Like Freddy Krueger before him, Ghostface is a slasher that has fun with their victims. It’s like a cat that seems sweet and playful, but then all of a sudden the paw comes down onto the mouse’s tail.” There’s this texture and erotic colour to his voice. “I knew it had to be a sexy voice and something interesting enough to keep the girl on the phone, even though she clearly wants to hang up. There is no denying the sexual tinge the Ghostface voice carries, and that is entirely by design as Jackson stated in a Vice interview published in 2019: He runs the gamut from friendly, flirty, sexy, to violent raving maniac. Jackson gets every mile he can out of his voicework as Ghostface. This allows for far more intimate and organic performances because a real conversation is happening instead of the filmmakers dubbing a voice in during post production. He is always off in the shadows, hidden from view while the phone conversations are being filmed. Jackson has noted in various interviews that one of the key aspects to his work as the character is that the different casts of each of the films never meet him on set. What Psycho did for showers, Jaws did to the beach, and Friday the 13th did for camp, Scream did for answering the phone. Every trill of a phone in the Scream franchise is fraught with tension. We instantly know danger is right around the corner and ready to pounce. When the phone rings and we hear those familiar dulcet tones, we know EXACTLY who is on the other end of the line. We’re not thinking “oh, somebody bad is calling.” Even though we know the killer is always going to be somebody new, Jackson’s instantly recognizable voice lets the audience immediately immerse themselves back into the world of Scream. What’s genius about the voice changer element is that it allows the Ghostface character to have a singular identity outside of the Father Death costume. They are new killers (or killer) with each new installment – yet, the voice remains the same due to the genius plot device of the voice changer Ghostface uses to mask their true identity. Like all of the aforementioned characters, there simply is no Ghostface without Jackson’s captivating performance.Īs we all know, Ghostface isn’t the same person who keeps coming back to kill more young and hip people every sequel. Jackson has been blessing us with his vocal performance as Ghostface since the very beginning, cementing the character as a new horror icon right out of the gate. There is one slasher character as equally recognizable for how they look as well as how they sound: Ghostface. Who is Freddy Krueger without Robert Englund’s distinctive cadence? Is there a Chucky if Brad Dourif hasn’t been knocking it out of the park as the stabby little bastard for over 30 years? There is no Jason Voorhees without Harry Manfredini’s iconic “ki ki ki ma ma ma.” Entire generations can’t even look at the ocean without hearing the all-time classic Jaws theme conducted by John Williams. There is no Michael Myers without John Carpenter’s legendary score. Horror icons are often associated with not just with the visual, but also with the auditory. He asks you: “What’s your favorite scary movie?” On the other end of the line a friendly, yet provocative voice answers back. You’re making a snack before you sit down to watch a spooky movie.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |