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thefinalboss387 · 1 year ago

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My Ghostface Ranking

Hello everyone!

I’ve been in a big Scream mood lately (and always), so I figured I’d do a ranking of my favorite killers in the Scream franchise.

This will include the killers from all three seasons of the TV series, as well as Scream 1-6. I also included Jason, the opening kill of 6, because why not lol. Comes to 17 killers total! (I didn’t include the killer from the one-shot Halloween Special of the TV Series, as he didn’t even resemble Ghostface unlike the others). SPOILERS for all of that by the way!!

My rankings are very different than a lot of the ones I’ve seen floating around the internet, so please be respectful of my opinion! I love all most of these characters and any differing opinions are 100% valid!

17. Jamal “Jay” Elliot - TV Series, Season 3

I have to admit, I enjoyed season 3 of the TV Series. It was cool to see the perspective shift to a lower-income neighborhood, and having a more diverse main cast. With that said... Jay was unfortunately a very underwhelming killer and character as a whole. A lot of this comes down to Tyga’s performance. His line delivery was so wooden despite his emotional backstory and motive. His killer reveal happens as he lay there dying, which took away a lot of the stakes and gravity of the moment. The character had a lot of potential, but unfortunately I don’t feel that it was tapped at all.

16. Jason Carvey - Scream VI

Yeahhhh, Jason was never going to make it far up this list. I was hesitant to even add him at all. He is one of the opening kills of Scream VI, but what the character brought to the table for his limited screen time was really fresh and interesting. In the opening scene of the movie, we have Ghostface commit a murder and then unmask himself??? It was cool to follow a Ghostface Killer’s perspective, watch him interact with Tara while secretly plotting her death, describe how his first kill felt, etc.

15. Quinn Bailey - Scream VI

I actually really liked Quinn. Her quirky, sex-positive roommate character was extremely fun and endearing, and turning the trope around to make that sex-positive character the killer was a fun twist. Unfortunately, though, I feel like Quinn became less interesting after her killer reveal. She was just kind of.... angry, and lost a lot of her fun quirkiness. She is the only killer that I feel got less interesting after revealing themselves as a killer. I also believe she was only actually responsible for one kill (Gale’s boytoy), which is disappointing. Ultimately, I feel it would have been a better move NOT to make her one of the killers, keep her the fun quirky friend she was pre-reveal, and allow more much-needed focus to the film’s other two main killers.

14. Charlie Walker - Scream 4

In most of the Ghostface partnerships, there is usually a mastermind and a minion. Charlie is one of the more obvious examples of the “minion” type, and unfortunately very much gets overshadowed by his partner - more on her later. Charlie himself is fine - I don’t particularly love OR hate him? It was a fun twist to see the Randy-type horror trivia nerd turn out to be the killer, and I did enjoy his flirty dynamic with Kirby. I am personally of the belief that Charlie was behind the mask for most of the movie, doing Jill’s dirty work so she could keep her hands clean. He was an efficient and brutal Ghostface who unfortunately did not get much time to shine post-reveal.

13. Stu Macher - Scream (1996)

I know. I know. Don’t kill me. I’m sorry. Stu, I feel, is usually somewhere in the top 3 on everyone’s Ghostface rankings. And I get it. Matthew Lillard’s performance as the character is great. Stu is extremely entertaining, freakin crazy, and fun to watch. But beyond that.... I’m sorry, he just didn’t have much importance in the grand scheme of things. He was little more than Billy’s minion. He had some of the greatest lines in the franchise, but also... his motive was peer pressure. As charismatic and amazing as his performance is, I just can’t justify putting him any higher on this list.

12. Richie Kirsch - Scream (2022)

While we’re on the topic of Ghostface Killers with incredibly high charisma, here’s Richie Kirsch! I honestly really like Richie. He’s very likeable, both pre- AND post-reveal. His “toxic fandom” motive is interesting. I also really enjoy that he and Amber never really show any signs of wanting to betray or kill each other, and seem to genuinely respect each other. This is also the only Ghostface team that I really don’t think the mastermind/minion dynamic applies to, as they seem to be on pretty equal footing. But a lot of what I find interesting about Richie comes with subtext. Upon rewatches, there is so much subtext surrounding his character. How he claims to never have seen a Stab movie, but then stands there in shock and awe in the background when he first meets Dewey, and watches Stab movies and Stab analysis videos in every second of idle time we see him have. The chemistry and body language when Richie and Amber “meet for the first time”, and the looks they give each other when Amber half-jokingly throws suspicion on him. Richie was overall a fun and compelling character, and Scream VI expanding on his backstory and the depths of his toxic fandom was really interesting.

