Horror Icons: Ghostface

”What’s your favorite scary movie” - Ghostface.

That famous tagline comes from a killer who is perhaps the most effective slasher in history, Ghostface from the Scream series. For nearly 30 years Ghostface has been the reigning champ of both slasher and whodunnit films. Ghostface is also one of the greatest horror icons to ever grace the screen.

Ghostface first touched down in the world of slasher in 1996 in the landmark slasher revival known as Scream, written by Kevin Williamson and directed by Wes Craven. We are introduced to Ghostface as a serial killer who stalks a young girl name Sidney Prescott and all of her acquaintances with a bloodlust to murder them all one by one. Ghostface is almost always one of Sidney’s closest acquaintances as well, making everyone who pops up more than once in a Scream film a suspect.

Unlike the average slasher icon, Ghostface is not one being, but multiple secret identities of many people committing multiple murders disguised in the Ghostface costume. Ghostface is also not a supernatural being, but a regular flesh and blood mortal human. Spanning what is so far a six film movie franchise with a successful tv series, the Ghostface killer stalks Sidney Prescott, among several others with the intention to kill for motivations ranging from revenge, to infamy and even fandom to an extent.

The perpetrator behind the film’s mass killings always waits until the end of the film in the final act to reveal their true identity, as well as their motive for the killing spree, making the complete duration of the film a suspense filled thrill ride. The audience is always left shaking with anticipation on the edge of their seats trying to figure out who the killer is as the story progresses.

Ghostface is without a doubt the most lethal slasher in history. Of course you’re gonna ask well how is that? He’s nothing but flesh and blood. Ghostface is not super strong or super human like Michael Myers or Jason Voorhees, he can’t bend the fabric of reality like Freddy Krueger or Pinhead. He’s not an actual ghost or phantom like Candyman and he doesn’t even use magic like Chucky, so why then is Ghostface so lethal?

Ghostface is the most dangerous killer because he’s the most realistic and he has no one identity. Every Scream film has a new Ghostface killer, why? Because Ghostface is an identity assumed by the people who wear its costume with the intent to kill for a particular reason. That means Ghostface can literally be anyone and any amount of people at any given moment. Theres always only gonna be one Michael, Jason, Freddy, Chucky, Pinhead, Candyman etc, but Ghostface isn’t an individual, it’s a mindset to wanna kill, which will always exist, no matter how many killers you lock up or kill. All it takes is the bloodlust to kill for a warped motive and Ghostface is instantly reborn.

The story of Scream was actually inspired by a real life murder spree. Ghostface’s legacy was inspired by the Gainsville Ripper, Daniel Harold Rolling and his murder spree that lasted from 1989 through 1990. Not only was Scream based on a real murder spree, but the various Ghostface killings were always motivated by the same passions as the real life murder stories you see on the news everyday, making the history of Scream even more relatable.

Having been voiced by the charismatic Roger L. Jackson, Ghostface has been portrayed by numerous actors and stunt performers, the most memorable performance of Ghostface was by the first two actors to ever portray the killer identity, Skeet Ulrich and Matthew Lillard as Billy Loomis and Stu Macher, respectively. Scream is of course my top favorite movie series of all time. This past summer I had the pleasure of meeting Skeet Ulrich who portrayed the original Ghostface, Billy Loomis, at GalaxyCon in Raleigh. I even got to tell him how Scream inspired me as a writer.

I also told him he was right when he said movies only make psychos more creative in the first Scream film and he told me that it was my job to make the psychos more creative now that I’m a writer. One thing’s for sure, it doesn’t get more creative or realistic than Ghostface, one of the greatest horror icons ever.