Ghostface Ranking

 Ghostface Killers Ranked

 

THIS RANKING WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS FOR SCREAM 6!

For this ranking, I will be ranking all of the Ghostface killers from the first six Scream films. I will not be including any from the television show, as they are considered to be completely separate things. I will be ranking these killers on my personal opinion only. I will be ranking them from my least favorite to my favorite, that being said, let's get into it!

13. Jason Carvey - Scream 6

As much as I would like to rank Jason higher, I just cannot justify it. He is the only person on this list that is not Ghostface for the entire movie. I also want to note that I will not be including his partner on the list since they never killed anyone, and maybe never even put on the cloak and mask. Tony Revolori does a fabulous job here, and really makes me want to see more of this character. However, I think this was an amazing way to subvert the opening scene. I also think he is the most sloppy Ghostface killer since he takes off the costume in an alleyway almost immediately after killing Laura. He clearly was not thinking things all the way through, and is probably why he was outsmarted after his first kill. 

12. Ethan Landry - Scream 6

Ethan is in a film that has four Ghostface killers and an incredibly strong supporting cast. These are two of the reasons he falls flat compared to a lot of the others on this list. We do not really find anything out about this character until the reveal happens, so until that point, he just kind of feels like he is there, and not a character. One of the upsides to this is that I did not expect him to be Ghostface at all, and I do like how the reveal played out. That being said, his lack of development prior to this made him feel like he was just there to pad the kill count. I would also venture to guess that he killed the least people out of the three main Ghostface killers in this movie. For me, he really does not work as an individual, but only as a piece of the finale Ghostface trio.

11. Roman Bridger - Scream 3

Roman is the most unique on this list because (so far) he is the only character on this list to be the only Ghostface in their film. That makes him the only person to complete all of these kills on his own, so I have to agree with Kirby Reed, you gotta give him that one. For me, Roman falls flat in multiple areas. Similarly to Ethan, he does not feel like much of a character until the final reveal. Again, he seemed like someone present to only pad the kill count. I cannot help but wonder if some of the original plans would have made for a better movie. For example, Stu Macher was supposed to return to organize the film's events from jail, although that plot would be incredibly different. This still would have fit within the rules set out by Randy since it would indeed go back to the original. Although it seems that plot was dismissed earlier on in the making of the film, Angelina Tyler was supposed to be a second Ghostface in this film. This ended up being scrapped to simplify the plot. That being said, some fans still insist that she faked her own death and did indeed help Roman. Getting back to Roman, his limited screen-time makes him feel sort of half baked as a killer. I also feel he lacks a certain charisma that the people above him on the list hold. I also hate when things are retconned. When he shows up to say he is related to Sidney at the end of the movie and that he orchestrated the death of Maureen Prescott, I cannot help but roll my eyes. He also never has any scenes with Sidney prior to the reveal, I understand that is the point, but it does knock him down. For that, I rank him this low.

If you would like to hear more about Angelina Tyler, check out this great video by Zack Cherry!

10. Quinn Bailey - Scream 6

Quinn does something that I really enjoy in these films, the killer faking their own death. I believe Quinn does it better than Billy and Roman for a couple of reasons. One, she does it earlier in the film than the other two. This gives her more time to be removed as a suspect, and more time to move around and do whatever she wants without being suspected. The second reason this works so well is that it also helps remove some suspicion from her father. It makes him seem more like a distraught parent wanting to hunt down Ghostface rather than Ghostface himself. The downside of faking her own death early in the movie is a lack of character development and screen-time. That being said, I still think it works in her favor. I personally saw her reveal coming, especially once her father was unmasked. The main reason I saw it coming was because we did not actually see her murder. However, I asked the person I saw it with and they were convinced she was killed so they did not see it coming at all. 

9. Charlie Walker - Scream 4

If I were to make this list prior to my recent rewatch, Charlie probably would have been lower on my list. I have to respect that he does most, if not all of the kills, prior to the reveal. He was manipulated by Jill so she could eventually clear her own name, which I think works against him because of the manipulation, but also in his favor since he was the one to rack up all of those kills. He is entertaining to watch, but like a few Ghostfaces before him, he gets outsmarted by the mastermind and dispatched. He is on the lower side, but still a good and serviceable killer for this film.

8. Richie Kirsch - Scream 5

Richie is an interesting Ghostface. It seems his accomplice ends up committing most of the murderous acts throughout the film, leaving him to manipulate the characters around him. This is no easy task though, and he does a great job of it. He also gets bonus points for being the motive behind Scream 6, since his family is attempting to get revenge for his death. He is charismatic and funny, so when he takes that menacing twist at the end, it is a fun reveal. His killing also solidifies Samantha Carpenter as someone not to be messed with.

