Movies
Every Ghostface From ‘Scream’, Ranked
Ghostface and Gale Weathers have returned to us again with Scream VI, and the fandom couldn’t be happier. And with the newest installment comes new killers, new motives, new phone calls, and new kills.
Scream fans are thriving.
This newest installment was no less fun or brutal, no matter where you place it in your ranking. The biggest thing that sets Scream apart from other horror franchises is that while the Ghostface mask remains mostly the same, every movie has a different killer behind the mask. And while there are no bad Scream movies, only ones I like less than others—the same goes for Ghostface killers.
So, with over 25 years of Ghostface, let’s see how the newest batch holds up to the previous ones. Spoilers ahead for every Scream, even the newest one, Scream VI.
Here is my list of Ghostfaces ranked from not-so-great to greatest.
Every Current Ghostface, Ranked
13. Jason Carvey (Tony Revolori) and his dead partner — Scream VI
This slot all hangs on how you felt about the opening of Scream VI. Maybe it worked for you! Maybe it didn’t! For me, however, it only ranks above Scream 4’s opening because the killings in this one were all actually happening. Spider-man’s Revolori does a great job, but I just didn’t care. I found myself not caring if this new Ghostface was being stalked by another new Ghostface. This switch-up would’ve been more shocking for me if it’d happened later in the movie. I think it’s a cool idea, but the tension fell so flat for me that this opening felt almost as silly to me as the character being named “Jason Carvey.”
12. Charlie Walker (Rory Culkin) — Scream 4
Listen, Rory Culkin is great but this character suffers from “second killer syndrome.” He’s not too memorable and is completely overshadowed by his partner (stay tuned, more on her later). He does get an incredibly iconic reveal though—stabbing (but not killing) Hayden Panettiere’s fan favorite Kirby Reed right after she beat Ghostface at his own game over the phone, seemingly having saved Charlie. He’s mad she took too long to want to date him…or something. But, shortly after this moment, he is swiftly betrayed by his partner and killed.
11. Detective Bailey (Dermot Mulroney) — Scream VI
As a longtime Scream fan and big time dumb dumb, I rarely ever guess the killers in any of these movies. Gale Weathers, I am not. Yet this reveal felt so obvious even the character says, “Of course it’s me,” once he’s outed as *extreme Wendy Williams voice* the killer. I’m sure it was done on purpose, but still it felt a little anti-climactic. He almost tricked me into thinking Kirby was the killer though, which thankfully was just a misdirect but kudos to that. He’s channeling some big-time Laurie Metcalf as Nancy Loomis vibes not only just after his reveal, but nearly every time the character cranks his neck and says the word “kill” with his eyes bulging out. The reveal that he’s Richie’s dad wasn’t as chilling as it should’ve been. But he does get a pretty great death scene after the Carpenter sisters exchange glances at each other.
10. Ethan Landry (Jack Champion) — Scream VI (2023)
The cute, nerdy virgin who looks like a clone of early seasons American Horror Story Evan Peters. He’s quiet and basically a background character. Jasmine Savoy-Brown’s Mindy clocks him from the moment they find out Ghostface is back. This was one of those “so obvious it can’t be possible” reveals for me. Especially once he saved Mindy on the train, I was positive he wasn’t a killer. His reveal of actually being Richie’s brother? Sure. He gets a great death scene though at the hands of Jenna Ortega’s Tara. “Die a virgin!”
9. Quinn Bailey (Liana Liberato) — Scream VI
I like her in theory. One of the few supposed victims who died then later on is revealed to be Ghostface. She’s likable and sex-positive. We’re first introduced to her having loud sex in the apartment she shares with our final girls. I also love the idea of her laying on the ground of the apartment playing dead, covered in fake blood for a good 20 minutes while everyone runs around the apartment trying to avoid Ghostface.
