Who Is Ghostface in Scream ? A Guide to All the Killers in the Franchise
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BROWNIE HARRIS/ Paramount Pictures and Spyglass Media Group Ghostface in Scream (2022)
Everyone's familiar with the infamous Ghostface mask, but who's behind it is the constant question at the heart of the Scream franchise.
Since the widely-successful slasher film debuted in 1996, the five installments that followed kept its classic whodunnit format. In Scream's case — that is — a plot that chronicles a murder mystery surrounding a disguised killer who causes havoc in the California town of Woodsboro.
While the murderer identities behind the mask are different in each film, there are a few factors that always remain the same. Notably, Ghostface's black-hooded-cloak ensemble paired with its synonymous rubber white mask with blacked-out facial features.
In addition to Ghostface's ghoulish garb, the creepy voice also remains a constant. Voice actor Roger L. Jackson has been the man behind the murdering monster in every film within the Scream franchise, despite the revolving actors physically playing the character on screen.
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The horror franchise released its fifth installment in 2022, marking the first movie in the Scream series to be directed by someone other than Wes Craven, who died in 2015. Filmmakers Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett were tasked with reinventing the franchise.
Most recently, the duo have teamed up once again to bring Ghostface to Manhattan for Scream VI — who "isn't like any other Ghostface," according to a new trailer released on Jan. 19. Jenna Ortega and Melissa Barrera are reprising their roles in the upcoming film, while Scream staple Courteney Cox also makes her return.
Here's a look back at every Ghostface killer revealed to date.
Warning: This post contains spoilers for the entire 'Scream' franchise, including the sixth installment.
Scream 1 (1996)
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1996's Scream, notoriously known as one of the bloodiest films of all time, features two killers: Billy Loomis played by Skeet Ulrich and Stu Macher played by Matthew Lillard. Billy is regarded as the original Ghostface, followed by Stu who is revealed as the second.
Billy is the main antagonist of the first Scream film. A horror film fanatic, he recruits his teenage best friend Stu to assist him on his killing spree in the small fictional town of Woodsboro, California. Despite Billy's admittance that it's "scarier when there is no motive" to kill, his intent ultimately becomes clear.
The reason? Billy reveals that he wants to get revenge on Maureen Prescott for causing his parents to separate. Maureen is the mother of Sidney Prescott (played by Lynn McRee) and had an affair with Billy's father, Henry "Hank," resulting in his mother Nancy Loomis to leave their family.
Maureen is the first Ghostface kill of the Scream franchise and the only murder to take place off screen. While both Billy and Stu were involved in this death, it remains a mystery as to who's responsible for the six other murders in the first film of the franchise.
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Scream 2 (1997)
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Two killers are revealed as Ghostface in Scream 2: Mickey Altieri played by Timothy Olyphant and Nancy Loomis played by Laurie Metcalf. The franchise's second installment is the first time Mrs. Loomis makes an appearance, despite being mentioned in the original Scream.
Mickey, a film student and Sidney's best friend at Windsor College, is the first killer revealed in Scream 2. Unlike the rest of the murderers in the Scream franchise, Mickey is the only killer who turns himself in with the intent of getting caught and gaining infamy.
He was recruited by Nancy (also known as "Debbie Salt") who is coping with grief after leaving her family and learning of her son Billy's involvement in the Woodsboro Murders in 1996, which ultimately resulted in his death.
In a copycat Ghostface killing spree, Nancy and Mickey target two of the Woodsboro survivors (Billy's former girlfriend Sidney and author Gale Weathers) and torment them in Ohio. Her intent was to seek revenge for the death of her son, in addition to frame Mickey as the sole murderer.
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Scream 3 (2000)
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Scream 3 is the only film in the franchise where only one identity is revealed as Ghostface: Roman Bridger played by Scott Foley. Roman is the main antagonist of the third installment and the fifth Ghostface murderer unmasked overall.
Roman is a music video director, tasked with the gig of helming Stab 3: Return to Woodsboro. The fictional film is the concluding film in the trilogy and is based on the true events of the 1996 Woodsboro and 1998 Windsor College Murders that went down in the Scream franchise's first two installments.
It is revealed that Roman is Sidney's older half-brother, first born of Maureen Prescott. Not only is he her secret maternal sibling, but he is her arch-nemesis. Jealous of her successes, he seeks revenge against her.
Additionally, it is revealed that Roman was the architect behind the aforementioned killing sprees. He wanted to avenge those who wronged him, like his mother who rejected him and her secret affair with Hank.
