What’s the name of the killer from the Scream franchise? Ghostface, right? Well, yes and no. If this was one of the genre-savvy serial murderer’s life-or-death questions, he may have tripped you up on this one as, while Ghostface has always been what fans have called him, it wasn’t the first name given to the Halloween costume worn by the succession of killers in the horror series. The mask actually had two different names – one in the real world and another in the continuity of the films.
First of all, a bit of history. The Ghostface look was actually already a Halloween costume designed by Fun World, first released in 1992, before director Wes Craven bought the rights to feature the mask in the first Scream (1997). Upon its initial release, the outfit was labelled “The Peanut-Eyed Ghost.” Knowing this wasn’t a great name, Fun World’s Licensing Director was charged with coming up with a better one prior to Scream hitting theaters. He chose Ghostface due to the design reminding him of “a ghost in pain.” And the rest is history, right?
Well, not quite. As the Ghostface name was not a decision made by the filmmakers, the costume goes by a separate name in the first movie. It’s established that the mask is easily bought in Woodsboro which makes it hard to narrow the investigation of who’s behind the attacks. Dewey demonstrates this at one point by slamming a costume still in its original packaging on a desk in front of Sidney. You can see in this shot that the packaging calls it “Father Death.”
Father Death may well have been what Craven wanted the killer to be known as by fans, too, as it’s important to note that the name “Ghostface” is not explicitly connected to the murderer in the original trilogy. Outside of Tatum nicknaming him “Mr. Ghost Face” prior to her death in Scream, that is. It’s only in Scream 4, made a whole 11 years after Scream 3, that the killer is finally called Ghostface on screen.
Of course, Ghostface recently returned in the third season of the Scream TV show and is now set to terrorize a new generation of teens in an upcoming fifth installment in the series, which is currently in development. But for now, feel free to impress your friends with this fun bit of trivia.