8. Mickey Altieri (Timothy Olyphant) — Scream 2
One of the better “second” killers. Scream 2 is absolutely stacked with famous folks who give great performances—and while he’s famous now, he wasn’t a big name back then. But his performance is great. He manipulates Sidney perfectly, making her think it could be her sweet jock boyfriend (spoiler, it isn’t). Like many other men on this list, he’s a secret incel working with the lead killer. He’s also quickly killed by his partner in Ghostface-ing.
7. Amber Freeman (Mikey Madison) — Scream (2022)
This franchise references itself so often it’s a wonder it hasn’t caved in on itself yet. Amber is a clear reference to Matthew Lillard’s Stu (be patient, I’m getting to him), going full spit yelling once she’s revealed. She was also my number one suspect for most of the movie—who doesn’t suspect the quiet goth girl who lurks in the background of most of her scenes? But the thing she has going for her is she gets one of the absolute best reveals with her delivery of, “Welcome to Act 3.”
6. Roman Bridger (Scott Foley) — Scream 3
I’m always torn regarding the third installment. For me, it’s clearly the weakest link, but also, it’s just so god damned fun. I mean, any movie where Parker Posey chews scenery automatically gets bonus points. But also, there are no bad Scream movies. What makes him unique is that he’s the only Ghostface to work alone (and to be revealed to be Sidney’s long-lost sibling). He’s also notable for being a character who I barely remember before his reveal. He sits next to Jennifer Jolie at some point maybe? He fakes his death, but he was a throwaway character that didn’t matter. The thing that boosts him up on this list is that he doesn’t do the bulging eyes or campy acting once he takes the mask off. He plays his reveal pretty straightforward, and his fight with Sidney is great. It’s the most aggressive we’d seen Sidney at that point, and their fight is iconic and brutal. Watching his death scene high is something I do not recommend.
5. Richie Kirsch (Jack Quaid) — Scream (2022)
I truly do not understand the hate 5 gets. I think it’s really fun seeing our Final Girls in their final form. And 5 has a fantastic reveal: our new final girl’s boyfriend Richie is Ghostface, one of many nods to the original film. I spent the entire movie completely charmed by him though, ignoring David Arquette’s Dewey clocking him from the start. He was the voice of the audience for most of the movie, yet in the end, he was actually the voice of the toxic fans online who will call me a fake fan for this list. The performance is understated, as he’s not that different once he’s revealed to be Ghostface, and for me, that’s what sells it. Even Richie himself says, as he’s stabbing his girlfriend, “I know, it’s a bummer, it’s me.”
4. Nancy Loomis (Laurie Metcalf) — Scream 2
Debbie Salt aka Nancy Loomis is the blueprint for unhinged family member out for revenge in this franchise. Her performance is camp and eye bulgey and shouldn’t work, yet it does. I will also say this is the only movie where I immediately clocked Ghostface. At the time, she was already famous for her role as Aunt Jackie on Roseanne, so having Laurie Metcalf pop up as a side character who only interacted with Courteney Cox’s Gale felt a tad cheap. But once she goes for it, she fucking goes for it. Her final battle with Sidney (and Gale) on the stage is truly one of the most fun Ghostface final fights. She doesn’t seem to blink once, taunts Gale with, “It’s called a makeover; you should try it,” and kills her partner while wearing an iconic white powersuit.
3. Stu Macher (Matthew Lillard) — Scream
I mean, duh. The Stu Truthers online who insist he’s still alive might be annoying, but there’s a reason they exist. Stu is one of the most iconic characters in Scream. He’s the chaotic goof you’d crush on and then feel bad about crushing on because, ya know, he’s a murderer. It’s why he’s not exactly that much different once he goes full Ghostface. He’s the best of all of the “second” killers. Lillard still seems to be able to keep Stu charming even once he’s revealed to be Ghostface. His relationship with his partner is incredibly homoerotic, and he even gets in some funny lines before dying, like, “My mom and dad are gonna be so mad at me.”
