Laurie Metcalfbelieves her “character has the best reveal” in all theScreamfilms. Metcalf, who starred as Debbie Salt/Nancy Loomis in directorWes Craven’shorror sequelScream 2,was one of the two villains to don the Ghostface mask in 1997. Debbie, as die-hard fans already know, turns out to be the mother of Billy Loomis (Skeet Ulrich). Billy was one of the Ghostface killers in the originalScream. And at this year’s Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo, Metcalf declared Mrs. Loomis' reveal as the best of the entire horror franchise. Metcalf said (perCollider):
I think in the Scream movies, my character has the best reveal.
Mrs. Loomis also gets credit for one of the most heartbreaking kills of the entireScreamfranchise when she goes a “little knife happy” with Randy (Jamie Kennedy) in the 1997 sequel. Metcalf also dished about portraying her character’s dual identities during the same sit-down on stage with Collider’s Perri Nemiroff. Metcalf said:
“That was all on the page.I mean, all I had to do was… I guess I just sort of, in my head, split her apart andDebbie Salt, I just played as a villain.And thenNancy, I played as a rabid mother avenging her son.They were very separate in my head.There was no overlap.If you’re good at playing the lunatic, you basically,as an actor, you have a free pass to be as crazy as you want to be.”
Scream 2 Was ‘Overwhelming and Exciting’ for Film’s Other Ghostface
Billy Loomis’ mother (Metcalf) wasn’t alone when it came to being a cold-blooded killer inScream 2. Back in 1997, Timothy Olyphant was still an up-and-coming actor, but his character, film student Mickey Altieri, remains one of the most formidable Ghostface killers of all time. While Mickey’s demise ranks quite low among thebestGhostfacedeaths in theScreamfranchise,Olyphant remembers participating in Wes Craven’s sequel as an “overwhelming and exciting” experience. Olyphant said in an interview on theHappy Sad Confusedpodcast:
“I mean that whole movie was like overwhelming and exciting, and, you know, that’s back… that’s early. That’s me just trying to keep my head above water and pretend like I’m not freaking out inside. That was quite a job they gave me.I was still maybe lying on my resume when I got that gig.You know, I hadn’t really done a lot. Iauditioned at least twice,or maybe more to get the gig.
Huge opportunity,and then [I] showed up and everybody on that set was people I’d been watching on television and in film.Liev Schrieber made quite an impression’cause I was like, ‘This guy is the real deal.‘Laurie Metcalf,and just everybody involved.It was big.”
Ghostface Killers, Ranked: Who’s the Best Scream Villain?
In preparation for the new Scream film, we take a look at all the Ghostface killers from the entire franchise to find out who was the best.
Scream 2’smurderous film student, Mickey Altieri, remains one ofOlyphant’s best performancesnearly 30 years after the film first premiered in theaters. And Mickey plays a huge part in Nancy Loomis’ (Metcalf) reveal as one of the two killers in theScreamsequel. For those who’ve seen the film, it’s hard to forget the way Olyphant delivers Mickey’s famous line: “Billy’s Mother! Nice twist, huh? Didn’t see it coming, did you?” This is how Sidney (Neve Campbell) learns the true identity of Debbie Salt as she saunters in holding Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox) prisoner with a gun.
Whether Laurie Metcalf’s reveal is actually the best of the entireScreamfranchise is really up to each of the fans who love the horror franchise so much. However, ifScream 7plans to try and one-up the Mrs. Loomis reveal inScream 2, the filmmakers are going to have to dig deep and put forth a real Herculean effort. If somehow the powers-that-be and Melissa Barrera could mend their fences, after theactress was controversially fired from theScreamfranchise,oh what an unforgettable shock it would be if Sidney pulled off Ghostface’s mask to reveal Samantha Carpenter underneath!
Scream 2is available to stream onMax,at the time of this writing.
