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| Richie Kirsch | |
|---|---|
| |
| Richie Kirsch | |
| Franchise: | Scream |
| Notability: | Supporting character |
| Type: | Serial killer |
| Gender: | Male |
| Location: | Modesto, California |
| Relations: | Wayne Bailey (father; deceased) Ethan Landry (brother; deceased) Quinn Bailey (sister; deceased) |
| Status: | Deceased |
| Introduction: | Scream (2022) |
| Actor: | Jack Quaid |
Richie Kirsch is the main antagonist of Scream (2022). He was the ninth revealed Ghostface killer in the Scream film franchise. He also the first boyfriend-killer of the films since original Scream character, Billy Loomis, whose daughter he targeted to date, Sam Carpenter. Richie was the son of Wayne Bailey and an unnamed mother, and the brother of Ethan Landry and Quinn Bailey.
He met his partner girlfriend, 17-year-old Amber Freeman, on a subreddit for Stab in 2021. The pair devised a plan to make their own Stab movie to serve as both a reboot and sequel, following the disappointment of Stab 8 (2021) simply known as Stab, using Sam as a scapegoat for their killer. He and Amber are the second and third known Stab fanatic Ghostface killers, following Charlie Walker.
When Sam's sister, Tara Carpenter, is attacked by Ghostface, Richie returns to Woodsboro with Sam to 'support' her. After luring Sam to 261 Turner Lane, he attempts to trick her into believing Tara is the killer. She later violently murders him on Wednesday 29, September, almost 25 years to the day after the conclusion of the original massacre.
Richie was portrayed by Jack Quaid.
Biography[]
Background[]
Reddit and Stab's Social Influence[]
Richie was a millennial Redditor born in the early-mid 1990s to Wayne Bailey and an unnamed mother. He was a fan of the 1997 True Crime slasher, Stab starring Tori Spelling, Luke Wilson, David Schwimmer and Jennifer Jolie. He was a casual viewer of the sequels, but did not enjoy them much, feeling none of them had been as good as the original.
Richie was somewhat of a superfan, even going as far as making his own home fan films based on Stab with the support of his parents, an act they would later regret. His father, a police Detective, also helped him build a collection by stealing police evidence from the various Ghostface murder sprees, indulging his love of the films a little too much. His parents eventually gave birth to two more kids, Quinn and Ethan.
Similar to his predecessor Charlie Walker, he was another Stab fanatic. However, he was a purist to the original film, and felt he needed to "save the franchise". Just like so many other fans, he was disappointed with the direction of the intended franchise revival, the reboot film Stab 8 (2021), simply known as Stab, directed by Rian Johnson.
Johnson aimed to "reinvent" Stab, and had removed its core, meta-slasher whodunit element. He was, however, inspired by core characters from the Second Woodsboro Murders (2011), such as Judy Hicks whose massacre prevented Stab sequels following Stab 7 (2010) starring Kristen Bell. Richie, however, was infuriated by this, as no legacy characters made an appearance, including original Stab series heroine, Sidney Prescott, as well as Dewey Riley or Gale Weathers, did not appear.
Requel Plans and Meeting Samantha Carpenter[]
As a Redditor, he groomed 17-year-old Amber Freeman on the Stab subreddit, the two came up with a plan to create a "requel" to the movie. Using Sam Carpenter, Amber's friend's sister, as the basis. Samantha's connection to the legacy characters, being the daughter of Billy Loomis, would be used to tie them in.
Richie tracked down and approached Sam in March 2021, six months before the events of the fifth film, likely obtaining employment as her job where he got close to her and eventually struck up a romantic relationship with her, gaining her trust along the way.
2022 Woodsboro Legacy Murders[]
Six months after meeting Samantha, her sister Tara is attacked by Ghostface. After her surgery and recovery on the weekend, Sam is called by Wes Hicks on Monday, and she asks her to makes the decision to return to Woodsboro, with Richie offering to go with her to support her. During the drive, Richie claims that he's never seen the Stab movies. When they arrive in Woodsboro, they immediately visit Tara in the hospital.
Samantha agrees to stay with Tara in the hospital and Richie agrees to stay with them. Richie "catches up" on the Stab movies on Netflix. The next day, Sam is attacked. He is accused of being a killer by Amber, this all being a ruse to get the attention off each other.
Sam and Richie approach Dewey Riley for help and he immediately picks Richie as a suspect before joining them at the home of Chad and Mindy Meeks-Martin where Mindy picks that the killers are attempting to make a "requel" to Stab 8, and that the current attacks so far, Tara, Vince and Samantha, were all connected to the original killers, Billy Loomis and Stu Macher. When the group accuses Sam of being the Killer, she flees in anger.
After Judy Hicks is murdered, Sam spots the police officer who was supposed to be watching Tara in the hospital at the scene and she races to the hospital to save her.
When Tara hides in the hospital, Richie arrives and acts like he was called by Sam, and he is attacked by Amber to get the attention off him. Richie, Tara and Sam flee and Ghostface kills Dewey.
Sam, Richie and Tara decide to leave Woodsboro the following day, leaving Sidney Prescott and Gale Weathers to fight the Killer themselves. Along the way, Tara loses her inhaler, unaware that Richie stole it, and she asks them to stop at Amber's house to get it. They arrive at Amber's house, which was formerly Stu Macher's house, and they stop the party.
After an argument breaks out amongst the group, Amber reveals herself as the killer and Sam and Richie flee to the Basement where Richie attempts to pit Sam against Tara by planting a seed of doubt.
Sam abandons Richie deeming she has known her sister longer than him and goes upstairs to find Tara. When Sidney is attacked by Ghostface, Richie finally unmasks himself as Amber's accomplice and boyfriend. They fight and Richie overpowers Sam, while holding a gun to her head. Before he pulls the trigger, Sam angrily tells Richie never to mess with a serial killer's daughter and stabs him in the jaw with Amber's abandoned knife; the shock prevents him from pulling the trigger.
Sam proceeded to stab Richie many more times, leaving him bloodied and dying. With his last words, Richie asks about his ending, to which Sam grants him by slitting his throat. When Gale and Sidney come to see if she is alright, they warn her that they always come back. Sam shoots him three more times ensuring that he will never come back.
Aftermath of Death & The New York Ghostface Murders[]
After his death, there was strain in the Bailey family. After seeing photos of what Sam had done to Richie, Wayne wanted revenge and planned another killing spree with Quinn and Ethan. After failing to get his wife's support, he killed her with help from Ethan, and the trio moved to New York City to follow the Woodsboro Survivors to get revenge and frame Sam as the true killer and clear Richie's name.
Ethan manipulated the roommate lottery to get close to Chad and Quinn answered an anonymous ad to become roommates with Sam and Tara, and started an online subreddit pinning Sam as the killer. Around the same time, two students from Atlanta, Jason Carvey and Greg Bruckner, had been inspired by Richie to plan their own Ghostface killings. However, Wayne, Quinn and Ethan caught wind of the plan and killed both of them, beginning the New York Ghostface Murders.
Body Count[]
This was confirmed by the directers there's a difference in kill styles.
- Vince
- Wes
- Deputy clay