Credit: Dimension FilmsScream VI (2023) isn’t doing too badly in movie theaters right now, which is a real testament to the endurance of the meta slasher franchise — even if it has enjoyed two 11-year hiatuses since its inception with the original film in 1996.
Scream (1996), directed by Wes Craven, was the first film to take all the tropes and clichés of the common slasher film (Halloween, Friday the 13th, A Nightmare on Elm Street, and so on), and turn them into “rules”, with which one could hopefully survive a “real-life” slasher.
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It’s also an excellent whodunit, which, along with injections of meta commentary, has become the signature Scream experience.
But while we had no idea that the Ghostface killers in the original film were Billy Loomis (Skeet Ulrich) and Stu Macher (Matthew Lillard) at the time, it turns out there were many clues staring us right in the face, particularly in the case of the former character.
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In true slasher fashion, the third act of Scream settles into a party at Stu Macher’s house (orchestrated, of course), where the song “Drop Dead Gorgeous” by ’90s rock band Republica is playing, which turns out to be a dead giveaway that Billy Loomis is one of the Ghostface killers.
Check out the very curious lyrics below:
I know my ex-boyfriend lies,
Oh, he does it every time,
It’s just his permanent disguise,
Yeah, yeah but he’s drop dead gorgeous
Sound familiar? At this point in the film, Billy Loomis is, technically, Sidney’s ex-boyfriend, which is no surprise considering he’s Woodsboro’s number-one murder suspect and was arrested on suspicion. We also know he “lies” and “does it every time”. And then, of course, there’s the “permanent disguise” — no coincidence given that Billy turns out to be one of the two Ghostface killers!
In hindsight, it’s plain to see all the many clues suggesting that Billy was a killer, but we’re not convinced many fans would have noticed one as blatant as this!
Check out the official Scream VI trailer below:
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As per Wikipedia, here’s the official synopsis for Scream VI:
The film continues with the survivors of the latest Ghostface killings, sisters Samantha and Tara Carpenter and twins Chad and Mindy Meeks, leaving Woodsboro behind and starting a new chapter of their lives in New York City only to again be plagued by a streak of murders by a new Ghostface killer.
Scream VI stars Jenna Ortega (Tara Carpenter), Melissa Barrera (Sam Carpenter), Jasmin Savoy Brown (Mindy Meeks), Mason Gooding (Chad Meeks), Courteney Cox (Gale Weathers), Hayden Panettiere (Kirby Reed), Roger L Jackson (the voice of Ghostface), Dermot Mulroney (Wayne Bailey), Henry Czerny (Christopher Stone), Tony Revolori (Jason Carvey), Jack Champion (Ethan Landry), Devyn Nekoda (Anika Kayoko), Liana Liberato (Quinn Bailey), Josh Segarra (Danny Brackett), Samara Weaving (Laura Crane) and Skeet Ulrich (Billy Loomis).
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Did you notice this major clue in Scream? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!