Do you like scary movies? Some 25 years after the original came out, the Scream franchise is back in theaters with a super-meta slasher flick that only adds to the prolific body count of the Ghostface killer… or killers, rather. Directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett (Ready or Not), this movie updates the Scream saga for a modern audience while also going back to basics.
And we’re here to break it all down for you, including diving into what the Scream 2022 (a.k.a. Scream 5) ending means and where the franchise could go from here. And be sure to read our Scream review while you're at it.
Scream (2022)’s Ghostface Killer Revealed
So of course the big question is: Who’s the killer in Scream 5?
Just like in the original, there are two Ghostface killers here. The first is Jack Quaid’s character Richie Kirsch, boyfriend to our main heroine, Sam Carpenter, who is played by Melissa Barrera. It just so happens that Sam is revealed to be the secret daughter of Billy Loomis, the original Ghostface killer… or one of the original Ghostface killers, actually. The lesson here? Always look at the love interest!
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The other killer in the new Scream is Amber Freeman (Mikey Madison), the friend of Sam’s sister Tara. This pair mows down most of the new characters and also take out legacy characters alike before finally revealing themselves in the third act.
But how did we get here?
The film has the classic Scream opening as the Ghostface killer terrorizes and attacks a teenage girl, in this case Tara, as she’s home alone in the town of Woodsboro, California. This time, however, the girl lives and her sister Sam, now living in Modesto, rushes back to be with her.
Scream Posters
Twenty-five years after a streak of brutal murders shocked the quiet town of Woodsboro, a new killer has donned the Ghostface mask and begins targeting a group of teenagers to resurrect secrets from the town’s deadly past. Neve Campbell (“Sidney Prescott”), Courteney Cox (“Gale Weathers”) and David Arquette (“Dewey Riley”) return to their iconic roles in Scream alongside Melissa Barrera, Kyle Gallner, Mason Gooding, Mikey Madison, Dylan Minnette, Jenna Ortega, Jack Quaid, Marley Shelton, Jasmin Savoy Brown, and Sonia Ammar. Scream opens only in theaters on January 14, 2022.
Twenty-five years after a streak of brutal murders shocked the quiet town of Woodsboro, a new killer has donned the Ghostface mask and begins targeting a group of teenagers to resurrect secrets from the town’s deadly past. Neve Campbell (“Sidney Prescott”), Courteney Cox (“Gale Weathers”) and David Arquette (“Dewey Riley”) return to their iconic roles in Scream alongside Melissa Barrera, Kyle Gallner, Mason Gooding, Mikey Madison, Dylan Minnette, Jenna Ortega, Jack Quaid, Marley Shelton, Jasmin Savoy Brown, and Sonia Ammar. Scream opens only in theaters on January 14, 2022.
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Twenty-five years after a streak of brutal murders shocked the quiet town of Woodsboro, a new killer has donned the Ghostface mask and begins targeting a group of teenagers to resurrect secrets from the town’s deadly past. Neve Campbell (“Sidney Prescott”), Courteney Cox (“Gale Weathers”) and David Arquette (“Dewey Riley”) return to their iconic roles in Scream alongside Melissa Barrera, Kyle Gallner, Mason Gooding, Mikey Madison, Dylan Minnette, Jenna Ortega, Jack Quaid, Marley Shelton, Jasmin Savoy Brown, and Sonia Ammar. Scream opens only in theaters on January 14, 2022.
Twenty-five years after a streak of brutal murders shocked the quiet town of Woodsboro, a new killer has donned the Ghostface mask and begins targeting a group of teenagers to resurrect secrets from the town’s deadly past. Neve Campbell (“Sidney Prescott”), Courteney Cox (“Gale Weathers”) and David Arquette (“Dewey Riley”) return to their iconic roles in Scream alongside Melissa Barrera, Kyle Gallner, Mason Gooding, Mikey Madison, Dylan Minnette, Jenna Ortega, Jack Quaid, Marley Shelton, Jasmin Savoy Brown, and Sonia Ammar. Scream opens only in theaters on January 14, 2022.
Twenty-five years after a streak of brutal murders shocked the quiet town of Woodsboro, a new killer has donned the Ghostface mask and begins targeting a group of teenagers to resurrect secrets from the town’s deadly past. Neve Campbell (“Sidney Prescott”), Courteney Cox (“Gale Weathers”) and David Arquette (“Dewey Riley”) return to their iconic roles in Scream alongside Melissa Barrera, Kyle Gallner, Mason Gooding, Mikey Madison, Dylan Minnette, Jenna Ortega, Jack Quaid, Marley Shelton, Jasmin Savoy Brown, and Sonia Ammar. Scream opens only in theaters on January 14, 2022.
Twenty-five years after a streak of brutal murders shocked the quiet town of Woodsboro, a new killer has donned the Ghostface mask and begins targeting a group of teenagers to resurrect secrets from the town’s deadly past. Neve Campbell (“Sidney Prescott”), Courteney Cox (“Gale Weathers”) and David Arquette (“Dewey Riley”) return to their iconic roles in Scream alongside Melissa Barrera, Kyle Gallner, Mason Gooding, Mikey Madison, Dylan Minnette, Jenna Ortega, Jack Quaid, Marley Shelton, Jasmin Savoy Brown, and Sonia Ammar. Scream opens only in theaters on January 14, 2022.
But Sam’s got a secret. As a teen, she learned that she’s the daughter of Billy Loomis. Running away from whatever hereditary destiny may be in store for her, she left Woodsboro as soon as she could and has been taking meds to shut out the visions she’s been having of her young, bloodied dad (played by a heavily CG’d Skeet Ulrich, reprising his role from the original).
Anyway, once Sam gets to Woodsboro, a townsperson related to one of the former victims is killed and she realizes that this is only the beginning for the new Ghostface Killer. Many of Tara’s friends and acquaintances are related to prior franchise characters, placing huge targets on their backs, and it’s up to Sam to put an end to the threat. This is where the original film’s surviving trio come in: Sam recruits former Sheriff Dewey Riley (David Arquette) to help protect Tara and her sister’s friends. And Dewey reaches out to Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) and Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox) to warn them to not return to Woodsboro.
Unfortunately, Ghostface slashes up the town, killing Sheriff Judy Hicks (Marley Shelton) and her son Wes (Dylan Minnette) at their home. This is where on-again/off-again couple Gale and Dewey reunite and rehash how their relationship ended.
With the whole sheriff’s department at the Hicks house, Sam realizes Tara is left unattended, so she and Dewey race to the hospital only to find Ghostface attacking Tara and Richie. Dewey riddles Ghostface’s body with bullets and gets the three to an elevator before staying behind to finish Ghostface for good. Unfortunately, the masked psycho kills Dewey.
