Who is the Killer in Scream 6?

Scream 6 exposes the ultimate Sidney Prescott Ghostface theory that would have seen the franchise lead scandalously inverted. During the film series, its protagonist, Neve Campbell’s Sidney, survives and bests nine Ghostfaces and is the last character expected to occupy the murderous personal.

This statement has given rise to theories of a potential face-heel turn, which fuses with Campbell publicly being absent in Scream 6. However, Scream 6’s Ghostface defeats the potential of Sidney ever making a shocking appearance as the killer and fulfilling her genre plot convention destiny.

At the end of Scream 6, Detective Bailey, Quinn Bailey, and Ethan Landry revealed themselves as killers. Their motive was that Richie was Detective Bailey’s son, and Quinn and Ethan were his siblings. They wanted to finish the film just like Jason and Greg did, so they had to kill them to prevent them from ruining their plan. They also wanted revenge by killing Sam and Tara for killing Richie in Scream 5. The motive was similar to Billy Loomis’ mother’s in Scream 2. With three killers, it’s easy to misunderstand who killed who in Scream 6.

Scream 6 follows the survivors of the Woodsboro legacy killings, committed by Richie Kirsch and Amber Freeman in Scream 5, to New York City only for Ghostface to return. This time, the legendary mask is donned by three characters: Richie’s bereaved father, brother, and sister. When facing off with Gale Weathers, the latter, Quinn Bailey, addresses the Sidney as Ghostface theory, revealing to the audience that it can’t work because it doesn’t make sense, confirming to audiences that they will likely never see this theory realized and for good reason.

Is Sam the Killer in Scream 6?

From the moment she first arrives in Ghostface’s shrine, Sam starts to have visions of Billy. The ghost of her father pushes her to embrace her killing nature. After she gets a phone call from Detective Bailey, Sam attacked and stabbed by a person wearing Ghostface’s costume, who she assumes is Kirby.

Sam manages to escape and encounters Tara and Chad, who just shared their first kiss. The trio fights off Ghostface until a second killer shows up, overpowering Chad. There are always two killers, except for Scream 3, so it makes sense for Kirby to have some backup.

Things heat up once Detective Bailey gets to the shrine. At the exact moment, Kirby shows up, covered in blood, claiming to have been attacked by Ghostface. Detective Bailey shoots the FBI agent, consumed by his grief and convinced Kirby is lying. That’s all a ruse, as Bailey is the mastermind behind the latest Ghostface attacks.

And for the first time in the franchise, there are three killers around—Bailey, Ethan, and Quinn—who are alive after all. Bailey fathered three children, Ethan, Quinn, and Richie. And now, the whole family wants revenge on the people who murdered Richie. That’s why they started the online rumors against Sam, planning to blame her for the New York Ghostface killing spree.

It wouldn’t be a Scream movie without a final jump scare, and Ethan rises from death just to be killed once again. Both Tara and Sam are murderers, but contrary to the Ghostfaces of the past, they only kill to protect their family, not to fulfill selfish desires. That’s also why Sam drops Billy’s mask on the floor at the movie ends, as she’s finally at peace with her legacy.

Detective Bailey Was The Ghostface At The Bodega

After Jason and Greg’s Scream 6 kills air on the news, Detective Bailey wants Sam and Tara to come to the police station. He is the one who lures them outside while Quinn and Ethan remain in their apartment. They could have left to follow Sam and Tara, though this would have looked suspicious, and Mindy and Chad Meeks-Martin, who were also in the apartment, likely would have told Sam and Tara.

The Scream 6 Ghostface at the Bodega, who kills the worker and tries to kill Sam and Tara, is familiar with using firearms. The way he handles the gun and gets it away from the Bodega worker who tries to kill him is something only a professional could do. Also, the way this Ghostface talks to Sam on the phone before the Bodega uses similar language to Detective Bailey.

Specifically, they both use the word “punish.” It makes the most sense that the detective was behind the Scream 6 deaths at the Bodega and Jason and Greg’s.

Why does Scream 6 Have 3 Ghostface Killers?

The Scream franchise is full of misdirects, and just as the original Scream had two Ghostface killers, there are three Ghostface killers in Scream 6. While that sounds like a long-running franchise desperately trying to be bigger and stay fresh, it pulls off perfectly, as Scream 6’s Ghostface killers are a family.

Every character wearing the iconic mask relates to Richie, the Ghostface killer in the fifth movie but was repeatedly stabbed and then shot dead by Sam in Scream 5’s ending. The three Ghostface killers in Scream 6 tried to exact revenge for Richie’s death.

The motivations and identities of the killers are intrinsic to Scream’s DNA, as the Ghostface killers always have close connections to the innocent characters. However, the idea of the three Ghostface killers in Scream 6 wasn’t the original plan and was an afterthought during the development of the sixth movie (via CBR). According to Scream 6 co-director Tony Gillett, “We were so quick on the heels of [Scream] 5 that the script was a living blueprint for a while.”

The director added that the movie “felt like it was missing some emotional impact” before they realized it would all be related to Richie.

Conclusion

The Scream killer revealed his identity early in the film. At the end of Scream 6, Detective Bailey, Quinn Bailey, and Ethan Landry announce themselves as killers. Their motive was that Richie was Detective Bailey’s son, and Quinn and Ethan were his siblings.