Every Person Who Played Ghostface In Scream

The Scream killers continue to build following Scream 6, and the Ghostface mask has been worn by almost 20 different people. Throughout the six movies, an impressive number of characters have worn the Ghostface mask, which is only added to with the franchise’s TV series. While many got their hands dirty with the killings, others acted more like masterminds or distractions. Scream VI follows the fun of looking at the movie's ensemble and trying to decide who plays Ghostface before the final unmasking reveals it all.

Wes Craven's Scream introduced the world to a new face in horror. The villain wasn't a maniac who targeted random people and would keep returning - like icons Michael Myers, Jason Voorhees, or Craven's own Freddy Kreuger. Instead, Ghostface was the guise used for murderers on a specific mission, which invariably ended up with Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) as the target. Each Scream movie contained a major mystery surrounding the identity of Ghostface. The Scream 6 Ghostface killer reveal reminds audiences how much fun it is to see which actor or actors are the Scream killers.

19 Billy Loomis - Scream (1996)

Played By Skeet Ulrich

Billy Loomis is introduced as Sidney Prescott's dark and brooding boyfriend in the first movie. He was the stereotypical bad boy in the first Scream movie, taking it to a new level after he shockingly revealed himself as the Ghostface killer alongside Stu Macher.

Billy planned to kill Sidney and frame Sid's father for the murders, including that of Maureen Prescott. Billy blamed Maureen for driving his mother away because the woman was having an affair with Billy's father. Sidney managed to escape from Billy's attack a few times and eventually killed him with the help of Gale and Randy.

Billy remains one of the most effective Ghostface killers in the Scream franchise because of how obvious he seemed in the beginning. The movie, well aware of the tropes, knew audiences would suspect Billy from the beginning and embraced that. Billy was made to look so guilty that the audience started to look elsewhere only for the final reveal to sell the surprise.

18 Stu Macher - Scream (1996)

Played By Matthew Lillard

Stu Macher played the goofy friend of Sidney Prescott, but he never appeared threatening. It was a complete surprise that Stu served as Billy's Ghostface accomplice in their murdering masquerade, acting as the second of the Scream killers in the original film.

Stu claimed "peer pressure" as the reason he agreed to help Billy take revenge on Sidney. Sidney used Stu's weak-willed nature to antagonize him and later managed to kill him while Billy was unconscious. However, Scream 6 potentially confirms the Stu theory, which suggests that he is actually still alive.

Stu is another shocking reveal simply because of the fact that this is the first time the audience has been confronted with the idea of two killers. It is a brilliant way to play on the genre expectations and hide Stu's reveal while also casting doubt on Billy. Once the truth is revealed, Matthew Lillard leans into Stu's unhinged nature, adding a wild component to the climax.

17 Sidney Prescott - Scream (1996)

Played By Neve Campbell

Sidney wasn't one of the Scream killers, but she did wear the mask for a brief scene as she turned the tables on her attackers. After Billy and Stu revealed their plan, Gale caused a distraction that led to Sidney escaping. Billy was enraged at the fact that she got away, so he went around the house looking for her. When he opened the closet door, Sidney jumped out wearing the Ghostface costume and stabbed Billy multiple times with an umbrella, a move that actually injured Scream's Skeet Ulrich.

The Scream movies love to subvert tropes including the final girl cliches which Sidney does throughout the franchise. The moment of her turning the tables on the would-be killers is a crowd-pleasing scene that helps to solidify her as one of the most iconic horror heroes and the most important character in the franchise.

16 Mrs. Loomis - Scream 2 (1997)

Played By Laurie Metcalf

When a copycat Scream killer goes after Sidney at her college, the mystery of Ghostface's identity starts all over again. Mrs. Loomis disguised herself as a journalist when the media descended on campus. By the end of the movie, it was revealed that she orchestrated the second murder spree because Billy was her son. To avenge his death, Mrs. Loomis hired Mickey to carry out the killings. She was later killed by Sidney and Cotton.

Despite the fact that Mrs. Loomis wasn't spoken of before her reveal, it is a terrific shocking moment that the movie covers up nicely. Introducing new characters who mingle with the survivors of the original movie can sometimes make it obvious that they are the killers. However, Mrs. Loomis was a small enough character that it works while also being a fun reference to the original Friday the 13th killer reveal.

