As Scream VI opens, Olly Dyche is ranking every Ghostface killer from the first five movies of the slasher series…
Horror movies are home to some pretty terrifying and downright iconic villains, from Michael Myers to Leatherface, Freddy Krueger, and of course Jason Voorhees, and among the roster of deadly horror villains is the malevolent Ghostface. Sure, Ghostface may not be as towering as Jason Voorhees, as powerful as Freddy Krueger or as immortal as the Michael Myers, but their intricately planned murder sprees, mystery of who’s behind the mask, and their way of toying with their victims make Ghostface an iconic slasher movie villain.
Sidney Prescott, one of the most badass final girls in horror, has faced off against many different serial killers under the Ghostface mask, who have all had disturbing obsessions over her. Whether it’s vengeful mothers, psycho boyfriends and attention-seeking family members, there isn’t a single individual that Sidney couldn’t defeat, along with the help of Dewey Riley and Gail Weathers. So with Scream VI out now, what better time than to rank all of the Ghostface killers leading up to this point, with spoilers for the first four movies…
9. Charlie Walker – Scream 4 (2011)
Every Scream movie needs a Randy Meeks, or at least a new character very similar, and Charlie Walker was a modern Randy, or at least he tried to be. Charlie Walker’s reason for murder was to be the new Randy Meeks, and one of the survivors of a Ghostface killing. However, this inevitably got him killed by his Ghostface partner, who we will get to later.
Mostly Charlie was a fairly detestable and annoying character, so when one of the Ghostface killers was revealed to be Charlie, it was highly disappointing. Likewise, Charlie wasn’t a very efficient Ghostface, and felt more like a lackey. At least Stu Macher was incredibly entertaining to watch.
8. Roman Bridger – Scream 3 (2000)
Scream 3 is a lot of fun, but is also undeniably silly. And nowhere is this more present than the Ghostface reveal towards the end of the movie. It’s revealed that Roman Bridger is Sidney Prescott’s half-brother and the illegitimate son of Sidney’s mom, Maureen Prescott, who got rid of Roman pretty quickly and wanted nothing to do with him. Roman would later grow an obsession with his mom, and begin stalking her which led to Roman discovering Maureen’s affair with Hank Loomis. Shockingly, we learn that it was Roman who drove Billy Loomis and Stu Macher into killing Billy’s father in the first place.
The young director of the in-world movie Stab 3 is the most unique Ghostface in the franchise, acting all on his own (a plot twist that caught us off guard). Yet, his overly convoluted and ridiculous back story is joined by an incredibly underwhelming reveal.
7. Amber – Scream V (2022)
We all knew Amber was a Ghostface from the start, right? Well, her absence from every Ghostface attack scene and her nuanced manipulative nature sure gave it away. But even if we did expect it, the reveal was still satisfying. As a die hard fan of the Stab movies, Amber went on this murder spree in order to reinvent the franchise after the highly controversial Stab 8, directed by the Knives Out guy. We see what you did there Scream.
Amber is entirely deranged, which made way for a much more entering finale. The more unhinged the Ghostface killers the better. Amber managed to do what no other Ghostface could, and kill Dewey Riley, one of the big three of the franchise. As heart-wrenching as this was, we have to give Amber some credit. After her brutal murder spree however, Amber finally got her comeuppance in perhaps the most over-the-top death in the franchise. Getting beaten to a pulp, flipped over tables and hit with bottles all before getting shot, lit on fire and shot again.
6. Richie Kirsch – Scream V (2022)
Always suspect the boyfriend! Richie Kirsch, the boyfriend to Scream V’s protagonist Sam Carpenter had us suspecting him from the start. Yet, we kind of loved the guy. Richie was charming, kind, caring and relatable in a lot of ways, at least until he flipped the switch and went full psycho.
Like Amber, Richie shares the same admiration for the Stab franchise, and masterminded the entire plan to reinvent the entire franchise. Richie may not be as memorable as Stu or Billy, but his false kindness and charm throughout the movie made us the character.
5. Debbie Loomis – Scream 2 (1997)
In a very Pamela Voorhees move, Debbie Loomis was out for blood after learning about the death of her son, Billy Loomis. Debbie may be the least efficient Ghostface killer, but her plan was impressively thought out and tight knit. As soon as Debbie learned about the death of her son, she began planning her revenge, which involved paying for a student’s tuition and convincing him to get close to Sidney.
Debbie Loomis met a brutal demise by the hands of Sidney Prescott and Cotton Weary foiling her detailed revenge plan. But her shocking reveal, and her Pamela Voorhees-esque breakdown at the end of the film makes Debbie Loomis one of the most memorable characters from the movies.
4. Mickey Altieri – Scream 2 (1997)
As Debbie Loomis’ Ghostface accomplice, Mickey Altieri was a sly killer, who worked his way into Sidney’s head and even convinced her that her boyfriend was the killer, before Mickey eventually killed him. As an avid horror movie fan, Mickey was heavily influenced by some of the best horror movies, which lead him into being one of the most deadly and efficient Ghostface killers in the franchise.
3. Jill Roberts – Scream 4 (2011)
In perhaps the biggest shock reveal in the entire series, Jill Roberts, Sidney’s cousin, is revealed to be the main Ghostface killer in Scream 4. Jill is simply a straight up psycho and puts even Stu Macher and Billy Loomis to shame.
Not only is she jealous of the attention that Sidney receives due to her run ins with Ghostface, but Jill kills her Ghostface partner in crime, Charlie Walker, before stabbing herself, pulling out her hair and throwing herself through a glass table all to make it look like she was really attacked by the Ghostface killer and survived. Thankfully, Jill reaped what she sowed and with the help of Gail Weathers, Sidney defeated her disturbed cousin for good.
2. Stu Macher – Scream (1996)
The infamous Stu Macher is a joy to watch on screen. His unhinged nature, and playful affection towards murder allow for a mesmerizing finale, that just wouldn’t be the same without him.
As Billy Loomis’ accomplice, it’s clear Stu wasn’t the brains behind the operation, as when asked why he wanted to kill, Stu simply and hilariously replied “peer pressure”. Although pretty forgettable during the rest of the film, his final psychotic flail made Stu one of the best characters in the franchise.
1. Billy Loomis – Scream (1996)
The deranged psychopath who started it all, Billy Loomis, is without a doubt the best Ghostface killer there ever was, and will ever be. Besides, “don’t fuck with the original”. Billy Loomis is the definition of toxic boyfriend, whose master plan was to murder his girlfriend Sidney Prescott as revenge for her mother having an affair with his dad and frame it all on Sidney’s dad, a big red flag.
Billy is a great character, and one of the reasons why we love the Scream franchise so much. He set the golden standard for Ghostface killers to follow and while some may have come close, none have quite matched the tenacity, and strange charm of the unhinged serial killer.
SEE ALSO: Scream: Every Movie in the Franchise, Ranked
How would you rank the Ghostface killers? Let us know on our social channels @FlickeringMyth…
Olly Dyche
