Chris Hardwick's Blog, page 17

Tori Spelling’s SCREAM Story Is the Franchise’s Funniest Gag

The first two Scream films are undoubtedly the best for many reasons. They laid a foundation for a franchise that leans into meta commentary, clever phone calls and kills, and a villainous persona with an instantly recognizable silhouette and voice. The films were not afraid to poke fun at the genre and even a few real-life people, like Tori Spelling. When the first Scream film hit in 1996, Spelling was very well-known for her role as Donna on Beverly Hills, 90210. But, who knew that Tori Spelling’s history with the Scream franchise would become one of its funniest gags?Dimension Films

Years ago, she revealed that she actually auditioned for the role of Sidney Prescott. She was up against some stiff competition, including Reese Witherspoon, Alicia Dewitt, Neve Campbell, and even Drew Barrymore, who later requested the role of Casey Becker. It was pretty stiff competition for a horror film, many of which did not typically have known names in leading roles.

While reading the Scream script, Tori Spelling was surprised to see a joke about her in it. Fans are very familiar with this scene where Sid’s friend Tatum asks her who would play her in a movie. Dewey Riley thinks Meg Ryan is a great fit, but Sidney dryly retorts that, with her luck, Tori Spelling would get the role. And, as we know, Tori Spelling did not star in the first Scream film at all. But, how did she feel about that line poking fun at her?

Well, in 2025, Tori Spelling opened up about her funny connection to the Scream franchise on Jamie Kennedy’s Hate To Break It To Ya podcast. As we all know, Kennedy is famous for playing horror film geek Randy Meeks in the first two films. “My whole life has been a diss, so, like, self-deprecating came at a young age to me, like, because people made fun of me like that,” she said about the joke. “I looked at that and I wasn’t like, ‘Oh my god, that hurts.’ I was like, ‘Oh yeah, story of my life. That’s funny. I get it. I’m there.'”

Scream 2 gives fans a funny callback to that seemingly one-off line. While sitting in a cafe watching TV, Randy and Dewey see Tori Spelling doing an interview/sneak peek for Stab, the new film based on the events of the Woodsboro murders. Randy even exclaims that they got Tori to play Sidney while he has a nobody portraying him, suggesting that Randy is possibly a fan of hers. Or, he at the very least sees her as a notable actress and/or attractive.

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A Glorious Guide to the SCREAM Universe

There’s a preview Stab scene that goes back to when Sidney and Billy encounter each other at school the day after she has him arrested. And, hilariously, Tori Spelling does play Sidney in that film within a film. Director Wes Craven himself offered her the cameo, saying that the Scream creative team really does love her. She told Craven that she was totally fine with the first film’s joke and jumped at the chance to poke a little fun at herself. I mean, if I could get paid to do a gag in a film that references me, I’d do it too. 

We haven’t seen Tori Spelling in the franchise since then, but we know that in this universe she played Sidney in at least the first two Stab films. (The third one, which chronicles the Hollywood murders of Scream 3, could have possibly had Spelling return as Sidney, but it’s doubtful because, well, murders scared her way in the first place). And now she has a permanent place in the Scream universe for one of the franchise’s funniest gags.

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Beyond Fest 2025 To Have 12-Film Guillermo del Toro Retrospective

There are few horror films we’re as excited about this year as much as Guillermo del Toro’s upcoming adaptation of Frankenstein. In anticipation of the director’s dream project coming to life at last (no pun intended), Beyond Fest, the biggest genre film festival in America, will present Está Vivo: The Gods and Monsters of Guillermo del Toro, a 12-film retrospective of the master of the macabre’s incredible filmography. “Está Vivo” means “It’s alive” in Spanish, by the way, for you non-Spanish speakers out there. Guillermo del Toro himself will be on hand for this retrospective spanning three decades, including new restorations, special director’s cuts, and rare 35mm screenings.Beyond Fest

Está Vivo comprises 12 features and brings audiences an unprecedented journey through the lyrical, political, and magical worlds of modern cinema’s most visionary storyteller. Guillermo del Toro will join for four specially curated blocks of programming in which the maestro will share his personal stories, dreams, and nightmares of his life behind the lens. In anticipation of his forthcoming film Frankenstein, releasing later this year, the series traces the themes of monsters, humanity, and imagination that have defined his cinema to date.

