Wes Craven introduced a modern take on the slashers that he helped define in the 80s with the Ghostface killer, the masked murderer from the hit Scream 5 starring some of the original cast and a new crop of survivors.
What makes Ghostface such an interesting modern killer is that just like other horror movie fans, the killer has seen the horror movies and knows the tropes as well as the next cinema-goer. Ghostface has encountered a number of new victims and strong survivors over the four-film franchise, though the modern horror icon just can't seem to beat the original Woodsboro survivors.
Derek Feldman
Since the first Ghostface from 1996's Scream was revealed to be the boyfriend of franchise lead Sidney, her next romantic interest in college had some pretty big hurdles in order to get close and Derek Feldman (played by Jerry O'Connell) semed up for the task.
Derek was quick to chase after Ghostface during their first brief encounter in 1997's Scream 2, and if he hadn't had suspicion placed on him early or been tied up during the final revealing battle with Ghostface, it's likely Derek's increased involvement would have changed events and prevented his death.
Jennifer Jolie
Parker Posey ed the cast as Jennifer Jolie in 2000's Scream 3 as one of the stars of the Stab in-movie film series that appears in the movies, which is based on the Woodsboro murders from the first film in just one of many meta-moments in the franchise.
Jolie was Stab's "Gale Weathers" who perfected her role through a serious study of the real intrepid reporter, which included dating the real Dewey as well. Jennifer was the only Stab 3 cast member to help the original survivors (including the real Gale) until her frustrating death late in the film.
Kirby Reed
Over a decade had ed between Scream 3 and 2011's Scre4m, and while the surviving cast of the original trilogy returned to investigate the new Ghostface murders in Westboro, the film introduced a new generation who were well-versed in horror movie knowledge.
Hayden Panettiere played Kirby Reed, a popular high school girl and dedicated horror fan who became more of a successor to Randy Meeks' than her Ghostface (Charlie Walker) claimed to be. While Kirby appeared to have died in the film, there is a theory she survived to battle Ghostface again.
Det. Mark Kincaid
Patrick Dempsey appeared as Detective Mark Kincaid in Scream 3 as one of the detectives assigned to the new Ghostface murders on the set of Stab 3, which allowed him to get closer to his crush, Sidney Prescott.
While Kincaid was teased as a possible Ghostface in the film, he is soon revealed to be on the side of the angels after engaging in battle with the real killer, though Ghostface managed to take him out of the fight. Kincaid survived his brush with Ghostface and seemed to with the crew of Scream survivors, though he was absent when they returned in Scre4m.
Cotton Weary
Cotton Weary (played by Liev Schreiber) appeared in every film of the original Scream trilogy, though when he first appeared in Scream it was as the alleged murderer of Sidney's mother, Maureen Prescott, though the film cast doubt on his involvement.
When Cotton returned in Scream 2 he was a free man cleared of all charges, desperate to get some publicity and a payday for his troubles. Cotton actually saves Sidney from Ghostface in the first sequel, though he was killed by the new murderer in Scream 3 after finding fame with his own successful talk show, 100% Cotton.
Randy Meeks
The everyman of the Scream franchise was Jamie Kennedy's Randy Meeks, who worked at a film store and amassed a wealth of horror movie knowledge that he shared with everyone around him, which he continued in his film classes at college.
Randy's "Rules to Successfully Survive a Horror Movie" not only helped keep him and his friends alive but also continued to help the survivors (while also shaping the killers) long after his death in Scream 2. Randy's meta-understanding of his own place in the horror movie reflects everybody frustrated by horror movies in theaters, but it still didn't help him.
Dwight "Dewey" Riley
David Arquette reprised the role of Dwight "Dewey" Riley in every Scream film despite a number of grievous injuries that the character received at the hands of every Ghostface, making him one of the franchises luckiest survivors.
Dewey has risen through the ranks of the police department (after a brief career change to Hollywood for Stab 3) from Woodboro Deputy to Woodboro Sheriff, and he will return alongside his new deputy Judy Hicks (played by Marley Shelton) in the Scream 5.
Gale Weathers-Riley
Gale Weathers (played by Courteney Cox) Scream as a reporter who had investigated the murder of Sidney's mother, which put her in the right place and the right time to cover the Westboro Murders and rise to fame.
She would become Gale Weathers-Riley (and Courteney Cox-Arquette) over the course of the films as she became involved in every Ghostface attack, though it looks like the characters have split for the Scream 5. Gale never lost her tenacity as a reporter with initially scrutable tactics, but she grew over the series to fight for the story, her survival, and her friends.
Sidney Prescott
Neve Campbell starred as Sidney Prescott in every film of the Scream franchise as the main target of every Ghostface attack, from her boyfriend Billy and his mother to her brother Roman (played by Scott Foley), who was revealed as the man behind the curtains of the original trilogy.
Not only is Sidney a survivor of each and every attack, but she also became increasingly more prepared and learned from each encounter. Sidney Prescott claimed she decided to not be a victim anymore in Scre4m, but it's clear to horror fans and Ghostface that she never was.
Ghostface
One of the unique traits of Ghostface compared to other horror movie killers is that there are usually two people working together as the masked killer, and in every one of those cases one partner is betrayed and killed by the other.
Billy Loomis (played by Skeet Ulrich) repeatedly stabbed his partner Stu Macher(played by Mathew Lillard), Mrs. Loomis (played by Laurie Metcalf) killed up-and-coming serial killer Mickey Altieri (played by Timothy Olyphant), and Sidney's cousin Jill Roberts (played by Emma Roberts) killed her partner Charlie, proving that Ghostface's own worst enemy is themselves.
