Top 20 Most Brutal GhostFace Kills In The SCREAM Movies
#20: Christopher Stone
“Scream VI” (2023)
Short, sweet, and to the point in more ways than one, Dr. Christopher Stone’s death comes early in “Scream VI.” He only plays a minor role, as therapist to Sam, who seeks his help in dealing with the events of the previous movie. While he ends up not being that helpful to her, his file on Sam ends up being of extreme value to GhostFace. When the killer literally comes knocking, the doctor realizes he’s in trouble just a moment too late. GhostFace smashes through the glass door, slams Christopher’s head against it, and stabs him right in the face. Although it isn’t drawn out, it undeniably isn’t a pleasant way to go.
#19: Cotton Weary
“Scream 3” (2000)
Cotton Weary survived being framed for murder during the first movie, and his own run-ins with GhostFace during the second, only to go out in the opening of “Scream 3.” It begins, like so many of these do, with a phone call of GhostFace toying with him. When the killer threatens Cotton’s girlfriend, he rushes to save her. Tragically, she mistrusts him, as GhostFace’s voice modulator makes him sound like Cotton while attacking her. Maybe if Christine hadn’t hit Cotton in the head with a golf club, before taking a knife to the back, he would’ve been able to survive. Ghostface stabs him in the chest before delivering the killing blow. It isn’t as visceral as other franchise openers, but still a thrilling beginning.
#18: Robbie Mercer
“Scream 4” (2011)
Film nerd Robbie is the type of character you’d think would survive a slasher movie. Naturally, since “Scream” typically plays against the rules, that means he’s got to go. Although his knowledge of tropes gets him pretty far, he ends up dying right at the start of the climax. With everyone gathered at Kirby’s house, he sullenly and drunkenly begins filming outside. Clearly, he forgot that venturing somewhere alone and underage drinking makes you a prime target in this genre. As GhostFace descends upon him, stabbing him several times, he tries to protect himself by appealing to the rules. Yeah…doesn’t work. He only survives long enough to issue a warning to the others, collapsing as a bloody mess.
#17: Cici Cooper
“Scream 2” (1997)
Even if you’re the responsible type, that won’t always save you in this franchise. Cici Cooper stays home while her sorority sisters party, there to help if any need a ride. But this means she’s home alone at night, a perfect victim for GhostFace. After calling the sorority house to begin his twisted game, GhostFace sneaks inside. What follows is a tense chase sequence that, sadly for Cici, leads upstairs with no option for escape. When he catches up to her, he stabs her in the back twice before throwing her over the balcony, with the fall delivering the killing blow. We won’t lie; seeing Sarah Michelle Gellar die so early in the runtime also makes this death particularly painful.
#16: Charlie Walker
“Scream 4” (2011)
Fellow film bro to Robbie, Charlie is also one of the two GhostFace killers in “Scream 4.” Only, unlike other instances of multiple assailants, Charlie was never safe from his ally. He conspired with Jill Roberts to kill their friends, attempting to re-create the events of the first film and gain fame as the sole survivors. When it came time to stage their survival, framing Jill’s ex, Trevor, Charlie thought he’d only be receiving minor wounds. But Jill had other plans, wanting all of the attention and stabbing Charlie in the heart. Not that we feel bad for him, but knowing you were convinced to do horrific things by the person you love, only to be killed by them, is pretty brutal.
#15: Laura Crane
“Scream VI” (2023)
When Samara Weaving reteamed with the directors of “Ready or Not” for “Scream VI,” we knew we’d get something special. That ‘something special’ turned out to be another in a long line of savage opening deaths in a series known for them. The Film Studies professor is lured out to a first date. When “Reggie” calls, pretending to be lost, Laura tries to find him outside the restaurant, venturing into a dark alleyway. Of course, it’s the perfect spot for GhostFace to strike, stabbing Laura in the chest multiple times as she screams in pain. It also came as a shock to see him remove the mask so early. Jason Carvey was a short-lived GhostFace, but we’ll get to him later.
#14: Judy Hicks
“Scream” (2022)
Introduced in “Scream 4,” Judy Hicks eventually rises through the ranks of the Woodsboro PD to become the town sheriff. As connected as she is, that doesn’t stop her from becoming a target in the 2022 revival. GhostFace bets that the life of her son will be enough to pull her into a trap, and he’s absolutely right. As she races home to stop the unthinkable, begging for her son to be spared, it’s hard not to feel bad knowing what’s probably coming. She’s mere steps away from entering her house when GhostFace ambushes her. One stab to the gut puts her on the ground, where he delivers several more, cutting off her cries for help.
