Scream 6 mirrored Scream 2 and revealed that one of the Ghostface killers was a vengeful parent, though in this case, all the killers were from the same family, and they were avenging Scream 5’s killer Richie Kirsch (Jack Quaid) – but where was the Bailey family during the events of Scream 5 and why didn’t Richie mention them to Sam? The Scream franchise seized the current wave of reboots and sequels in the horror genre with Scream 5, which brought the saga back to life, and its success made way for a sequel simply titled Scream 6, which continued the stories of the new generation of characters along with two legacy characters: Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox) and Kirby Reed (Hayden Panettiere).
Scream 6 took the audience to New York City, as the survivors of the 2022 Woodsboro massacre – Sam (Melissa Barrera), Tara (Jenna Ortega), Chad (Mason Gooding), and Mindy (Jasmin Savoy Brown) – moved there to start a new chapter in their lives far from trauma… but that wasn’t enough to stop the rise of a new Ghostface killer. Scream 6 marked a first in the saga by having three Ghostface killers, and they were all related: Detective Wayne Bailey (Dermot Mulroney), Quinn Bailey (Liana Liberato), and Ethan Landry (Jack Champion), who were revealed to be Richie’s father and siblings, who were never mentioned in Scream 5 – so where were they?
Richie Didn’t Mention His Family In Scream 5
When the audience met Richie in Scream 5, he was Sam’s boyfriend, and they even worked together at a bowling alley in Modesto, California. Sam and Richie’s relationship started six months before the events of Scream 5, yet she never knew his family. It’s unclear if Richie was from California or moved there as part of his plans for a “requel” of the Woodsboro murders, but his family, while aware of his love for the Stab film franchise, which Wayne indulged, most likely didn’t know about his “prequel” plans with Amber Freeman. Quinn mentioned during the first act of the movie that she and her father moved to New York City after the death of her brother, and that this loss had a strong impact on her father, and she wasn’t wrong, as he planned his revenge against Sam and Tara and convinced his children to help him.
Why Richie Hid His Family From Sam In Scream 5
Telling Sam about his family in Scream 5 would have been too risky for Richie given that his father was a cop, and it wouldn’t be surprising if he lied about his family to Sam in order to earn her trust. If Richie had been open about his family with Sam, letting her know that his father was a cop, Sam would have most likely expected him to ask Detective Bailey for help when a new Ghostface appeared in Woodsboro and targeted her, Tara, and her friends, which would have ruined his plans. Sam meeting Quinn and Ethan would have also been a problem for Richie and his “requel” plans, as they could have revealed Richie’s obsession with Stab, when Richie was actually faking not being familiar with any of them.
Richie needed to hide his family from Sam in order for his plans to work, as he couldn’t risk Sam asking his father for help for the murders he and Amber were committing nor could he risk Sam learning about his long-time obsession with Stab, which would have been an immediate red flag for her and her link to the original Woodsboro murders through her biological father, Billy Loomis. It’s unlikely that, if Scream 7 happens, it will answer the questions left by Scream 5 and 6 about the Kirsch/Bailey family as the saga has to move forward, but as strange or unbelievable as it might sound that Richie hid his family from Sam, it actually makes sense when looking at his plans and what was revealed about his family in Scream 6.
