Brandon James was a supposed disfigured mass murderer who preyed on the students of George Washington High School in the small town of Lakewood in the television series, Scream.
History
Brandon James was born and raised in the small town of Lakewood. Brandon, along with his older brother, Troy, grew up next door to Daisy Anderson. He would write notes for Daisy and hide them for her to find and reply back to them. During his early childhood and teenage years, he had multiple face surgeries to reconstruct his face and wore many face masks, eventually wearing the Brandon James Mask.
Brandon was home-schooled by his mother while his older brother Troy was the only one to take care of him. His father was ashamed of him. One night at the George Washington High School dance, he went to Daisy and told her she deserved so much better than Kevin (her boyfriend) due to how horribly he treated her. A group of Kevin's friends had beaten Brandon, thinking they were helping Maggie, protecting her from a monster.
Soon after this, Brandon was believed to have just snapped from being bullied; he went on a killing spree, murdering five of Kevin's friends in a single day, on October 31, 1994. After which, he attacked but failed to kill Kevin Duval. According to a tape Kevin Duval made, he found out Daisy and Brandon had been sexually involved with each other sometime before the killings. This caused Daisy to give birth to his daughter, Piper Shaw, whom she gave away for adoption.
According to Maggie, she went to Wren Lake to meet up with and talk to Brandon, but the cops followed Maggie. Brandon showed up to meet Maggie and according to her, he looked scared uttering his final words "All I ever wanted was to be with you". The police then opened fire, with the bullets hitting Brandon in the back, causing him to fall into the docks. His blood splattered on Daisy as she looked on in horror, having been promised that he would not be harmed. Maggie later revealed that she believed Brandon could never have murdered anybody and was likely framed.
His presumed murder triggered his daughter, Piper, to take revenge on Emma (Piper was jealous of her for the perfect life she had) and Maggie for his death. She failed to kill them and was shot dead at the same dock at the same lake.
In The Vanishing, we learn that after his supposed death, he survived being shot by the police and fished himself out of the lake. Daisy and Miguel Acosta helped him hide out.
In When a Stranger Calls, someone called imprisoned Kieran Wilcox, saying "Hello Kieran. Who told you, you could wear my mask?". From the phone call, it is implied that Brandon could be the caller.
Victims
- Dara Alden (framed for)
- Brett Keener (framed for)
- Trent Price (framed for)
- Laura Cossey (framed for)
- Mike Vinson (framed for)
Attacks
- Kevin Duval (Survived; framed for)
Relationships
Family
Allies
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Enemies
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Trivia
- On March 18th, 2022, the former showrunners Michael Gans and Richard Register revealed that Brandon James is alive and that he never killed anybody.[2]
- The newspapers in both seasons reveals that person wearing a Brandon James mask was caught by security footage at the crime scene of the 1994 Lakewood Murders.
- According to Noah Foster, Brandon wore a post-non-surgical mask.
- It's later revealed in Aftermath that Brandon had worn many different non-surgical masks due to the multiple operations done in an attempt to repair his face.
- (Supposedly) It took Brandon a lifetime to turn into a sadistic murderer, he had killed 5 students by the time he was shot.
- According to Noah Foster, Brandon had developed a crush on a girl named Daisy (who is later to be revealed as Emma's mother) and became obsessed with her, due to her being the only person outside his family that he knew.
- He holds similarities to Victor Crowley and Jason Voorhees from the respective film franchise Hatchet and Friday the 13th.
- According to Noah Foster, Brandon suffers from Proteus syndrome which explains his deformed face.
- The Lakewood Slasher uses the same mask that Brandon James used on October 31, 1994, when he killed 5 students.
- Brandon (supposedly) having killed five students on October 31, 1994; a reference to Michael Myers from the Halloween franchise as he goes on killing sprees on Halloween (hence the title).
- In Season 1, it's revealed that in Betrayed and In The Trenches, both Brandon and Daisy (Maggie) were close friends since childhood and they were romantically involved in high school when Daisy was in a troubling relationship with Kevin Duval.
- It's also revealed that they had an affair while Maggie was still dating, which ended in the birth of his and Maggie's illegitimate child, for which he was not present for and who was perhaps unaware of until the rebound Lakewood Murders in 2015.
- Maggie was the only Lakewood resident who believed he was not the one who committed the murders that night but she never defended her childhood friend.
- Piper Shaw was his only child/daughter and died at the same lake he supposedly did 21 years prior.
- It's also revealed that they had an affair while Maggie was still dating, which ended in the birth of his and Maggie's illegitimate child, for which he was not present for and who was perhaps unaware of until the rebound Lakewood Murders in 2015.