15 Mickey Altieri - Scream 2 (1997)

Played By Timothy Olyphant

Mickey was a close friend of Sidney's at college. It turned out that he was actually a twisted young man that Mrs. Loomis met online. She paid his tuition in exchange for him carrying out the copycat killings as Ghostface. Mickey held up his end of the bargain and shared that he wanted to be caught so he could become famous. Mrs. Loomis then turned on him after the revelation of their motive. He eventually died from multiple gunshot wounds at the hands of Mrs. Loomis, Gale, and Sidney.

Though Timothy Olyphant has a lot of fun embracing Mickey's villainous side in the climax, the character simply doesn't stand out enough in the rest of the movie to make his reveal impactful. He is around in various scenes but is not involved in the story enough. However, his motivation of wanting to go on trial and blame movies for his actions is an interesting one.

14 Roman Bridger - Scream 3 (2000)

Played By Scott Foley

Not only was Roman Bridger revealed to be the Scream 3 killer, but he was also the mastermind behind the previous two movies. Roman was the son of Maureen Prescott, but she wanted nothing to do with him. Roman's jealousy of the Prescott family drove him to revenge, so he filmed Maureen's affairs and showed them to Billy. He then gave Billy the idea of carrying out the first Ghostface killings, which in turn led to his mother's involvement in Scream 2. Sidney ultimately came out on top of her half-brother's murderous plan.

Roman is the only Ghostface killer to work alone but is often viewed as one of the franchise's weakest. There are too many silly elements to his story to make him interesting. The secret half-brother reveal seems like something out of a soap opera, his perfect voice replication technology is ludicrous, and the reveal that he was behind Billy's revenge is a disappointing retcon of a better Ghostface killer.

13 Jill Roberts - Scream 4 (2011)

Played By Emma Roberts

Jealousy must run in the Prescott family because it became the main motivation for Jill's role as the Scream 4 killer. She was the estranged cousin of Sidney and a target of the new killings. It turned out that Jill craved the attention that Sidney always got, so she set up the killing spree of her mother and friends. Jill thought she killed Sidney, but she was wrong, so they had one final showdown at the hospital. Though the original plan had Jill survive Scream 4, Sidney ultimately kills her younger cousin.

While there is a somewhat mixed response when it comes to Scream 4 and its killer reveal, it is actually quite fun when considering that it is playing on the idea of the franchise reboot. Going into the movie, many suspected that Jill and the younger cast would be taking over the franchise from the original heroes. The fact that Jill turns out to be the villain who Sidney has to defeat is a great reversal of those expectations.

12 Charlie Walker - Scream 4 (2011)

Played By Rory Culkin

Charlie played Jill's secret boyfriend, who helped with Jill's Scream 4 murder plan. He portrayed the second Ghostface to make it look like Jill was also being targeted at the time. While Jill wanted attention from the whole world, Charlie seems to have purely been motivated by wanting Jill, something she manipulated effortlessly.

After they revealed themselves to Sidney, Charlie and Jill were planning to injure each other to act as though they were victims instead of the Scream killers. Instead, Jill realized she would rather be the sole survivor, so she killed Charlie.

Charlie makes for one of the most pathetic Ghostface killers which is quite effective. Seen by his anger when attempting to kill Kirby, Charlie has a lot of pent-up emotions about girls so it is satisfying to see Jill use that against him even if she is just as evil. For someone obsessed with horror movies, he certainly didn't see that obvious twist coming.

11 Amber Freeman - Scream (2022)

Played By Mikey Madison

The first killer in 2022's Scream was Amber, Tara’s friend who lived in Stu Macher’s old house. The location led to her obsession with the original Woodsboro Massacre, and in turn, the Stab movie franchise.

In recent years, Amber felt the franchise fell off track, and she wanted to give the series new material that would honor the original. In doing so, she set up a chain of events that involved bringing back the legacy Scream characters, killing some of her friends, and setting up Tara’s sister, Sam, for the murders due to her being Billy Loomis’ daughter.

The reveal is a solid shock as the audience is initially in the dark about what Amber's motivations could be. There is another lovers angle to this killer duo as well with Amber and Richie being a couple. Mikey Madison delivers a chilling performance following the reveal and interestingly suffers a similar death to her role as a Manson family member in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.