In the Mood for Love Crimson Peak, Nightmare Alley: Vision in Darkness and Light, The Shape of Water Fox Searchlight Pictures

The celebration opens with In The Mood For Love. It’s a triple bill exploring the emotional core of del Toro’s high-wire balancing of beauty and bloodshed. Featuring the quintessential gothic horror, Crimson Peak, Best Picture winner, The Shape of Water, and del Toro’s personally supervised brand-new version of his 2022 odyssey, Nightmare Alley: Vision in Darkness and Light. This triple bill will play at the Egyptian Theater in Hollywood. Del Toro will be present for a post-screening Q&A for The Shape of Water.

From Sketch to Screen Hellboy, Hellboy II: The Golden Army, Blade II Universal Pictures

From Sketch to Screen explores del Toro’s deep-rooted and passionate love of comic books. This showcases three of the most radical comic adaptations ever committed to screen: Hellboy, Hellboy II: The Golden Army, and Blade II. These journeys into comic book worlds offer rare insights into del Toro’s wholly singular approach to superhero storytelling. These will also show at the Egyptian Theater, with a pre-screening Q&A for Hellboy.

The Early Years Cronos, The Devil’s Backbone, Mimic: Director’s Cut 20th Century Studios

Del Toro’s foundational works will be celebrated in The Early Years. This features the theatrical premiere 4K restoration of his debut feature Cronos. Also, the L.A. premiere of the 4K restoration of The Devil’s Backbone, and his first studio feature, Mimic: Director’s Cut. These formative films reveal the seeds of his wildly imaginative storytelling and his love of gothic fantasy. Also, his inventive use of practical effects, and the human connection that became hallmarks of his revolutionary career. This triple feature will run at the Egyptian Theater in Hollywood. Mimic will have a special post-screening Q&A with del Toro.

The Revolution Pan’s Labyrinth New Line Cinema

The retrospective culminates in a singular evening devoted to the internationally acclaimed masterpiece, Pan’s Labyrinth. It’s an experience unlike anything that had preceded it, or since. The film’s rich symbolism, intricate production design, and emotionally resonant storytelling cemented del Toro’s status. Both as a visionary auteur, and as one of the most essential voices in contemporary Cinema. This screening at the Egyptian Theater includes a special pre-screening Q&A with del Toro.

New Line Cinema/Universal Pictures

There will also be a screening at the Los Feliz 3 theater of del Toro’s Pacific Rim, and his most recent film, the stop motion Pinocchio. Tickets will be on sale on the American Cinematheque website on Thursday, September 4th at 12:00 pm PST. Visit beyondfest.com and americancinematheque.com for details.

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THE OFFICE Spinoff THE PAPER Gets Early Season 2 Renewal at Peacock

Newspapers might face an uncertain future, but Peacock’s new show about a newspaper doesn’t. The streaming site has already given The Paper, its The Office spinoff, an early season two renewal ahead of the show’s debut.Peacock

Peacock didn’t wait until the last second to share news (that we first heard at Variety). It’s giving The Paper a second season even before its first begins. The show’s inaugural premieres launches on the streamer tomorrow night, September 4.

This season two order comes ahead of not only the show’s debut, but ahead of the review embargo. NCBUniversal obviously thinks it has a winner on its hands from series co-creator and The Office alum Greg Daniels. This fast renewal also means Daniels and showrunner Michael Koman have the chance to get season two out in a timely fashion. That will be a welcome change to the old model of television. Modern TV shows often feature long/interminable breaks between years. And it sounds like a quick turnaround is exactly what might happen.

Daniels told Variety they “definitely have ideas” for season two and have “been talking about stories for” it already. He said, “We’ve gotten really good feedback from people inside the company and journalists and friends, but you never know what the broader world of Office fans are going to think of it.”

The show is not a sequel, but it takes place in the same universe as The Office. It follows the same documentary crew and Oscar Nuñez is reprising his role as Oscar Martinez. The Paper stars Domhnall Gleeson as Ned Sampson, an unlikely hopeful savor for a small newspaper in Toledo. The series also features Chelsea Frei, Melvin Gregg, Alex Edelman, Ramona Young, Gbemisola Ikumelo, and Tim Key.

Peacock is releasing all ten episodes of season one tomorrow, in part because of the response to the show internally and also because of how fans of The Office watched the show once it arrived on streaming. If we’re being honest, though, the trailer for The Paper didn’t exactly inspire us to subscribe. But knowing it will definitely be back for season two is the kind of news that makes us want to tune in.

