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Dead by Daylight isn’t the only place you can find a roster of horror icons. Mortal Kombat has long been home to classic Kameo carnage. With the release of the Khaos Reigns expansion, Ghostface joins the likes of the Xenomorph, Leatherface, and T-1000 in the annals of MK canon. Kicking the smug snot out of Johnny Cage is reward enough, but there’s another big reason to put on the Scream mask. Ghostface’s new Mortal Kombat Fatality harkens back to last year’s Scream 6 with a tag-team kill as glorious as it is gory, but there are nostalgic treats for fans of the ’96 original as well.
Ghostface Gets a Fatal Partnership in MK 1
MK diehards may be busy celebrating the return of Noob Saibot and Cyrax, but ’90s horror kids have a new finishing move to contemplate. Ghostface’s gruesome Mortal Kombat Fatality is a direct reference to Scream 6, which features a similar kill. In it, two Ghostface killers stab their victim at the same time, concluding the attack with a synchronized knife-wipe. That’s exactly the knife-wipe we get in MK1, but the franchise’s double-killer legacy goes back much further. Multiple killers cooperating in the shadows is a theme dating back to the ’96 original.
If you’re a Scream fan you’ll appreciate the attention to detail here. The laughs, cloak flutter sounds, and general nastiness of the performance are prime Craven. From Freddy Krueger and Jason Voorhees to modern “love-to-hate-them”s like Omni-Man and Homelander, Mortal Kombat tends to do its guest characters justice. As a Scream fan, it’s a relief to see Craven’s meta murderer(s) getting the love they deserve. Khaos Reigns is also bringing Animalities back, so keep your fingers crossed there’s a killer Ghostface otter in our future.
Who’s Beneath the Mask?
Whether or not there’s a canonical answer, it’s fun to speculate who the Ghostface killers are in Mortal Kombat 1. Horror icons like Freddy and Jason are always the same person (if not the same actor) beneath the mask and makeup (ignoring Mrs. Voorhees). Scream is a special case, with several villains taking up the mask over the years. Without naming names and spoiling anything, it’s fun to picture the original film’s dynamic duo lurking beneath. No matter who the killer is, it’s nice to see them taking a break from tormenting Sidney Prescott for once.
It wouldn’t make a ton of sense for the killers from, let’s say, Scream 2 and 3 to team up. Still, Mortal Kombat lore takes some questionable turns, so you never know. It’s a universe in which Scorpion can throw down with Conan and the T-1000 without anyone batting an eye, after all. Whichever direction NetherRealm goes, it’s probably fine. Regardless of this gaping ghost’s motives, you can get try Ghostface’s new Fatality for yourself when Khaos Reigns in Mortal Kombat 1.
