Review of Ghost Face - Scream
Ultimate Action Figure

Introduction

As time goes by, it gets harder and harder to find unique, creative ways to tell stories. That's how time works. This is particularly true with slasher films, where the premise is so basic that finding a different take can be daunting.

Yet, the great Wes Craven managed to come up with a great character in Ghostface. The film was called Scream, and he based his killer on the famous painting "The Scream" by Edward Munch. Of course, the movie went on to spawn several sequels, of varying quality.

The character has gotten a few iterations in the action figure world, and NECA actually has two out there right now. There's the 8" version, sort of their 'modern mego', but tonight I'm looking at the 7" version in their more standard 'ultimate action figure' series.

This figure is available at any retailer that carries NECA Ultimate figures, from Walmart to Target to lots of online stores. I received mine from Fun.com, where you can pick him up for $35.

Packaging - ***1/2
The basic boxes they use are well designed, with nice graphics and text, and most important - they are collector friendly. There's no reason to not open these babies up and enjoy them! If you're worried about their 'value', you can always put them back with no real harm.

Sculpting - ***1/2
There are a whopping four heads included with this figure. They come wearing the standard, white face, but there is also a bloody version, a glow-in-the-dark version, and a 'zombie' version. You'll see me use various ones in different photos through out the review.

The standard one is great, with the swooping eyes and elongated mouth. There is actually a cloth hood over these heads, and you slip it back to swap them. It works surprisingly well, and is much easier than I expected considering the scale.

While the zombie head is cool because of its uniqueness, and the GITD is an interesting choice, I think I'll be sticking with the standard look most of the time.

The figure stands about 7" tall, fitting in pretty well scale-wise with the many other horror icons NECA has produced in this line.

Paint - ***1/2
Like the sculpt, the paint work is solid. The standard look has a nice, bright white paint, and the bloody version has nice detailing. The GITD version works pretty well, but you'll need a very dark room to really appreciate it. It's really the zombie version that has the most paint detail, and the rotting color and crackling look fantastic.

A smart feature is the black back half of the heads. Painted to match the costume, it allows the various faces to blend in better with the cloth hood.

The various weapons also have a realistic paint job, and the blood effects work well.

Articulation - ***
The figure is well articulated, but I did find that not all the joints worked as well as I'd like. Keeping him upright, even in simple stances, could be tricky.

The ball jointed neck works great, and it has plenty of lean and tilt. Because the hood is a thin cloth, there's very little restriction. The rest of the outfit is also quite loose and flowing, creating very few issues for the joints.

The shoulders, elbows, and wrists can manage plenty of natural arm poses, but the hands tend to pop off quite easily. That can be frustrating when working with some poses, especially with the two handed scythe.

The torso has a little twist and crunch, but it's really the legs where I had the most issues. The hips, knees, and ankles are jointed as you'd expect, but the range of movement isn't what I'd hoped. For example, although the ankles are the usual post/ball that can rotate and twist, you can't get the feet to move particularly well on this joint. This creates the issue of standing, even in pretty basic poses, that I mentioned earlier.

Accessories - ****
If you're looking for a reason for why this guy gets four stars in this category, look no further than three extra heads!  They all look great, swap easily, and give you lots of display options.

Along with the heads, there's a second set of hands. While the swap is pretty easy, they all have the same issue staying in place.

He has three different, bloody knives. Choosing your favorite might be tricky. There's also the cool two handed scythe, perfect for a little grim reaping.

Finally, there's an itty-bitty box...you might wonder about that one. It's the voice changer, a key feature in the film.

Outfit - ***1/2
While the 8" release is also a clothed figure, this 7" version is all sculpted except for the outer cloak. This outer cloak fits great, and doesn't restrict the joints in any severe way. Slipping the hood down and up again is easy, with little chance for damage, and the overall length seems about right. It's not a particularly complex outfit, but they did it well considering the scale, and it looks much more realistic than a sculpted version.

Fun Factor - ***
The three heads really make this figure a lot of fun, but the articulation - or frustration with it - tend to pull this score back down a bit. Still, you should have a good time finding ways to incorporate this into your display with Freddy, Jason, and Michael.

Value - **1/2
You can expect to pay around $30 or so, depending on the retailer. That's the standard cost for the 'ultimate' figures from NECA, and considering the quality of the costume and number of accessories, it's pretty much in line with the rest of the market.

Things to Watch Out For -
Not much. Be a little careful with the handles on the scythe, because putting too much pressure on them can break them. Otherwise, you should be good to go.

Overall - ***1/2
In the photo below, you'll see this new figure with the old McFarlane release from the Movie Maniacs line. This figure is a big improvement, and will be replacing that version on my shelf.

Score Recap (out of ****):
Packaging - ***1/2
Sculpting - ***1/2
Paint - ***1/2
Articulation - ***
Accessories - ****
Outfit - ***1/2
Fun Factor - ***
Value - **1/2
Overall - ***1/2

Where to Buy 
This guy was sent along to me by Fun.com, where you can pick him up for $35.

Related Links -
While I own several Ghostface figures, surprisingly I've never reviewed an earlier version.

You should also hit the Search Reviews page, in case any other applicable reviews were done after this one was published.

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