Summary
There would be noScream franchisewithout the iconic Ghostface killer, but surprisingly, the masked menace doesn’t actually have loads of screen time in each movie. He is relatively quick with his kills and goes back into hiding until the next kill. Of course, the actual killers are characters linked to the final girl and the friend group in each movie, so their screen time is mostly spent out of the Ghostface costume.Scream 7should feature more Ghostface than ever, especially as he is arguably the face of the horror franchise.
Ghostface’s importance has been more evident since Neve Campbell’s Sidney Prescott moved away from the franchise. Of course, Sidney will be back for another stand-off with Ghostface inScream 7, but it would be great to have a balance between her story andGhostface’s point of view.
Directed By
Kevin Williamson
Sidney Prescott was the face of the Scream franchise for a long time, butScream (2022)andScream 6shifted the focus towards Sam Carpenter, makingthe Ghostface killer(s) the ultimate mainstay of the horror franchise, with the Edvard Munch inspired mask the only guaranteed return in each movie.
Melissa Barrerawill not return as the final girl, Sam Carpenter inScream 7, and despite the original heroine, Sidney Prescott, returning,Ghostface is arguably more important to the franchise moving forward.Sidney and Sam have come and gone, and in Sidney’s case, returned again, but there will never be another killer in the Scream franchise.
The 1996 originalfeatured a lot of Ghostface, due to the many iconic chase sequences, but it still doesn’t equate to a lot of screen time overall.Every entry since has featured similar screen time for the Ghostface killer.A dedicated Reddit user calledIBBeMa on the r/Scream group, timed the screen time of each Ghostface killer in the first five Scream movies, and the results were surprising:
Ghostface Screen Time
It appears that Ghostface is getting more screen time in the most recent entries in the franchise, so this could bode well forScream 7’s Ghostface screen time.It would be interesting to see where Ghostface goes after he commits a murder. The franchise could even do away withthe classic whodunit element, so the audience is in on the identity of the killer, and it could follow them throughout the movie, with a killer’s POV being a popular feature of other movies in the horror genre.
Scream 7doesn’t even necessarily have to feature more Ghostface screen time than other movies.It’s all about how you use screen time effectively. For instance, in the opening sequence ofScream 6, Ghostface features prominently, with two separate killers appearing in the first 10 minutes.
The rumored cult of killers could mean Scream 7 has more Ghostface than ever before
There is a rumor thatScream 7could feature the long mootedcult of Ghostface killers, and this could see a lot more Ghostface screen time as a result. The cult of Ghostface idea dates as far back asScream 3in 2000, whenKevin Williamson’s planswere to have Stu Macher return as the leader of a group of killers at Woodsboro High School. It never came to fruition due to the Columbine massacre, but the idea started circulating online, and fans seemed to be keen on the idea.
Since Radio Silence brought the franchise back inScream (2022), there has been a focus on giving fans what they want to see on screen, with some fun Easter eggs and much needed fan service. There is afan movement that wants Stu’s return, and if Billy Loomis' accomplice was actually alive, it is likely he would be thefranchise mastermind, involved in planning all the Ghostface killings in the sequels.
IfScream 7was to focus its attention on Stu Macher, this could also lead to a Ghostface origin story of sorts, with anopening sequence flashback killthat reveals more details about the Ghostface killers' plot to kill Maureen Prescott. It would be interesting to see where the Ghostface mask originated from, and this would result in more screen time for the iconic killer.
Also, ifGhostface was a legacy character, the movie could dedicate a lot of screen time to this aspect. Regardless of who dons the Ghostface mask inScream 7, the final reveal could be a flashback sequence to explain how the Ghostface killer carried out his/her brutal attacks.
