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TheScreamfranchise has featured some legendary Ghostface killers over the years. Each movie usually has two killers who team up to commit the murders, butonly one movie in the series has opted for a single killer.Scream 3saw Sidney’s long-lost brother, Roman Bridger, single-handedly take on the Ghostface role, as he stalked and slashed the cast on the set ofStab 3: Return To Woodsboroin Holllywood.
There were a number of reasons whyScream 3only had one killer,with the original plan to feature the typical two killer format, but there were issues during production which changed this initial plan.Scream 7’sformatcould potentially return to the one killer, but it must be believable to avoid certain issues faced by the solitary killer inScream 3.
Scream 3
Starring
Neve Campbell, David Arquette, Courteney Cox-Arquette, Patrick Dempsey, Parker Posey, Emily Mortimer, Lance Henriksen and Liev Schreiber
Directed By
Wes Craven
It is well known thatScream 3suffered a lot of difficulties during production, withKevin Williamson’s initial treatment for the third movie being scrapped because of the similarities with the Columbine Massacre.Plans forScream 3were dealt a further blow when Williamson left the project due to his busy schedule, and Ehren Kruger took over as screenwriter.
If Williamson had stayed on, it’s possible the two killer format would’ve remained the same inScream 3, as this served the first two movies very well. It was considered a difficult prospect to believe that one killer could commit all this carnage without an accomplice.Scream 3had more murders thanScreamandScream 2, making it even more unbelievable that Roman Bridger committed the murders on his own. Butit is firmly believed that Ehren Kruger’s initial plans forScream 3also didn’t include a lone killer.
Victims of Ghostface in Scream 3
Who was originally going to be Roman Bridger’s partner in Scream 3?
Ehren Kruger’sScream 3original script had two killers, with Roman Bridger apparently having an accomplice in the shape of the actress portraying Sidney Prescott inStab 3. Her name was Angelina Tyler(played by Emily Mortimer). Angelina was an ambitious actress and, in the original draft, she was also Roman’s lover, and was revealed to be a former classmate of Sidney’s from Woodsboro High, whose real name was Angie Crick.
Angie apparently idolizedNeve Campbell’s Sidney, due to the amount of fame and attention she had received due to the Ghostface murders, and her motive was linked to this jealousy and need for fame. This motive is very similar to Jill Roberts' motive inScream 4, and it would’ve givenScream 3a strong secondary motive to back up Roman’s motivation for revenge.
It’s not known why the second killer angle was scrapped in favor of the lone Ghostface killer, but many have speculated it had something to do with Dimension Films bosses, Harvey and Bob Weinstein’s interference.The choice to scrap the second killer affectedScream 3massively as there are several moments in the movie where Roman would’ve needed to be in two places at once to kill all the victims, creating major plot holes in the movie.
Kevin Williamson
Radio Silence significantly broke with the Ghostface format inScream 6, and it resulted in one of the most successful sequels in the franchise. The opening sequence shocked fans when Laura Crane (Samara Weaving) was killed by Ghostface, who then unmasked himself as Jason Carvey, a student on Laura’s film studies course. Turns out, Jason was trying to finishScream (2022)killer, Ritchie Kirsch’s movie, alongside his accomplice, Greg Bruckner.
Unbeknownst to Jason and Greg, there was another group of active Ghostface killers who were less than pleased with their plan, as it interfered with their own plan for revenge on Sam Carpenter. Jason and Greg were killed, and the eventual killers were revealed to be Detective Bailey, Quinn Bailey and Ethan Landry (aka Ritchie’s father, sister and brother).
For the first time in the franchise, there were four killers who donned the Ghostface mask inScream 6(Greg was killed before he could wear the mask).Breaking the usual format of two killers really worked forScream 6, and it could pave the way for another change in format for the upcomingScream 7. But instead of returning to two killers like previous sequels,Scream 7should take inspiration fromScream 3’s one killer, Roman Bridger, and focus on a solitary Ghostface attack.
Scream 7having one killer could really work to revitalize the Scream franchise, but they must learn fromScream 3’s mistakes, and map out a feasible plan for how a lone Ghostface is able to commit all the murders, rather than change from two killers to one likeScream 3did during extensive rewrites.
