In 1996 Scream took the horror movie genre by its neck and redefined the slasher flick, setting the tone for the late 90s and more films to follow. I remember being six years old and sitting in a nail salon getting a kiddy manicure with my aunt, and the women around me were discussing the killer reveal. If there’s one thing the Scream movies know how to give, it’s a shocking killer reveal and motive. In a film that uses satire to poke fun at the tropes of horror movies, a Teenage Sidney Prescott is stalked by a masked killer in the suburbs of Woodsboro California. Her friends begin to die, and the town scrambles to find the killers. The 5th sequel, Scream 6 was released in March 2023. To celebrate the return of one of my favorite horror movie franchises, I ranked my favorite killer reveals from all 6 films! (Spoilers Ahead if you’ve never seen the films.)
11. Detective Bailey & his Daughter Quinn
One word. PREDICTABLE. Once it was revealed that the detective was Richie's father I already knew where we were going with this. Especially when it was revealed that Quinn's father was a detective AND she was killed off screen?? Like part 5 being a recycle of the first one, this one was a recycle of Scream 2. So we knew the motive would be revenge. Sad to say, but this was probably my least favorite third act of any of the films. While I did love the NY setting, and thought it worked well.
10. Amber
While I'll admit that I didn't suspect Amber throughout the film, I still didn't like her motive for being the killer. As I said previously this one followed the formula of the first movie where she was supposed to be a "Stu." Someone who was manipulated into killing. With Stu, it was very believable that he'd fall into the peer pressure of Billy's commands. But I did not get that vibe from Amber's character at all. Richie should have had another partner.
9. Ritchie
From the very first moment Richie was introduced and he gave Sam that "look" during their car ride to Woodsboro, I said "his ass is the killer!" And I was correct lol. I really don't like predictable killer reveals. What worked in the first movie, only worked because we could give Billy the benefit of doubt. He was innocent to the audience until he wasn't. But that did not work here.
8. Ethan
While detective Bailey and Quinn were predictable, I will admit the third killer reveal of Ethan being their brother did gag me a lil bit. He was used as a classic red herring a little throughout the movie, but I didn't suspect him at all really. I did have issues with the whole reveal of Richie's family, but that's a conversation for another day LOL.
7. Charlie Walker. Scream 4- As I mentioned above, the Scream movies have always been a satire of the genre. This one took a jab at reboots. Where Sidney returns to Woodsboro and the killings begin again, with a new generation. Charlie was revealed to be Jill’s accomplice (Sidney’s cousin) and a rehash of Stu from the first film. A misguided loser peer pressured into murder. His character was never really developed well, and it just seemed like the writers needed a 2nd killer (following the Scream formula) and tossed him in a nod to Stu. Either way, we could’ve done without him.
6. Mickey Altieri. Scream 2- Another accomplice, Mickey was a film major at Sidney’s college who just wanted the fame of being a serial killer. In this film, the accomplice was revealed first, in a bit of a twist because no one expected Billy’s momma to come out of the shadows like “surprise bitch!” gun in hand and revenge on the mind. I liked Mickey’s character, but similar to Charlie, he felt like a throwaway.
5. Billy Loomis. Scream 1- Honestly, we all knew his ass was the killer. Which is funny considering how popular this film is for its killer reveals. I think Billy being the obvious suspect was intentional, as this film was a satire of the genre tropes. Billy’s motive was rather weak to me, and my least favorite motive of all the killers. His father was having an affair with Sidney’s mother, which ruined their marriage and caused his mother to leave. Can you say first world problems? *eye roll* Still, Skeet Ulrich gave us one of the best performances of all 4 films. He really drove the “crazy” to home base.
4. Debbie Salt. Scream 2- As she put it, “Good old fashioned revenge.” Fun fact about this film, in the original script, Hallie (Sid’s roommate) and Derek (Sid’s boyfriend) were the killers. But the script was stolen which caused a last minute rewrite. And I must say, it worked. The twist of this random reporter being Billy’s mother (with a bunch of weight loss and a makeover according to her) definitely had us fooled. Considering Sidney and Debbie never really had any contact throughout the film, I can see how she pulled it off without being clocked. Debbie was just a mother scorned, who wanted to tear Sidney’s ass up! Something about her basic yet shocking reveal felt natural. I’m not sure I would’ve wanted another boyfriend killer. Not so soon anyway.
3. Stu Macher. Scream 1- Gotta hand it to Matthew Lillard for giving not only one of his most iconic roles, but some of the most iconic lines in film history. He was the accomplice of Billy, coerced into killing his peers for fame. Unlike Mickey, I’m not so sure what drove Stu to this obsession with serial killer fame, other than being a straight-up psychopath. With obvious mental weaknesses that made it easier for Billy to manipulate him. Either way, it worked!
2. Roman Bridger. Scream 3- Scream 3 was the only film to switch it up with only one killer reveal. Sidney’s brother Roman. Some criticize this film for not being one of the best, but it’s actually one of my favorites. Out of all the killers, Roman’s motive made the most sense. An abandoned child and a product of rape, he grew up to hate and resent not only his mother but the sibling he never knew. Sidney. His rage was justified, not gon’ lie.
1. Jill Roberts. Scream 4- You know, don’t give me shit for this. I know everyone loves Stu and Billy. But taking everything into account, her motive, reveal, and acting performance, Jill gave me a run for my money. At no point in the film did I suspect her. She was just Sid’s little cousin caught in the middle of her family’s messy past. But when that mask came off?? My jaw was on the floor. Her motive of wanting to mimic Sidney’s fame of being the victim was a fresh take on the obsession of ‘killer fame.’ The other killers wanted fame from being monsters. But not Jill. She wanted talk shows, book tours, t-shirts… miss girl wanted the whole final girl treatment! And for a bit, we thought she would get it. But the killer never wins. We know that. I also loved the scene where Jill beats herself up to make it look like a struggle when the cops arrived. This little bitch was smart! I’m don’t think I could ever throw myself through a glass table. Needless to say her crazy ass was convincing enough, the twist of her motive/killer reveal stayed true to the satire of the modern slasher reboot.
I’m excited for the new film! Are You? The trailer for the upcoming film is out now! Check it out!