It's rare for a slasher franchise to remain consistently good, but Scream has definitely managed to do just that. When Scream 6 comes to theaters in March 2023, new life will be breathed into the franchise, with Ghostface hanging out in New York City and an even bigger threat than ever before. With a large cast of characters and only Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox) returning from the original cast, it will be interesting to see what motive the new killer has.
When reflecting back on every Ghostface killer in Scream, there are two main types of motivations that these villains have had, and the movies do a great job of offering up clear and logical explanations. While sometimes the endings of horror movies can be vague or confusing, Scream has always mastered the art of the big reveal. There have been 9 Ghostface killers, but why do they kill?
Scream: Billy Loomis And Stu Macher
Although Stu Macher (Matthew Lillard) is the best Ghostface, it's interesting to note that it isn't actually his idea to begin the killing spree in the original 1996 Scream. He goes along with the revenge plan of his best friend Billy Loomis (Skeet Ulrich), whose father had an affair with Sidney Prescott's (Neve Campbell) mother Maureen. Billy wants Sidney to pay for what he believes Maureen did to his family, but as Sidney is wise enough to realize, she isn't responsible for the actions of her parents.
Given that Billy is Sidney's, serious boyfriend, the reveal that he is Ghostface is an important one, and it sets up the fact that every future Ghostface is related to Sidney. She shows her strength when she kills both Billy and Stu, able to stand up for herself and her family, and she thankfully saves her father Neil (Lawrence Hecht) as well.
Scream 2: Debbie Salt And Mickey Altieri
Scream continued its trend of having two Ghostface killers with the great horror sequel Scream 2: Debbie Salt, who is really Billy's mother Mrs. Loomis (Laurie Metcalf), and Mickey Altieri (Timothy Olyphant). Mrs. Loomis wants revenge because Sidney killed Billy, and Mickey is looking for fame, so he agreed to team up with her in order to achieve this goal.
Never one to sit back and let life happen to her as she's a true survivor, Sidney tells Mrs. Loomis that Billy deserved to die because he killed many people in their hometown of Woodsboro, California, and she doesn't regret what she did. This Ghostface reveal stands out as even when she's physically fighting off yet another team of killers, Sidney never stops standing up for herself. Like the best final girls in horror movies, she doesn't let anyone tell her what to do or who to be.
Scream 3: Roman Bridger
By Scream 3, a pattern emerged, as the Ghostface killers either want revenge or fame. In the third entry in the franchise, Roman Bridger (Scott Foley) is revealed to be Sidney's half-brother, and he wants to achieve celebrity and notoriety because he believes that he has always lived in her shadow.
Although the Scream franchise will repeat this motive, and although Scream 3 has a bad opening sequence and isn't generally considered one of the better films in the franchise, this reveal stands out... although not for the best reasons. Roman is thought to be one of the weakest Ghostfaces and he isn't the most interesting character. It's too easy to think that he should focus on living his own life instead of obsessing over Sidney's dark story. Instead of being scary, he's fairly lackluster.
Scream 4: Jill Roberts And Charlie Walker
While some think that Scream 4 is the best movie in the franchise and others don't like that it repeats a motive yet again, it's impossible to ignore the impact of Sidney's own niece Jill Roberts (Emma Roberts) trying to kill her. Charlie Walker (Rory Culkin) goes along with the plan because he is a fan of the Stab franchise and wants to commit murders. These two might be the most shocking Ghostface killers as they appear innocent throughout the film.
Once Jill is revealed as one of the Scream 4 Ghostfaces, she shows that she has been angry for a long time, as she doesn't want Sidney to be more well-known than she is. Both characters are intense, dark, and terrifying, as they have absolutely no regrets about what they have done.
Scream (2022): Richie Kirsch And Amber Freeman
Scream (2022) also features two Ghostface killers, with Richie Kirsch (Jack Quaid) and Amber Freeman (Mikey Madison) loving the Stab movies and looking for fame. They team up together and come up with a master plan, and they are especially sneaky as Richie is dating Sam Carpenter (Melissa Barrera).
In some ways, Scream (2022) is too similar to Scream 4, and it's also possible to say that it borrows from Scream as Richie is an evil villain pretending to be a final girl's partner. But the movie manages to stand on its own and tells an entertaining story that proves the impact of the Stab franchise-within-a-franchise, along with an interesting commentary on how too many people hope for celebrity without thinking about the downsides of that lifestyle.