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Rank each Ghostface reveal from worst to best

The horror genre was in dire need of renewal in the 1990s, and fortunately Wes Craven, who previously directed the film A nightmare on Elm Street And The hills have eyesknew how to make it. Working with writer Kevin Williamson, Scream was born, a comedic slasher with a meta edge that poked fun at horror films of the past and referenced the rules of surviving scary movies.

Scream was so successful that it spawned a franchise. Clearly, the series is incredibly popular, and of any horror franchise, it remains one of the most innovative and beloved. Instead of using the same killer every time, the genius of Scream is behind the fact that each film reveals new faces under the Ghostface mask.

There have been twelve killers in the franchise (excluding Greg and Jason from the opening of Scream VI), all of which are connected to the original characters in some way. Whether boyfriends, relatives or crazy acquaintances, final girl Sidney Prescott, reporter Gale Weathers, local police officer Dewey Riley and their family and friends have all become targets for the masked killers.

Ghostface typically employs a level of slapstick humor, falling over furniture and swinging his knife through cracks in the door, which has made him an iconic slasher villain. But what are the best Ghostface reveals? This list is not a ranking of the best films in the franchise; instead, we look at the biggest motives and revelations based on shock factor, strong performances and originality.

Each Ghostface reveals ranked:

6. Roman Bruger (Scream 3)

Of all the films in the series, Scream 3 is the one that gets better the more you watch it. Like Scream 4, it was actually somewhat ahead of its time, exploring abuses of power in the film industry before #MeToo was a widespread movement. In Hollywood, the murders mainly revolve around the shooting of a newcomer Stiches film, and unfortunately for the actors who play the leading roles Scream characters, they are killed one by one. There are some intense kills in this film, and in the end we discover that it was all accomplished by just one Ghostface: director Roman Bridger.

He is the secret son of Maureen, who was raped by a Hollywood producer. She abandoned him, causing him to become jealous of Sidney for being raised by their mother. It is also revealed that he filmed Maureen’s affairs and persuaded Billy and Stu to kill her, something that had never been mentioned before. Roman, who Sidney doesn’t even know exists, turns out to be a less shocking Ghostface. We barely get to know him over the course of the film, so the reveal then becomes less intense.

5. Detective Bailey, Quinn and Ethan (Scream VI)

Scream VI is by far the weakest film in the franchise, mainly due to the fact that the film doesn’t feature the best older characters: Sidney and Dewey. While the film works well on its own with some pretty gruesome murders, it strays from Ghostface’s penchant for slapstick, instead making him a strictly terrifying and dominant figure. However, for the most part, the reveal is really unexpected and introduces three Ghostfaces (the first time this has happened in the series). Unfortunately, the characters chosen as killers are hardly as interesting as those in the other films.

It turns out that Detective Bailey, the cop who wants to help the group catch the killer after Ghostface kills his daughter Quinn, has been responsible all along. Not only that, he is actually Richie’s father who wants revenge on the others for killing his son Scream (2022), hoping to finish the film that Richie was never able to complete. Plus, it turns out that Quinn is still alive (a truly shocking revelation), and the group’s rather irrelevant friend, Ethan, is revealed to be her brother. The family unit had the potential to be strong Ghostface killers, but they simply don’t have enough screen time (or charisma) to really bother us with the reveal.

4. Richie and Amber (Scream)

In 2022, following the death of Wes Craven, directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett took over, rebooting the franchise with a new main cast. Still, Scream played old characters like Sidney, Gale, Dewey, Judy and even the ghost of Billy, linking the old and new characters together with a new series of Ghostface kills. There are some pretty brutal deaths, including Dewey’s murder – perhaps the saddest moment of the series. As far as rebooted franchises go, the fifth Scream film is a pretty solid entry, incorporating many elements from the first film, much to the delight of fans.

This turns out to make the Ghostface reveal quite unexpectedly. We discover that one of the friendship groups, Amber, actually lives in Stu’s old house, where the climax of the first film takes place. Then it turns out that Sam’s boyfriend, Richie, is the other killer, Amber’s secret boyfriend with whom she has bonded over time. Stiches series and wanted to make a ‘requel’ with it. This reveal loses points for taking influence from Charlie’s motives in the previous film, but it’s still a tense sequence, with Amber eventually being burned and shot to death, while Richie is stabbed and shot.

3. Mrs. Loomis and Mickey (Scream 2)

Scream 2 is perhaps the best film in the series after the original, with many red herrings that keep us guessing who the killer is. Could it be Sidney’s friend Derek, Cotton Weary out for revenge, or maybe even the sorority sisters Lois and Murphy? Mickey sometimes seems like too obvious a choice, causing us to ignore him as a potential killer, but of course the sequel-loving film student is really one of the two Ghostface killers. Timothy Olyphant plays him with a creepy charm, and when a dramatic scene on the school stage reveals him to be Ghostface, you wonder how many bullets it will take to actually kill him.

The more shocking revelation, however, is that the annoying reporter who is constantly pursuing Gale is actually Billy Loomis’ mother, Nancy, who wants revenge on Sidney for killing her son. She teamed up with Mickey on a forum for murderers, with the latter hoping to blame movie violence for his crimes. While they’re not the strongest duo, learning that Debbie Salt is actually Nancy Loomis – and that murder clearly runs in the family – is one of the franchise’s most exciting moments.

2. Jill and Charlie (Scream 4)

Scream 4 is a severely underrated entry in the franchise, with the film providing timely commentary on the rise of technology and social media, as well as the desire for fame. In the film, Sidney is revealed to be a successful author, although her book tour is quickly halted when evidence of a murder is found in her car. From there, a series of murders unfolds, and as… Stiches-a-thon begins, chaos ensues, inevitably revealing Jill and Charlie to be the evil killers.

Emma Roberts is excellent as Jill, who quickly shifts from her seemingly innocent and friendly nature and reveals herself to be incredibly angry and ambitious. Who would have guessed that Sidney’s cousin would have enough reasons to kill her? Jealousy turns out to be the reason, with Jill hoping to become the sole survivor of the massacre. It’s unexpected and her scenes before she is finally killed by Sidney are pure Scream gold. While Charlie, Jill’s Stiches-obsessed secret boyfriend, has a weaker motive, his Ghostface reveal is unforgettable.

1. Billy and Stu (Scream)

First of all, it could only be Billy Loomis and Stu Macher, the original Ghostface killers and by far the best. The first Scream film played with our loyalty, providing us with ample evidence against Billy, Sidney’s friend, who was both the murderer and completely innocent. There are many moments where it seems like only he could be the killer, but how can he possibly be Ghostface after we then see him get stabbed? The movie gives us a lot of red herrings, from Randy to Cotton to Gale, but when it’s revealed that Ghostface is not one but two people, Billy and Stu, everything makes so much sense.

They’re both fantastic villains, with Billy at his most cold-hearted and ruthless when it turns out he’s the main mastermind behind the murders, while Stu, played wonderfully by Matthew Lillard, quickly collapses when he realizes he’s not. wants to get away with his crimes. The pair soon find themselves in trouble when Sidney and Gale confront and kill them, but there’s never a moment where they aren’t comical, pathetic, or purely terrifying.

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