After decades of accolades and analyses, it is beyond safe to say that Scream (1996) is a horror movie classic. The teen slasher film took many elements of the genre, like meta commentary and common tropes, and gave them a fresh take through the heartbreaking story of Sidney Prescott. From Scream‘s lengthy opening scene featuring the ill-fated Casey Becker and her run in with the killer who would become known as Ghostface, it was clear that this film wasn’t just some run-of-the-mill, cheap bloodbath. It was a series of phone calls, moments, and one-liners that no one will ever forget.
Since then, a tenet of the Scream franchise is characters having a verbal run-in with Ghostface via telephone. There’s a good reason why the phrase “Hello Sidney!” is so popular. While there’s usually a humorous undertone in many of the phone calls, at their core they are downright scary and unsettling.
There are dozens of Ghostface phone calls in Scream, but these are the scariest ones in the franchise.
Note: Instead of referring to Ghostface as he or she depending on whom I think (or know) is under the mask, I will keep it simple. Ghostface is indeed his own character and entity within this universe, so I will refer to the character as “he.”
If You Hang Up on Me, You’ll Die Just Like Your Mother! (Scream 1996)
The first encounter that Sidney has with Ghostface starts with a phone call. From the moment that unassuming voice speaks, our forearm hairs are standing at attention. Unlike Sidney, who thinks it sounds kinda sexy, we know it is the precursor to splatter violence, thanks to Casey Becker. The conversation goes from lighthearted questioning to poking fun at horror tropes and back again as Sidney wonders if her horror loving pal Randy is playing a prank.
The hard switch from an unsettling yet seemingly joking vibe to Ghostface snarling that “If you hang up on me, you’ll die just like your mother!” takes Sid through a gamut of emotions. And, upon reflection, it sets up her phone relationship with Ghostface throughout the franchise: a mix of taunts, threats, snarky remarks, and painful emotional and verbal jabs. It is the moment that begins Sid’s unfortunate connection to Ghostface.
Do You Think It’s Over, Sidney?! (Scream 3)
Scream 3 is one of the weirdest ends to a planned trilogy (which we now know was not the end) ever. On one hand, there’s a Scooby Doo-esque adventure with Gale, Dewey, and the Stab 3 cast. On the other hand, it is a harrowing time for Sidney, who is questioning her sanity, deeply traumatized, and enduring the pain of fully understanding her mother’s tragic life.
This is a part of why Ghostface’s call to her secluded ranch is so darn scary. He’s aware of the mental trauma she’s endured since Scream 2, as evidenced by her “living like the Unabomber” away from family and friends. Ghostface plays on her emotions perfectly, masquerading as a victim of violence calling into Sid’s job for assistance. Then, the mood does a hard shift as the caller’s voice changes to her own mother’s, which makes her question what’s really happening in the moment.
Sidney’s realization that the call is coming to her home line and a well-timed news report of more deaths drives her out of hiding and into Roman’s twisted Hollywood world. While the voice changer is frankly a ridiculous concept in a film released in 2000, it is worth suspending disbelief for in this scene.
Randy Will Never Get the Girl (Scream 2)
It took us a whopping six movies for Ghostface to finally have a telephone chat with Gale. But that wasn’t the original plan for Ghostface. This cold killer called Gale’s cell phone in Scream 2, which Randy answers and unintentionally seals his fate. From the beginning, Ghostface puts Randy, Gale, and Dewey on edge.
While Randy does insert some great horror fan humor into the mix, like calling Showgirls a scary movie, Ghostface wants to cut through some flesh and scrape the bones beneath it. The mounting paranoia and, weirdly enough, the broad daylight with Ghostface’s voice is a chilling combination. And telling Randy that he will never be the hero nor win Sid’s heart is a verbal stab to the heart before the actual one occurs.
