Even though none of the killers appear to have survived Wes Craven’s Scream movie, it is obvious that they still exist with Ghostface’s latest return to the big screen. With Dewey Riley (David Arquette) and Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox) by her side at all times, nothing is impossible for the forever final girl Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell), who has faced with her fair share of neurotic boyfriends, nasty half-brothers, and attention-seeking friends and family. The thrilling Scream “requel” (yeah, we spelled that correctly) from this year questions whether or not horror can be considered “elevated” and introduces two new slashers to the Ghostface lineage. Although the most notorious serial killers in Woodsboro all wore the same mask and were voiced by Roger L. Jackson, they were actually all completely different individuals who occasionally had the same motivations as one another. However, they were all formidable opponents, so let’s rank them all.
Amber Freeman (Scream 5)
Even though Amber Freeman (Mikey Madison) is only eighteen, she is one of the most formidable Ghostfaces to have ever defeated the opposition. In the most recent Scream “requel,” Amber, one of the two antagonists, was able to become close to Tara Carpenter (Jenna Ortega) and infiltrate her group of friends, exactly like the original Woodsboro killers did. Amber, a fantastic actor, was able to not only become close to Tara but also to the point that Tara would prefer her company over that of her sister Sam (Melissa Barrera).
However, Amber’s real claim to fame is that she finally killed Dewey Riley, something that no other Ghostface has ever been able to do. Dewey had endured a tonne throughout the years, even though he was a lot older than he was in the original movies. Nevertheless, Amber is able to permanently eliminate him, and we must give her credit for that. She is among the list’s most terrifying slashers. Did we even add that after being burned to death, she continued to try to murder Sidney, Gale, and Sam?
Kills: Four
Billy Loomis (Scream)
Billy Loomis, the original Ghostface killer, was the first person to directly harass Sidney Prescott and the rest of Woodsboro. Billy killed Sidney’s mother a year earlier in a frenzy motivated by retaliation before slaughtering all of their high school friends with Stu Macher. Billy could be the most terrifying of all the Ghostface assassins since, even when he wasn’t wearing a mask, he was a bit of a weirdo and was very obviously the murderer from the start.
The remainder of Woodsboro (and the franchise) would be haunted by Billy’s legacy for years to come, serving as a direct influence on subsequent Ghostfaces and adding even more bloodshed to his name. Even Sam Carpenter, the most recent final girl and Billy’s long-lost daughter, used her inner Loomis to savagely kill Richie before he could kill her (after having visions of him, ugh). Not to mention the lengthy therapy sessions Sidney underwent after Billy exposed his identity as Ghostface.
When Debbie Loomis (Laurie Metcalf), also known as Debbie Salt, appeared at the conclusion of Scream 2, she gave off definite Pamela Voorhees vibes. She was the mother of the original Ghostface killer. After Sidney murdered Billy Loomis (Skeet Ulrich), Debbie immediately started formulating a strategy to exact revenge on Sidney, which included paying a student’s tuition (see below) and arranging for him to become acquainted with Sidney through school. Randy Meeks was a buddy of Sidney’s from high school, and we were all sad to see him depart. It turned out that she was the one who killed him. The crazy revenge plan of Debbie didn’t work out well for her. Cotton Weary (Liev Schrei ber) not only shot her, but Sidney made sure to finish the job. Debbie is a blatant rip-off of the first Friday the 13th, despite the fact that she killed one of the franchise’s best characters. She is also one of the least memorable characters.
Kill tally: 1 (possibly 2 others)
Jill Roberts (Scream 4)
Jill Roberts, Sidney’s cousin, is another straight crazy (Emma Roberts). The fact that Jill is willing to hurt herself to make her “attack” appear genuine indicates that all the Ghostfaces must be insane to some extent. In fact, the most startling part of the entire Scream canon was arguably when it was revealed that she was the brains behind the events of Scream 4, and then when she killed her own accomplice to become the “new” Sidney Prescott. It also works.