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How ALIEN: EARTH Reimagined the Original Ridley Scott ALIEN

One of the most famous tag lines in cinema history came from Ridley Scott’s original Alien from 1979. It went “In space, no one can hear you scream.” This tagline has been mimicked and parodied endlessly since. Yet back in the day, it did a very effective job of selling this weird horror/sci-fi hybrid movie. Now, the title of Alien: Earth’s fifth episode is “In Space, No One,” giving the show a meta twist. This episode pays homage to the original film in a massive way, as we flashback to the last days of the Weyland-Yutani science research spaceship Maginot, in almost a beat-for-beat recreation of what happened to the Nostromo in Alien.

FX

The first episode of Alien: Earth gave us a very truncated version of the final days of the Maginot, at the very start of the episode. In quick cuts, we see how the ship was carrying alien specimens, including the Xenomorph. We saw how the Xenomorph laid its eggs in one of the crew, and the ensuing chaos that resulted in the ship crashing on Earth, with nearly all hands lost. But we didn’t get all the details on what happened in episode one. Not until the show’s fifth episode, which was a loving tribute to the events of the classic film. Only with the Maginot substituting for the Nostromo, and the character of security chief Morrow, the Weyland-Yutani cyborg, substituting for the synth Ash, played by the late Ian Holm.

FX

The episode opens with Morrow (Babou Ceesay) awakening from hyper-sleep on the Maginot, which looks almost identical to the Nostromo from Alien. Production designer Andy Nicholson matched the look of the ship interiors almost exactly. It’s a science vessel and not a mining ship. However, since they are both Weyland-Yutani ships, the designs are almost the exact same. After being informed that the ship’s captain and science officer had facehuggers attached, and that the Captain died when they tried to remove it, he takes control. Morrow believes there’s a saboteur on board, starting a fire on the ship, allowing the many specimens to get loose. This rankles the crew, especially the executive officer, Zaveri (Richa Moorjani), who believes command falls to her.

FX

After a thorough investigation (and a few more dead crew members), Morrow discovers the person sabotaging the ship is its chief engineer, a man named Petrovich. He discovers communications between Petrovich and Prodigy CEO Boy Kavalier on Earth, where Petrovich promises to crash the ship in Prodigy territory. He’d then deliver the alien species to Weyland-Yutani’s main rival company. In return, he asks that Prodigy provide him with a new synthetic body. Morrow manages to find and kill him, using his cyborg hand transformed into a blade, but it’s too late. The Maginot is headed for a collision with Earth. He knows the specimens are a priority for the company, and informs the ship’s computer, MU-TH-UR, that the crew is dead. Even if the XO wasn’t quite dead yet when he said that.

FX

Morrow escapes death by locking himself in the Impact Room inside the floor of MU-TH-UR’s control center. Earlier episodes show how he survives the crash by going inside that chamber. It also shows how he escapes it, ready to track down the runaway species for his company. The end of the episode finds him in Weyland-Yutani HQ. There, he speaks with the current Yutani heir and CEO. She tells him her grandmother was very fond of him. Morrow says she found him as “a feral boy with a palsied arm” replacing it with cybernetics. This ensured his lifelong loyalty. Even though he had to leave his young daughter behind to complete his 65-year mission. A daughter who tragically died while he was away. In a way, episode five framed Morrow not just as Ash, but also Ripley — the sole survivor of a doomed mission.

Alien: Earth releases new episodes every Tuesday on FX and FX on Hulu.

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ALIEN: EARTH Star Babou Ceesay on Being the Franchise’s First Cyborg

Alien: Earth just blew our minds with episode five, “In Space, No One Can…” which goes into detail on the spaceship Maginot’s fateful mission, which brought the titular aliens to Earth. It’s essentially a modern update of Ridley Scott’s original Alien film. And at the center of it is actor Babou Ceesay, who plays the cyborg Mr. Morrow, a loyal and ruthless agent of the Weyland-Yutani company. We got the chance to chat with Mr. Ceesay about his crucial role in the series, his character’s tragic past, and Morrow’s future in the franchise.

Nerdist: There have been many variations of synthetic people in the 45 years of the Alien franchise. Characters like Ash, then Bishop in Aliens. But never a cyborg before now. How did you prepare to create a whole new category of being for this franchise?