11. Piper Shaw - TV Series, Season 1

Piper was the killer in the first season of the TV Series. Seemingly, she started off as the show’s answer to Gale Weathers: a true crime podcaster that came to Lakewood to investigate the recent string of killings, and the town’s history of previous killings. She befriended Emma, the show’s main character, and became something of a confidant to her, a shoulder to cry on. In the end, Piper was revealed to be the killer, the daughter of a man who (supposedly) famously killed a bunch of teens decades ago.... and Emma’s secret half-sister. She was carrying out a vendetta she had against Emma’s mother for abandoning her as a child. Although Piper isn’t given a whole lot of time to shine post-reveal (her final revelation/fight scene is only a few minutes long), she is mentioned a lot in season 2. In a lot of ways, she is the mastermind of the show’s first two seasons, even after her death in season 1. I feel like I would’ve liked Piper a lot more if we got to spend more time with her and better understand her, but alas....

10. Mickey Altieri - Scream 2

Of all the “minion” Ghostfaces, Mickey was the one that got the closest to being a mastermind type. Even though he was pretty much under Mrs. Loomis’s thumb, he had his own motive, his own goals and ideas, his own agency as a character. He also dealt some serious psychological blows to Sidney. Mickey was a solid Ghostface that left a lasting impact on Sidney and the franchise as a whole - even if he largely goes unrecognized for it. He was the only Ghostface that wanted to get caught, and wanted to undergo a big, high-profile court case where he used violence in cinema as a defense. I’m not sure how well that motive has aged for this day and age, but back when Scream 2 came out, that was a very hot-button issue and I could very well see a court case like that getting huge media attention.

9. Ethan Landry - Scream VI

Honestly... I was surprised when I found myself putting Ethan this high up the list. I liked Scream VI, but my biggest issue with it is that, since the movie has three main killers to contend with, it unfortunately means that none of them really get the development or focus that they should. And if you haven’t been able to guess yet by the Ghostfaces ranked below Ethan, I tend not to appreciate the “minion” killers as much as the masterminds. But, here is also where a new trend will start to become apparent on this list - I have a big weakness for mentor/mentee, parent/child types of relationships.... even villainous fictional ones. I had a pretty rough childhood, my adulthood is spent largely trying to mentor youth and be the adult I always wanted when I was a kid, and I love exploring those types of dynamics in fiction - even dark, twisted versions of it. I realized I loved Ethan the moment his father said that there’s a very special bond between a father and his “first son”, and that look of heartbreak and jealousy came across Ethan’s face. That quick look said everything you needed to know about his character. This sweet, awkward, emotional kid was getting up to some dark shit just to finally win his father’s approval and love. Ethan wasn’t a killer at heart, not really. He was just a lonely, unloved boy changing himself to be what his father wanted. That’s tragic. I really would’ve liked to see this batch of killers get more screentime and development, most especially Ethan. I think the character has a lot of potential - but, like some of the others below Ethan on this list, that potential never came to light.

8. Amber Freeman - Scream (2022)

Amber is just so FUN. She’s got that manic Stu energy, she is wildly unpredictable, but also has a lot more depth and agency than I feel Stu got. A lot of what I said about Richie also applies to Amber: There is a lot of subtext to unpack in earlier scenes of the movie between her and Richie before they reveal themselves, I think it’s rad that the two never really show signs of wanting to kill or betray each other, and they seem to be on pretty equal footing instead of taking on mastermind or minion roles to each other. Beyond that, Amber is just SO entertaining to watch, especially after her reveal as the killer - which, by the way, her reveal itself perfectly encapsulated just how chaotic her character was. You never really knew what she was thinking or what she would do next. A few times in the climax, she fell into a sobbing fit begging for mercy or declaring himself the victim to throw people off their guard, only to immediately snap back into killer mode. There was never a dull moment with Amber! AND HOW FREAKING COOL WAS HER DEATH SCENE???