10 Richard "Richie" Kirsch - Scream (2022)

Played By Jack Quaid

Amber couldn’t do everything herself, so she enlisted the help of Richie, the second of two Scream killers. Though he was thought to be Sam’s loyal boyfriend, he was actually a sadistic Stab fan who Amber met on a subreddit. Also upset by the recent direction of the Stab movies, Richie agreed to help Amber enact Scream 2022's Ghostface killings to fix the franchise. In reality, he personified the toxic fanbase he claimed to hate. Sam later killed him after a one-on-one showdown.

Jack Quaid delivers one of the best performances of a Ghostface killer. Juxtaposed to the bad boy boyfriend of Billy Loomis in the original movie, Richie comes off as a goofy and genuinely likable guy for most of the movie. Quaid makes the audience hope Richie isn't the killer but then makes him a memorable one in the end.

9 Piper Shaw - Scream: The TV Series Season 1

Played By Amelia Rose Blaire

Initially posing as a podcaster looking into the new murders occurring in Lakewood, Piper Shaw was ultimately revealed to be the daughter of Brandon James, the original Lakewood serial Scream killer. Piper's primary motivation for murder was jealousy of her half-sister Emma Duvall, who grew up with their mother while Piper was given up for adoption. However, as she is ramping up to reveal another shocking aspect of her killing spree, she is shot dead by Emma.

Piper is an interesting character that draws on the legacy of the Scream franchise. It is quite clear that she is meant to be a TV show version of Gale Weathers, with her nosy and aggressive journalism tactics feeling very reminiscent. Making her the killer played nicely on that idea while she also connects to past killers like Roman and Jill as a family member of the final girl looking for payback.

8 Kieran Wilcox - Scream: The TV Series Season 2

Played By Amadeus Serafini

Unbeknownst to the survivors of Piper's massacre during season 1, Keiran Wilcox was her secret lover and accomplice and likely the big secret that she did not get to reveal before she was killed. Kieran assisted Piper in coordinating her kills and sometimes posed as the killer when Piper was unable to.

After Piper ended up dead, an enraged Kieran embarked on a new killing spree in the Scream season's story but was eventually caught and arrested. He later died in prison after being killed by a different, unidentified Ghostface killer. Sadly, this plot thread was abandoned for season 3.

Once again, this is a killer who connects to some of the tropes of the movies that came before. He is a mysterious bad boy like Billy Loomis who is the new kid in town making him seem too obvious to be the killer. He also falls into the lover category, following Piper down this deadly path out of a twisted love. However, the fact that he is killed by another killer and for it to not matter makes him appear like a lackluster entry into the Ghostface legacy.

7 Jamal Elliot - Scream: The TV Series Season 3

Played By Tyga

Jamal's Ghostface motive in Scream season 3 was more common for Scream killers' standards, stemming back to issues with his family, mainly one of his brothers assuming the identity of another deceased sibling. Jamal was a ticking time bomb set to explode by a calculating Beth. However, Jamal wasn't evil to the core like his accomplice, Beth, leading him to reveal her identity to his brother and her to brutally kill him via stabbing.

Jamal's motivations for beginning his killing spree were a bit too consulted for it to really have an impact. However, the identity reveal was an interesting one of the franchise. As Jamal is dying, another victim of the Ghostface killer, he reveals himself as the mastermind behind the whole plan. It is a surprising moment but makes Jamal a less impressive killer in the end.

6 Beth - Scream: The TV Series Season 3

Played By Giorgia Whigham

Notably, this third and final Scream season rebooted the series' story, moving away from Lakewood. The Scream killers also wore the classic Ghostface mask from the films and were voiced in costume by Roger L. Jackson. A horror-obsessed goth with outwardly anti-social tendencies, Beth basically did what she did for fun and had no real underlying motive of revenge like some of the franchise's other kills. She was killed by Kym in the finale.

Beth fits in with the collection of other secondary Ghostface killers in the franchise, like Mickey and Charlie, who back up the main killers who have personal motivations. However, while those two were eliminated by their partners when they no longer served a purpose, Beth was able to flip that trope on its head and kill Jamal instead. She is revealed to be a master manipulator and one of the smarter killers in the series.

5 Detective Bailey - Scream VI (2023)

Played By Dermot Mulroney

Though Scream 6 features more Ghostface Scream killers than any movie in the franchise, Detective Bailey can be considered the main killer. Bailey is introduced as a cop and father of Sam's roommate Quinn who helps the group when Ghostface returns. However, it is ultimately revealed he is the father of Richie from Scream 2022, looking to get revenge on Sam for killing his son. Bailey makes it a family affair, bringing along his surviving children only to see them killed before Sam dons the Ghostface mask to finish Bailey off with a knife through the eye.

