I scream, you scream, we all scream for “Scream” films! Honestly, my mind changes like the weather, but when it comes to horror flicks, the “Scream” franchise sits a slight notch above the rest for me. Yeah, I love Jason and his big dumb goofy lumbering and slaughter. Chucky cracks me up with his profanity-laced quips in fun-sized form. And Freddy. I mean, how can you not love him! But love each of these horror icons as I may, when it comes to the totality of a franchise, it’s “Scream.” I’m just nuts about it! The likely reason is I legit grew up with it. Back when the fantastic original debuted in 1996, I was 10 years old, and it wasn’t long until I saw it at a sleepover and lived in a delusional state of irrational fear that someone was in my house. I mean, I just loved being a kid!
So, unlike my other favorite horror franchises, what makes “Scream” so unique is that each film plays out as a whodunnit mystery full of easter eggs, red herrings, and enough loose ends to keep your mind spinning as you try to identify just who is (or are) Ghostface. With that said, I thought it would be a fun idea to annoy all other “Scream” fans and give you my ranking of all Ghostface Killers in the franchise. Now, a couple ground rules. I am going to spoil every one of these films … so be warned. Also—this list will consist of 13 Ghostfaces. Yeah, there could be a technicality here or there along with some bonkers-ass fan theories (of which I fully subscribe) but 13! That’s all you’re getting. Make sure to tell us here at The Movie Buff who your favorite Ghostface is! Let’s do this!
13: Jason Carvey—’Scream 6′
This is a last-minute addition at the behest of a good friend who convinced me I wasn’t living up to the fandom by not including this one. I initially disagreed having him. But in truth he does hit one kill, so yeah… even if he is way better in the “Spider-Man: Homecoming” trilogy, we’ll give him a nod for the first five minutes of “Scream 6.”
12,11,10: Detective Bailey, Quinn, and Ethan (AKA Richie’s Family)—’Scream 6′
I make the rules here and I’m going to tell you, I absolute love “Scream 6.” With one exception— the trifecta of killers annoys the ever-loving hell out of me. Well not as much as how Chad keeps surviving these horrific stabbings. I feel like this is the series’ way of making up for being too quick to kill off fan favs in the OG run but good lord, how has he survived not only “Scream 5” but also this one? Bonkers. Anyway, the killers. You know how Nirvana is the epitome of the power trio in music? These three are the legit 180-degree opposite. Now I know we are following these trends like killer-of-the previous-film’s-parent-comes-to-avenge… hence Scream 2. And like Randy Meeks taught us so long ago, you got to up the stakes in a sequel. Anyway, I am the absolute world champion of suspending disbelief but come on.
9,8: Jill Roberts and Charlie Walker—’Scream 4′
Dude, when “Scream 4” dropped after an eleven-year hiatus, you best believe you this guy was bouncing off the walls in anticipation. The return to Woodsboro was killer. Seeing the returning cast, the insane meta-loop of the beginning, and the entire new generation of characters just hit perfectly for me. You may notice a theme of lumping killers from a film together, but I reserve the right to change that up as we go. But again, for “Scream 4,” the weakest part of the film was the two Ghostface killers. Now, in truth, my disappointment with them really only comes after their identities are revealed. The wretched dialog and deliveries of Rory Culkin and Emma Roberts left me wishing I would be stabbed to death in horrific-meta fashion. Not really…well, maybe.
7: Roman Bridger—’Scream 3′
The only film to feature a lone Ghostface, “Scream 3” is a real mixed bag. On one hand, it’s got a lightness to it that makes it a real fun kind of hang movie. But on the other, it lacks the punch of its predecessors, while succumbing to the unimaginable difficult circumstances that sent its production down a number of differing creative paths. All that said, “Scream 3” is probably my least favorite of the films but I don’t know, having Roman set up as the kind of architect who engaged Stu Macher and Billy Loomis and set them down their path, I kind of like how his psychotic need for revenge set up this glorious franchise.