- The infidelity committed between Brandon (as a framed killer, due to someone using his mask), and Maggie Duval as his fling and the result after the former's death and affair being an illegitimate child, would be referenced and applied in the Scream franchise for the first time; albeit more directly, with the existence of a 24-year old Samantha Carpenter in Scream (2022), who is revealed to be the first and only illegitimate daughter of the first Ghostface killer, Billy Loomis, and his fling Christina Carpenter (like Maggie with Kevin, was dating Sam's stepfather, Mr. Carpenter).
- Each are similar in that the affair occurred while each flings were in high school prior to the respective murder sprees which the males in each were attached in (Brandon, who was framed for the October 31, 1994 Lakewood Murders, while Billy both spearheaded and committed the mid-September 1996 Woodsboro Murders).
- Brandon, unlike Billy, was neither a killer nor was he in a relationship prior to his affair with Daisy, while Billy was with his killer and the iconic film franchise heroine, Sidney Prescott.
- Each secret affair and legitimate one, where also part of their respective high schools incoming classes of 1997 (b. mid 1978-summer 1979; Brandon, Daisy, and Kevin at George Washington High, while Billy and Sidney at Woodsboro High; unclear/unstated if Christina and Mr. Carpenter attended, alongside "parallel' of the couple of Billy-Sidney).
- Brandon, Kevin, and Daisy were high school sophomores during 1994 while Billy, Sidney, and Christina (and Mr. Carpenter) were seniors in 1996, although the latter were in the same grade during the former's events in 1994, respectively, difference being each's continuities.
- The fallout of the affair in each fling after each male killers' death (Brandon was framed for, survived), resulted in distress for each woman and the discovery of a pregnancy not long after, as well as giving birth to an illegitimate child, specifically a daughter, which were born in the town of the infamous murder sprees (Piper in Lakewood, Samantha in Woodsboro).
- Both then-young teen moms and females each covered and hid the births of their daughters from their secret affairs with the male killers (James framed, and Loomis, actual) from their respective and legitimate male partners, who would later propose to them after graduating high school which led to the women taking their last names (Maggie supposedly from Kevin by giving Piper up from adoption; Christina by convincing her unnamed future husband that they each had conceived prior, whilst early on pregnant and thus Samantha was his child, hiding the fact).
- However, unlike Mr. Carpenter to Kevin, whose presence and role is unclear/unstated during the Woodsboro Murders, Kevin was targeted and a survivor of the 1994 Lakewood Murders in an attack that Brandon was framed for, and who knew of the affair between Maggie and Brandon early on via gossip and rumor.
- Kevin also knew Brandon directly due to going to school with him, while it's unconfirmed if Mr. Carpenter knew Billy until after the Woodsboro Murders or attended school alongside him.
- Kevin learned early on and was thus aware of the affair, and regardless, after Brandon's "death" (disappearance) stayed in a relationship with Maggie and eventually married her after their senior year of high school and had his first child with her 4 years after the events, but whose marriage would be put in limbo later due to the looming knowledge of the illegitimate child.
- However, it remains unclear whether Kevin knew of the existence of Brandon and Maggie's illegitimate child prior to the ending of the 2015 Lakewood Murders, or after.
- It's likely he did, but was unaware of the gender, but the fact was it caused marital strifes in their marriage between the fact that Maggie still sided with Brandon's family (due to going to visits with a young Emma), as well as the reality of Kevin being the stepfather to the child, which he never had wanted to begin with (in a flashback in Ghosts, this was thought by Emma, who was 8 years old during her recollection, who thought of the unwanted child being her, which was later revealed to be Emma's long-lost half-sister Piper, unbeknownst to her).
- However, it remains unclear whether Kevin knew of the existence of Brandon and Maggie's illegitimate child prior to the ending of the 2015 Lakewood Murders, or after.
- This is an inverse to Mr. Carpenter, who unlike Kevin, was unaware of both the affair due to Christina having hid her affair from the public and kept hidden via her old diary, as well as the truth of actually being the stepfather of his preconceived first daughter, Samantha, before finding out by a 13-14 year old Samantha almost 25 years later since the anniversary; which led to him divorcing his wife, as well as then abandoning his actual daughter, Tara; who like Emma, was unsuspecting of the truth/reveal due to unlike Piper and Emma, who grew up alongside Sam who wasn't abandoned (inverse to Piper).
- However, unlike Mr. Carpenter to Kevin, whose presence and role is unclear/unstated during the Woodsboro Murders, Kevin was targeted and a survivor of the 1994 Lakewood Murders in an attack that Brandon was framed for, and who knew of the affair between Maggie and Brandon early on via gossip and rumor.
- Each woman would then later be adults (Maggie either 19-20 in 1998, Christina was 23-24 in 2002) and married when they had their second child, albeit first and legitimate children (would also be daughters), with their respective male partners and actual lovers from high school, whom had proposed after their high school graduations to them, and the latter were conceived and born just a few years apart after their firstborns, who were then young kids.
