Scream is an American murder mystery and meta slasher franchise that includes six films (and a seventh in active development), a television series, merchandise, and games.[1][2] The first four films were directed by Wes Craven. The series was created by Kevin Williamson, who wrote the first two films and the fourth, and will return to direct the seventh film. Ehren Kruger wrote the third. The fifth and sixth installments were directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, with Guy Busick and James Vanderbilt serving as writers and Williamson returning as executive producer. Dimension Films produced the first four films. Spyglass Media Group took over the rights from the fifth film on with Paramount Pictures distributing. The film series has grossed over US$910 million at the global box office.
Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, David Arquette, and Roger L. Jackson (who voices the various Ghostface killers) starred in the first five films. Cox and Jackson reprised their roles for the sixth and are the only cast members to feature in all films to date with Cox also being the only actress to appear in six consecutive films of a horror franchise.[3] Campbell is reprising her role in the seventh film. Hayden Panettiere stars in the fourth and sixth films, while Melissa Barrera, Jenna Ortega, Mason Gooding, and Jasmin Savoy Brown star in the fifth and sixth. Jamie Kennedy and Liev Schreiber feature in the first three films, Skeet Ulrich stars in the first and cameos in the fifth and sixth installments, Marley Shelton appears in the fourth and fifth, and Jack Quaid stars in the fifth and cameos in the sixth. Additionally, Heather Matarazzo makes cameo appearances in the third and fifth films, as does Nancy O'Dell in the second, third and fourth. Having appeared in the iconic opening scene of the first film and on its poster, Drew Barrymore is strongly associated with the franchise. The series has also featured many notable actors making single-film appearances in supporting cast roles or as cameos.
McFarlane Toys produced a 6-inch figurine of Ghostface in 1999 for the "Movie Maniacs II" series of horror and science fiction inspired line of character models. A series of figures were produced by NECA for Scream 4 featuring the standard mask and black cowl plus variations such as "Zombie Ghostface" with a decayed appearance on the mask and "Scarecrow Ghostface" with brown, burlap material used for the mask and clothing.
Ghostface has been parodied and referenced numerous times in media following his appearance in the Scream franchise, most prominently in the parody film Scary Movie (2000) where a killer dressed as Ghostface commits a series of murders. However, unlike the original film, the killer is revealed to be a single person; this parodic version of Ghostface later appears in the June 1, 2016 Erma comic strip, named "Prank Call", wherein the character is making prank calls whilst quoting Scream, alongside the series' titular character. In the parody film Shriek If You Know What I Did Last Friday the 13th (2000), a killer wearing a Jason Voorhees-style hockey mask is set on fire, his mask melting to resemble that of Ghostface. The film Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001) features Ghostface, as Shannen Doherty and Craven provide cameos as themselves making the then non-existent Scream 4, but Doherty objects when Ghostface turns out to be played by the orangutan, Suzann.