing as a result of he was a vicious killer, his homicide of Olivia Morris was so bloody that the majority of it was reduce from the movie. Tip: Scream followers who cherished Rory Culkin on this position will take pleasure in his cameo within the Black Mirror episode “Beyond the Sea”.
9. Stu Macher
Film: Scream (1996)
Estimated kill depend: 2
Motive: Billy made it sound enjoyable
Stu was arms down the funniest Ghostface because of the unbelievable comedic talent of actor Matthew Lillard. Like Charlie Walker, he thought too much with his heart and ended up with a companion who tried to get rid of him. Sadly Scream (2002) highlights that Stu was a forgettable a part of the unique Woodsboro saga — Tara Carpenter names Billy Loomis as the only real killer within the murders despite the fact that as a Woodsboro resident, she is extra aware of the crimes than most. There’s nonetheless potential for Stu to maneuver up on this listing as his return to the franchise has been hinted at within the movies and is a fan favourite principle for future installments.
8. Richie Kirsch
Film: Scream (2022)
Estimated kill depend: 2
Motive: Making a prime tier Stab film and reviving the franchise
Richie was an thrilling Ghostface who fell wanting his potential and let his companion do many of the killing. It was a Billy Loomis degree feat for him to search out Samantha Carpenter in Modesto and attraction her sufficient to change into her long run boyfriend (although he claims this was not that tough), comply with her again to Woodsboro and retain her belief even when Dewey explicitly advised her that Richie was the more than likely killer. Richie’s motive for eager to create a long-lasting villain for the Stab franchise is type of far-fetched, however Jack Quaid portrays a believably unhinged psycho, so it really works effectively sufficient.
7. Amber Freeman
Film: Scream (2022)
Estimated kill depend: 4
Motive: Making a prime tier Stab film and reviving the franchise
Amber knew that Ghostface is meant to have enjoyable! Her “Welcome to behave three” reveal of herself as Ghostface is surprising and possibly probably the most genuinely enjoyable reveal within the franchise. By no means has a Ghostface had a lot joie de vivre! Amber additionally took down a large in killing Dewey Riley, which actually says lots about her bodily prowess. She additionally had imaginative and prescient, seeing that the Stab franchise wanted an actual villain like Halloween and Friday the thirteenth have and dealing to show Samantha Carpenter (Melissa Barrera) into that villain by tormenting her and her sister.
6. Detective Bailey
Film: Scream VI (2023)
Estimated kill depend: 6
Motive: Revenge on Samantha Carpenter for killing his son, Richie
Detective Bailey was the most effective Ghostface out of his household of killers (Richie, Quinn, Ethan). The bodega scene in Scream VI the place Bailey is behind the Ghostface masks is the most effective scene within the movie and one of many scariest Ghostface scenes within the franchise. He did one thing no masked Ghostface has ever finished earlier than by choosing up a gun to make use of as his weapon as an alternative of a knife (each different Ghostface has solely used a gun as soon as they had been unmasked) and turned the security of a crowded retailer right into a scene of terror. He additionally exhibits expertise as a mastermind for having the ability to pretend Quinn’s demise and idiot his colleagues within the NYPD. Nevertheless, Bailey loses factors as a result of it feels cringe that somebody of his age is so obsessive about school children.
5. Mickey Altieri
Film: Scream 2 (1997)
Estimated kill depend: 7
Motive: To troll America together with his “the flicks made me do it” protection
Mickey was an incredible psychopath. Timothy Olyphant was positively giddy because the “creepy Tarantino movie pupil” (Randy’s phrases, RIP). However was he an incredible Ghostface? He wasn’t even the most effective Ghostface in his film, that slot goes to Mrs. Loomis, the mastermind of Scream 2. Regardless that he has a powerful kill depend, it’s exhausting to rank Mickey extremely when he was outshone in his personal ultimate reveal.
