The best Scream kills

Ash Walker • 26 Feb 2026 Features

"No, please don't kill me Mr. Ghostface, I wanna be in the sequel!"

The Ghostface mask, surrounded by bloody knives and the title of the article

Everyone’s favourite meta slasher franchise returns to cinemas this month with a highly anticipated seventh installment. To celebrate, we’re looking back at the series’ top seven (see what we did there?) best and bloodiest moments.

So grab your black robes and your knives and remember: there are certain rules that you need to follow if you want to survive…

7. Rebecca takes a dive (Scream 4, 2011)

Rebecca, played by Alison Brie, in a parking garage on the phone to Ghostface

Scream 4 takes the franchise in a darker, meaner direction, while still retaining the meta humour of the previous films. And this scene, in which Alison Brie’s obnoxious publicist gets some well-deserved comeuppance, is no different.

The kill itself is a pretty basic stabbing, but it’s what comes afterwards that makes this moment truly memorable. As Sheriff Dewey (David Arquette) gives a press conference outside the hospital, insisting that everything is in hand and they’re close to catching the killer, Ghostface launches Rebecca’s body off the roof in full view of everyone.

It’s a brazen, ironic and hilarious mission statement from a killer who feels much more brutal this time around.

6. Anika climbs the ladder (Scream VI, 2023)

Anika, played by Devyn Nekoda, on a park bench

Scream VI is full of brilliantly tense moments - see also the bodega scene and the bit on the subway - but for sheer nerve-shredding peril, the ladder escape has to take the top prize.

Moving the franchise to New York City gives the filmmakers loads of new opportunities for scares, and this sequence really takes advantage of the city’s verticality. Menaced in their apartment by Ghostface, the Core Four manage to escape via a hastily placed ladder from the bedroom window to the neighbouring building.

Unfortunately, poor Anika (Devyn Nekoda) isn’t so lucky. She makes it halfway across before Ghostface upends the ladder, sending her plummeting to the alley below.

5. Randy mouths off (Scream 2, 1997)

Randy, played by Jamie Kennedy, on the phone to Ghostface in the quad

Horror fanboy and audience surrogate Randy Meeks (Jamie Kennedy) was a fan-favourite, standout character in the original Scream. He’s the expert. The one with all the answers and the one to espouse the all-important ‘rules’ of survival in a slasher-type situation.

All of which is why it’s so shocking to see him murdered in Scream 2.

While trying to find the killer in the middle of a busy quad, Randy keeps them on the phone while Gail (Courtney Cox) and Dewey (David Arquette) go about tackling those few people nearby with cellphones (it was the ‘90s). Ever confrontational, Randy starts to rant and - crucially - bad mouth original killer Billy Loomis (Skeet Ulrich).

Which pushes a rageful Ghostface to pull him into the depths of a van and fill him with holes. Poor old Randy. There’s probably a new rule in there somewhere… Never badmouth a psycho in front of his equally psychotic mother?

4. Dewey goes for the kill (Scream, 2022)

Dewey, played by David Arquette, looking grizzled

Poor Dewey (David Arquette) managed to survive four Scream movies - just about - before finally meeting his end. The fan favourite character could have gotten away safely too, which makes his death all the more upsetting.

After a tense and traumatic battle through a hospital, our heroes are saved by grouchy old ex-cop Dewey, who knocks out their pursuer and gets them out of dodge. But then Dewey, ever the hero, decides that it’d be best for everyone if he went back and finished the job.

He almost manages it, too, until a phone call from Gail distracts him long enough for Ghostface to bury a knife in his guts.

3. Tatum plays the victim (Scream, 1996)

Tatum, played by Rose McGowan, stuck in the catflap in a garage door

The death of Tatum Riley (Rose McGowan) is one of the original Scream’s most shocking turns - and easily one of its most iconic kills.

Tatum is confident, sarcastic and seemingly too sharp to be caught off guard; she feels like someone who would easily survive a slasher movie. Which is probably why the notoriously genre-defying Scream takes such glee in bumping her off.

Initially taking Ghostface’s appearance in the garage as a practical joke, Tatum starts off tossing out sarcastic barbs. Even when she realises that the danger is real, and starts tossing bottles instead, it seems like the tough, resourceful Tatum might just make it out alive.

Until she gets stuck in the garage door, at least. Ouch.

2. Maureen goes to the movies (Scream 2, 1997)

Maureen, played by Jada Pinkett Smith, in a cinema looking unimpressed

This is an absolutely iconic opening sequence - parodied beautifully in Scary Movie - that sees a couple (played by Jada Pinkett-Smith and Omar Epps) attend a raucous screening of movie-within-a-movie Stab, with deadly results.

There’s a deliciously extra-meta layer here, as Stab is based on the ‘real life’ events of the first movie - serving as a bit of a recap for audiences - and a massive boost of tension when you realise that the real killer is hidden in plain sight among a crowd of fans in Ghostface costumes.

The kills themselves are brutal - especially Maureen (Pinkett-Smith), who is stabbed seven times in full view of everyone, only to be cheered on by the whole audience who mistakenly believe it’s all an act. Tragic.

1. Casey gets a phone call (Scream, 1996)

Casey, played by Drew Barrymore, on the phone in her kitchen, absently playing with knives in a block

“Do you like scary movies?”

It’s the one everyone thinks about when you mention these movies. The one that’s been parodied and homaged and dissected to death. It’s the very first kill in the Scream franchise and, also, the best.

Like the best kills in any slasher, this one is all about the build up. The scene plays out like a brilliantly tense - and funny - short film, as Casey Becker (Drew Barrymore), alone at home, pops her popcorn and prepares to watch a scary movie.

Then there's a phone call, and we hear Ghostface’s now-iconic voice for the first time as he flirtatiously quizzes poor Casey on horror movie lore before escalating his torment. The whole sequence builds to a truly savage, nasty climax, which is made all the more shocking by the fact that everyone assumed at the time that Barrymore - the biggest name in the cast - would be the final girl.

It’s a powerful mission statement for the franchise to come, highlighting the slasher rulebook while simultaneously tearing it up, and it remains the best opening of any Scream movie.

Also-rans

Of course, these seven are just the tip of the iceberg. The Scream franchise is filled with brilliant, inventive kills that have continued to shock and entertain rabid horror fans over the years.

Here are a few that didn’t quite make the cut (no pun intended), but are worth mentioning regardless.

Wes & Judy (Dylan Minette & Marley Shelton) in Scream (2022) - A savage two-for-one as the mother and son pair, who seemed more prepared for trouble than any of the other characters, are taken out in broad daylight.
Olivia (Marielle Jaffe) in Scream 4 (2011) - A bait-and-switch sequence with a ridiculously bloody climax.
Cotton (Liev Schreiber) in Scream 3 (2000) - Former suspect Cotton’s death sets the tone for a sequel that heavily into Hollywood satire.
Jason (Tony Revolori) in Scream VI (2023) - Unmasked as a killer in the opening scenes, it’s a huge shock when Jason himself is killed by another Ghostface.
Cici (Sarah Michelle Gellar) in Scream 2 (1997) - Playing with audience expectations, no one expected Buffy herself to go out like this.

Scream 7 is in cinemas from 27th March, and the rest of the Scream franchise is available to stream on Paramount+. Sky Cinema subscribers get access to Paramount+ - and a free cinema ticket every month - at no extra cost, so why not revisit these slasher classics?