In 1996, Wes Craven reinvigorated the slasher genre with the release of Scream. The film not only introduced Ghostface, (who would become) a new slasher film icon, but it also ushered in the “meta” horror film. While Scream may not have been the first film to play on horror tropes, it certainly was the most high profile. While Ghostface followed typical patterns of classic slasher films, the victims were in on it. They knew the slasher film rules, and attempted to use that knowledge to stay alive. The filmed helped make stars of much of the cast, and launched a long-running horror franchise that stayed fresh, relevant, and enjoyable for most of its run.
NECA pays homage to the character with their new Ghost Face Ultimate 7″ Scale Figure. The figure is scheduled to ship out sometime between the end of the month and December. The figure includes multiple masks, assorted knives, a fabric cloak, and a scythe. Our friends at NECA have sent over the figure or an advanced review. After the jump you can check out a detailed photo gallery and review for the new figure.
Ghost Face Ultimate 7″ Scale Figure by NECA Toys
Pros
- Four really good masks
- The glow-in-the-dark mask has a nice vibrant glow to it
- Nice assortment of knives
- Fabric cloak looks pretty good
- Wiring in the hood to help with displaying properly
- The scythe is a cool addition
- Solid articulation
Cons
- No cellphone
- Cloak seems a bit short
Overall
Ghostface, as a design, is relatively basic. The costume features simple off the shelf Halloween costume elements that were made scary by the fantastic performances of the actors who donned the mask. The costume is now officially known as “Ghost Face” (two words), while the character in the film is usually referred to in written form as “Ghostface” (one word). The new figure from NECA looks to be specifically licensing the costume and Ghost Face character from Fun World, which explains the absence of Scream branding. Looking over the last few Ghost Face reveals and releases, it appears that both NECA and Sideshow have gone this route. It also explains some of the included masks and accessories that aren’t from the films. So while this may not be a direct adaptation of the killer from Scream, it’s so close that I don’t think it’s going to matter to anyone. It’s just info that may be of interest to fans, and to maybe show how complicated licensing can be.
The Ghost Face figure includes a standard Ghost Face mask (seen Here), a Dripping Blood Ghost Face mask (seen Here), a Glow-In-The-Dark Ghost Face mask (seen Here), and a Zombie Ghost Face mask (seen Here). Also included are a second set of interchangeable hands, three blood covered knives, a voice changer, and a scythe. The cloak is a thin fabric that features wiring in the hood to help keep the shape and not look too loose. They also used tighter elastic around the wrists to stop the sleeves from sliding back on the arm. For those wondering, the torso underneath the cloak is a simple, and plan, black chest and legs. There are not details on those spots since they are meant to be fully covered by the cloak. The cloak could be a little longer though.
One of the big positives of licensing the character and costume elements from Fun World is that it has given NECA access to the assorted mask variations offered by the costume maker. So, fans of Scream can easily display the standard Ghost Face mask with a knife and voice changer, and have a solid version of the film character. The three additional masks, though, are all fantastic. The blood drip mask works as a nice variant of the basic mask. But the glow-in-the-dark and zombie masks have been really fun to snap photos of. The zombie mask reminds me a lot of the 2018 Michael Myers mask; A beat up and weathered version of the classic mask. The GitD mask has some nice luminescence to it, with the glow lasting about a minute before completely fading out. Each of the heads swap out with no trouble.
The figure itself has solid articulation. The double jointed elbows are welcome, and allow for more natural displays with the voice changer in hand. The torso is ball jointed at the chest, but has no waist articulation. Since you can’t see the waist or hips, it didn’t bother me and the ball jointed torso allowed me to get the poses I wanted. Joints were all perfectly fine. Nothing was overly tight, and I never needed to resort to a hair dryer. The included hands were easy enough to change out. One set is good for holding the knives and voice changer, while the alternate set works best with the scythe. The scythe itself is a more solid plastic with no warping issues. I do wish a cell phone was included to complete the look.
I think fans will be really pleased with the Ghost Face figure. You can easily display it as the character from Scream. but I found the real fun with the figure to be in the alternate masks. The cloak fits well, there’s a good range of motion in the joints, and it’s got a nice assortment of extras. Check out a selection of images below, and the full gallery after that.