In 2022, yet another chapter in the Scream franchise will release as filmmakers Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, the duo behind Ready or Not, will take the reins from the late great Wes Craven and get the band back together for Scream 5. The first film in the franchise Scream, which celebrates its 25-year-anniversary in December, shocked audiences during its initial release with the film’s unexpected use of two killers working together to take out franchise final girl Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell).
Since the original release in 1996, the franchise has spawned three sequels, Scream 2(1997), Scream 3 (2000), and Scream 4 (2011), all directed by horror legend Wes Craven. The franchise was thought to be finished after the fourth installment, especially after the unfortunate death of Craven, but after the trailer release promised a darker, grittier continuation of the series, horror fans remain excited for what’s to come. Over the last 25 years, the Scream films have developed a reputation for hinging on the twist reveal of the killers, always surprising both the characters and the audience, so let’s take a look at which of those killers have been the best.
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7 Jill Roberts (Scream 4)
Jill Roberts (Emma Roberts) was the younger cousin of Sidney Prescott. In Scream 4, Jill is seemingly the intended victim of Ghostface due to her close relation with Sidney, and the fact that she still lived in Woodsboro, California. When Jill reveals herself to Sidney as one of the killers, her motive is the weakest of the franchise, regardless of one of the highest kill counts. Jill is jealous of all of the family and local attention that Sidney received during her time in Woodsboro, taking away from her own. After stabbing Sidney and believing her to be dead, Jill embarks in an incredibly silly scene of beating herself up to make it look like she was a victim. Once finding that Sidney was still alive, Jill attacks her in the hospital, only to meet her end from a defibrillator to the head. Confirmed Kills - 7
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
6 Charlie Walker (Scream 4)
Charlie Walker (Rory Culkin) is one of the weaker Ghostface killers in Scream 4, as his motives were mostly tied to being obsessively in love with Jill Roberts. His personality is a bit in the incel realm, killing Kirby (Hayden Panettiere) because she “never noticed him” until the end of the film. He was also interested in remaking the Stab films by using real footage of the victim’s deaths. After Charlie revealed himself as a killer, he and Jill wanted to recreate Billy and Stu’s idea of hurting each other to pose as victims after killing Sidney. Unfortunately for him, he dies when Jill purposely stabs him in the chest, rather than the side. Confirmed Kills - 3
5 Mickey Altieri (Scream 2)
Though his kill count keeps him from being lower on the list, Mickey Altieri’s (Timothy Olyphant) motives were close to the weakest of the franchise. In Scream 2, Mickey was a random serial killer that Mrs. Loomis met online and convinced to help her copycat the Woodsboro murders at Windsor College. Mrs. Loomis paid Mickey’s tuition and and helped him get accepted in turn for him befriending Sidney and even dating her college roommate. His ultimate goal was to get the recognition and fame that came with being a notable serial killer. Mickey meets his demise when Sidney and Gale Weathers (Courtney Cox) put sixteen bullets into him. Confirmed Kills - 5
4 Roman Bridger (Scream 3)
Roman Bridger (Scott Foley) is one of the most interesting inclusions on the list. Both Scream and Scream 2 featured two killers, so the audience (and Sidney) was shocked to learn that Roman acted as the lone Ghostface killer in Scream 3. When he reveals himself, Sidney finds out that Roman is her half-brother, born from her mother with one of her acting career directors. When he searched her out, she acted like she didn’t know him, being that she had started a new family. Roman also reveals that he was the mastermind behind training Billy Loomis and Stu Macher to become murderers in the first Scream film, setting up his mother’s death. Roman’s kill count is high, but understandably, being that he acted alone. Roman dies when Sidney stabs him a few times, and Dewey finishes him off with a head shot. Confirmed Kills - 9
3 Stu Macher (Scream)
Stu (Matthew Lillard) is both one of the most likeable characters to reveal himself as a killer as well as the most chaotic. In Scream, Stu really has no motive for his kills, as he chalks them all up to the “peer pressure” from Billy Loomis. Unlike a lot of the others killers, Stu’s reveal was one of the most shocking as he has the ability to turn his kill-mode personality on and off, posing as a fun-loving, silly, and personable person, and even protector to those he’s close to. Stu dies (or does he?) when weakened from several stabs from Billy, in attempt to cover up their crimes, followed by Sidney dropping a television on his head. Stu’s kill count is on the lower side, but his iconic performance and terrifying dedication to murder without real reason puts him close to the top. Confirmed Kills - 4
2 Mrs. Loomis (Scream 2)
Even with the lowest kill count on the list, Mrs. Loomis (Laurie Metacalf) belongs near the top for having the best motive and strategy—and she takes out one of the original’s survivors by “getting a little knife happy” with Randy (Jamie Kennedy). Mrs. Loomis’ motive was purely revenge, as Sidney killed her only son in the ending events of the first Scream film. Clearly her son had inherited her psychopathic behavior as she was just as quick to murder people as he was. By the events of Scream 2, her husband had slept with Sidney’s mother, resulting in divorce, and her son had been killed. After feeling she had nothing to live for, Mrs. Loomis found Mickey Altieri in a chat room and partnered up with him to infiltrate Sidney’s life. She even attempts to manipulate accused killer Cotton Weary (Liev Schreiber) after Mickey dies, in order to kill Sidney. She fails when Cotton supports Sidney, and after a scuffle, Sidney puts a bullet in her head. Confirmed Kills - 1
1 Billy Loomis (Scream)
“You’re telling me that’s not a killer?” said Randy as he suspected right away that Billy Loomis (Skeet Ulrich) was the original Ghostface killer in Scream. Not only does Billy have the most iconic and scariest lines—“Movies don’t create psychos, movies make psychos more creative!"—of the entire franchise, but he’s also the most ferocious of the killers. Billy’s motives came from pure anger with the result of his father cheating on his mother with Sidney’s mother, causing his parents’ marriage to fall apart and his mother to abandon Billy. We later find out in Scream 3 that Roman had been orchestrating the entire thing, using Billy as his pawn. Billy is a master manipulator as well, pressuring Stu to do whatever he wants, and tricking Sidney into sleeping with him just minutes before revealing himself as the killer. Billy plans to frame Sidney’s father as the killer, and leave himself and Stu for dead, but his plan goes awry when Gale and Sidney team up to confuse the two killers, and Sidney eventually puts a bullet in his skull. Confirmed Kills - 3
