Skeet Ulrich, who played Billy Loomis, one of the two antagonists in the original Scream, says nobody knew if it was his character or Matthew Lillard's Stu who killed the film's many victims. Wes Craven's Scream was a revelation of sorts when it was released in 1996, due in part to its revolutionary approach to the horror genre itself. The self-aware nature of the film called attention to the many horror tropes established in the previous decade, resulting in a unique tone that nobody had ever seen before. The film spawned four sequels, with a fifth, titled Scream, set to release early next year.
One of the film's many revelations is that the masked killer who had been terrorizing people the entire movie was two killers who were working together and sharing the iconic Ghostface disguise. The genius move made it impossible for audiences to guess who the killer was among the high school students in the movie because every time it seemed apparent who was behind everything, Ghostface would show up in the same scene, seemingly clearing that character of any suspicion. The film's climax reveals that Billy and Stu had been working together the whole time, but the film doesn't clarify which one of them committed each murder.
In a new interview with Collider, Skeet Ulrich has revealed that, behind the scenes, nobody knew who killed whom either. According to Ulrich, it was never even discussed. He recognizes fans have been debating the matter for years and suggests that the debate continues as a testament to the genius of director Wes Craven. However, he does concede that some of the murders are easier to solve than others due to when his character appears on-screen. Check out Ulrich's full comment below:
“Nobody ever knew, to be honest. [Laughs] There were no conversations about it. I know that for insurance reasons etc., Ghostface had to be a stuntman. But yeah, we didn’t know and it never really was part of the conversation. Now though, going to conventions and stuff, I hear it’s a big, burning question and people have theories and have figured things out. And yet, I know Matt Lillard had a conversation with Kevin Williamson and he never thought out who was doing what. I guess that kind of speaks a little bit to the genius of Wes, that people feel like they have clues in there as to who was who. And I think some are more obvious than others in hindsight, obviously. If I’m appearing right after, it’s clearly not me.”
Ulrich even mentions that Lillard spoke with Kevin Williamson, the film writer, and even he hadn't figured that out. Considering how thought-out scripts and stories must be before going to camera, it's a surprising revelation that the question hadn't even resulted in any conversations behind the scenes. While it can be assumed, using Ulrich's logic, that the attack on Sidney when she's home alone is perpetrated by Stuart since Loomis appears shortly afterward, the person responsible for the initial attack that opens the film against Drew Barrymore's character is likely never to be conclusively answered.
Ultimately, it's for the film's good that such fan debates have continued for so many years after its release. That a film can remain culturally significant and be the subject of so many conversations and friendly arguments for 25 years after its release is no small feat. It remains to be seen whether the new Scream film will recapture the energy and tone of the original – it does include many of the original cast members, after all – but hopefully, audiences will still be talking about it many years after its release.
Source: Collider