7. Billy Loomis - Scream (1996)

This.... is another placement that I feel a little guilty about, and am afraid I might get hate for haha. A lot of people have Billy at #1 on their rankings. He’s the original, after all! The one that set everything in motion! And for the record, I do love Billy Loomis. A lot. He is a great character, and he paved the way for an entire franchise of Ghostfaces following in his footsteps. He came off as extremely threatening, extremely scary, and definitely was a great villain. My main issue with him is, both in AND out of canon, Billy is a bit overrated to me? The way he is talked about online, in forums, discussion videos, even in the movies themselves - especially with Sam’s visions of him in two movies now - almost seem to deify the character as some brilliant, almost supernatural, force of evil. In reality, he was a goofy, bumbling teenager that made a lot of dumb rookie mistakes, constantly got battered up in fights, etc. His effectiveness in the original movie was BECAUSE he was so “real”. Anyone, even your boyfriend, could secretly be a psycho out to get you. As much as I love Billy, and as much as I respect the legacy he started, there are definitely others in the Ghostface mask that have personally affected me more.

6. Beth - TV Series, Season 3

Beth is pretty unique for a Ghostface Killer. Jay, her partner, is the one with the motive, with the personal grudge, the goal to achieve. Beth’s motive is that she is a sociopath and just wants to kill people. Despite that, though, Beth is the mastermind of the duo. She listened to Jay’s problems and convinced him to be her partner and kill alongside her, so that she could be the horror villain she always wanted to be. Beth is the resident horror fanatic that all Scream media must have, dishing out the rules to survive and throwing out horror references, and this continues well after her reveal as the killer - and the horror commentary only becomes more fun with lines like “No wonder Jason never runs after all those stupid counselors. This is freaking exhausting!” With Jay betrayed and killed off before her reveal as his partner, Beth gets a lot of time to shine, with almost half of the final episode devoted to her final confrontation. She was genuinely a lot of fun as a character and as a killer. (But I hate that she’s the only Ghostface in the franchise that doesn’t have a full name!)

5. Nancy Loomis AKA Debbie Salt - Scream 2

Mrs. Loomis was the Ghostface reveal that shocked me the most. I genuinely did not see that coming. Laurie Metcalf is a great actress, and pretty well known, but her part in the movie pre-reveal was so small that she was barely even on my radar. And what a performance! Laurie Metcalf comes off as genuinely freaking unhinged in this film, and her eyes are so expressive and full of madness. She has, in my opinion, one of the best fight scenes in the franchise on that stage with Sidney. As I said in Ethan’s entry, I have a weakness for those mentor/parental relationships, and one thing I love about Mrs. Loomis is how maternal she comes off as... even though she tends to completely screw over the young men she has such love for. She speaks so lovingly of her son Billy, her entire motive is avenging his downfall and death, even though she abandoned him and helped to cause that downfall in the first place. She takes Mickey under her wing and speaks proudly of his accomplishments and potential, even though she betrays and kills him. She’s deluded herself into thinking she is a nurturing, caring mother figure while completely deflecting her own worst qualities and actions onto others. Blaming Sidney’s mother for her own abandonment of Billy and the psychological damage that caused him, and blaming Sidney for everything resulting from that, is only further proof of that delusion.

4. Kieran Wilcox - TV Series, Seasons 1-2

Kieran is the only time on this list that I like the “minion” killer more than the “mastermind” killer. And even though he definitely takes an almost subservient role to Piper, after her death he is forced to step up and become more of a mastermind type. In season 2 of the TV Series, he is the sole killer, and we learn that he had a hand in a few of the deaths of season 1 as well. His kills are easily some of the most brutal in the franchise, and it quickly becomes apparent that he is far more gruesome than Piper. He poses as Emma’s boyfriend for the bulk of the show, though he secretly was dating Piper and spoke of her almost in a worshipful tone - he even ends up dragging her corpse out of the lake and keeping it in his “lair”. He had mental issues, but Piper honed them and taught him to let out his aggression by killing. With Piper being an adult podcaster and Kieran being an underage high school student, there is definitely a lot of creepy undertones here, but it shows some depth to Kieran’s character and motive. In the end, he was ultimately a victim to Piper despite how awful he himself grew to be. He stepped out of her shadow and became a formidable killer in his own right, even killing the mayor of Lakewood, framing Emma herself for the murder, and manipulating Emma all steps of the way to distrust everyone around her.

