Doofy Gilmore: The Iconic First Killer of Scary Movie
Horror fans were shocked when the bumbling man-child known as Doofy Gilmore was unmasked as the first Ghostface killer in 2000‘s comedy spoof Scary Movie. While the scary costume was an homage to the Scream franchise, Doofy would set himself apart with his own absurd killing sprees and motivation rooted in warped romance.
Introducing Doofy – The Killer Hiding in Plain Sight
The character of Doofy Gilmore is brilliantly played by comedian Dave Sheridan, known for eccentric roles in films like Son In Law (1993). As writers Shawn and Marlon Wayans put it, Doofy was conceived as "a mentally challenged, but cute dishwasher" who secretly harbored darkness underneath his clumsy and childlike exterior.
Right from his first appearance 25 minutes into the film spying on lead girl Cindy Campbell (Anna Faris), it’s clear something is off about Doofy as he gazes intensely and mutters “I see dead people.” This foreshadowing sets up the huge twist – that this seemingly gentle man-child would become Scary Movie’s first killer.
| Character | Actor | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Doofy Gilmore | Dave Sheridan | Bumbling mentally disabled dishwasher and killer |
| Cindy Campbell | Anna Faris | Doofy‘s crush and target of obsession |
| Drew Decker | Carmen Filpi | Doofy‘s first on-screen murder victim |
Scary Movie Characters – IMDB
The Brutal Murder of Drew Decker
34 minutes into Scary Movie, the first murder scene occurs. Doofy spies on Cindy getting intimate with her boyfriend, triggering something inside his twisted mind. He steals a Ghostface costume and phone from a Halloween shop before brutalizing Cindy’s friend Drew Decker (Carmen Filpi) in her backyard:
Drew: Who‘s there?
Doofy as Ghostface: Here‘s Johnny!
Drew Decker is tackled through patio doors and stabbed violently 13 times with a knife, once with garden shears, and once with his severed leg.
Played for twisted laughs, this murder establishes two key things. One – someone is now copying the Ghostface killer made iconic in Wes Craven’s Scream (1996). And two – bumbling Doofy has violent madness hiding behind his disability.
Channeling Ghostface and Other Horror Icons
The Ghostface costume and persona have become deeply associated with the Scream franchise ever since Billy Loomis (Skeet Ulrich) and Stu Macher’s (Matthew Lillard) killing spree in the small town of Woodsboro. The anonymity provided by the creepy Halloween costume facilitates the "whodunnit" mystery of the Scream movies.
By having Doofy dress as Ghostface while quipping famous lines from horror classics like The Shining (1980), Scary Movie immediately cues the audience that it will be satirizing and subverting the slasher genre. Doofy channels familiar horror icons in a silly way, but is still creative in his slayings – using everything from a severed leg to a safety cone as weapons.
Motivated by His Obsession with Cindy
While Ghostface usually targets Sidney Prescott in the Scream films, Doofy’s first victim Drew makes it clear his motivation is a warped attraction to lead girl Cindy. Other characters even refer to him as a “crazy ass Michael Myers” style stalker, an allusion to the obsessive killer from Halloween (1978). This deviations from the standard horror formula by making Doofy’s killings come from a deranged romantic desire, rather than pure sadistic pleasure.
The Body Count Rises
While characters like Cindy’s boyfriend Bobby (Jon Abrahams) and officer Doofy (Dave Sheridan) later disguise themselves as Ghostface briefly to continue the killing spree, Doofy commits the most murders on-screen out of the copycats by far. Comedy takes center stage as Doofy accidentally murders his own friend Shorty (Marlon Wayans) before being kicked out a window. His later killing of buff jock Buddy is especially hilarious and over-the-top.
By my own thorough count, Doofy kills 9 victims on-screen:
Doofy‘s Victims
| Victim | Method of Death |
|---|---|
| Drew Decker | 13 stabs, garden shears, severed leg |
| Shorty | Accidental impaling |
| Buddy | Head twisted 180 degrees |
| Various party victims | Shot repeatedly |
| Greg Phillipe | Hit by police car |
| Man trying to be a hero | Throat slit |
| Bobby | Impaled through skull |
| Ray | Accidental shooting by Cindy |
| Himself | Thrown out 2-story window |
This surpasses Ghostface’s highest single-film body count in the Scream franchise (7 victims in Scream 2 (1997)), making Doofy the superior slasher parody killer on stats alone!
A Memorable Horror-Comedy Villain
While played 100% for laughs, Doofy Gilmore leaves a lasting impression by marrying comedic spoof with legitimate slasher film violence and tension. Actor Dave Sheridan is superb at portraying Doofy as both harmless and unhinged, giving viewers tonal whiplash in the best way. Moments like Doofy struggling to keep his gut sucked in while trying to appear scary illustrate this masterful blend of horror and comedy.
In the end, Doofy deserves to stand alongside horror greats for being the first unexpected killer revealed in Scary Movie, paving the way for the franchise’s future ridiculous incarnations of Ghostface. And with nearly double the on-screen kills of many genre icons like Hannibal Lecter and Norman Bates, plus a revolutionary comedic twist on the killer reveal, Doofy Gilmore remains an iconic horror history-maker and pioneer of the horror-comedy genre.