Babou Ceesay: There’s a desire to put me in the synthetic box, and I completely get that. But the truth is, this guy is human with enhancements. He’s human, he’s flawed, he sweats, he bleeds, he’s messed up. But he is more than human and can do other stuff. I looked for references, and in the end, I found this artist called Neil Harbisson, who’s a colorblind artist. And he has an antenna attached to the base of his skull that comes out the front and vibrates. With that, he’s able to hear and feel how to make his art. And so when I saw that, I thought that’s a jumping-off point.

FX

In this wonderful documentary I saw on him, he said, “I feel more than human. I feel that I’m more than you.” And I thought, that’s amazing. So, Morrow is essentially a human being who knows that he’s capable of things other human beings are not. That must give you a sense of almost being a lion in a cage with a bunch of rabbits. You know what you’re capable of. You know, and I just took that and thought, okay, that’s always underlying.

In Episode 5, we really see a lot of what happened right before the series begins, things we only saw in quick cuts at the start of the first episode. And it’s almost like a remake of Ridley Scott’s original Alien. What did that feel like, to kind of get your chance to do a version of an iconic movie?

FX

Babou Ceesay: It’s a dream come true. When I found out about it, they hadn’t written the episode yet. It was during the time of the [WGA and SAG-AFTRA] strikes, and essentially, I was just told the story of the episode by Noah Hawley. So I sat there with a pen and paper, listening to story time, and I couldn’t keep up… I stopped writing. I just started listening to it, because it was so fascinating to hear. In the back of your mind, the actor in me is also thinking. “You mean we get to make a little mini Alien movie in the middle of this series? And I get to be in it, directed by Noah Hawley? Let’s go,” you know? So, it’s a dream come true, and I enjoyed every second of it. So did everybody on the crew. We just had a ball shooting that episode.

We’ve seen some cool abilities that your robotic arm can do right off the bat. Has Noah Hawley filled you in on all the cool stuff Morrow can do as a cyborg, or do you think there are some more surprises in store?

Babou Ceesay: I hope there are some surprises that I’m going to find out about, because, so far, what I’ve seen, he’s got this knife and a blowtorch. You know, a fan would be nice. It gets quite sweaty on those ships. He gets quite sweaty, right? [laughs]

FX

You are especially terrifying when talking to the Lost Boys, who are all kids in adult synth bodies. Why do you think Morrow has lost enough of his humanity that he can so easily terrify kids in the way he does, without blinking?

Babou Ceesay: I mean, he’s really burdened, right? If you think about what sort of life Morrow has led. You know, taken off the streets by Yutani, losing his daughter. So he’s carrying not only the pain of having lost probably one of the only things that matters to him in the whole universe. So he’s also burdened with guilt, knowing that if he’d been there, he might have saved her. Or, the situation that led to her death might never have materialized. So I took all these things and layered them in, in terms of my understanding of his morals.

FX

So when he’s interacting with anyone, he’s thinking of his bigger purpose. His desire to achieve that bigger goal, his raison d’être, is everything. And at the same time, you say he doesn’t blink. I do think there is some element of difficulty when it comes to that, slightly. He needs to do what he needs to do to get hold of Boy Kavalier, to get back his alien specimens, etc. But I think He’s having to exploit what weaknesses he can find. And as awful as it is to say this, what better than to manipulate a kid who’s got access, potentially? You know? But I don’t think that’s easy for him. I think it’s hard.

Morrow lost 65 years of his life for Weyland-Yutani on the scientific mission on the Maginot. He’s a true company man. What do you think accounts for his devotion to the company in such an intense manner?

I mean, I try to imagine that moment when the company finds him. What was Morrow doing? What was he trying to achieve that made him stand out? And when they gave him the chance, how long did it take to trust? Imagine, to be on the streets, on some level, you must have been abandoned by a whole group of people, right? So this person takes you in, and suddenly you’re living a completely different existence. You want to be useful. You want to be valuable. Because that’s ties into your existence, deeply. I think he has a debt to Yutani? Because what else would make you leave your young daughter behind?

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Do you have a favorite scene for this season, and is it one we’ve seen already?

Babou Ceesay: The scene with Adarsh Gourav (Slightly). The scenes I loved were the two scenes in episode four with Adarsh. Like, episode five, I love as a whole. It was just a massive adventure. But as a scene, just sitting there, just that exchange with Adarsh, having all that time, the 4 or 5 minutes of screen time. I particularly love the scene with his mom, dealing with him and his emotions. That scene churned my stomach all the time, from when I read it to when I was doing it. And weirdly, now in hindsight, it’s one of my favorite scenes that I did, yeah.