2. Billy Loomis (Skeet Ulrich) — Scream
The dreamboat. Serial killers are often portrayed as getting their victims by charming them and Billy is no different. He has a serial killer vibe the entire movie but also has 90s teen heartthrob hair, wears tight white T-shirts, and looks like he just got done riding a motorcycle out of Twin Peaks. He’s so obviously the killer that it is genuinely surprising when he’s revealed actually to be the killer. He is also the first to fake his death to trick the audience into believing he’s not Ghostface—but that lasts about two seconds. He’s hot; he’s intense; he is the moment.
1. Jill Roberts (Emma Roberts) — Scream 4
Jill Roberts was not only ahead of her time, but she was the last person I’d have ever thought was Ghostface upon first watch. Anyone watching it now might not be too shocked as the acting she does in her reveal was her audition for every single role she’d later go on to play in American Horror Story. Folks have long said that killing Sidney or Sidney being Ghostface would be a gag—but the thing is, it would just be stupid and out of character. A new Sidney-esque final girl, however, being Ghostface? Iconic. Jill stays a more subdued, even kind of boring character for most of the movie until going full Fight Club on herself to frame Trevor. She’s also a standout because she’s not a horror incel, but a crazed jealous teen who wants her cousin Sidney’s fame and only fame. Her line,“I don’t need friends, I need fans,” is one that’s still incredibly relevant.
I was late to the Radio Silence party. However, I do not let that stop me from being one of the loudest people at the function now. I randomly decided to see Ready or Not in theaters one afternoon in 2019 and walked out a better person for it. The movie introduced me to the work of a team that would become some of my favorite current filmmakers. It also confirmed that getting married is the worst thing one can do. That felt very validating as someone who doesn’t buy into the needing to be married to be complete narrative.
Ready or Not is about a fucked up family with a fucked up tradition. The unassuming Grace (Samara Weaving) thinks her new in-laws are a bit weird. However, she’s blinded by love on her wedding day. She would never suspect that her groom, Alex (Mark O’Brien), would lead her into a deadly wedding night. So, she heads downstairs to play a game with the family, not knowing that they will be hunting her this evening. This is one of the many ways I am different from Grace. I watch enough of the news to know the husband should be the prime suspect, and I have been around long enough to know men are the worst. I also have a commitment phobia, so the idea of walking down the aisle gives me anxiety.
Grace Under Fire
Ready or Not is a horror comedy set on a wealthy family’s estate that got overshadowed by Knives Out. I have gone on record multiple times saying it’s the better movie. Sadly, because it has fewer actors who are household names, people are not ready to have that conversation. However, I’m taking up space this month to talk about catharsis, so let me get back on track. One of the many ways this movie is better than the latter is because of that sweet catharsis awaiting us at the end.
This movie puts Grace through it and then some. Weaving easily makes her one of the easiest final girls to root for over a decade too. From finding out the man she loves has betrayed her, to having to fight off the in-laws trying to kill her, as she is suddenly forced to fight to survive her wedding night. No one can say that Grace doesn’t earn that cigarette at the end of the film. As she sits on the stairs covered in the blood of what was supposed to be her new family, she is a relatable icon. As the unseen cop asks what happened to her, she simply says, “In-laws.” It’s a quick laugh before the credits roll, and “Love Me Tender” by Stereo Jane makes us dance and giggle in our seats.
Ready or Not Proves That Maybe She’s Better Off Alone
It is also a moment in which Grace is one of many women who survives marriage. She comes out of the other side beaten but not broken. Grace finally put herself, and her needs first, and can breathe again in a way she hasn’t since saying I do. She fought kids, her parents-in-law, and even her husband to escape with her life. She refused to be a victim, and with that cigarette, she is finally free and safe. Grace is back to being single, and that’s clearly for the best.
This Guy Busick and R. Christopher Murphy script is funny on the surface, even before you start digging into the subtext. The fact that Ready or Not is a movie where the happy ending is a woman being left alone is not wasted on me, though. While Grace thought being married would make her happy, she now has physical and emotional wounds to remind her that it’s okay to be alone.
