Billy Loomis

Wes Craven's ''Scream'' series features a large cast of characters created primarily by Kevin Williamson with contributions from Craven and Ehren Kruger. The series focuses on the character of Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) and a succession of murderers who adopt a ghost-like disguise, dubbed Ghostface, to taunt and attempt to kill her. The series comprises five films: ''Scream'' (1996), ''Scream 2'' (1997), ''Scream 3'' (2000), ''Scream 4'' (2011), and ''Scream'' (2022), with ''Scream VI'' set to be released in 2023.

Sidney is accompanied in each film by news reporter Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox) and town Deputy Sheriff Dewey Riley (David Arquette). Sidney is initially hostile to Gale, because Gale has written a book about the murder of Sidney's mother, but they grow closer in each successive film as they survive Ghostface's murder attempts. In ''Scream 2'', Gale and Dewey initiate a relationship, which leads to a marriage proposal at the end of ''Scream 3''. In ''Scream 4'', eleven years later, Sidney has written a self-help book about her experiences, while Dewey has become a Sheriff and is in a strained marriage with Gale, who is struggling to write a new novel.

Each film provides a motive and grounds for suspicion for several characters, concealing the identity of the true killer or killers until the finale, in which their identities and motivations are revealed. In ''Scream'', the fictional town of Woodsboro is besieged by a masked killer who focuses on Sidney, revealed in the finale as Sidney's boyfriend Billy Loomis (Skeet Ulrich), aided by his friend Stu Macher (Matthew Lillard). Billy admits to being responsible for the murder of Sidney's mother Maureen Prescott, to take revenge for an affair Maureen had with Billy's father that caused his mother to "abandon" him. In ''Scream 2'', copycat killers again stalk Sidney and her friends, before being revealed as Sidney's friend Mickey Altieri (Timothy Olyphant) and Billy Loomis' mother (Laurie Metcalf). In ''Scream 3'', another killer hunts Sidney, claiming to have knowledge of Sidney's tragic past, prior to the events of the original film. The killer is revealed to be Roman Bridger ( Scott Foley), Sidney's half-brother, who wants revenge for his rejection and abandonment by their mother. Roman is revealed to have been responsible for convincing Billy to kill Maureen before the events of ''Scream'', setting in motion the events that occur in each successive film. In ''Scream 4'', a killer appears when Sidney returns to Woodsboro on the fifteenth anniversary of the original killings. This killer is revealed to be Sidney's cousin Jill Roberts (Emma Roberts), with horror film fan Charlie Walker (Rory Culkin) as her accomplice. In ''Scream'' (2022), the killers are revealed to be horror fans Amber Freeman (Mikey Madison) and Richie Kirsch (Jack Quaid) who are dissatisfied with what the horror genre has become and decide to make their own slasher.

The ''Scream'' series has received several awards, including a Saturn Award for Best Actress and an MTV Movie Award for Best Performance for Neve Campbell and a Saturn Award for Best Horror Film for ''Scream''.

Characters

* Only credits in films

''Scream'' (1996)

''Scream'' is the first film in the ''Scream'' series. One year prior to the events of the film, Maureen Prescott is brutally raped and murdered, apparently by Cotton Weary. During the film, the fictional town of Woodsboro is again attacked by a murderer, who particularly targets Sidney Prescott, Maureen's daughter. Deputy Sheriff Dewey Riley investigates the murders, while news reporter Gale Weathers follows the story. Sidney, her boyfriend Billy Loomis and their friends Tatum Riley, Stu Macher and Randy Meeks try to survive the attacks. The killer is revealed as both Billy and Stu, who admit to having killed Maureen and framed Cotton for the act. Sidney then kills them both in retribution.

Principal Arthur Himbry

*Portrayed by Henry Winkler
*Appeared in: ''Scream''

Arthur Himbry is the principal of Woodsboro High School, attended by Sidney Prescott and her friends. He disciplines several students for wearing Ghostface masks, and comforts Sidney after she narrowly escapes the killer. While in his office, he is attacked by Ghostface and is stabbed to death. His body was said to have been discovered hanging up on the school’s goalposts.