The show introduces four new alien species. If one of them were to kill your character, which one do you think you’d want the least?

Babou Ceesay: The least? The [octopus] eye. No. No, thank you. No thank you! [laughs]

FX

New episodes of Alien: Earth drop every Tuesday on FX and FX on Hulu.

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Jordan Peele’s Next Film Removed from Universal 2026 Slate

Highly anticipated movies by our favorite filmmakers can’t get here fast enough. We want that next cinematic adventure or decent into hell or whatever. Gimme that dopamine hit, directors! But we’ll always say a movie should only come out when the filmmakers (not the studios) decide it’s ready. As such, sometimes movie release dates move back (just like Mortal Kombat II). That fate has befallen Jordan Peele’s next movie. The Oscar winner’s follow-up to 2022’s Nope, once on Universal’s slate for October 2026, is no longer there. That means it’s getting pushed.CBS

The news, which we saw at Variety, is pretty disappointing. Originally, Peele and Universal had the movie down for a Christmas 2024 release. That obviously never happened. Guild strikes necessitated a move, bumping it to what would have been next Halloween. Sadly, it appears that too won’t be happening. No word yet on where the movie will end up.

With only three feature films under his belt as writer and director, Peele has already become an emerging voice to watch in the horror/sci-fi space. Breaking on to the scene with 2017’s monster hit Get Out, Peele won an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. This followed fairly quickly with 2019’s Us, in many ways a much bigger swing with its story and scope. To date, Peele’s most recent movie is 2022’s Nope, a rather unsettling alien creature feature about messing with nature. All of his movies are divisive in the best ways. We really can’t wait for movie number four.

Since Get Out, Peele and his Monkeypaw Productions have produced a number projects, usually in the horror or fantasy space. For television, these have included The Twilight Zone reboot (which Peele hosted), Lovecraft Country, and Hunters. Films have included Candyman, Wendell & Wild, and Monkey Man.

Kyle Anderson is the Senior Editor for Nerdist. He hosts the weekly pop culture deep-dive podcast Laser Focus. You can find his film and TV reviews here. Follow him on Letterboxd.

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Every Ghostface Killer in the SCREAM Film Franchise, Ranked

In 1996, Scream hit theaters and changed horror movie history. The teen slasher packed in meta commentary and gave us a new villainous icon who would later become known as Ghostface. Unlike Michael Myers, Freddy Kruger, and Jason Voorhees, Ghostface is not a singular entity but is an aesthetic and persona that anyone can hide behind. Dimension Films/Paramount Pictures

As of Scream VI, there are twelve official Ghostface killers with various motives and kill counts. While I like to think of Ghostface as a character within itself, this cloaked murderer wouldn’t exist without this roster of psychopaths to keep the chaos going. So, who is the best Ghostface of them all? Let’s slice and dice our way back through the Scream franchise to rank all of the Ghostface killers. 

Note: We are only doing the films, not the TV series. And no, Jason and Greg don’t count as proper Ghostfaces. Let’s be serious.

12. Ethan Landry (Scream VI)

At the bottom of this Scream Ghostface ranking is Ethan Landry (Jack Champion), Richie’s biological brother. He’s so forgettable that I had to Google his fake last name. As a whole, the killers in Scream VI have the weakest motive, which is simply revenge against Sam for (rightfully) killing their family member and her psycho boyfriend Richie. 

Yes, it this the same motive that Mrs. Loomis has in Scream 2. But there’s considerably less nuance within the storyline and wayyyyy more glaring issues. (More on that later.) We get the gist that Ethan is perhaps the least favorite of the Kirsch children, but that never gets fleshed out enough in the film. 

It is a shame because that would have given him the strongest motivation to outdo Richie and feel like he’s earning his father’s attention/approval. Instead, Ethan is relatively one-note and dreadfully boring, even when he’s operating as a red herring. 

11. Detective Wayne Bailey (Scream VI) Paramount Pictures

At the bottom of this ranking along with his bland son is Detective Wayne Bailey (Dermot Mulroney), a father cosplaying as a lawman who seeks revenge for his psychopathic son’s death. But, while Mrs. Loomis’ masquerading as an annoying local journalist before her truly shocking reveal seems quite plausible, Detective Bailey’s story is full of plot holes. 

