Scream (2022) Ending Explained

Warning: Full spoilers follow for 2022’s Scream. If you're wondering if there's a post-credits scene in the movie, we'll tell you right here: There is no post- or mid-credits scene.

Do you like scary movies? Some 25 years after the original came out, the Scream franchise is back in theaters with a super-meta slasher flick that only adds to the prolific body count of the Ghostface killer… or killers, rather. Directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett (Ready or Not), this movie updates the Scream saga for a modern audience while also going back to basics.

And we’re here to break it all down for you, including diving into what the Scream 2022 (a.k.a. Scream 5) ending means and where the franchise could go from here. And be sure to read our Scream review while you're at it.

Scream (2022)’s Ghostface Killer Revealed

So of course the big question is: Who’s the killer in Scream 5?

Just like in the original, there are two Ghostface killers here. The first is Jack Quaid’s character Richie Kirsch, boyfriend to our main heroine, Sam Carpenter, who is played by Melissa Barrera. It just so happens that Sam is revealed to be the secret daughter of Billy Loomis, the original Ghostface killer… or one of the original Ghostface killers, actually. The lesson here? Always look at the love interest!

The other killer in the new Scream is Amber Freeman (Mikey Madison), the friend of Sam’s sister Tara. This pair mows down most of the new characters and also take out legacy characters alike before finally revealing themselves in the third act.

But how did we get here?

The film has the classic Scream opening as the Ghostface killer terrorizes and attacks a teenage girl, in this case Tara, as she’s home alone in the town of Woodsboro, California. This time, however, the girl lives and her sister Sam, now living in Modesto, rushes back to be with her.

But Sam’s got a secret. As a teen, she learned that she’s the daughter of Billy Loomis. Running away from whatever hereditary destiny may be in store for her, she left Woodsboro as soon as she could and has been taking meds to shut out the visions she’s been having of her young, bloodied dad (played by a heavily CG’d Skeet Ulrich, reprising his role from the original).

Anyway, once Sam gets to Woodsboro, a townsperson related to one of the former victims is killed and she realizes that this is only the beginning for the new Ghostface Killer. Many of Tara’s friends and acquaintances are related to prior franchise characters, placing huge targets on their backs, and it’s up to Sam to put an end to the threat. This is where the original film’s surviving trio come in: Sam recruits former Sheriff Dewey Riley (David Arquette) to help protect Tara and her sister’s friends. And Dewey reaches out to Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) and Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox) to warn them to not return to Woodsboro.

Unfortunately, Ghostface slashes up the town, killing Sheriff Judy Hicks (Marley Shelton) and her son Wes (Dylan Minnette) at their home. This is where on-again/off-again couple Gale and Dewey reunite and rehash how their relationship ended.

With the whole sheriff’s department at the Hicks house, Sam realizes Tara is left unattended, so she and Dewey race to the hospital only to find Ghostface attacking Tara and Richie. Dewey riddles Ghostface’s body with bullets and gets the three to an elevator before staying behind to finish Ghostface for good. Unfortunately, the masked psycho kills Dewey. 

At the hospital, Gale arrives to see Dewey’s body, and shortly after Sidney arrives to comfort her friend. At the same time, Sam decides to take Tara out of Woodsboro immediately. As a fellow final girl, Sidney offers her help to stop Ghostface, but Sam rejects it and leaves with her sister and boyfriend. Using a tracker, Sidney and Gale follow the trio to Amber’s house (which just so happens to be the same house that Stu Macher, the other Ghostface from the first film, commited a couple of murders at after throwing a house party).

Once the house party gets cleared out, Richie finally reveals himself as one of the Ghostface killers – he’s a rabid superfan of the Stab movie franchise (the in-universe series based on the Woodsboro killings) and he teamed up with Amber to stage a new series of killings in order to bring glory back to the franchise after years of being disappointed by it.

After seeing her dad in a mirror, Sam finds the Ghostface blade and, warning never f#@k with the “daughter of a serial killer,” stabs Richie a bunch of times. Meanwhile, Sidney and Gale fight Amber, who is remarkably resilient. Gale asks Sidney if she wants to do the honors, but Sidney says, “It’s all yours” and tosses Gale the gun, who she shoots Amber. Amber then falls onto the stove and catches on fire. 

Once again, the threat of the Ghostface killer is put to an end and order is restored to Woodsboro. For now.

Is There a Scream End Credits Scene?

This one is easy: There are not post- or mid-credits scenes in Scream 2022.

What’s Next for the Scream Series?

So where does the new Scream movie leave the franchise now?

The Ghostface killers are dead but that’s happened many times before and a new Ghostface always rises again to terrorize the residents of Woodsboro. So if Paramount Pictures wants to make more Scream movies after this, they certainly could. One of the most impressive accomplishments of this take on the franchise is that it presents a future where Sidney Prescott doesn’t have to be involved. The Carpenter sisters’ story sets up a whole new target for future Ghostfaces thanks to their secret father, while the Meeks-Martin twins (Mason Gooding and Jasmin Savoy Brown) manage to fill Jamie Kennedy’s Randy Meeks role from the original trilogy, while also taking on Dewey’s (formerly) unkillable mantle.

Meanwhile, the return to Stu Macher’s house has reinvigorated theories that half of the original Ghostface duo could still be alive. The Matthew Lillard character was pretty beaten up by the end of the 1996 original, and presumed dead, but we never see any kind of concrete proof that he didn’t make it out of that kitchen. With his parents’ obvious resources and no one ever coming after Sid and company for the death of their son, who’s to say ol’ Stu isn’t simply biding his time? And now, with his best friend returning in spectral form, what better time for his return than in Scream 6. Or is it Scream 2? Whatever, the next one! 

But what did you think of Scream? Where should the franchise go from here? And is this the last we’ve seen of the Ghostface killer? Let us know what you think in the comments! And for more on the film, check out our How to Watch Scream feature.