Scream Star Shares Behind-the-Scenes Photos of That Shocking Franchise Return

For the past 25 years, each installment in the Scream series largely focuses on introducing audiences to new characters who are either terrorized by the murderous Ghostface or they themselves embrace the identity to carry out their treacherous crimes. The exceptions, of course, have been actors Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, and David Arquette, who have appeared in all five entries in the series, while Scream 4 introduced Marley Shelton’s character, who came back for this latest installment. This most recent film, however, featured an entirely unexpected return from a figure in the franchise’s history, with new behind-the-scenes photos showing off that return. The new Scream is in theaters now.

WARNING: Spoilers below for the new Scream

The debut film culminated in the reveal that the two killers responsible for the murders in Woodsboro were Matthew Lillard’s Stu Macher and Skeet Ulrich’s Billy Loomis, with the new film revealing that Melissa Barrera’s Sam character was the daughter of Billy. This meant that, as she attempted to cope with the terror unfolding in the small town, she had visions of Ulrich’s Billy, with the actor reprising his breakout role.

Ulrich himself took to Instagram to show off photos from his time on set, captioning the photos, “What year is it?? … Scream is #1 at the box office and Billy Loomis lives on…or does he??”

Fans of the franchise will also recognize that Ulrich sports the same look he had back in 1996 at the time of his death, including an era-appropriate hairstyle and clothing that reflects the fatal wounds he suffered.

This wouldn’t necessarily be the first time that a character in the franchise made a posthumous appearance, as Jamie Kennedy’s Randy was killed off in Scream 2 but, as the resident slasher expert, planned ahead to record a message to the survivors to give them tips on surviving Scream 3. Interestingly, this latest Scream featured another callback to a previous installment, as Randy’s sister Martha was played by Heather Matarazzo in Scream 3, who returned to reprise her role in this latest film, as her children were part of the social group that found itself targeted by Ghostface.

Another major surprise was the Easter egg reference by way of YouTube video that Scream 4‘s Kirby, who was played by Hayden Panetierre, had survived the attacks of the previous film, even if she herself didn’t make an actual return for the latest film.

Scream is in theaters now.

What did you think of Billy’s return? Let us know in the comments below or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter to talk all things horror and Star Wars!