Welcome to Day 23! I’ve been wanting to do a series of my favorite horror movie kills for a while. In celebration of the much anticipated Scream 5, I decided to start with my top 10 favorite Ghostface kills! I debated whether or not to rank them all, but I figured a top 10 list would be better. I included and considered all of the deaths caused by the Ghostface killers in all 4 Scream films. I hope you enjoy and let me know your favorite kills in the franchise! (WARNING!! MAJOR SPOILER ALERT FOR ALL 4 SCREAM FILMS!!)

10. John Milton

Admittedly, I love Lance Henriksen so much, I often forget what a scumbag his character, John Milton was. Milton was a powerful producer who used his position to take advantage of young hopeful actresses. He did horrible things and never got any comeuppance until Roman (Scott Foley) decided to use him to frame Sidney (Neve Campbell). Not only was his death deserved, it was one of the smoothest throat slits I’ve ever seen. 

9. Steven Stone

I really love how they kicked it up a notch in the third film by bringing in a voice-altering device. It really built up the suspense when you don’t know who the characters were really talking to. This was a great way to make Stone’s (Patrick Warburton) death more surprising. We think he’s talking to Dewey (David Arquette) and everything is fine, then BAM! Stabbed in the back! I don’t know why but I loved watching a big guy like Stone go up against Ghostface. Stone brought a real fight and he didn’t go down easy. He was even able to walk back to the group with a knife in his back and blood coming out of his ears and mouth.

8. Tatum Riley

This is one of the most unique kills in the franchise. Before the actual death, we get a few funny moments. First, Tatum (Rose McGowan) thinks it’s all a joke and “begs” Ghostface not to kill her. When she realizes this guy is really trying to kill her, she becomes a bada** and tries to fight her way out. Using her surrounding to her advantage, she had the upper hand for a while. Well, she did until she tried to slip out of the pet door. 

7. Kenny Jones

This is one of the most clever set-ups. When Kenny (W. Earl Brown) and Gale (Courtney Cox) plant a camera in the middle of a high school party, they realize the footage has a thirty second delay. We don’t think anything of it, but that delay actually leads to Kenny’s death. He thinks he has time to run into the house and help Randy (Jamie Kennedy), not realizing Ghostface already left the house. It was such a shocking moment! Kenny was a really good guy and my respect for him rose even higher in this scene. During his last seconds of life, he still tried to help Sidney and tell her to shut the van door. 

6. Olivia Morris

This is one of the bloodiest, most brutal deaths in the whole franchise. I put two videos up so we could see both the buildup and the aftermath. The conversation leading up to the attack was perfect in creating suspense and misleading everyone. When he pops out and ruthlessly stabs Olivia (Marielle Jaffe), you can literally feel the hatred and anger Ghostface has. He really wanted Olivia to suffer. Then he continues by throwing her out of a window for her friends to see. When Sidney runs into the house, we see the horrific aftermath, a little welcome home present left by Ghostface. 

5. Jenny Randall

Those darn garage doors. This is one of my favorite openings of all time. We get a bunch of false beginnings with a great cast. Then, we get a similar one and it makes us wonder if it’s the real deal. Jenny (Aimee Teegarden) has one of the best screams in the franchise and her acting in this was wonderful! When he turns her around and we see her crying, it put a lot more emotion into the situation.

4. Sarah Darling

This whole scene was so funny. I loved Sarah’s (Jenny McCarthy) ranting. She was great in pointing out all of the script’s flaws, and I love the subtle foreshadowing where she complains that her character gets killed second and is only in two scenes, which is exactly how many scenes Sarah was actually in. Plus, it was so funny when she tried to fight with all of these fake props, but I get it! When you’re being attacked, you have to use the closest things to your advantage. She most likely got killed for messing up Psycho and Vertigo (which I’m ashamed to admit I didn’t understand until many watches later). 

3. Maureen Evans

Poor Maureen (Jada Pinkett Smith) didn’t even want to see Stab. She would’ve gotten killed anyway, but she wouldn’t have been killed in such a perfect setting. The way they set this up was so ideal. What better way to start a sequel than by throwing back to the first film’s iconic first scene? We see a recreation of Scream’s first kill as Maureen has to fight her way through the wild theater crowd to escape from Ghostface. The way she screamed in front of everyone while Ghostface shined behind her was so fantastic and haunting. 

2. Cici Cooper

This was another great reference to the first film’s beginning scene. Not only is this character named Casey as well, they decided to cast another ‘90s star, Sarah Michelle Gellar, to kill off. It’s a very nice throwback. This was the scene that showed us everything you should NOT do in a horror film. First off, Cici believes there’s someone in the house, and she has the chance to actually leave. She’s able to step out of the house, but then she goes right back in! She could’ve done so many things right, but she just doesn’t!

Honorable mentions: 

Officer Richards

Charlie Walker

Christine

1. Casey Becker

This was the kill that started it all for me! When I saw this scene for the first time, I was so freaked out by it, I couldn’t watch the rest of the film. I turned the movie off and didn’t revisit it until years later. It was a great buildup filled with suspense. The dialogue between Casey (Drew Barrymore) and Ghostface was very entertaining, especially the reference to Wes Craven’s previous film, A Nightmare On Elm Street. I love the way the killers used horror trivia to taunt Casey. It was very different at the time. What always stuck with me was the way Casey tried to cry for her mom but she couldn’t get her attention. Also, the music paired with the part where Casey unmasks Ghostface was so chilling and beautiful.