With seven victims under her belt, Jill is still one of the scariest and most brutal slashers in the Scream series, highlighting the perils of the attention-seeking social media era. She tries to kill Sidney in the hospital after failing to kill her cousin the first time, but Sidney electrocutes her with two defibrillators before shooting her in the head. Although it is intense, it is effective.
7 kills total
Mickey Altieri (Scream 2)
The main antagonist of Scream 2, Mickey Altieri (Timothy Olyphant), was a film student who particularly enjoyed horror movies and was one of Sidney’s closest friends from college. Of course, like all the Ghostface murders, his aspiration to be the “star” was realised when he started killing on campus. Mickey assured Sidney that he was as distressed to see history repeat itself as she was while directly killing five people and possibly another two. Before killing him, Mickey convinced Sidney that Derek Feldman (Jerry O’Connell), his best friend and her boyfriend, was a co-conspirator in the most horrifying way imaginable. Future relationships were hampered as a result, and although recognising Mickey had been lying the entire time, Sidney insisted on wearing the necklace Derek had given her in memory of him. This necklace proved useful when she used it to sever Mickey’s face.
5 kills total (possibly 2 others)
Richie Kirsch (Scream 5)
Richie Kirsch (Jack Quaid) and Amber made the decision to develop their own version of Stab 8 that would better meet the demands and requirements of the “fans” (i.e., the audience). His grand scheme involves becoming close to Billy Loomis’ long-lost daughter Sam Carpenter, only to use her against him in the dying moments. Richie immediately leaves a positive impression as a really “lovely man,” making him the first boyfriend since Billy Loomis to actually be the murderer. Nevertheless, Dewey was able to predict it straight away because, of course, he does.
Why, then, is Richie listed before Amber? Sincerably, due to his consistent charisma, clever scheme, and exceptional acting abilities. Richie doesn’t immediately send off any red flags beyond the fact that he is Sam’s boyfriend, whereas Amber looks to be a suspect. We sincerely hope against hope that he isn’t the murderer until the very end, when he reveals himself, and when that is revealed, we feel beyond deceived. Additionally, it’s very stunning that he killed acting sheriff Judy Hicks (Marley Shelton) and her son Wes (Dylan Minnette) in the open.
2-kill total
Roman Bridger (Scream 3)
Although Scream 3 may not be the most memorable of the bunch, this murderer is. Getting the job directing Stab 3 wasn’t nearly enough for Roman Bridger (Scott Foley), a rising Hollywood music video director. Roman, the illegitimate child of Maureen Prescott (Lynn McRee), aka Rina Reynolds, was outright rejected by his real mother before stalking her and discovering her illicit relationship with Hank Loomis (C.W. Morgan). The 1996 Woodsboro Murders were the consequence of Billy Loomis and Stu Macher’s decision to kill Billy’s father, which was actually influenced by Roman.
Roman, however, felt it was his moment to shine and attempted to murder his half-sister Sidney because the original Woodsboro Murderers weren’t enough for him. Roman is arguably the most prolific Ghostface there has ever been and the only one to operate entirely independently (the hidden twist that marked the third film). Sidney would have became his tenth and last victim, but thankfully Dewey was there to shoot him in the head.
9 kills total
Stu Macher (Scream)
Since Gene Simmons put on the KISS makeup, Stu Macher (Matthew Lillard), one of the Ghostfaces, has done some of the strangest things with his tongue. He is maybe the most unsettling of all the Ghostfaces. As a result, this Ghostface serves as the secondary (and unexpected) antagonist of the first Scream. He assisted in the murder of Sidney’s mother before launching the infamous 1996 Woodsboro Murders a year later with his ex-girlfriend Casey Becker (Drew Barrymore) and her then-boyfriend.
Due to the fact that Billy and Stu are referenced in each movie, it is clear that Stu is genuinely insane (you can see it in his eyes) (with Lillard cameoing in each). There are also widespread rumours that Stu is still alive, is now spending time in prison, and is waiting to make his exit with a cult of Ghostfaces based on early works by co-creator Kevin Williamson. This concept ultimately served as the basis for Williamson’s television series The Following, although it would undoubtedly make for an interesting sixth episode.