The idea that Gale, who is well-versed in all things Ghostface, would’ve missed finding out information about Richie’s family is very questionable. And, the thought of him concocting a fake identity and operating as a whole NYC detective gets more bizarre the longer you think about it. Plot aside, there’s nothing truly clever nor well-planned with Bailey, the undoubted leader of this killing crew. Pretty much everything is either a coincidence or a half-baked reaction to an actual plan by the film’s protagonists. Sure, the kills and attacks by Bailey and his children are brutal. But they don’t quite have the intricacy and flair of their predecessors. 

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SCREAM VI’s Mason Gooding and Jasmin Savoy Brown on the Film’s Wild (and Loving) Moments10. Amber Freeman (Scream 2022)

While it would have been more interesting for Scream V to go with the original storyline of her being Tara’s girlfriend, Amber isn’t a terrible Ghostface. She’s responsible for many of the film’s brutal and chaotic kills, which show Ghostface in a different light. And it is very fun to see Mikey Madison completely unravel in the final act. But, there’s really no substance nor solid motivation that drives her actions. 

Her antagonistic relationship with Sam is a film focal point, but it never gets quite enough fleshing outside of Amber briefly expositing about it. We saw that she at leas had some passing interest in elevated horror but it would’ve been nice to get more subtle hints that she actually was deeply into the genre.

More of that horror love and a fascination with Billy Loomis, anger over Sam abandoning Tara because she’s in a relationship with her, and a willingness to use her lover as a pawn would’ve made Amber far more effective as a Ghostface. 

9. Quinn Bailey (Scream VI)

Out of the Scream VI killers and all the “requel era” Ghostfaces, Quinn Bailey (Liana Liberato) somehow manages to be one of the better ones best despite spending most of the film pretending to be dead. She’s the sex-positive roomie of Tara and Sam who actually has an engaging personality and what seems to be a genuine connection to the sisters. 

That makes her far more effective as a killer, especially considering Sam’s very paranoid and guarded nature with most people. While her kill count is pretty low, her reveal and bit of monologuing is far more effective than her counterparts. In a just Scream world, Quinn would’ve been the ringleader or perhaps the sole Ghostface with a big final fight scene against the Carpenter sisters. 

8. Charlie Walker (Scream IV)Dimension Films

Charlie Walker (Rory Culkin) gets a lot of flack from Scream fans about his role as a Ghostface killer. But, in retrospect, Charlie may not be the best, but he’s certainly far from the worst, too. We do actually get to see the threads of his motivations throughout Scream IV. He’s a big horror film nerd and rather socially awkward, perhaps straddling the line of harmless creepy and stealth incel. He wants the attention of the girls around him, but he lacks the suaveness and good looks to accomplish that. He’s sort of the antithesis of Ghostface as an overall persona: cool, calculated, and threatening yet engaging. 

Through Jill’s manipulation, Charlie feels like he’s found a greater purpose and perhaps a true connection. He’s willing to kill to prop up Jill and turn them into a “final couple,” which isn’t super far-fetched at all from his twisted perspective. But, in comparison to Jill’s far stronger storyline and character development, Charlie comes off mostly as a pawn in her chess game.

7. Richie Kirsch (Scream 2022)Paramount Pictures

Richie would likely rank much lower on this list if it weren’t for Jack Quaid infusing the character with so much wit and affable charm. He appears to be the good-hearted yet somewhat timid boyfriend of Sam, who bucks against authority and is an agent of change with lots of autonomy over her choices, much like Sidney Prescott. 

The light switch from frightened bystander to horror obsessed killer who rejects the idea of toxic fandom is fun to watch Quaid play, but the storyline doesn’t offer any threading to make this make sense at all. Also, he’s gross for engaging in a romantic relationship with a high school aged Amber Freeman, which makes their entire killing partnership feel very icky.  

6. Stu Macher (Scream) Dimension Films

Yes, it is probably shocking to see Stu so far down on the list. It’s certainly not because Matthew Lillard isn’t great in the role. In fact, he brought far more to it than what the script intended for Stu to be. And he’s a pretty darn good wingman to Billy, who is obviously the leader.

But because he’s not as directly motivated by Sidney and he really doesn’t directly impact her as much as other Ghostfaces, both in terms of physical and emotional damage, he simply cannot be higher on this list.

5. Jill Roberts (Scream IV)Dimension Films

While Roman’s motive is the more emotionally resonant, Jill Roberts’ (Emma Roberts) motive to acquire fame as the new survivor is the most twisted. And it is indeed a great one that spoke very early to the warped mindset around visibility and popularity that’s fueled by a social media soaked world. This egomaniac is willing to do anything, including killing her own mother, to gain fans. That’s a Ghostface ready gal if I’ve ever seen one. 