#13: Anika Kayoko
“Scream VI” (2023)
When it comes to this victim, the possibility of survival makes her death all the more brutal. As Anika and her friends are attacked by GhostFace, she runs to defend Mindy. Unfortunately, this leads to her getting stabbed in the stomach, with GhostFace slowly twisting the knife, and making us cringe simultaneously. She actually survives this thanks to Sam, but then has to try to escape with the nasty wound. As she climbs across a ladder, with safety and her friends waiting on the other side, GhostFace takes hold of the ladder to shake her off. Unfortunately, he’s successful, and Anika falls to the alleyway below, smashing her face on a dumpster, killing her instantly.
#12: Randy Meeks
“Scream 2” (1997)
The franchise’s original film geek, Randy’s death was one of the saddest. After surviving the events of the first movie, Randy attempts to solve the case when another GhostFace begins terrorizing his college. After receiving a call from the killer during the day, he, Gale, and Dewey attempt to locate him. Unfortunately for Randy, he hits a bit too close to home when he starts insulting the previous movie’s duo, Stu and Billy. This causes GhostFace to lash out, pulling Randy into a news van. While Randy tries to fight back, he ends up getting stabbed multiple times, with his blood flowing out of the van. Upon discovering his body, Courtney Cox’s Gale delivers a truly chilling scream.
#11: Jason Carvey
“Scream VI” (2023)
We were still reeling from the early reveal of GhostFace’s identity as we followed Jason throughout his final night. Would this be a different take on “Scream,” with the audience knowing the killer the whole time? As it turns out, as the franchise is so great at doing, it was a subversion of expectations. Jason and his roommate, Greg, were idols of Richie Kirsch, one of the GhostFace killers in the previous film. They planned to finish his work, but the movie’s true GhostFace had something else in mind. He calls Jason, toying with him and leading him to the dismembered body of Greg. He then stabs Jason multiple times, opening his stomach, in one of the goriest kills in the movie.
#10: Rebecca Walters
“Scream 4” (2011)
There are some characters you just know are gonna get it, and few personify that more than Rebecca from “Scream 4.” Sidney Prescott’s opportunistic publicist, Rebecca gets axed from her job for being an even more insensitive Gale than Gale. Unfortunately for her, Ghostface sees to axing her from life immediately after. Upon getting threatening calls from the killer in a parking garage, Rebecca tries to cut and run only for Ghostface to do the same in a more literal sense. Sure, a stab to the gut is nothing fancy in the “Scream” movies, but it’s Ghostface then finishing her off by dropping her on a news van that’s really over the top. That’s a press conference statement if ever we’ve seen one.
#9: Wes Hicks
“Scream” (2022)
2022’s “Scream” was the first installment without franchise director Wes Craven, who sadly passed away in 2015. So naming a character after him seemed appropriate - just don’t assume he’s safe. Unaware that his mother Judy has just been murdered in the front yard, Wes goes about the house until Ghostface appears to finish off the Hickses. Despite being the most prepared for an attack, Wes’s taser is sadly just out of reach, and he ultimately gets it in the jugular. Seeing the blade’s impression just beneath the skin is enough to make us cringe, but his demise sets up a fittingly meta tribute toward the end as cast members old and new can essentially be heard toasting Craven in his honor.
#8: Anthony Perkins
“Scream 4” (2011)
No, not the actor who played Norman Bates in “Psycho.” Deputy Perkins, much like his partner Hoss, knows the danger of being a cop in a movie, especially a horror movie. So it should come as no surprise that their protection detail turns into a bloodbath. When Hoss returns from a perimeter check, Perkins decides to play a prank on the rookie, which goes about as well as you’d expect - Hoss is stabbed in the back, and Perkins gets it in the forehead of all places. For those of you doubting he’d be able to walk around after that, this was reportedly inspired by a story Craven heard about a man taking himself to the ER with the same wound. Go figure.
