Scream Franchise Killers Ranked

The Scream franchise has always been deemed as one of the most consistent and successful of the horror genre, essentially revitalising the slasher sub-genre and breathing new life back into it. Hell, without Scream the horror genre as we know it would have looked a lot different, so consider its late ’90’s revamp for the better.

WARNING HUGE SPOILERS AHEAD

Birthing a total of five entries (with 2022’s Scream storming the world as of present), Scream reinvented the sub-genre with a fresh sense of vitality it so desperately needed. It’s safe to say one of the franchises most iconic elements are its thrilling third acts, often led by the brilliant reveal of its killer antagonists. From Billy & Stu to Amber and Richie, let’s go through and rank each of the franchises killers from worst to best, and see who LoveHorror really thinks is the ultimate Scream killer.

9. Roman Bridges – Scream 3

Ah Roman Bridges, the dark brown stain on the Scream franchises crisp white undies. With Scream 3 universally being considered as one of the weaker entries in the franchise (syet till an absolute hoot!), a lot of that is down to the equally disliked killer reveal, paired with the laughably silly motive It’s revealed that Roman, the director of the upcoming Stab 3 was not only the half-brother to Sidney (Maureen’s well-kept little secret), but also the puppet master behind Billy and Stu’s original murder of Maureen. If this all sounds like an absolute copout and an absolute stretch of the imagination, well, that’s because it is. Not only was the reveal ugly, but it was also too left field and shocking for all the wrong reasons. It was revealed that Angelina was supposed to be a second killer which due to script leaks was changed last minute, which makes sense as she’s often pointed to as a red herring with little air time in Scream 3 at all. Kevin Williamson’s original idea to have Stu make a return and be the killer of Scream 3 is a much more exciting one than any of those mentioned. All we can do is pretend it never happened and fantasise of better times.

8. Charlie Walker – Scream 4

Scream 4 to many is the weakest of the Scream franchise, and whilst I do find this is an extremely unfair judgement, some reasons why are valid – one being the underwhelming and blatantly obvious killer reveal of Charlie Walker (Rory Culkin). Charlie takes the 8th spot on this list mainly for this reason alone, which paired with a weak motive and flat character development makes for one of the weakest Ghostface killers going. Riding off of Jill’s coattails, not only was Charlie silly enough to fall for Jill’s trap, but he is evidently nothing more than the camera man for their meta plot to remake the Stab movie. Jill out-smarted Charlie, convincing him to do all the killings whilst videoing it to make pinning him and Trevor together as the killers much easier (Jill actually never killed anyone in Scream 4, think back and you’ll understand); so his sheer stupidity and impressionability loses browny points. Whilst his motive is notably still current, Scream 4 could absolutely exist without him and has nothing added via his presence. Aside from playing victim in Kirby’s iconic remake scene of Casey and Steve, Charlie is nothing more than canon fodder who fails to leave any sort of lasting impression.

7. Amber – Scream (2022)

Talk about saving your best work until its final hurrah! Amber (Micky Maddison), the stone cold one-note friend to tortured Tara is nothing more than all the above; a flavourless grump who grunt and disapproves her way until her killer reveal. It’s here when she becomes an overdose of sensory overload as she dials the crazy spice all the way up to ten, becoming a lot more than the boring character she insistently portrayed throughout the duration fo 2022’s Scream. Whilst she is easily the most unlikable and uninspired character of the whole movie (maybe even franchise?), she does earn those brownie points back with her rampant chaotic energy once the third act hits. It’s this Jackal & Hyde switch that upon second or third viewing lets us know her “boring” act was, well.. all an act! There is a level of geniusness to her performance that is certainly admired after the credits roll, but it is nonetheless a long winded buildup for a satisfying enough payoff. What doesn’t help is how it was painfully obvious it was Amber from the word go regardless of how much they branded her the Candyman, but it’s the final act showdown between her, Sidney and Gale that really makes it all the worth while. A trigger-happy, hand-sanitiser smashing fist fight that ends in literal flames, making for one of the best moments of the entire film. The Scream killers may have passed the torch but can she carry the flame? Definitely not.