''Scream'' producer Bob Weinstein had Himbry's death added to the movie after he realized that the film had "30 pages of script" without a death occurring. By chance, this gave writer Kevin Williamson a reason for the teenagers to leave Stu Macher's party during the film's finale, a plot point Williamson had been struggling to formulate. The language used by Himbry and his aggressive actions towards the students were among several reasons why the film's production was forced to leave Santa Rosa High School: the school board found the film's content unacceptable and did not want it filmed there.

Billy Loomis

*Portrayed by Skeet Ulrich
*Appeared in: ''Scream'', ''Scream'' (2022)

Billy Loomis is a Woodsboro teenager, the boyfriend of Sidney Prescott and best friend of Stu Macher. He is also an avid fan of horror films. Following a series of murders, Billy becomes a suspect when he is found at Sidney's house with a cellphone shortly after she is taunted on the phone and attacked by a masked killer. Evidence is discovered that points to other characters, and Billy is removed as a suspect. During a party at Stu Macher's home, Billy and Sidney are reconciled and have sex, before Billy is stabbed by Ghostface. Later after a series of attacks, Billy is revealed to be alive and tries to help Sidney, obtaining in the process a gun which he then uses to shoot Randy Meeks. Billy then reveals himself to be the killer, having feigned the injury in the first place, with Stu confessing to be Billy's accomplice. The pair also admit to having murdered Sidney's mother, Maureen Prescott, one year previously, after she had an affair with Billy's father, causing Billy's parents to divorce and his mother to "abandon" him. He dies after Sidney shoots him in the head.

In ''Scream 2'', Billy's mother seeks revenge on Sidney for Billy's death. In ''Scream 3'', Roman Bridger reveals that he provided Billy the evidence of his father's affair and gave him advice on how to kill Maureen. In ''Scream'' (2022), it is revealed that Billy cheated on Sidney, fathered a daughter named Sam Carpenter (whom he wasn't aware of) and appears in her visions throughout the film, encouraging her to fight back against the killers trying to murder her, and thus the hallucinations project images of Billy as the good man Sam wished he was.

In "''Stab''", the fictional film within a film based on the murders, Billy is portrayed by Luke Wilson. The character is parodied in the film ''Scary Movie'' as Bobby Prinze, portrayed by Jon Abrahams.

Kevin Patrick Walls and Justin Whalin were final contenders for the role of Billy Loomis before it was won by Skeet Ulrich. Walls was instead cast in the minor role of Steve Orth.

Casey Becker

*Portrayed by Drew Barrymore
*Appeared in: ''Scream''

Casey Becker is a Woodsboro teenager and the former girlfriend of Stu Macher. After receiving a taunting and threatening phone call, she is ordered to answer horror film trivia questions to save the life of her boyfriend, Steve Orth. When she answers incorrectly, Steve is disemboweled and she is asked another question to save her own life. When she refuses to answer, Ghostface chases her down and kills her, leaving her hanged from a tree and disemboweled. Later, it is revealed by Billy Loomis and Stu (who are Casey's Ghostface killers) that even if she answered correctly, they would have killed her anyway. In "Stab", the fictional film within a film based on the murders, Casey is played by Heather Graham.

Barrymore was already a successful actress when she appeared in ''Scream'', at a time when casting a big name for a horror film was uncommon. She was originally signed to play the role of Sidney after reading the script and approaching the production team herself. However she decided she would rather play the part of Casey Becker because of her connection to the character and wanting to deliver a shock to the audience. It was not due to a scheduling conflict even though a very popular rumor states it was. This has been debunked by Barrymore herself as well as Wes Craven. Like her co-stars Neve Campbell and Courteney Cox, her appearance is credited by Craven for raising the profile of the film and helping to attract a larger female audience.

Several scenes leading to Casey's eventual death gave rise to disputes between Craven and the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), the film rating board, who raised concerns over the violence and intensity of the scene. When she is initially stabbed in the chest by Ghostface, Craven insisted that he had only been able to make one successful take of the scene, so that no substitution was possible; he was, in fact, lying. The scene in which her corpse is hung from a tree and disemboweled was heavily edited: Craven was forced to remove all still shots of the body, and the scene itself was sped up to reduce its time on screen.