One of the things I love about this current era of Radio Silence films is that the women in these projects are not the perfect victims. Whether it’s Ready or Not, Abigail, or Scream (2022), or Scream VI, the girls are fighting. They want to live, they are smart and resourceful, and they know that no one is coming to help them. That’s why I get excited whenever I see Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett’s names appear next to a Guy Busick co-written script. Those three have cracked the code to give us women protagonists that are badasses, and often more dangerous than their would-be killers when push comes to shove.
Ready or Not Proves That Commitment is Scarier Than Death
So, watching Grace run around this creepy family’s estate in her wedding dress is a vision. It’s also very much the opposite of what we expect when we see a bride. Wedding days are supposed to be champagne, friends, family, and trying to buy into the societal notion that being married is what we’re supposed to aspire to as AFABs. They start programming us pretty early that we have to learn to cook to feed future husbands and children.
The traditions of being given away by our fathers, and taking our husbands’ last name, are outdated patriarchal nonsense. Let’s not even get started on how some guys still ask for a woman’s father’s permission to propose. These practices tell us that we are not real people so much as pawns men pass off to each other. These are things that cause me to hyperventilate a little when people try to talk to me about settling down.
Marriage Ain’t For Everybody
I have a lot of beef with marriage propaganda. That’s why Ready or Not speaks to me on a bunch of levels that I find surprising and fresh. Most movies would have forced Grace and Alex to make up at the end to continue selling the idea that heterosexual romance is always the answer. Even in horror, the concept that “love will save the day” is shoved at us (glares at The Conjuring Universe). So, it’s cool to see a movie that understands women can be enough on their own. We don’t need a man to complete us, and most of the time, men do lead to more problems. While I am no longer a part-time smoker, I find myself inhaling and exhaling as Grace takes that puff at the end of the film. As a woman who loves being alone, it’s awesome to be seen this way.
The Cigarette of Singledom
We don’t need movies to validate our life choices. However, it’s nice to be acknowledged every so often. If for no other reason than to break up the routine. I’m so tired of seeing movies that feel like a guy and a girl making it work, no matter the odds, is admirable. Sometimes people are better when they separate, and sometimes divorce saves lives. So, I salute Grace and her cathartic cigarette at the end of her bloody ordeal.
I cannot wait to see what single shenanigans she gets into in Ready or Not 2: Here I Come. I personally hope she inherited that money from the dead in-laws who tried her. She deserves to live her best single girl life on a beach somewhere. Grace’s marriage was a short one, but she learned a lot. She survived it, came out the other side stronger, richer, and knowing that marriage isn’t for everybody.
My New Year’s resolution is to spend more time watching my favorite app. Luckily, Shudder is not taking it easy on us this holiday season, so I may meet my quota this January. The streamer is bringing in the new year with quite a few bangers. We have classics from icons, a new title from the first family of indie horror, and a couple of lesser-known films that have finally found a home. So, I am obviously living for this month’s programming and think most of you will too. I have picked the five films that I believe deserve our collective attention the most. Get into each of them and start your 2026 off on the right foot.
The Best Movies to Stream on Shudder This Month
Carrie (1976)
A sheltered teen finally unleashes her telekinetic powers after being humiliated for the last time. Carrie is the reason I thought proms might be cool when I was a kid. This Brian De Palma adaptation is one of my favorite Stephen King adaptations. It is also an important title in the good-for-her subgenre. I cannot help rooting for Carrie White (Sissy Spacek) when I watch her snap at this prom and then head home to accidentally deal with her mom. The only tragedy of this evening is that Carrie had to die, too. I said what I said, and I will be hitting play again while it is on Shudder. This recommendation goes out to the other recovering sheltered girls who would be the problem if they had powers. I see you because I am you.
You can watch Carrie on January 1st.