6. Mickey – Scream 2

Whilst Scream 2 is arguably the best sequel of the entire franchise, the same cannot be said for one half of its psychotic duo, Mickey. Being carried solely by the strengths of Debbie Salt (Mrs. Loomis), Mickey is one of the easiest in the guessing game of the entire franchise, having no effort whatsoever being made to not point the finger directly at him. In all five movies, Mickey is one of the very few who makes no attempt to divert suspicion by having a run-in with Ghostface, and practically sits back for the entire movie with a camera in hand completely avoiding all and every encounter with the robed killer as possible. Obviously with him being Ghostface he is less likely to set up a scene to keep suspicions at bay, but the likes of Billy, Jill, Charlie and even Roman make some sort of effort to point fingers elsewhere. On top of this, his motive is the least inspired, simply blaming the motive for his insanity. Whilst it is a refreshing take to see him wanting to get caught, it’s simply not enough to make up for the blatant lack of subtly in his killer reveal.

5. Richie – Scream (2022)

Another one of 2022 Scream‘s obvious yet not-as-obvious killers was the goofy comic relief boyfriend to fresh on the scene protagonist Sam Carpenter. Richie was pointed at as the new killer early doors, applying to the first rule of horror according to not-so Deputy Dewey to never trust the love interest. Unluckily for Sam she absolutely should have listened, and we’re even gifted a fun quip from Richie who brands her stupid for ignoring the signals when all fingers were pointing towards him. Richie’s most redeeming quality as a new Woodsboro slayer is his comedic touch, spouting some of the funniest dialogue and moments any of the killers have ever delivered. Yes his plan for gory Woodsboro domination is based on toxic fandom, a concept that isn’t near strong enough compared to nearly every other franchise set of killers, but compared to Amber’s motive he looks positively genius. Radio Silence do their best to try keep you guessing until its final reveal, but when it’s down to him or the continuously crippled Tara it seemed redundant. We are treated to a wonderfully bloody demise at the hands of Sam, who carves into Richie like a Christmas ham. Well deserved my friend, well deserved.

4. Billy Loomis – Scream

Perhaps a controversial list placement to most, but one I’m happy to validate right here and now. Billy & Stu are undeniably the most iconic of the franchise psycho’s, and are the true poster children of Scream‘s own whodunit slayers. Billy was Scream‘s prime switch and bait red herring, playing as the shady boyfriend to Sidney, often fingered as the killer right up until his expertly executed fake death right before the killer reveal. Billy is evidently the backbone of the devilish duo and is the one who actually has a true motive between the pair, dragging Stu along to a murder-spree all in the name of Maureen Prescott and her accidental split of the Loomis household. This reasoning was enough the make the fragile-minded Billy snap, taking his psychotic rage on Sidney and their unknowing group of savvy friends. Billy is one of the most aggressive of the franchise killers, but in terms of insanity well we all know where it comes from. He is dispatched of at the the end of Scream after being brought down with the pointy end of an umbrella and finished off with a bullet between the eyes.

Billy is the most frequently referred to character/killer from the entire franchise, often referenced to from future killers as taking inspiration from his original massacre. From Mickey to Richie and everyone in between, all are admirers of Billy’s crafty (and gory) work, using him as a blueprint for their own twisted and demented games. He’s even gone as far as being a problematic hallucination for franchise re-quel ‘new girl’ Sam in the new Scream, an illegitimate secret daughter who’s haunted by his nasty spirit; a nice nostalgic callback albeit a silly one. Billy Loomis is undeniably the most iconic and well-known of the bunch, but the best? For me, perhaps not.

3. Debbie Salt/Mrs. Loomis – Scream 2

Which brings me to Mrs. Loomis (aka. Debbie Salt to everyone but Sidney), the main antagonist and mastermind behind the incredibly iconic Scream 2. Where Billy was an evidently unhinged human, his mother is undoubtedly a much crazier nut to crack, playing out like an insane knife-happy US version of Cilla Black. Not only does Mrs. Loomis have more than enough valid(ish) reasons to hunt down Sidney and her new group of University gal pals, being that Maureen broke up her family with Sidney murdering her son a couple of years after. Mrs. Loomis also has the smarts to disguise herself as an ammeter journalist by the name of Debbie Salt, obsessing over Gale Weathers book The Woodsboro Murders certainly detailing nothing but negative connotations of her precious boy Billy. A target for Gale paired with her hatred for Randy is all the ingredients needed to make a stab-happy bakery out of Mrs. Loomis. Thus being enough reasons to send a psychotic woman even further down a path of insanity, a trait Billy evidently gets from his mother. Like mother like son eh?