It is interesting to have a killer who is so much older than the main group of victims. While Mrs. Loomis fits into this category, Bailey is a much more active killer, earning one of the highest kill counts of Ghostface killers. Unfortunately, he also comes off as a rather predictable killer and one whose motivations are not overly interesting having already seen the vengeful parent.

4 Ethan Landry - Scream VI (2023)

Played By Jack Champion

Ethan is introduced as one of Sam and Tara's college friends and a bit of an outcast. Amusingly, after being suspiciously absent from one of the major Ghostface attacks, the group immediately suspects he is the culprit. Those instincts turn out to be correct as Ethan reveals he is Ritchie's younger brother. After being stabbed through the mouth by Tara, Ethan gets the distinction of getting the final scare as he attempts to attack Sam and Tara only for Kirby to finish off with the same TV that got Stu.

Adding a third killer to the roster for Scream VI helped to keep suspicion off of Ethan, especially with the rest of the characters already suspecting him so much. However, it also raises questions such as why Ethan let Mindy live when he could have easily killed her and still protected his identity.

3 Quinn Bailey - Scream VI (2023)

Played By Liana Liberato

Quinn is introduced as Sam's roommate in New York City and the daughter of Detective Bailey. However, the movie attempts to take her off the suspect list early when she is seemingly killed by Ghostface (although the fact that it is an off-screen death doesn't help). After revealing herself to be alive, being one of the Scream killers, and helping with her father's plan for revenge, Quinn dies for real when Sam shoots her in the head.

Quinn's reputation as a Ghostface killer suffers due to how much the movie put into the "twist" that she was still alive. The Scream franchise has never liked offscreen kills so something immediately seems wrong when Quinn is supposedly dispatched this way. The character is not given time to develop before she has to exit the movie and the fact that she says "Bet you didn't see that coming" when she reveals herself is particularly annoying given how obvious the reveal was.

2 Jason Carver - Scream VI (2023)

Played By Tony Revolori

Scream 6's opening scene plays on audience expectations for the formula these movies have established. After a young woman is killed by Ghostface, instead of cutting to the title card, Ghostface removes his mask to reveal Jason Carver. The scene goes on to show Jason one of the aspiring Ghostface Scream killers along with his roommate Greg (who never gets the chance to don the mask). His plan is to kill Sam and Tara in an attempt to finish Richie's movie. Instead, a rival Ghostface targets him and stabs Jason to death after discovering Greg's dismembered body in the fridge.

Jason's time as Ghostface is certainly short-lived by makes for a memorable way of playing against the formula of these movies. Seeing Ghostface revealed in the opening minutes of the movie immediately makes the audience unsure of where the movie is going. It also establishes the movie's true Ghostface as a more formidable killer.

1 Sam Carpenter - Scream VI (2023)

Played By Melissa Barrera

Following in Sidney Prescott's footsteps, Scream 6's final girl Sam puts on the Ghostface costume in the final act to take down Bailey. However, seeing Sam in the Ghostface mask has different connotations as she is the daughter of Billy Loomis and has struggled with whether or not she has his killer instinct. In fact, Bailey refers to the mask as her birthright. Though she hesitates to become the monster everyone thinks she is, she gets Tara's approval to kill Bailey anyway.

Scream VI really dives into this struggle in Sam's life with some theories among the online community suggesting that she was the real killer in the previous movie and pinned it on Richie and Amber. The final moment in the movie shows her discarding the Ghostface mask, seemingly ready to move on from her past.

Which Characters Could Be Ghostface In Scream 7?

Scream 7 has been confirmed but has already gone through a lot of production drama in bringing Ghostface back. This makes predicting who will be wearing the mask this time around harder to determine. Though the new "Core Four" of Sam, Tara, Mindy, and Chad were just established in the last movie, it has already fallen apart with Sam and Tara not returning for the sequel as their actors have moved on from the franchise. This leaves the fate of Mindy and Chad uncertain but it is possible they could become the new sibling leads.

However, Scream 7 will bring back legacy characters as well with Neve Campbell confirmed to return to the franchise after sitting out the last entry. Patrick Dempsey will also return as Mark from Scream 3, who is now Sidney's husband. Gale will also return with Courteney Cox being the only actor to appear in every movie. There is also the possibility of Kirby returning after Scream VI and, though Sam is gone, her love interest from the last movie, Danny, is a possibility.

