It has been a rocky time to be aScreamfan. With star,Melissa Barrerafired fromScream 7andJenna Ortegaand directorChristopher Landonleaving the project, the future of the franchise has been looking pretty bleak. However, what casual moviegoers might not know is thatthe Ghost Face brand pre-preexisted the originalScreamfilm by five yearsand has a scary life all its own outside the popular slasher series. Created by Fun World, the iconic killer started as just a simple spooky Halloween mask with the brand exploding once Scream debuted in 1996. Now various versions of the Ghost Face killer have been unleashed in a new board game from the aptly named Stop The Killer Games.
“Everybody’s a Suspect!”
Ghost Face: The Gametakes place in a small Pennsylvania town’s drive-in movie theaterafter someone has taken on the Ghost Face mantle and started killing the local residents. With up to four players, it’s your job to find out who is under the deadly mask, stopping them before they kill everyone at the drive-in triple-feature. That might sound simple enough, but various twists to this whodunit mystery make the game extra haunting. One of which is that you have no idea if you’re the killer or not at first.There is one space on the board that allows you to find out if you’re one of the Ghost Faces. If that’s the case, your objective changes to a bloodthirsty killing spree. There can be up to three killers in any given game, so just like in the movies: “Everybody’s a suspect!”
There are nineGhost Facesin total, from the classic white mask to the “Chrome Face,” which gained popularity inScream (2022). The game also includes a double-sided board featuring original artwork, a 16-page game guide, a collectible poster and sticker, and many more scary goodies for horror fans to sink their teeth into. Stop The Killer Games have become genre pros at this point as they’ve previously released Halloween II: The Game and My Bloody Valentine: The Game. This may not be the first Ghost Face-centric game to be made, as Funko releasedScream: The Gamelast year, but from start to finish, this looks like a much more involved and time-consuming thrill ride in comparison.
The Future of ‘Scream’ Is Up in the Air
Over the last couple of years,Screamwas an unlikely success story in the horror community. After eleven years away, Ghost Face returned to the big screen alongsideNeve Campbell,Courteney Cox,David Arquette, and a new lovable generation of potential suspects.Scream(2022) was a success because it was a scary-good love letter to the franchise andWes Cravenwhile also ushering in a bright future. That future was brilliantly expanded upon with the new “Core 4” taking center stage in last year’s smash hitScream VI. Arguably the best sequel in the franchise, it took Ghost Face to new terrorizing heights which madethe wait forScream 7that much more grueling.
However, all that anticipation was shattered when the shocking firing of Barrera happened in late 2023. That caused a massive ripple effect felt throughout the entire franchise. Due to this,questions about Campbell returningto the franchise started flooding the internet as fans speculated whereScreamcould go without Barrera and Ortega. Should thefranchise finally die? Should it be completely rebooted? There’s still a lot that needs to be answered, but at least companies like Stop The Killer Games are keeping the spirit of the series alive in the meantime.
While we wait for horror fans’ questions to be answered,you can order your copy of Ghost Face: The Game for $69 USD. See the trailer for the latest installment in theScreamfranchise below and head over to Paramount+ to rewatch the slasher series to your heart’s content.
In the next installment, the survivors of the Ghostface killings leave Woodsboro behind and start a fresh chapter in New York City.