Mrs. Loomis meets her demise after a theatre-held showdown with Sidney herself, fighting her way through a sea of problematic stage props to ultimately end her days with the same fate as her son; a well-deserved bullet to the brain. Laurie Metcalf is deliciously demented as Debbie Salt, pumping pure energy through her manic insanity, which paired with her convincingly desperate news reporter act made for a highly amusing and expertly portrayed Jackal & Hyde persona. Someone hurry up and give that woman an award.

2. Jill Roberts – Scream 4

Jill Roberts, the greatest surprise of Scream 4, proving to be one of the most (if not thee most) unexpected killer reveal of the entire franchise. What makes Jill such a fantastic prime example of Scream killer royalty is her determination to thrive in this tech-savvy Gen-z future. “I don’t need friend’s, I need fans”, a line Jill spits soon before she drives the knife into Sidney’s gut for a second time, a motive that is perhaps the most believable of them all; certainly back in 2011 but even more so now in 2022. The very present reality of future generations not wanting to work but to make their money from being online amongst many other effortless means is a very real reality, and Jill taps into this with demented accuracy. Not only this, but her self-mutilation scene is easily one of the most iconic moments of the entire franchise; her drive to be this new generations Sidney Prescott stabs deeper it being her niece, unfazed of having to pick off her whole family (and group of friends) to get to what she wants. Global fame.

Jill Roberts wasn’t much of character up until its third act reveal, relying much heavier of the talents of her surrounding friends to carry the new gen cast in this fourth entry. Once the reveal does happen (with it being one of the most shocking of them all) Jill fully lets loose, going leaps and bounds to show she is the only and last survivor. As Sidney says “you’ll slip up, they always do” is as true as ever, as Jill forgets to drive the fatal stab into Sidney, resulting in a hospital brawl that end with a defibrillator to the brain and a gun shot to the chest. So close Jill, yet so far. Had Emma Roberts played that role today it would have been much more successful (as her acting wasn’t the strongest back in 2011), and perhaps this is what keeps her off the top spot, but Jill is nonetheless still a captivating and devilishly twisted Ghostface killer who deserves to be celebrated, even if Scream 4 is not.

1. Stu Macher – Scream

Here we are, the best of the best in the representation of pure insanity – Stu Macher. Played by the wonderfully chaotic Matthew Lillard, Stu is quite easily the most delightfully crazy over its five film duration, emulating the perfect balance of hilarious and deranged without ever missing a beat. Stu is arguably the most layered of all the characters, playing more than just a familiar one beat seen with over half the psycho roster. What makes Stu the most iconic however is in his character as a whole, being the hilariously goofy yet evidently unhinged friend to Sidney, boyfriend to Tatum and sidekick to Billy, is how he lacks the motive of Billy; he’s just a plain old no-frills psychopath. Stu doesn’t have a motive, and aside from assisting Billy in his purge, Stu’s one and only drive is to participate in the slaughtering of Woodsboro’s residence. If that doesn’t make a number one franchise killer then what will.

Aside from this, Stu has easily got the most quotable dialogue and moments from the entire franchise, drooling spit and he violently overacts in the third act with entertaining yet somehow believable results. Between “you’ve hit me with the phone dick!” and “My mom and dad are going to be so mad at me”, Stu is an utter joy in his display of insanity in each scene he is in, and truly steals the show during its final act main cast bloodbath. After being stabbed for the staging of their survival by Billy (and nearly dying too), Stu comes one-to-one with Sidney who dispatches of him with a TV to the face – ouch. Whilst it’s uncertain if Stu actually died (with many hinting to his potential survival since his “demise”), it’s not impossible to predict that we might not have seen the end of Stu, and that is a return that its safe to say we would welcome with open arms. Hopefully for Stu’s sake; he’ll be right baccccckkkkkk!