#7: Maureen Evans
“Scream 2” (1997)
Few “Scream” actors sell their death scenes quite as well as Jada Pinkett Smith. In the first sequel, Pinkett Smith’s Maureen and her boyfriend Phil Stevens attend a sneak preview for “Stab,” based on the events of the first movie. Oh, and speaking of getting stabbed in the head, Phil gets quite the surprise himself in the bathroom stall. With everyone else wearing masks, Maureen doesn’t think twice when Ghostface joins her wearing Phil’s jacket. However, by the time she notices the blood, it’s too late. Ghostface stabs Maureen seven times, his actions obscured by the raucous moviegoers. Maureen eventually makes sure that everyone knows what happened through a wail for the ages.
#6: Tom Prinze
“Scream 3” (2000)
A good bulk of the franchise’s kills are executed through some form of stabbing, but this being the “concluding” chapter in a trilogy, we knew to expect fireworks. At a wrap party for the now-canceled “Stab 3,” some remaining cast members are harassed by Ghostface, who cuts the power to the house, except for the fax machine, apparently. Incoming faxes from the killer regarding their fates spooks the lot, but none more so than Tom Prinze. He unwisely uses a lighter to read the remaining message, before learning there’s gas everywhere. In practically an instant, Tom and the house at large are blown to smithereens, proving this Ghostface is perhaps deadliest of all.
#5: Dewey Riley
“Scream” (2022)
Poor Dewey. For a while it seemed like the holy trinity of “Scream” characters would never die, but something felt different about this installment. By the time he joined a rescue mission to the local hospital, we knew the end was nigh. Thankfully, Dewey and Sam are able to save the latter’s sister Tara and even put Ghostface down for the count. However, realizing the killer’s probably wearing a bulletproof vest, Dewey goes back to finish the job. By all accounts, Dewey has Ghostface dead to rights, but a call from Gale distracts him long enough for the killer to strike. Given Dewey’s track record, the filmmakers made sure he gets doubly gashed on both sides to convince us he’s really gone.
#4: Olivia Morris
“Scream 4” (2011)
As far as Wes Craven was concerned with his kill scenes, the bloodier the better. This was especially true in his later career, and nowhere is that more evident than with Olivia Morris. The resident hot girl at Woodsboro High, Olivia lives next door to secret psychopath Jill, which definitely did not bode well in hindsight. While Kirby is on the phone with the other Ghostface, Olivia tries to listen in. It’s thought Ghostface is in Jill’s closet, only for him to burst out of Olivia’s. With Kirby and Jill half-helpless to watch, Olivia is put through the absolute wringer, thrown all over the room and stabbed everywhere, even the hand. By the time Sidney arrives, the walls are dripping blood and Olivia’s insides are outside.
#3: Tatum Riley
“Scream” (1996)
One of the most famous deaths in “Scream” history, Tatum’s comes at the climactic party when she’s sent to fetch more beer from the garage. Proving you should never go off by yourself, Tatum is subsequently locked in and confronted by Ghostface. Upon realizing the danger, Tatum actually holds her own for a bit, but it’s when she tries to escape through the cat door that she’s really doomed. With Tatum stuck, all Ghostface needs to do is press a button, as the former is lifted and crushed at the top of the garage door. Garage doors would further prove to be deadly as Jenny Randall has one come down on her back in “Scream 4” before Ghostface finishes her off as well.
#2: Officer Richards
“Scream 2” (1997)
You’d be forgiven for forgetting about Officers Richards and Andrews, seeing as they don’t have many lines in “Scream 2,” but you probably remember the former’s death. Assigned to watch over Sidney, Richards and Andrews eventually attempt to escort her and her roommate Hallie to a safe location, only to be attacked at a red light by Ghostface. After the killer slashes Andrews’s throat, he takes control of the vehicle and runs over Richards. Richards tries to hang onto the hood of the car, but it crashes into a construction site, sending a stray metal pipe straight through his head. It’s a pretty terrible demise, and one almost out of “Final Destination,” but it never fails to get us.
#1: Casey Becker
“Scream” (1996)
This death would already be shocking for the Drew Barrymore of it all, but the opening also makes sure to get us with a good amount of gore, too. In fact, both deaths are so brutal, that shots of the bodies had to be either trimmed down or sped up to avoid an NC-17 rating. After her boyfriend is horribly disemboweled in front of her, Casey does her best to avoid the same fate. Alas, with her parents in earshot, she’s stabbed and robbed of her voice. While the rest of the cuts are off-screen, our imaginations fill in the rest. But we don’t have to imagine for long, as her parents see the absolutely ghastly sight of her in a nearby tree.
Are there any other gruesome demises we left off? What’s your favorite GhostFace kill in the franchise? Share your thoughts in the comments!