Answer the Questions, Kirby! (Scream 4)
Honestly, every Ghostface call in Scream 4 (the proper film, not all those fake out Stab openings) is pretty solid. But this one is one of the scariest and most intense in the franchise. Kirby is already in a high-anxiety space after seeing Ghostface (hello Jill) accost Charlie and tie him up Steve Orth-style. Ghostface invites Kirby, a big horror fan, to live a Stab movie scene instead of watching it. Ghostface begins a rapid fire questioning about villain weapons and even a multiple choice question, causing Kirby to (mostly) answer correctly in a panic. Her rattling off a list of horror films for the final question and Ghostface’s silence leading up to Charlie’s reveal as a killer is a wild twist in the third act.
This Isn’t a F**cking Movie! (Scream 4)
Let’s stay on Scream 4 for another moment. Sidney is a totally different person than she was in the previous film and it shows in this phone call. Any fear she had of a Ghostface killer is long gone after she finally found some catharsis through writing her life story. Sidney’s mindset shift from viewing herself as a victim to someone who controls her narrative, even in the face of violence, is evident from the moment she answers the phone simply saying “What?”
This call’s scariness is Ghostface’s very personal and venomous rage about Sidney leaving Woodsboro behind. (This had to be Jill on the phone.) Also, “I’m gonna slit your eyelids in half so you don’t blink when I stab you in the face!” is an inspired line, indeed.
In fact, the language in this Ghostface call is so wild that most YouTube videos are flagged.
Maybe You’re Too Weak for This Franchise… (Scream 2022)
When it comes to the “requel” Scream films, this phone call absolutely gets first place. Ghostface is stalking behind a seriously injured Tara at the always-abandoned Woodsboro hospital. (Seriously, where the hell is everyone?!) Surprisingly, it is Sam who accidentally gives Ghostface a ring on Richie’s phone. (Well, he is also Ghostface but not at the moment.)
The way Ghostface fires up the voice changer and gives Sam the choice to either choose her sister or Richie? The reverse Uno that Sam pulls when she reveals that she was faking panic to stall for time? Good stuff. Ghostface is sneering and menacing and I love to hear it.
Do You Wanna Die Tonight, Cici? (Scream 2)
Scream 2 didn’t open with a scary phone call. Instead, it saved Ghostface’s audio taunting for Buffy Gilmore… erm, I mean Sarah Michelle Gellar’s Cici Cooper. She’s a sorority girl on sober sister duties who doesn’t believe that life imitates art… until the Stab movie literally comes ringing in her ear. She certainly wishes it was her drunk on-and-off-again boyfriend/hookup buddy Ted, but it is not. Cici and Ghostface’s round of quick questions along with his taunting lines like the following:
“Do you wanna die tonight, Cici?”
“You wish it was Ted.”
“Don’t forget to set the alarm.”
All of it keeps the tension going right up until he pops out of the closet. Ghostface was all about zero games and all kills with this call, which is why it is on this scariest ones of all list.
Maybe It’s Time Someone Made a Buck Reporting Your Death! (Scream VI)
Gale and Ghostface have done many things together, from chasing each other around in a sound studio to falling down a flight of basement steps. But, it took six movies for Gale to finally get a phone call from Ghostface. From his audacity to announce himself as the killer to her boyfriend to her genius of calling him back to shoot him, it is certainly one of the best scenes in Scream VI. Ghostface knows exactly what to say to ruffle Gale’s feathers, like digging into her guilt over Dewey and pointing out her opportunistic ways. This Ghostface is angry with her specifically and it is a delight to hear their verbal sparring.
Casey Becker’s Opening Scene Fiasco (Scream 1996)
The OG. The Legend. The last on this list but THEE scariest Ghostface phone call of all-time! Casey Becker’s winding phone call is truly a masterclass in both acting and writing that laid the foundation for the entire franchise. The seemingly innocent flirting, the infamous “I wanna know who I’m looking at” line, threats to gut her like a fish… every moment that Casey and Ghostface are on the phone is perfection.
Decades and many views later, it will still fill fans to the brim with a sense of dread as Casey goes into a deep hole of fear. In fact, we think it is one of the best horror opening scenes of all-time… and perhaps in any genre, period. Roger L. Jackson may not be famous to those outside of the fandom. But, to Scream lovers, he is the voice acting GOAT who truly made Ghostface into his separate entity from those who dare to don the mask.