What’s your favorite scary movie? Is it one of the entries in the Scream franchise? Well, then you are probably looking forward to the latest film, Scream 7. With the next sequel hitting theaters nearly 30 years after the original, it’s time to take a look back at the rest of the series – specifically, the killers. And since Scream is a whodunnit at heart, a spoiler warning is in order.
For the purposes of this list, we won’t be considering any of the characters from the Scream TV show that aired on MTV and VH1 from 2015 through 2019. I personally haven’t seen it and – judging by the ratings – you probably haven’t either. So just looking at the first six films in the franchise, here is my ranking of the killers who have taken on the Ghostface persona:
6. Roman Bridger (Scream 3)
The Hollywood setting for the third film in the original trilogy doesn’t really lead to as much interesting commentary on the horror genre as you would expect, with the movie’s main rule being that there are no rules. It’s full of supernatural teases that go nowhere and clunky retcons, none of which are worse than Roman Bridger’s appearance as Sidney Prescott’s surprise half-brother.
Roman, the director of the fictional Stab 3, is the only killer who has worked alone in the Scream series to date. That was a bit of a subversion, but not a very interesting one in the context of Scream 3 itself. Scott Foley turned in a fine performance, but ultimately not a particularly memorable one.
5. Wayne Bailey, Ethan Landry and Quinn Landry (Scream VI)
Like Scream 3, Scream 6 does not take place in Woodsboro. But instead of Los Angeles, this one is in New York. And as some dissenters would argue about the Big Apple itself, there is simply too much going on in Scream VI. That isn’t to say the movie itself is bad, but the busyness is hard to ignore when it comes to the film’s trio of killers.
For one, there are three killers compared to the typical two, which is inherently going to dilute each villain’s motivations. They are also really, really bad at actually killing people, particularly main characters. Quinn’s fakeout death is at least used as part of the twist, but it feels kind of gutless that Gale, Kirby and both Meeks twins are able to overcome seemingly fatal wounds. Sam and Tara carry this movie, which is ironic considering the film’s intense reverence for the first four entries in the series. The set pieces and the franchise’s fresh blood are the best parts, while the killers who obsess over the past killers are pretty forgettable. Detective Bailey is arguably the most engaging of the bunch, but there simply wasn’t enough real estate for him to shine through.
4. Nancy Loomis and Mickey Altieri (Scream 2)
The twists and turns in the third act of Scream 2 are fun, as is the concept of blaming exploitative movies for a murder spree, but neither of the killers get a lot of run before the reveal. Mrs. Loomis is the more engaging of the two, just because of her ties to the first film. And yet, she is undercover as a local journalist for most of the film, not holding a particularly important place in the plot to that point. The same goes for Mickey, who is Sidney’s boyfriend Derek’s friend. It would have been tired if Sidney’s boyfriend was the killer again, but it was arguably just as repetitive to make his friend the killer. Plus, Mickey couldn’t hold a candle to Stu Macher, setting him up for failure in comparison.
3. Jill Roberts and Charlie Walker (Scream 4)
The best killers are the most surprising ones, and Emma Roberts’ Jill may be the most surprising one of all. Not only was Emma Roberts a longtime child actor and a burgeoning America’s sweetheart, but the film also introduces her as the main character in the next generation. Then there’s Charlie, who is kind of in the same vein as Randy as a movie buff, but with a darker, modern twist.
Admittedly, the more famous actors typically make for more memorable characters. It’s just easier to recall Emma Roberts and Rory Culkin’s respective villain turns, especially watching these movies through the first time nowadays. That isn’t to take anything away from the writing of the film, since the script sets the stage incredibly well, too.
2. Amber Freeman and Richie Kirsch (Scream – 2022)
As any good “requel” should, Scream (2022) successfully blends what makes all of the other killers work. Jack Quaid and Mikey Madison are charismatic, plus they went on to star in the 2024 and 2025 Best Picture Oscar winners – Oppenheimer and Anora, respectively. Both actors do great with comedy while also fully selling the unhinged moments, making them the perfect fits for Scream. But with so many other new characters joining the fray, they weren’t immediately easy to pick out as the killers, either.
Richie fits into the lineage of Billy as the final girl’s boyfriend who turns out to be the killer. Instead of working with a friend, though, he is working with a secret girlfriend who betrays the other final girl. They also manage to kill Dewey, marking the series’ most impactful death so far. Scream uses Amber and Richie as stand-ins for clever commentary on Reddit superfans and internet tantrums, which are hard to ignore in horror and franchise storytelling in the 2020s. More than any other sequel in the series, Scream (2022) really nails the metatextual aspects of the story and characters, especially with its killers.
1. Billy Loomis and Stu Macher (Scream – 1996)
The original Scream revolutionized the slasher genre, leaning into all the infamous tropes in a refreshing, self-aware way. That certainly applies to the film’s two killers, even just in establishing the franchise formula that there are two of them. Billy is so obviously the killer from the very start, to the point that any traditional horror movie would make him a red herring. As for Stu, it’s hard not to get swept up by Matthew Lillard’s charm and goofiness pre-reveal. Then, once it turns out he was working with Billy the whole time, Lillard really goes all-out and delivers an instantly iconic, derranged performance. Billy and Stu’s grounded motives come with the perfect amount of camp, making them far and away the best of the bunch – so far.
