The best theory about the Scream 2022 Ghostface reveal has pegged Dewey as the killer, but the Scary Movie franchise has made this twist impossible. Scream 2022 brings the franchise’s main characters back to Woodsboro, once again facing another homicidal villain in the Ghostface mask. Almost all seven Ghostface killers have been related to one of the main characters, but Scream 2022 has already given a major clue to the new Ghostface along with an exciting twist - it’s one of the 12 characters on the new poster, which includes Dewey, Gale, and Sidney.
The new Scream's hint to the new Ghostface killer has led to an abundance of fan theories on which character will be the murderer. Sidney, Dewey, and Gale are heading back to the Ghostface killer’s origins in the 2022 film, which includes returning to Stu’s house. Along with the major clue that the killer is one of the new main characters, many have theorized these connections to mean that a beloved franchise staple could have been a murderer all along. Considering the Scream franchise is coming back after a decade, and the new film has taken extreme precautions to keep the new Ghostface’s identity a secret, all signs point to the killer being a familiar face, with many fans believing the murderer to be Dewey Riley (David Arquette).
The entire Scream franchise has been based on the twist reveals of who the new Ghostface killer is, who are typically new characters in each sequel. The killer twist premise from Scream has most notably been satirized in the Scary Movie parody movies, which mock a wide variety of horror films but find their plot basis in the Scream franchise. As such, plenty of scenarios from the Scream movies that would be ridiculous or unthought-of are typically implemented in the Scary Movie plots. While Scary Movie was released long before the notion of Dewey being a possible killer became a reality, its parody of the character has unintentionally ruined this Scream 2022 Ghostface twist.
Why Dewey Is Scream 2022's Best Possible Killer
As the second main character of the Scream franchise, revealing Dewey to be the killer would be an incredible twist, not to mention a major betrayal of both Sidney and Gale. Sidney has never been able to trust anyone after the events in 1996, and Dewey and Gale were the only real exceptions. Proving that Sidney’s luck simply gets worse as the Scream movies progress, revealing Dewey as the killer would make him Sidney’s greatest foe yet. Throughout the first four Scream movies, Dewey was always there to protect Sidney, but what if he really wasn’t? Revealing Dewey as the killer would rewrite everything Scream fans think they know, especially considering he became Woodsboro’s sheriff. Dewey’s protective nature, perceived innocence, and good-hearted persona make him the last character one would suspect of secretly being a cold-blooded, calculated murderer - which is exactly what makes him the best returning Scream 2022 character to be revealed as the killer.
All The Evidence Dewey Was Always A Killer In Scream
While Scream 2022’s trailers and promotional materials point to Dewey as a possible suspect, there have been clues throughout the entire franchise that support him having always been a killer. The biggest clue from 1996's Scream is that Dewey happens to suffer the same shallow knife cuts as Stu and Billy when they’re trying to stab each other as a cover-up, suggesting they may have done the same to Dewey if he was working with them. Additionally, Dewey was the only character to provide Billy an alibi after Sidney began to suspect him of being a killer, with Dewey having conveniently been the person to talk to him at the police station. The coincidences go even further in Scream’s first film, as Stu and Billy's Ghostface killers were known to have worn police-issue shoes, which wouldn’t have been easy to come by in 1996 without an inside connection. Dewey wears these same shoes, implying that he may have issued Stu and Billy the police footwear. Scream viewers also had an issue with Dewey’s nonchalant reaction to his sister Tatum’s murder, suggesting she was just collateral in his homicidal mission.
This notion is supported even further by the fan theory that Dewey has been in love with Sidney all along, which is why he has helped orchestrate so many killing sprees around her. This would make sense with Dewey always being so close to the action, feeling overly protective of Sidney, and never letting her become victim to the many Ghostfaces. Throughout the rest of the franchise, there have already been characters like Derek and Randy in Scream 2 who have suspected Dewey of putting on a charade, but their accusations have always been brushed off. Additionally, Dewey is always injured in some way during each movie, but they’re never fatal.
In Scream 3, Dewey is attacked multiple times by Roman, but he only ever punches Dewey in the face or slices his arm, which is extremely out of character for someone who has been on a brutal murder spree. While many of these instances truly could be coincidences, director Wes Craven revealed that Dewey was thought to be a possible third killer in the original Scream movie, thus proving his innocence doesn’t fool everyone.
How Scary Movie Stole Scream 2022's Best Twist
Dewey being revealed as the killer mastermind behind Scream’s Ghostface murders would be a massive and exciting twist, but the original Scary Movie plot already stole this surprise. Picking up on the theory that Dewey’s apparent unintelligence and boyish nature may have been an act, Scary Movie ended with the twist that Doofy (the spoof character of Dewey) was the killer all along. In Scary Movie, Ray and Bobby (Stu and Billy) are stabbing each other and threatening to kill Cindy’s (Sidney) dad because they’re copying the killer, revealing they’re not the actual Ghostface. The real killer then enters and murders the two but escapes after a fight with Cindy.
The sheriff then reveals that Doofy was Scary Movie's killer all along and had faked his disability, but has quickly left town with Gail (Gale). Since Scary Movie caught onto the Dewey twist back in 2000, it wouldn’t have the same effect for Scream 2022 to enact the same plot. Since it was enacted back in a parody movie that mocks the outrageous twists of slasher movies, and particularly Scream itself, it wouldn’t be a good look to copy a spoof film’s satirical killer-reveal twist. After the buildup of events from the first four movies, revealing Dewey as Ghostface would be more justified in Scream 2022, but Scary Movie has effectively killed the shock factor of this ending.