Marshmallow (2025)
A shy 12-year-old gets sent to summer camp and finds himself in a living nightmare. While Marshmallow did not land for me, I know plenty of people who love it. Which makes this the perfect addition to the Shudder catalogue. I am actually excited to see more folks fall in love with this movie when it hits the streamer. If nothing else, it will help a few folks cross off another 2025 title if they are still playing catch-up with last year’s movies. It also gets cool points from me for not taking the easy route with the mystery it built. I hope you all dig it more than I did, and tell your friends about it. Perhaps you could even encourage them to sign up for the app.
You can watch Marshmallow on January 1st.
Chain Reactions (2024)
Tobe Hooper’s The Texas Chain Saw Massacre cemented his horror legacy over fifty years ago. So, it is long overdue for a documentary where horror royalty can discuss its impact on them and their careers. I have been waiting for a couple of years to hear Karyn Kusama and Takashi Miike talk about Hooper’s work and how he inspired them. So, I am super geeked that Shudder is finally giving me the chance to see this film. The streamer is also helping the nerds out by adding The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) and The Texas Chain Saw Massacre 2 (1986) this month. If you are also an overachieving couch potato, I will see you at the finish line next week.
You can watch Chain Reactions on January 9th.
In the Mouth of Madness (1994)
An insurance investigator discovers the impact a horror writer’s books have on people. I love chaos, and John Carpenter chaos happens to be one of my favorite kinds of chaos. While we talk about The Thing and Halloween all the time, this maestro has given us plenty of horror to celebrate. In the Mouth of Madness is very much one of those titles vying for a top spot among the best of his filmography. To sweeten the batshit pot, this movie features Sam Neill. You know that he only shows up in our genre if the movie is going to be legendary. You cannot tell me this is not a Shudder priority this month.
You can watch In the Mouth of Madness on January 10th.
Mother of Flies (2025)
A terminally ill young woman and her dad head to the woods to seek out a recluse who claims she can cure her cancer. The Adams Family has been holding court on Shudder for years, so it feels right that Mother of Flies is a Shudder Original. More importantly, this fest favorite has one of the best performances of 2025. Which makes it a great time for people to finally get to see it and get in line to give Toby Poser her flowers. Whatever you think your favorite Poser role is, it is about to change when you see her as Solveig. I am being serious when I say that this movie might be the first family of indie horror at their best.
You can watch Mother of Flies on January 23rd.
New year, but same Shudder. I would not want to go into 2026 any other way, personally. I hope these horrific recommendations bring you the good kind of anxiety. Or at least distract you from the state of the world for a bit.
‘Ready or Not’ and the Cathartic Cigarette of a Relatable Final Girl
‘Carrie’ Review: A Look At Two Adaptations
The Best Horror You Can Stream on Shudder in January 2026
The Best Horror You Can Stream on Netflix in January 2026
‘The Taking of Deborah Logan’ Review: An Overlooked Gem
‘Dry January’ Review: The Perfect Short Film for a Long Month
‘Lair of the White Worm’ Review: A Cult Folk Horror Classic
‘Snakes on a Plane’: A First-Time Watch Review
The Horror Press Podcast: Episode 53 ‘Disclosure Day’ and AI
‘The Snake Woman’ Review: Politics and Schlock in British Horror
‘The People Under the Stairs’ Review: A Brilliantly Bizarre Horror Classic
Slappy Was the Blueprint: How the Dummy from Goosebumps Became A Horror Icon
‘Five Nights at Freddy’s’ and The Story of William Afton Explained
Glen and Glenda: Don Mancini’s Reverence for Queerness in ‘Seed of Chucky’ (2004)
‘Truth or Dare’: Who Did it Best?
V/H/S Franchise Ranked, Best to Worst
Everything You Need to Know About Jason Voorhees
The 11 Most Disturbing Horror Movies Ever, According to an Actual Horror Fan
[REVIEW] ‘Cherry Falls’ (1999) Brittany Murphy Shines in This Cult Classic Slasher