7. Mickey Altieri - Scream 2

Mickey is such a fun and eccentric character. I always say he is one of the more unhinged Ghostface killers because he is the only one that wants to get caught. It also seems he kills everyone in Scream 2, with the exception of Randy. One of the reasons he isn't higher on this list is because he does disappear for about 45 minutes leading up to his reveal. This leaves Mickey unaccounted for, most likely because he was off being Ghostface. That being said, once he is unmasked, he is absolutely incredible. I still catch myself saying "BILLY'S MOTHER" like he does in the third act of that film. 

6. Detective Wayne Bailey - Scream 6

I had a sneaking suspicion that this character would be at least one of the Ghostface killers ever since Dermot Mulroney was cast. That being said he did an incredible job of keeping me guessing. His attempt to trick the girls into believing Kirby was the killer almost had me. His motive is great, but since we had already seen the same one in Scream 2, it did lose a little bit of the novelty. I also find a father and two of his children teaming up to become serial killers is a fascinating concept. He also gets points for being a detective. I am sure this allowed him to mess with certain aspects of the evidence. As I mentioned with Quinn, her faking her death also allows some suspicion to be removed from him as well. They worked well together. 

5. Amber Freeman - Scream 5

"Welcome to Act Three"! A quote that almost immediately guaranteed her a spot in my top five. Amber is one of the most brutal iterations of Ghostface. She also gets a major bump for being the only person on this list to kill one of the big three. Losing Dewey was incredibly sad, but it does give Amber some staying power in the Ghostface department. I also really enjoy her manic energy in the final act. I had no idea she was Ghostface, I really did not suspect her after the opening scene where her phone was used to manipulate Tara. I felt it would have been too risky to message someone from her own phone, but it was done here and done well. I really enjoy this character and think she is incredibly underrated.

4. Billy Loomis - Scream

Billy Loomis at fourth? I know I know. This is a controversial choice, but these final killers are all so good, I have to split hairs here. I really just went to personal preference on these. I think these top four are all flawless, the only reason I have him at fourth is solely because each of the three above them have something extra that I really like about them. So it is easier for me to explain why they are higher rather than why he is lower.

3. Nancy Loomis - Scream 2

First off, I am so glad we finally got conformation on her first name in Scream 6. I personally believe that Nancy has the best motive (a motive later used by Bailey and his children, but she did it first). She used Mickey to her advantage. The only kill she admits to in the film is Randy Meeks, which is a major kill. She gets Mickey to do all of the grunt work and takes him out when he is no longer useful to her, which I have always loved. Another reason she is so high here is because she just does not seem like someone who would be a killer. I believe the reveal that she is "BILLY'S MOTHER" (thanks Mickey!) works here more-so than Roman being Sidney's half-brother because everyone has a mother and Billy mentioned his mother in the previous film. It is likely that one of the reasons she goes so overboard and becomes Ghostface is because she feels guilty for leaving him, only for him to get killed by Sidney later. 

2. Stu Macher - Scream

"My mom and dad are gonna be so mad at me". Probably the most quotable character in this franchise. Stu is electric in the third act. He is entertaining throughout, but once he is revealed, he just knocks it out of the park. Matthew Lillard elevates this performance so much and is likely why they considered bringing him back in the third installment. People are still theorizing to this day that Stu is alive. I personally believe that Kirby pushing the television on Ethan's head, killing him, was conformation that Stu was dead. However, the friend I saw it with felt Kirby's conversation with Mindy alluded to him being alive. The writer and director seem to confirm my thoughts, but also say they will not confirm or deny that he won't pop up. To read more about that, click here! Lillard has also showed interest in coming back to the franchise and reprising his role, read more about that here!

1. Jill Roberts - Scream 4

Jill is no doubt my favorite iteration of Ghostface. After all, she is the closest to getting away with it. In fact, she was supposed to get away with it, go to college, and live to wreak havoc another day. The original plot for Scream 5 would feature Jill going toe to toe with another Ghostface, to read more about that, click here! I would have LOVED to see that film. I also am holding out hope that Jill could pop up in a future entry, after all, we never saw her take a bullet to the head, which tends to be important in these films. I also feel her final look at the camera could be interpreted as she is not gone just yet. That being said, she is most likely gone for good. Emma Roberts has expressed interest in coming back to the franchise, to read more about that, click here! Alright alright, enough about Jill Roberts surviving. Jill manipulates Charlie so well in Scream 4, that the only people she kills are Charlie himself and Trevor. She stages everything so perfectly, showing why she is a true mastermind. Then we have my favorite aspect of this character: the scenes where she injures herself to clear her name. This is one of, if not, my favorite scenes in the franchise. She is so committed to this and she does it so well. I also love her scenes in the hospital where she continues to outsmart the rest of the cast. Her assaulting Dewey with a bedpan never fails to make me laugh. Also, Jill is staged to be the new lead of the franchise, so flipping that concept on its head and having her be the killer instead is genius. I am not sure anyone could top Jill in my killer rankings, unless of course she returned to do it herself! Alright alright, enough theorizing, I would love to hear your killer rankings and why you think I placed someone too high or too low! If of course you took the time to read all of this.