Thus, he is indirectly responsible for the previous Ghostface murders, despite only appearing in Scream 3. Also, Roman holds the record for the most kills in the franchise to date.
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Scream 4 (2011)
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Scream 4 saw the return of two identities under the infamous Ghostface mask: Charlie Walker played by Rory Culkin and Jill Roberts played by Emma Roberts. With respective underlying intents, Charlie and Jill teamed up to cause havoc on the town of Woodsboro.
A film student and horror movie buff, Charlie was unknowngly a pawn in Jill's concocted plan. He was also her secret girlfriend, a relationship that started after she was cheated on by her ex-boyfriend Trevor Sheldon.
As for Jill, her jealousy of Sidney's fame as the survivor of the 1996 Woodsboro Murders and her successes that followed were among her leading causes to kill. In honor of the 15th anniversary of the Woodsboro Murders, she teamed up with Charlie to recreate the harrowing happenings in a real-life film.
Jill and Charlie would play the millennial counterparts to Sidney and Randy Meeks in the killing spree that Billy and Stu started. Their plan was to kill and frame her ex-boyfriend, Trevor, for the murders. But Jill secretly intended on framing Charlie as an accomplice, and she would come out on top as the sole survivor.
Meanwhile, Jill's goal of gaining fame ultimately turned into infamy in the end with seven kills to her name. As for Charlie, his kill game was weak from the start, ultimately leading to his demise far sooner than Jill's.
Scream 5 (2022)
Brownie Harris / © Paramount Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection
In typical Scream fashion, the film's fifth installment also saw two killers behind the Ghostface mask: Amber Freeman played by Mikey Madison and Richie Kirsch played by Jack Quaid.
Amber was a super fan of the Stab films, though she didn't care for its sequels, particularly the eighth installment. She took her opinions to subreddit where she met Richie. They decided to recreate Stab 8 themselves, calling it a "requel" (a reboot sequel).
Their intent is to kill sisters Sam and Tara Carpenter, using them as basis of the film. Sam is the long-lost daughter of Billy, who Richie attempts to cozy up as part of his plan before ultimately turning on her in the end. Meanwhile, Amber gets Tara to become her best friend.
Amber's most notable claim to fame is slashing the long-lasting Dewey Riley, who she murders in self defense. As for Richie, he falls victim to Sam, nearly 25 years after the original massacre.
Scream 6 (2023)
Paramount Pictures
There's no denying that the horror franchise follows a trend of having more than one killer behind the Ghostface mask (with the exception of Scream 3) — and Scream 6 is no different. In fact, the latest installment is even more ruthless than its predecessors.
Why? Because not two, but three murderers are revealed! The unmasked identities include Wayne Bailey, Quinn Bailey and Ethan Landry.
Wayne is a detective who is investigating the Ghostface murders in New York City, an essential part of the sixth installment's plot which picks up where Scream 5 left off. It follows Tara, Mindy and Chad as they head to N.Y.C. to attend the fictional Blackmore University with Sam tagging along to protect her younger sister. In New York, the gang adds three new members to their crew: Tara's roommate Quinn, Mindy's girlfriend Anika and Chad's roommate Ethan.
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The group spends most of the film trying to track down the new Ghostface killer, who seems to be even more ruthless than some of their predecessors. Several characters are killed off before the final showdown, which sees Sam, Tara, Chad, Mindy, Ethan, Kirby and Wayne head to Ghostface's lair (an empty movie theater, to be exact) where they plan to corner and kill him. Before they even get there, not everyone makes it: Mindy is attacked on the train ride over after she and Ethan got separated from the group.
Once they arrive at the lair, Sam receives a call from Wayne, who claims that Kirby is the killer — but before they get the chance to escape, Sam, Tara and Chad are jumped by two Ghostfaces. Sam and Tara try to make a run for it, but Kirby and Wayne appear with guns in hand. Wayne shoots Kirby, revealing himself to be the first of three Ghostfaces, with Quinn and Ethan exposing themselves to be the other two.
Oh, and to further blow viewers' minds, Quinn and Ethan reveal themselves to be Wayne's children. It turns out Quinn, who was seemingly killed by Ghostface during an earlier scene, had faked her death with the help of her father, while Ethan had schemed his way into being Chad's roommate to get close to the Carpenter sisters. The trio's motivation? To get revenge on Sam for killing their son and brother, Richie Kirsch, in the previous film after he orchestrated his own series of Ghostface slayings.
The family of killers marked the first time the Scream franchise unveiled a trifecta of Ghostface identities — but like the murderers who came before them, none of the three made it out of the film alive.