However, when it comes to who will be Ghostface, it seems likely that Scream 7 will stick to the trend of the franchise's sequels and make the new characters the killers. However, with so few ways to fool the fans now, it might finally be time to see a legacy character embrace their killer instinct.

Scream 7 Likely Has To Drop Its Ongoing Ghostface Story

One of the most interesting aspects of the most recent Scream movies has been the connection between Sam Carpenter and the legacy of Ghostface. As the daughter of original Ghostface killer Billy Loomis, Sam often fears that she is drawn down the same dark path as her father and that she has the killer instinct in her as if she inherited his murderous ways. This is added to by other people's suspicions of her with several characters accusing her of being the killer, with Scream VI introducing the public opinion that she framed Richie.

Throughout her two movies, Sam remained the hero, but she also showed her ruthless side, even donning the Ghostface mask in Scream VI to finish off Bailey. Making Sam the killer in one of the Scream movies would have been bold, but it also seemed like a possibility at times. With the storyline still building, it now seems like the Scream franchise will have to abandon that idea now that Sam will no longer be involved.

It is a shame that the potential of having such a conflicted and possibly deadly Final Girl will go to waste. With Sidney stepping back into the lead role, trying to do the same thing with her character would never work since the audience already sees her as too much of a hero. Sam was the character needed to carry on this storyline, adding to the disappointment of seeing her exit the Scream franchise.

Which Ghostface Killer Was The Best?

The Scream sequels, while not overshadowing the original dynamic duo of Billy Loomis and Stu Macher, introduced several Ghostface killers who continued to elevate the series with their unique motives and distinct kill styles. In Scream 2, Mrs. Loomis emerges from the shadows of her son's actions, bringing a cold and calculated vengeance. Her backstory provided depth, illuminating the consequences of the first film's events on the families left behind. Her twisted partner Mickey was behind one of the most iconic scenes in the franchise. The sound-proof room sequence was the Ghostface killer at his most sadistic, vindictive, and cleverest.

The uniqueness of Ghostface's identity proved a cornerstone in the subsequent movies. Roman Bridger in Scream 3 stood out not only because of his direct familial ties to Sidney but also because of his dual role as the director of the Stab series. That provided a fascinating meta-commentary on the blending of reality and fiction. On top of that, Roman deserves credit for being so successful whilst being the only Scream killer and not having a partner. The villain was also the mastermind behind the previous movies too, which makes Romand a frontrunner for the best Ghostface killer.

The new era of Scream movies that started with Scream V also features interesting approaches to the Ghostface killers, but none of the villains are all that smart and are pretty clumsy Scream killers, even when they aren't wearing the vision-obscuring mask. Scream V's Richie and Amber were fans of the Stab series and met online, and their plan was all over the place.Scream VI saw the most Ghostface killers yet, but even with three people donning the mask, they still couldn't complete their mission of avenging Richie's death by killing Sam and Tara Carpenter.

However, the original Scream killers, Billy Loomis and Stu Macher, are undoubtedly the best Ghostface killers. Their motives were deeply personal and unnerving. Billy's fury stemmed from his mother abandoning him after his father's affair with Sidney's mother. Their killing styles were distinct: Stu was more unhinged and frenetic, while Billy transformed from Sidney's loving boyfriend to her most terrifying adversary. The two had chemistry and played with the self-awareness of the horror genre, which is the franchise's biggest trademark. Ultimately, the first Scream killers established the Ghostface killer's distinct troublemaking and prankster style, along with the element of surprise.

Scream's Many Killers Make It An Outlier Among Slashers

One of the best things about the Scream movies is that they deliver a terrific horror experience while also commenting on the genre itself. Ghostface has earned a place as one of the most iconic horror movie killers of all time. However, unlike fellow icons like Jason Voorhees and Michael Myers, it is not a single character who keeps returning but rather a mantle to be taken up by new killers with each new movie. This has allowed Scream and its sequels to be slasher movies as well as whodunnit mysteries.

However, Ghostface also provides the movie with more opportunities for meta-commentary. With each new person deciding to carry on the legacy of Ghostface, the movies are able to comment on the legacy of the franchise itself. There is no better example of this than the opening of Scream 2 with a theater filled with people in Ghostface masks. Within the movie, they are all fans of the Stab films, but it speaks to how much of an icon Ghostface has become since the first Scream.