Billy Loomis: Who He Is, Who Plays Him and What Happens to Him
Billy Loomis is Sidney Prescott's boyfriend in Scream (1996), played by Skeet Ulrich and directed by Wes Craven, and Ulrich is credited in the role again in Scream (2022) and Scream VI. He is one of the most discussed figures in the Scream movies, and his arc, his family and his fate all sit behind spoiler flags below.
Who Plays Billy Loomis?
Who Is Billy Loomis in Scream?
Billy Loomis is the boyfriend of Sidney Prescott in Woodsboro, California, in Scream (1996), played by Skeet Ulrich. He is billed second in the cast, directly behind Neve Campbell.
The film opens with a masked caller who quizzes Casey Becker about horror movies and then kills her and her boyfriend. Sidney, whose mother died a year before, is attacked at home by the same killer in a black robe and ghost mask, which is the first appearance of Ghostface. She fights him off, and suspicion lands on Billy, who is held by the police and then released. At the start, then, he is the boyfriend who looks guilty, and the film lets you decide how much to trust him.
In the credits of the first film he is simply "Billy". In Scream (2022) and Scream VI he is credited as Billy Loomis, with Ulrich in the role both times. If you are new to the series, the Scream movies in order guide shows where each film sits, and the Scream characters index places Billy beside the rest of the ensemble.
Billy Loomis Films
Why Did Billy Become Ghostface? His Story ArcSpoilers
Billy became a Ghostface because he held Maureen Prescott responsible for the collapse of his family, and he aimed that grudge at her daughter Sidney. The film hides this until its final act, so for most of Scream (1996) he reads as a worried boyfriend who happens to be the police's favorite suspect.
The unmasking happens during the party at Stu's house. Sidney lets her guard down with Billy, and moments later he walks out beside Stu Macher as one of the two killers. Why did Billy stab Stu so much? The plot only says that the pair wound each other so their account of the night would look believable, and that they meant to pin everything on Sidney's father. No further reason is given. Sidney, with a wounded Gale Weathers and Dewey backing her up, reverses the situation, kills Stu and then shoots Billy in the head after he gets up once more.
The grudge outlives him. In Scream 2, the reporter Debbie Salt turns out to be Nancy Loomis, Billy's mother, who seeks revenge on Sidney and says she killed Randy for slandering her son.
Billy's legacy then passes to his child. In Scream (2022), Sam Carpenter reveals she is his secret daughter and is haunted by visions of him. In Scream VI, Sam defeats Wayne Bailey while wearing the Ghostface costume that once belonged to her father, then discards his mask as she leaves.
Billy Loomis Relationships: Sidney, Stu, Nancy and Sam
Billy's relationships are mostly defined by betrayal: his girlfriend Sidney, his partner Stu, his mother Nancy and his daughter Sam. Each one shows a different side of him.
Sidney Prescott. Billy is Sidney's boyfriend, and the reveal comes right after she gives in to him. His stated reason for the killings is her mother, so Sidney becomes the target of a grudge she had no part in. Sidney Prescott is also the one who ends him.
Stu Macher. Stu is the other killer, and the two stab each other so their story holds together. They are partners with a shared plan, and the plot says no more than that.
Maureen Prescott. Maureen is the reason Billy gives for everything: he blamed her for breaking up his family.
Nancy Loomis. Billy's mother returns in Scream 2 as the partner of Mickey, working under the name Debbie Salt. She wants revenge on Sidney, and she says she killed Randy for slandering her son.
Sam Carpenter. Sam is his secret daughter. Sam Carpenter keeps his name as a secret in Scream (2022) and uses his costume in Scream VI, where she also fights alongside her sister Tara Carpenter.
Is Billy Loomis Dead? His Death and FateSpoilers
Billy Loomis is dead: Sidney shoots him in the head at the end of Scream (1996), after he rises one last time.
The ending leaves Billy and Stu both dead and the killings over, with Gale reporting from outside the house while Sidney, Dewey and Randy are tended to. So, is Billy still alive in Scream 2? No. What survives him is his family's grudge, first through his mother Nancy in Scream 2, who is finished off by Sidney with a shot to the head, and later through his daughter Sam.
Skeet Ulrich is credited as Billy Loomis again in Scream (2022) and Scream VI, though Billy stays dead, and in Scream (2022) Sam is troubled by visions of him. The next chapter is Scream 8, which is in development with no release date announced.
Best Billy Loomis Moments, Ranked by Impact
In my opinion, Billy's best moments are the ones where Scream (1996) turns the boyfriend into the villain in a single scene. Here is my short list.
1. The reveal at Stu's house. Billy and Stu step out together as the two killers. It could be argued that the scene works because Sidney has just trusted him, and the cruelty of the timing is the scare, more than any knife.
2. The fake wounds. Billy and Stu stab each other so the story looks believable. Perhaps it is the film's cleverest touch, since it turns the genre's own habits against the audience.
3. The last rise. Sidney has already dealt with Stu, and Billy gets up one more time before she shoots him in the head. Paradoxically, the film saves its most horror-movie beat for the very end, and I think it is the right place for it.
4. The mask in Scream VI. When Sam drops her father's mask and walks off into the city with Tara, the character gets a quiet send-off. To see how the whole run fits together, read the Scream timeline or the Scream rules.
Facts
- Scream (1996) was released in the US on December 20, 1996. Box Office Mojo, checked 2026-11-03
- Scream (1996) was directed by Wes Craven. TMDB, checked 2026-11-03
- Skeet Ulrich is billed second as Billy in Scream (1996). TMDB, checked 2026-11-03
- Scream (1996) had a budget of $15 million and earned $173,046,640 worldwide. The Numbers, checked 2026-11-03
- Scream (1996) runs 112 minutes. TMDB, checked 2026-11-03
- Skeet Ulrich is credited as Billy Loomis in Scream (2022), billed eleventh. TMDB, checked 2026-11-03
- Scream (2022) was released in the US on January 14, 2022. Paramount, checked 2026-11-03
- Skeet Ulrich is credited as Billy Loomis in Scream VI, billed fourteenth. TMDB, checked 2026-11-03
- Scream VI was released in the US on March 10, 2023. Yahoo Entertainment, citing Deadline, checked 2026-11-03
FAQs
Who plays Billy Loomis in Scream?
Skeet Ulrich plays Billy Loomis. He is billed second in Scream (1996), and he is credited as Billy Loomis in Scream (2022) and Scream VI.
Why did Billy become a Ghostface? (Spoiler warning)
In Scream (1996), Billy blames Sidney's mother, Maureen Prescott, for breaking up his family. He and Stu Macher carry out the killings together and plan to frame Sidney's father.
Why did Billy stab Stu so much? (Spoiler warning)
In Scream (1996), Billy and Stu stab each other so their story of surviving the night looks believable, as part of a plan to frame Sidney's father. The plot gives no other reason for the wounds.
Does Billy Loomis have children, and is he alive in Scream 2? (Spoiler warning)
Billy has a daughter: in Scream (2022), Sam Carpenter reveals she is his secret daughter. He is not alive in Scream 2, since Sidney shoots him in the head at the end of Scream (1996), but his mother, Nancy Loomis, seeks revenge under the name Debbie Salt.
Did Billy ever love Sidney?
The film never settles it. Billy is Sidney's boyfriend, and the reveal follows right after she gives in to him, but his stated motive is his grudge against her mother. Any reading beyond that is interpretation.
How old is Billy Loomis, and did Stu have a crush on Billy?
Billy's age is never stated in the plot or the credits of Scream (1996), and no birth date is given. The plot presents Billy and Stu as killing partners, and nothing in the story states a crush.