Jill gives Sidney a run for her emotional money with the deep pain of losing her aunt to the betrayal of a family member. And, she does the most serious physical damage to Sidney, nearly killing our beloved final girl more than once. She got Charlie to do most of the grunt work and did a pretty good job of keeping her hands clean. If it weren’t for Sidney and her pesky friends, she would’ve become the next survivor sweetheart. 

4. Roman Bridger (Scream 3) Dimension Films

Roman Bridger (Scott Foley) gets a lot of props as the sole Ghostface killer, even when some of his moves seem logistically impossible. His motivation is perhaps one of the most complex in the franchise as the child of Maureen’s life-changing trauma who is rejected by her. His yearning for his mother’s love and acceptance and jealousy over what Sidney had alongside his creative mind as a director are a match made in heaven for a great Ghostface.

Something feels a bit unnerving about him, but he never quite shows his hand to be a viable suspect. His behind-the-scenes machinations with Billy to set up the entire franchise makes for a true full circle trilogy with a twist that we didn’t see coming. 

And, his final fight scene and dying moment holding Sidney’s hand is such a spectacle, especially with the set piece’s dark significance to Maureen’s life. Sadly, censorship led to Roman having the more sanitized kills. Interestingly, he doesn’t interact with Sidney until the end of the film but that doesn’t put a damper on his arc. He’s a great Ghostface, indeed.

3. Mrs. Loomis (Scream 2)Dimension Films

Mrs. Loomis (Laurie Metcalf), you will always be a queen in our hearts! If ever there were a truly shocking killer reveal in the Scream franchise, it is her. The idea of this seemingly throwaway character, an annoying journalist who irritates the great Gale Weathers, being the mother of Billy Loomis and using her fake job to move around seamlessly, is truly masterful.

She’s the grieving, twisted mother seeking revenge against Sidney and all the other Woodsboro survivors for Billy’s death. Mrs. Loomis could’ve truly gotten away with this crime if she had done a little less chatting with Sidney on stage and a lot more killing loose ends. Like Jill, Mrs. Loomis allowed Mickey to do the lionshare of the work and readily disposed of him so he could take the fall. Her delusional view of her son and final fight scene with Sidney is one for the books. 

2. Mickey Altieri (Scream 2) Dimension Films

To be a truly effective and memorable Ghostface killer (or any villain in general), you have to not only deliver the slice and dice goods, but also really do serious mental damage to your target. Mickey (Timothy Olyphant) fits the bill in both categories, dishing up some truly inventive kills, like the opening movie theater scene, and emotional gut punches. He pretends to be a trusted friend of both Sidney and her boyfriend Derek. But he carefully plants seeds of doubt in Sidney’s rightfully paranoid head about Derek to the point that she cannot untie him and save his life in the final scene.

While many other Ghostfaces are driven by emotion and their respective attachments to Sidney, Mickey is just killing because he wants to cause a spectacle and create a courtroom circus. And his involvement on a twisted serial killer website indicates that he was a killer long before the events of this film. That’s terrifying. The effects of this killing spree drive Sidney into essentially hiding in the woods and seeing visions of her mother. He certainly did what needed to be done, even if he was naive about how things would all end. 

1. Billy Loomis (Scream)

Billy sits at the top of this Ghostface killer ranking list for good reason. He checks the box for brutal, calculated, and memorable kills. He’s the best Ghostface on the phone, as evidenced in Scream’s iconic opening scene with Casey Becker. And he literally crafted the overall person of Ghostface and took the steps to set everything into motion.

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While his emotional drive causes him to lose the plot and focus at crucial times, he really sticks it to Sidney in the worst way. Billy gaslights her into thinking that she’s grieving too much for her mother and pulls strings to make her feel safe having a sexual relationship with him. Then, he pulls the rug from underneath her, coldly revealing details about her mother’s brutal death.

Would Billy have gotten away with it? Probably not. The guy’s ego was the size of California and he got a little sloppy sometimes. But Billy continues to be driving force in the franchise, whether it’s in-universe fans admiring him or through direct ties like with Sam Carpenter’s arc. 

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AMC’s TALAMASCA Will Have Another INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE Crossover

While we wait for The Vampire Lestat in 2026, AMC’s Anne Rice Immortal Universe expands to a third series this year with Talamasca: The Secret Order, which drops its first six-episode season this fall. The show will cover the exploits of the 1,000-year-old scholarly society that studies the supernatural. Via Entertainment Weekly, we’ve learned that the show will have another crossover with Interview with the Vampire, aside from the upcoming appearance from Eric Bogosian.

