The best part of the Scream franchise? That beyond being standard horror movies, the films are also pretty fun murder mysteries! The first Scream owes more to Agatha Christie than Tobe Hooper, and that's probably what has kept fans coming back for the future installments. (Either that, or the massive amounts of Karo-infused fake blood and jump scares.) In honor of this, Movieline has assigned odds to the cast of Scream 4 in an attempt to figure out just which individual (or individuals -- SFX: thunderclap) is responsible for the latest round of carnage. Click ahead, but beware: unintentional spoilers may abound!
[The odds below are based on nothing but knowledge of the Scream franchise, the promotional materials for Scream 4, common sense, and wishful thinking.]
Stars: Shenae Grimes, Lucy Hale, Kristen Bell, Anna Paquin, Aimee Teegarden, Brittany Robertson.
Reason they won't be the killers: Anywhere from one to six of these young ingenues will probably be killed in the opening moments of Scream 4.
Reason they will be the killers: They won't.
Odds: 1000-to-1.
Stars: Courteney Cox and David Arquette as Gale and Dewey.
Reason they won't be the killers: It's Gale and Dewey!
Reason they will be the killers: They've learned so much about masked murder sprees from the previous three films that it almost seems like a waste if they don't at least try doing it once. Plus, think about all the opportunities for marital bonding.
Odds: 900-to-1.
Star: Alison Brie as Sidney's book publicist Rebecca.
Reason she won't be the killer: It sure looks like the lovely Ms. Brie is about to meet her Scream 4 end in this picture.
Reason she will be the killer: Imagine having to deal with whiny Sidney on a book tour? You might snap too.
Odds: 300-to-1.
Stars: Adam Brody and Anthony Anderson as Woodsboro deputies Hoss and Perkins.
Reason they won't be the killer: Judging from the trailer for Scream 4, they both likely meet a grisly -- and Keystone Cop-y -- end.
Reason they will be the killers: Brody was perfectly menacing in Jennifer's Body, so he certainly has the onscreen skill-set to be a psychopath; Anderson, not so much -- but maybe he can stretch his acting muscles.
Odds: 200-to-1.
Star: Emma Roberts as Sidney's niece Jill.
Reason she won't be the killer: She's Sidney's niece! She's Julia Roberts' adorable niece! She's the non-original-trio leading actress!
Reason she will be the killer: Since everything Sidney touches turns into a stabbing, perhaps the mere fact that Jill is related to her has poisoned this well.
Odds: 125-to-1.
Star: Hayden Panettiere as Jill's beffie Kirby.
Reason she won't be the killer: Kirby is the wise-cracking, blond, movie-buff best friend. Those types of characters are never the killer... they're usually the killed. (R.I.P. Randy and Tatum.)
Reason she will be the killer: Someone needs to pay for giving her that haircut.
Odds: 100-to-1.
Star: Marley Shelton as Deputy Judy Hicks.
Reason she won't be the killer: With the exception of Laurie Metcalf (!), most of the Scream killers have been petulant kids and misunderstood goofs. Not authority figures.
Reason she will be the killer: Have you noticed how little Shelton has appeared in the marketing thus far? Judging from that, she's either the killer, or totally gone within 20 minutes.
Odds: 75-to-1.
Star: Marielle Jaffe as best friend Olivia.
Reason she won't be the killer: She plays the best friend of Jill and Kirby, which basically means she should wear a sign around her neck which reads, "I'm dead."
Reason she will be the killer: As an actress, Jaffe is just not famous enough so that her reveal as Ghostface would come as a legitimate shock.
Odds: 50-to-1.
Star: Nico Tortorella as Jill's ex-boyfriend Trevor.
Reason he won't be the killer: Having the mysterious and creepy ex-boyfriend of the protagonist act as the killer is so 1996.
Reason he will be the killer: He's the mysterious and creepy ex-boyfriend of the protagonist. In real life Tortorella was just cast as the villain in Odd Thomas -- perhaps the producers of that film know something we all don't?
Odds: 20-to-1.
Star: Mary McDonnell as Jill's mother Kate.
Reason she won't be the killer: McDonnell plays Jill's mother, and as previously noted, authority figures are rarely the killer in these movies.
Reason she will be the killer: She kinda looks like Laurie Metcalf.
Odds: 17-to-1.
Stars: Rory Culkin and Erik Knudsen as cinema club nerds Charlie and Robbie.
Reason they won't be the killer: They're the movie nerds, which means their ambition-levels are probably somewhere around, "Nah."
Reason they will be the killers: There would be something pretty meta about having the horror movie geeks be the killers in a horror movie. Also, they just look like meanies in the trailer. These aren't cute and loveable nerds like Randy! (R.I.P. Randy.)
Odds: 11-to-1.
Star: Neve Campbell as Sidney.
Reason she won't be the killer: Neve Campbell is the star of the movie, and Sidney Prescott acts as the audience entry point into the Scream world.
Reason she will be the killer: Oh, come on. Sidney being the Scream killer has been a long time coming, and the trailers have done well to mostly hide Neve Campbell as best they can. Screenwriter Kevin Williamson said he has notes for a fifth and sixth film; is it really believable that those potential future films would focus on Sidney -- especially when a ready-made future franchise leader like Emma Roberts is in the new cast? Call me crazy -- too late -- but this just feels right.
Odds: 8-to-1.
Thoughts? Leave 'em in the comments section, but be mindful of spoilers!