4. Mrs. Loomis
Film: Scream 2 (1997)
Estimated kill depend: 1
Motive: Good old school revenge on Sidney Prescott for killing her son Billy
Mrs. Loomis was a terrific Ghostface regardless of solely having one kill (Randy, who she acquired “knife blissful” with after he insulted her son Billy Loomis). She was a mastermind who recruited Mickey and deliberate the entire sequence of killings at Windsor Faculty. She was a great actress who made Gale Weathers (an skilled on the Woodsboro murders who had seen photos of Mrs. Loomis whereas researching the crimes) consider that she was only a native journalist named Debbie Salt. She’s additionally the one Ghostface to have an honest motive: revenge on Sidney for killing her son, Billy, though it’s a little bit questionable that she’s so mad about this when she actually deserted him…
3. Jill Roberts
Film: Scream 4 (2011)
Estimated kill depend: 7
Motive: Stardom as the only real survivor of the most recent Woodsboro murders
Jill delivered the most effective third act monologue within the Scream franchise with “I don’t want associates. I would like followers.” Jill’s reign as Ghostface is extra campy than scary, nevertheless, she will get credit score for being the dominant companion over Charlie and the extremely ruthless kill of her personal mom. She additionally has the very best kill depend of any feminine Ghostface within the franchise. However, Jill’s downfall is that her plan didn’t truly work. She made a rookie error in not ensuring Sidney was useless resulting in the “foolish” (Jill’s phrases) hospital scene.
My associates? What world are you dwelling in? I don’t want associates. I would like followers. Don’t you get it? This has by no means been about killing you? It’s about changing into you. I imply, for fuck’s sake, my very own mom needed to die, no nice loss there, so I might keep true to the unique. That’s sick, proper? Effectively, sick is the brand new sane. You had your quarter-hour, now I need mine! I imply, what am I alleged to do? Go to varsity? Grad college? Work? Go searching. All of us dwell in public now, we’re all on the Web. How do you suppose individuals change into well-known any extra? You don’t have to attain something. You simply gotta have fucked up shit occur to you. So it’s important to die, Sid. These are the foundations. New film, new franchise. There’s solely room for one lead, and let’s face it, your ingenue days, they’re over.
Jill’s monologue throughout her Ghostface reveal is extra well timed than ever
2. Roman Bridger
Film: Scream 3 (2000)
Estimated kill depend: 9
Motive: Jealousy that his mom deserted him however raised his half-sister, Sidney Prescott
Roman is the one solo Ghostface within the franchise, everybody else had a companion to assist with the kills and take suspicion off of them. Because of this, he additionally has the very best kill depend of any Ghostface. Whereas Scream 3 is among the least common movies within the franchise, Roman does a great job of being a shocking reveal because the killer. Moreover, He was capable of keep away from suspicion by pretending to be afraid of being murdered, pretending to be drunk and ultimately faking his personal demise.
Two attention-grabbing factors about Roman as Ghostface:
- When Tara Carpenter is within the hospital in Scream (2022), she watches Dawson’s Creek, particularly an episode which featured Scott Foley’s character Cliff Elliot (he had a 5-episode arc). This opens a complete can of worms. Was Roman Bridger an actor who appeared on Dawson’s Creek? Does this imply that Dawson’s Creek star Joshua Jackson was a widely known actor when he was in Randy’s movie class in Scream 2? What are audiences alleged to make of this intentional resolution to open up the Scream–Dawson’s Creek multiverse?
- There’s a principle that Roman truly did have a companion, however the companion has by no means been caught (or was disbursed with by Roman off-camera). All through the Scream franchise, principally any unexplained logistical hole in how Ghostface might pull off murdering in secret will be chalked as much as both Roman or his unknown parter appearing as a meta-Ghostface and serving to out the killers in that movie.
1. Billy Loomis
Film: Scream (1996)
Estimated kill depend: 4
Motive: Ostensibly revenge for Sidney’s mom having an affair together with his father (which resulted in Mrs. Loomis abandoning the household) however it additionally looks as if Billy simply loved tormenting and killing his associates
Billy Loomis is the scariest iteration of Ghostface. A real cold-blooded psychopath, he was a violent and remorseless killer. Not solely that, Billy had the self-discipline to play the lengthy recreation. After discovering his father was having an affair with Maureen Prescott, he masterminded Maureen’s homicide and scapegoated Cotton Weary. Earlier than or throughout this time, Billy acquired Sidney to be his girlfriend with the top purpose of murdering her across the one 12 months anniversary of her mom’s demise. In fact, he wasn’t trustworthy to Sidney (he knocked up Sam and Tara Carpenter’s mother throughout this time) .However was expert sufficient in manipulation to maintain her belief and even take her virginity.
Whereas Billy doesn’t have the very best kill depend within the franchise. And didn’t do the work alone, we’ve to go along with the phrases of the Scream movies themselves: “Don’t fuck with the unique.”
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