- Emma to Kevin and Maggie, was born 3 years after Piper, who was 3 years old when she was born in mid/late 1998;
- Tara to Christina and Mr. Carpenter, was born 5 years after Sam, who was 5 years old when she was born in December 2002
- Both Tara and Emma were conceived in the early months of January-March of their respective birth years (Tara in March 2002, whilst Emma unstated if in December 1997 or in January-February 1998).
- Unlike Maggie with Piper, Christina doesn't abandon nor give Sam up for adoption after her birth, as well as not being unaware of the gender of her child.
- Also, Sam grew up alongside her half-sister Tara, unlike Piper with Emma, due to not being seperated by their mother, Christina, unlike Maggie with her daughters.
- Unlike Brandon and Maggie's daughter, Piper, both Billy and Christina's child, Sam, did not resort to becoming a killer despite the attached and knowledge each illegitimate daughter learned of their fathers (Piper, who was trying to avenge hers by carrying a murder spree he supposedly committed; unlike Sam, who was taunted by visions of hers, psychologically; implying that each carried their father's killer DNA, supposedly), as well as each older half-sisters' association with both their younger half-sisters and their friend groups (Piper to Emma, Sam to Tara).
- Each are similar in that the affair occurred while each flings were in high school prior to the respective murder sprees which the males in each were attached in (Brandon, who was framed for the October 31, 1994 Lakewood Murders, while Billy both spearheaded and committed the mid-September 1996 Woodsboro Murders).
- Brandon's mask was stolen a year prior to the Lakewood Murders, supposedly by his illegitimate daughter Piper.
- In The Vanishing, it was revealed through flashbacks that Brandon survived the incident at the lake. When he later met with Maggie, she helped him in escaping from Lakewood with the help of Miguel Acosta.
- Maggie Duval and Miguel Acosta are only people that know about Brandon surviving after being shot.
- In The Vanishing, during Acosta's flashback, it can be seen and noted that Brandon James used a different hunting knife rather than the traditional Buck 120. This is best noticed by the white handle and thicker blade rather than the black and silver thin blade featured in the Buck 120.
- Michael Gans confirmed that both Piper and Kieran believed that Brandon was alive somewhere (more-so Kieran than Piper due to Piper having died prior to the reveal or while alive, unbeknownst of Third Killer, which is theorized to be someone who knew Brandon and again implicating him).
- Somewhat Similar to Jeremy Melton/Adam Carr (played by David Boreanaz) in the slasher Valentine (2001):
- Both him and Jeremy are outcasts who are in love with popular girls, with whom they ask to a school dance.
- Both get beaten by other boys when they are seen with the girls they are in love with. 
- Like Brandon, Jeremy did get facial surgery done, but that was to change his appearance to get revenge on those who bullied him.
- Unlike Jeremy, Brandon was completely innocent of the killings and was framed. Ironically Jeremy managed to kill and Frame Dorothy Wheeler, the girl he was in love with due to her part in him being attacked at the school dance while Maggie was kind to Brandon and even tried to help him when he was framed for the murders.
- Brandon bears a resemblance to Roy Lee "Rocky" Dennis who was a teenager with a disfigured face. Rocky's life was adapted into the movie Mask (1985) which starred Eric Stoltz in the role.
TV Series Characters | ||
Lakewood Five | Emma Duval • Audrey Jensen • Brooke Maddox • Noah Foster | |
Lakewood Residents | Maggie Duval • Miguel Acosta • Gustavo Acosta • Kristin Lang • Gina McLane | |
Previous Lakewood Residents | Kieran Wilcox • Eli Hudson • Zoë Vaughn • Jake Fitzgerald • Seth Branson • Quinn Maddox • Haley Meyers • Tina Hudson • Eddie Hayes • Kevin Duval • Clark Hudson • Nina Patterson • Rachel Murray • Riley Marra • Tyler O'Neill • Will Belmont • Brandon James • Piper Shaw | |
Lakewood Slasher(s) | Piper Shaw • Kieran Wilcox • Third Killer | |
The Deadfast Club | Marcus Elliot • Kym • Liv Reynolds | |
Atlanta Residents | Sherry Elliot • Mr. Fitch • Mrs. Pell • Officer Reynolds • Hawkins • Coach Griffin • Becky | |
Previous Atlanta Residents | Beth • Jamal Elliot • Deion Elliot • Tommy Jenkins • Amir Ayoub • Shane • Manny • B. Westbrook • Luther "Hook Man" Thompson • Latavious • Avery Collins | |
Ghostface(s) | Beth • Jamal Elliot |