Cotton Weary

*Portrayed by Liev Schreiber
*Appeared in: ''Scream'', ''Scream 2'', ''Scream 3''

Cotton Weary was the original suspect in the rape and murder of Maureen Prescott, Sidney's mother. He was identified by Sidney, who found her mother's body after seeing someone she believed to be Cotton leaving her home. In ''Scream'', it is revealed that Maureen was having an affair with Cotton before she was murdered by Billy Loomis and Stu Macher, who then planted evidence to frame Cotton. In ''Scream 2'', Cotton attempts to gain fame from his incarceration and exoneration for Maureen's murder, traveling to Windsor College to convince Sidney to agree to an interview. He later saves Sidney when she is about to be murdered by Mrs. Loomis, one of the Ghostface killers in ''Scream 2''.

In ''Scream 3'', Cotton has become famous for his exploits, hosting his own talk show. He and his girlfriend Christine Hamilton are attacked by the latest Ghostface, who demands to know the whereabouts of Sidney after she goes into hiding. When Cotton refuses to tell, Ghostface kills him.

In the original ''Scream 2'' script, Cotton was captured by the real Ghostface killers, Derek Feldman, Hallie McDaniel and Mrs. Loomis. After Mrs. Loomis kills Derek and Hallie, she intends to frame Cotton for the recent murder spree, but he attacks and stabs her to death. He then tries to take revenge on Sidney for his false imprisonment, noting that the evidence points to him being an innocent victim. He and Sidney stab each other, but their fates have not been revealed. Following the leak of the script on the Internet, extensive rewrites were undertaken, changing this plot.

Dewey Riley

*Portrayed by David Arquette
*Appeared in: ''Scream'' (1996), ''Scream 2'', ''Scream 3'', ''Scream 4'', ''Scream'' (2022)

Dwight "Dewey" Riley is the Deputy Sheriff of Woodsboro, the brother of Tatum Riley and friend of Sidney Prescott. After a series of murders, he helps lead the investigation, while pursuing a romance with Gale Weathers. He is stabbed by Ghostface during the finale of ''Scream'', but survives. Dewey returns in ''Scream 2'', suffering from a limp and weakened arm caused by nerve damage as a result of his stabbing. He travels to Windsor College to help Sidney after a series of copycat Ghostface murders. He is attacked and stabbed repeatedly by the current Ghostface but again survives. In ''Scream 3'', he aids an investigation into a new Ghostface, later revealed to be Roman Bridger. Dewey shoots Roman in the head, killing him. In the aftermath he asks Gale to marry him, and she accepts. In ''Scream 4'', Dewey has married Gale and returned with her to Woodsboro, becoming the new Sheriff and recovered from his past injuries. After a new series of Ghostface murders on the anniversary of Billy Loomis' and Stu Macher's spree, Dewey again investigates. By now, his relationship with Gale is strained, but, after Gale is badly injured by Ghostface, they resolve their differences. In the fifth installment of the series, also titled ''Scream'', Dewey and Gale are divorced. After he saves Tara Carpenter from being murdered in the hospital, Ghostface stabs him in the stomach by surprise, pulling the knife up through his torso, causing his death.

Dewey had been intended to die in the finale of the first installment of ''Scream''. However, Craven filmed an additional scene, in which Dewey survives and is placed in an ambulance, in case test audiences reacted positively to the character. When they did, this scene was added to the film, and his death was instead depicted in the fifth installment of ''Scream''.

Arquette was originally brought in to audition for the role of Billy Loomis in ''Scream'', but preferred the character of Dewey and requested to audition for that instead. Despite resistance from the production team, who were concerned that the role was described as " hunky", rather than the younger, goofier approach of Arquette, Craven appreciated the idea and cast him in the role.

In ''Stab'', the fictional film within a film based on the Ghostface murders, and again in '' Stab 3'', Dewey is portrayed by David Schwimmer and fictional actor Tom Prinze, respectively.

Gale Weathers

*Portrayed by Courteney Cox
*Appeared in: ''Scream'' (1996), ''Scream 2'', ''Scream 3'', ''Scream 4'', ''Scream'' (2022), ''Scream VI''

