WE’VE NOW made it to film six and year 27 of the Scream franchise, and despite the death of original director Wes Craven back in 2015, and despite the departure of longtime franchise star Neve Campbell before production on 2023’s Scream VI began, the franchise is actually stronger than its ever been. Seriously—once again in the hands of co-directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, Scream VI has
received rave reviews and is tracking for a franchise-high opening weekend at the box office.
Why is that? It’s likely the revolving nature of the Scream series. While franchises like Friday the 13th, Nightmare on Elm Street, and Halloween keep trotting their trademark villains—Jason Voorhees, Freddy Krueger, and Michael Myers—out time and time again, Scream has Ghostface. Ghostface looks the same in every movie, yes, but there’s always someone new under the mask, still stabbing like a maniac. The mystery of Scream has always been the allure, and in an era where movies like Knives Out have been mega hits, horror fans have loved to latch onto a good bit of mystery with their horror. Gripping tight to your armrests while wondering who’s wearing that creepy-ass mask this time is just a good time at the movies.
As Scream VI arrives in theaters, it feels like the perfect time to look back at those who’ve donned the cloak and mask before. There’s been a lot of stabbing in the Scream movies, and while it all makes for great horror movie fun, there’s also a lot to each different Ghostface. Obviously, it’s kind of hard to judge what’s happening when our killers are cloaked, masked, and largely-silent, so we’re going to judge them based on the whole of their character—their motivation, the logic behind it, and, of course, how convincing the actors are as absolute stabby maniacs.
Let’s get to it.
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