‘Scream’ (2022) Ending Explained: Who is the new Ghostface killer?

Scream Plot Synopsis

Over a decade after the last movie in the franchise, we are back in Woodsboro for the fifth Scream movie. Once again, the quiet town is rocked by a series of murders and it soon becomes clear that a new Ghostface has arrived on the scene.

But who is the person behind the mask? And are they working alone? And perhaps more importantly, do returning characters Dewey, Gale, and Sidney make it to the end of the movie alive?

Let’s unmask the truth!

Warning: Major spoilers ahead!


Who is the first victim of Ghostface?

It would appear that the first victim is Tara, a young teenager that Ghostface confronts at her home, but she manages to survive the attack, despite being brutally stabbed.

The first victim turns out to be bad boy Vince who, after having an argument with some of  Tara’s friends at a bar, gets stabbed by Ghostface in the parking lot.

Meanwhile, Tara has been hospitalised after the attack and is visited by her sister Sam who comes to town with her boyfriend Richie. It is later revealed that Sam has a dark secret.


What is Sam’s dark secret?

It is revealed that Sam is the illegitimate daughter of Billy Loomis, the killer from the first movie. Sam found this out after reading her mother’s diary. This is bad enough but as poor Sam is also having hallucinations of Billy, there is a possible connection to her involvement in the killings. But when she is attacked by Ghostface at the hospital, it would appear that the clues to the killer’s identity lie elsewhere.

After the attack, Sam and Richie visit Dewey who comes out of retirement to help the teens in their battle against Ghostface.


Who could Ghostface be?

Well, it’s certainly not Wes, another teen who becomes the victim of the masked killer. But the suspects are lining up.

Could it be Dewey? After his battles with Ghostface in the past, there is the chance that he could be so mentally scarred from his experiences, that he now believes himself to be the masked menace.

Or could it be Gail Weathers, who returns to Woodsboro to cover the story of the new Ghostface killings? It might be that she is donning the mask purely for the sake of a good news story.

Then there’s Sidney Prescott, who also comes back to town in pursuit of the killer. Or does she? Perhaps she has been hiding out in town all this time waiting for her turn to don the Ghostface mask!

Of course, the chances of Ghostface being one of our three heroes is slim at best. The other suspects are the teens, which not only include Sam and Richie, but also Mindy, who has the theory that the killer is going back to basics – “”It always goes back to the original.”

Then there’s Amber, Chad, and Liv, three more teens that are connected to Sam and Tara. Could they be behind the killings? And if so, why?


Does Dewey save the day?

The killer calls Sam who asks her who she wants to be the next victim, Richie or Tara, both of whom are at the hospital. This clearly isn’t something she wants to answer so she and Dewey rush to the hospital to stop Ghostface before he strikes again. They arrive in time to save them both and Dewey manages to shoot the masked menace multiple times. After leaving the body of the killer slumped against the wall, they walk away but then Dewey remembers one of the number one rules in horror movies: always shoot the killer in the head!

He returns to the body only to discover that Ghostface isn’t dead after all (and was probably wearing body armour). “It’s an honour” Ghostface says before brutally gutting poor Dewey and killing our beloved hero.

Dewey might be gone but his death gives Sidney reason to come back to Woodsboro. She and Gale resolve to help the teens and seek justice for their fallen friend.


Who is the killer?

Red herrings abound but things come to a head at Amber’s house, where a memorial party is being held for Wes (a nod to the late Wes Craven, the director of the original films).

Ghostface arrives, attacks Chad, and then disappears again as the friends start to turn on each other. As they argue, Amber pulls out a gun and shoots Liv in the face, revealing herself to be the killer. This isn’t much of a surprise as it turns out that she is living in the house that once belonged to Stu Macher, one half of the killing duo from the original movie.

Of course, she isn’t working alone. As Yoda would say “always two there are,” and this has proven correct in most of the other Scream movies. But who could the other killer be? Well, it turns out to be Richie, Sam’s boyfriend, who reveals himself to be Amber’s accomplice.


What are the killers’ motives?

Amber and Riche reveal themselves to be big fans of the ‘Stab’ movies which are based on the Woodsboro killings. After getting to know one another on Reddit and bonding over their hatred for the latest movie, they decided to save the franchise by creating a real-life ‘requel’ that could form the basis for the next in the series.

They plotted the requel in fine detail, setting in motion a change of events that would bring back legacy characters and take the franchise back to its roots. They intended to frame Sam as the killer, which would have made a nice twist, considering who her father was. But unfortunately, their plan failed.

As the movie draws to a close, the tables are turned on the killers. Sidney and Gale overpower Amber and inadvertently set her on fire, and Sam executes Richie with a knife after receiving a vision from Billy.

In true horror movie fashion, Amber makes a surprise return but is then shot dead by Tara.


Is this the end for the Scream franchise?

Well, never say never, but as Gail tells Sidney that she won’t write about the killing spree in the hopes of avoiding another copycat Ghostface killer, it can be assumed that this could be the end. We wouldn’t place any bets on it though!

 

Read More: Scream (2022) Movie Review


Thanks for reading our Ending Explained article! What did you think of the ending? Have we missed anything? Did you predict the ending? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!


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