In episode four, actor Justin Kirk will return as Talamasca agent Raglan James. And that’s a name that hardcore Anne Rice fans should be quite familiar with. Here’s what he had to say about his return:

I love being Raglan James. I started with the mothership, Interview With the Vampire, and when I heard that there was going to be a show about the Talamasca — because that’s where my character comes from and there’s not a book per se about that — I assumed they’d be calling me at some point. And I’m delighted that they did. He comes in at a moment in the season where we get this shot of adrenaline from his character. Raglan’s always looking out for himself and is a real lone wolf. There is something that our main character, Guy, has been tasked to retrieve, and it just might be that Raglan is on a similar pursuit.

AMC Networks

Fans of Anne Rice’s work should be excited about how much AMC is using Raglan James as a character. In the fourth Vampire Chronicle, 1992’s The Tale of the Body Thief, James first appears as the titular Body Thief. He body switches with Lestat, leaving the immortal vampire in a weak human form. This would be the basis for a potential future season, probably the fifth Interview with the Vampire season overall. Of course, there’s no guarantee we get there. But it would be the perfect endpoint for the saga, if they so choose. We’ll just have to wait and see if the seed they are planting with Justin Kirk’s character of Raglan James will bear fruit in a future season of television.

Anne Rice’s Talamasca: The Secret Order premieres Sunday, Oct. 26, on AMC and AMC+.

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JUJUTSU KAISEN Season 3 Trailer Teases the Culling Game Arc’s Lethal Battle Royale

Itadori is coming back soon for more despair and action. We don’t love that chaos for him but we love it for us. Jujutsu Kaisen season three, also known as Jujutsu Kaisen The Culling Game, will hit Crunchyroll in January 2026 and we have our first teaser trailer for what’s coming up. 

This season is set right after everything that went down in the Shibuya Incident arc. It will bring a violent tournament to screen, thanks to Kenjaku, that will bring cursed energy and terrorism to the land. So we can expect quite a few new players to come into the fold. The Jujutsu Kaisen season three teaser trailer rocks and, thankfully, the team behind this season hasn’t changed. 

[image error]© Gege Akutami/Shueisha, JUJUTSU KAISEN Project

Hiroshi Seko pens this season and Yosuke Yajima and Hiromi Niwa are responsible for the character design. Yoshimasa Teuri is also back to craft the show’s score once again. We cannot wait for the series to make its grand return for an arc that’s sure to blow us away.

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SNL Loses One PLEASE DON’T DESTROY Member, Adds One to Cast

NBC’s comedy staple Saturday Night Live is about to go into its 51st season. That means roughly 400 billion cast members have come and gone through the hallowed halls of Studio 8H. The show is a star-maker, even if the given season or era isn’t all that well regarded. That generally, however, means that when the show announces new cast members—unless they’re Kenan Thompson 100 years ago—most of the viewers won’t know them until they first appear on SNL. The one exception in the batch ahead of season 51 is a member of comedy troupe Please Don’t Destroy, who will join the main cast just as another PDD member leaves.NBC

In recent weeks, several cast members either chose not to renew their contracts or did not receive an extension. The highest profile of these is veteran Heidi Gardner who ended her eight season run on the show. The second highest profile is probably John Higgins. Higgins, along with Ben Marshall and Martin Herlihy, are part of the comedy troupe Please Don’t Destroy, all of whom joined SNL in 2021 as writers to make shorts for the show. This was an attempt to repeat the success of The Lonely Island’s wildly popular Digital Shorts from a decade prior.

But with Higgins leaving SNL, what of the other two members? Well it turns out Herlihy is sticking around as writer while Marshall is getting a bump-up to full cast member. This comes according to Variety. Higgins is off to pursue other acting opportunities. The trio is currently on tour performing sketches on stages ‘cross the naysh. So it definitely doesn’t seem like Please Don’t Destroy is breaking up, but it seems as though their brand of humor is assimilating into the main SNL. Though we can’t imagine the digital shorts will stop.

Saturday Night Live will return October 4.

Kyle Anderson is the Senior Editor for Nerdist. He hosts the weekly pop culture deep-dive podcast Laser Focus. You can find his film and TV reviews here. Follow him on Letterboxd.

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