Scream: Best Ghostface Moments in the Franchise

A new Scream movie is set to reach theatres next Friday, January 14th. In anticipation of this “legacy-quel”, we’ve decided to take a look back at the four previous Scream films and put together a list of the Best Ghostface Moments from each of them. A new Ghostface is going to be stalking the big screen very soon, and these are some of the moments the killer is going to have to try to live up to…

Note: Since this is about “Ghostface” moments, we’re sticking with scenes where the killer was wearing the Ghostface costume.

SCREAM (1996): OPENING SEQUENCE

It’s impossible to talk about great moments in the Scream franchise without shining a spotlight on the first film’s opening sequence, a masterfully crafted 13 minutes that starts out with fun banter about horror movies and quickly turns dark, ending with two people having been brutally murdered. We also happen to get our first look at the Ghostface costume during this sequence, and this may be the scariest the icon-to-be ever was, because at this point we had no idea what to expect from this killer or these movies. Not only does this sequence show us what a threat a Ghostface can be, by having them scare the hell out of Drew Barrymore before slicing her up, it was also a hell of a way for director Wes Craven and screenwriter Kevin Williamson to announce that they had created something special here.

SCREAM (1996): KILLER FAKE-OUT

You probably know who was beneath the Ghostface mask in the first film, but just in case you’re 25 years behind on Screams we’ll leave names out of it. We’ll just say that there are actually two killers in the movie, and at some point one of them appears to get murdered just to direct suspicions somewhere else and mess with the mind of the heroine (and the audience). This trick was so effective that Ghostface killers in some of the sequels would attempt to do basically the same thing. Those tricks were effective in the other movies as well, but the fake-out pulled off by the killers in the first movie gets the mention mainly because they were the originators.

SCREAM (1996): CLIMACTIC CHASE

If a new character is going to join the ranks of slasher icons like Michael Myers and Jason Voorhees, it helps if they can follow in the footsteps of those killers and engage the heroine in an elaborate climactic chase sequence. The chase at the end of the first Scream is quite good, beginning inside a large, isolated house, extending outside, getting a couple different vehicles involved, and then returning to the house. There are stunts, crashes, violent acts, and Ghostface’s body count even ticks up a point or two in the midst of it all. After around 9 minutes of chase action, the film is ready to segue into the shocking ending.

SCREAM 2 (1997): THE DEATH OF RANDY

The death of returning character Randy Meeks (Jamie Kennedy) in Scream 2 is a controversial moment that upset a lot of Scream fans – but the fact that it was upsetting is why it ranks as one of the best Ghostface moments. It’s shocking and unexpected when Ghostface takes out this beloved character, and it tells the audience that no one is safe, Randy could just be the first returning character to get offed in this sequel. Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, and David Arquette have been in all the sequels since, so the filmmakers obviously abandoned the “no one is safe” mindset for a while, but the death of Randy made us think that the deaths of his Scream 1 co-stars might happen.

SCREAM 2 (1997): SOUNDPROOF STUDIO

This is a sequence that is only as effective as it is because we have just seen Randy get killed, and now it appears that his fellow returning characters Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox) and Dewey Riley (David Arquette) are in danger as well. As Ghostface chases Gale and Dewey in and around a soundproof recording studio on a college campus, it feels like either or both of them could be removed from the franchise at any moment. In fact, by the time this sequence is over, it does look like we’ve lost one of them. We were spared that loss in the end, but that doesn’t make the overall chase sequence any less clever or entertaining.

SCREAM 2 (1997): STUCK IN THE CAR

Yes, this is a “best Ghostface moment” in which Ghostface is unconscious for the majority of the sequence – but Ghostface killers tend to be ridiculously clumsy, so it’s totally on brand for one to knock themselves out by crashing the police car they’ve commandeered. The greatness of this moment comes from the fact that Sidney and a friend are trapped in the backseat with the unconscious Ghostface at the wheel, and to get out of there they have to crawl into the front, cross Ghostface’s lap, and hope to get out the driver’s side window before the killer wakes up. The set-up is slasher movie gold and makes for a very tense sequence.

SCREAM 3 (2000): JENNIFER’S PLACE

It’s difficult to be very positive about Scream 3, which is too silly and too Scooby-Doo, but there is a standout sequence at the home of actress Jennifer Jolie (Parker Posey) where the killer manages to take down Jennifer’s bodyguard Steven Stone (Patrick Warburton) without Stone being able to do much to defend himself – an impressive accomplishment for a Ghostface – and then scores another kill by setting off a massive explosion through trickery involving a dark house, a fax machine, and a gas leak. Sure, the explosion is another one of the movie’s ridiculous, over-the-top moments, but good on Ghostface for making it happen.

SCREAM 3 (2000): PROPS

Digging through Scream 3 for something good surprisingly turns up a scene that involves Jenny McCarthy, whose character is attacked by Ghostface in the Hollywood offices set up for the production of Stab 3 (a sequel in a slasher series based on the real-life events we see in the Scream movies). Ghostface gets the drop on McCarthy’s character by hiding among multiple Ghostface costumes and she’s unable to defend herself because the weapons she grabs are harmless props made to be used on the set of Stab 3. When it’s all done, McCarthy’s character – actress Sarah Darling – has been taken out of the film less than 30 minutes into the 116 minute running time. A blessing.

SCREAM 4 (2011): OPEN THE CLOSET DOOR

From her bedroom window, Jill Roberts (Emma Roberts) is able to see the bedroom window of her friend Olivia Morris (Marielle Jaffe) – which allows Ghostface to pull off a great fake-out scene. Ghostface calls Jill and her friend Kirby Reed (Hayden Panettiere) while they’re hanging out in Jill’s room and claims to be hiding in the closet… but when they open Jill’s closet door to find the closet empty, Ghostface is revealed to be hiding in Olivia’s closet next door, and Jill and Kirby are forced to watch while their friend is slashed to death in her bedroom. Jill’s cousin, franchise heroine Sidney, rushes over to Olivia’s to try to help her, but it’s too late. Blood and guts have already been spilled.

SCREAM 4 (2011): COPS AND ROBERTS

Most of the best killer moments in Scream 4 come at the end, after the Ghostface costume has been ditched. There’s a good scene at a barn party that puts Gale Weathers in danger, but since Gale has plot armor another sequence set at Jill Roberts’ home stands out more. This sequence has slashing and humor (the last line from a dying cop played by Anthony Anderson is not only amusing, it’s also something many movie fans have said over the last decade), allows Sidney to show off how much she has learned from being the heroine in four of these movies, and ends with heartbreak when Sidney’s aunt / Jill’s mom Kate Roberts (Mary McDonnell) doesn’t make it out alive.