3. Detective Wayne Bailey - Scream VI

I LOVE Detective Wayne Bailey. From what I can tell, I’m very much in the minority there, and I hear all of the complaints against his character. He’s hammy and over the top. I agree, but I don’t see how that’s a bad thing? Stu is VERY over the top and the majority of the fandom (myself included) loves him for it. Bailey checks a lot of the boxes I typically love in characters. He has those parental relationships with THREE children that all go a long way in defining the core of his character. He orchestrates and manipulates quite a lot, and I tend to really like the manipulative mastermind villains. He’s a corrupted cop, those are always fun in fiction. He seeks to avenge his oldest son’s death, but like Mrs. Loomis, he is completely oblivious to his own part in that death and the ramifications of his own actions. He fueled Richie’s love of Stab and horror, illegally got him Stab evidence for his collection, and basically bankrolled his murder spree. He sought to avenge his oldest son, while in the process killing Jason and Greg, two people who respected and revered Richie and wanted to complete his life’s work - he even mocks them for it. He uses his surviving two children as soldiers in his personal war, and ultimately gets them killed as well. He is so obsessed with avenging Richie that he neglects to appreciate the children he still has (see the “bond between a father and his oldest son” moment and Ethan’s reaction), even though part of his scheme involves openly mourning Quinn’s fake death. He claims that the Stab movies are “a little dark”, despite causing some of the most brutal kills in that dark franchise. He completely lacks self-awareness and is SUCH a toxic and awful example of what those mentor/parent relationships can look like, which is fun to explore in fiction. Yet, like Mrs. Loomis, he’s deluded himself into believing that he’s a good parent. Also, that bodega scene with the shotgun is SO INTENSE I LOVE IT

2. Roman Bridger - Scream 3

I’ve always loved the manipulative mastermind villains in fiction. Darth Sidious. Xehanort. Petyr Baelish. Wilson Fisk. Walter White. That’s not the sort of villain I ever expect to encounter in something like Scream. Yet, we got something along that vein with Roman Bridger. Similar to Piper, Roman was the illegitimate sibling of Sidney, and sought revenge for being abandoned as a child. He turned young Billy Loomis against Sidney and her mother, took him under his wing (there’s that mentor angle again!) and taught him how to successfully get away with murder. Roman didn’t directly murder Maureen Prescott, he directed someone else into doing it for him. When Billy moved on to trying to kill Sidney, and the resulting fame that arose from that, Roman finally took measures into his own red right hand and started another killing spree. He was the director of Stab 3, and began killing his actors to draw Sidney out of hiding, kill her, and frame her for his crimes in the process. One thing I appreciate about Roman is that he didn’t carry out his kills the same way as any other Ghostface on this list. Even when getting himself more directly involved as a killer, he directed people. He used a voice modifier to trick people and get them to go exactly where he wanted them. In some cases, he created a dangerous situation and then manipulated people into effectively getting themselves killed. He didn’t just stab people, he manipulated them, he blew them up, he turned them against each other. To be honest, Roman may even be my favorite Ghostface. I go back and forth between him and the #1 on this list a lot. Their order changes depending on the day and my mood. He scratches a lot of itches for me and I love his character. His final fight against Sidney is my favorite in the franchise and gives both of them time to shine.

1. Jill Roberts - Scream 4

But then there’s Jill. The other big shock I didn’t see coming - the other being Mrs. Loomis. Jill was the new main character, the new Final Girl, the new Sidney for a new generation. Until it turned out that that’s exactly what she WANTED. She may not be the level of mastermind that Roman was, but she had all of her friends, the police, the media, all fooled into thinking that she was the next Sidney. She had Charlie fooled into thinking that he would be the famous survivor, the Randy, alongside her. For a brief moment, she actually got what she wanted and WON. She betrayed and murdered her partner, she survived the Act 3 bloodbath at the house, she beat the living shit out of herself to sell her story and make her status as the survivor believable, and moved on to the hospital and a whole other fight scene. There is nothing I DON’T love about Jill. She was a great, and extremely effective, villain. She had, in my opinion, the greatest motive of the franchise. There’s some truth to it - in the age of social media and viral videos, she very well could have become rich and famous overnight, with movie deals and legions of fans. She also has some of the greatest Ghostface lines ever. “I’m gonna slit your eyelids in half so you don’t blink when I stab you in the face.”

#Scream #Ghostface #Ghostface Killer #Scream spoilers #Scream the TV Series

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