6: Richie Kirsch—’Scream 5′
After another long hiatus following the awesome but slightly under performing “Scream 4,” the franchise again came storming back with fresh faces and no shortage of reboot, requel/sequel energy. Unlike his lame-ass family from the latest installment, Richie really is a solid addition to the Ghostface legacy. Where this installment truly excels is in its ability to tap into current societal trends to inform and instigate its madman. Essentially driven mad by serial killer subreddits, his attempt to cultivate his own horror film is a great example of the way in which we look at horrific true crime today. We lack empathy from being over stimulated and the subjects of serial killing and murder being so diluted and in our face thanks to I don’t know, literally every major streaming platform pumping out true crime docs non-stop.
5: Micky Altieri—’Scream 2′
When the final book on film is written, “Scream 2” will sit among the best-ever sequels So good. So so good. Despite a troubled production that included leaked scripts, rewrites, and major plot changes, this killer sequel set the bar for horror sequels to follow. Look no further than this fantastic film. Back in 1997, we didn’t really know Timothy Olyphant, but he delivers a powerhouse performance as film student/Ghostface Micky Altieri. Again, commenting on the times, the country just came off the crime of the century when “The Naked Gun” star O.J. Simpson murdered his wife and a waiter, got away with it, and set the frenzied world of true crime into motion. What’s great with Micky is having seen this, he wants to get caught. He wants to go on trial. He wants to become an infamous figure like Ted Bundy, Charles Manson, or O.J. It’s a brilliant approach for a character’s motivation.
4: Mrs. Loomis—’Scream 2′
Here in “Scream 2,” we get the fantastic Laurie Metcalf as Mrs. Loomis. While she assumes the identity of Debbie Salt to cover the new set of murders, it was really just her way of ingratiating herself into the madness she and Micky unleashed on Windsor College. The challenging aspect of a mother-son relationship has its marks all over the horror franchise. “Psycho.” “Friday the 13th.” If the former, you have a son kill his mother and assume her as a split personality. The latter, you have a mother avenge the drowning death of her son. And then the son come back from the dead to avenge her. Or was he actually alive the whole time? Did he really live in the woods? When he saw his mother trying to kill Alice, he couldn’t just pop up and say, “Hey Mom. Not dead. False alarm.” And then how did he find Alice at her home in the sequel? And honestly, how the hell did he end up in Manhattan? If your head is spinning reading this right now, you’re welcome for this brief glimpse into the mind of Joe Hughes.
3: Amber Freeman—’Scream 5′
I’ll be honest, I’m kind of confused about Amber’s methods but I love Mikey Madison, so she gets the runner-up slot. I mean in she has starred in two separate films as a homicidal maniac where she has been set on fire. First in an unbelievable hilarious and wild scene in 2019’s “Once Upon a Time In Hollywood “and again here in “Scream 5.” Now, do I think her character could have killed Dewey? Also, anyone see “Anora?” Amazing film and for my money, well deserving of all the awards it took home at the Oscars. I want to see Mikey Madison become the biggest actress in Hollywood. She is stellar. I mean, I don’t know. Not from the looks of it. But again, if you spend too much time trying to dissect who did what kills when in which films, you kind of rob yourself of some of the joy of the chaos. And that’s the thing about chaos, it’s fair.
2, 1: Billy Loomis and Stu Macher
Duh. I mean, we’ve got a lot of great Ghostfaces here, but this one is going to the originals. These two—specifically—Billy—are totally effing insane. Like you can just see it in his eyes the dude has lost all marbles. “We all go a little mad sometimes.” You know Billy is quoting Norman Bates from “Psycho.” And as rambled above, “Psycho” has some other ties to the character and film and motivations of some other Ghostfaces. Stu, I’m a little less on if only because he is kind of a follower. But his delivery of, “My mom and dad are going to be so mad at me,” “Live-er alone,” and “I’ll be right back” remain three of the most quotable horror movies lines to this day. Not everyone loves the “Dexter”-type approach to “Scream 5” & “6” with Billy showing up as a figment of his daughter Sam’s imagination but I dig it. With “Scream 7” kind of again reinventing the wheel, I’d like to see his remain if possible as well as bring back whoever they can just for the fun of it. At this point, let’s just have fun with all this. Best franchise for horror ever!