Gale Weathers is a news reporter for the fictional news show ''Top Story''. Prior to the events of the films, she was involved in coverage of the murder of Maureen Prescott and the resulting trial of Cotton Weary, during which she criticized the testimony of Sidney Prescott. In ''Scream'', she returns to Woodsboro to cover the current murder spree. During the finale of the film, her cameraman, Kenny Jones, is murdered, and she is left for dead after a car crash. She is later revealed to be alive and witnesses the confession of Billy Loomis and Stu Macher to their role in the killings. She helps Sidney defeat Billy and, after the events of the film, writes a new book about the Ghostface murders. In ''Scream 2'', she travels to Windsor College to cover the current murder spree. She witnesses the apparent death of Dewey Riley before she herself is shot by Mickey Altieri, one of the killers. She survives and helps Sidney to kill Mickey. In ''Scream 3'', she is shown to have written another book, this time about the Windsor College killings. She travels to Hollywood to aid the investigation of a new series of murders there. At the end of the film, Dewey asks Gale to marry him, and she accepts. In ''Scream 4'', Gale has married Dewey, becoming Gale Weathers-Riley, but their relationship is strained. She has written a series of novels about fictional Ghostface murders; these have been turned into new films in the fictional ''Stab'' series. She attempts to reignite her journalistic career by investigating the new murders, but is attacked and badly wounded by the new Ghostface. She survives and resolves her differences with Dewey.

In the fictional ''Stab'' series of films within a film, Gale is portrayed by fictional actress Jennifer Jolie.

Courteney Cox was starring in the NBC sitcom '' Friends'' when she was cast in ''Scream'', marking a new trend: casting established and popular actors and actresses in horror films. Craven opined that her presence, like Neve Campbell's, helped raise the profile of ''Scream'' and attract a large female audience. Brooke Shields and Janeane Garofalo were the original choices for the role of Gale. Cox was not even considered at first, as it was not believed that she could play Gale's selfish, abusive and aggressive character after playing the softer, nicer role of Monica Geller in ''Friends''. Cox, however, was eager to play a "bitch" character, specifically to contrast with her ''Friends'' character, and repeatedly lobbied the production team until she won the role.

Ghostface

*Portrayed by Roger L. Jackson (voice), Skeet Ulrich, Matthew Lillard, Laurie Metcalf, Timothy Olyphant, Scott Foley, Emma Roberts, Rory Culkin, Mikey Madison, Jack Quaid
*Appeared in: ''Scream'' (1996), ''Scream 2'', ''Scream 3'', ''Scream 4'', ''Scream (TV series)'', ''Scream'' (2022), ''Scream VI''

Ghostface is a fictional identity, created in ''Scream'' by Sidney's boyfriend Billy Loomis and his friend Stu Macher to conduct a murder spree in the town of Woodsboro. The costume they use is a generic Halloween costume, officially called "Father Death", that allows anyone to adopt the identity and makes the killers difficult to identify. The killers taunt their victims on the phone before attacking, using a voice changer to disguise their true identity. While in costume, the character is voiced by voice actor Roger L. Jackson. The Ghostface identity is adopted by other killers after the death of Billy and Stu. In ''Scream 2'', it is taken by Billy's mother and her accomplice, Mickey Altieri. In ''Scream 3'', it is taken by Sidney's half-brother, Roman Bridger, the director of ''Stab 3''. In ''Scream 4'', on the anniversary of Billy and Stu's murder spree, a new Ghostface emerges, revealed to be Sidney's cousin Jill Roberts and her friend Charlie Walker. In ''Scream (2022)'', it's used by Richie Kirsch and Amber Freeman, who are respectively the boyfriend of Samantha Carpenter and best friend of her sister Tara. In the finale of each film, the current Ghostface killers confront Sidney and explain their motivation for stalking her.

Jackson, who voices Ghostface in all the ''Scream'' films, was chosen for the part after weeks of local casting in Santa Rosa, California. He was intended only as a temporary voice, to be replaced in the post-production phase of the film with a dubbed voice, but his contribution was retained because Craven felt he imbued the voice with a truly evil malevolence. He and the casts of the films were intentionally prevented from meeting for most if not all of each film's production, to discourage the cast from putting a face to the voice, and to make him seem more menacing when interacting with the characters on the phone.

Hank Loomis

* Portrayed by C.W. Morgan
* Appeared in: ''Scream'' (1996), ''Scream 3''

Hank Loomis is the father of Billy, and the ex-husband of Mrs. Loomis. Hank is a lawyer and represents his son when Billy is brought in to the police station for questioning. It is later revealed that Hank was having an affair with Maureen Prescott, which is what led to his wife leaving him. In the promotional material for ''Scream 3'', it is revealed that Hank used to be the main lawyer for Sunrise Studios, before leaving to set up his own law office in Woodsboro.

Kenny Brown

*Portrayed by W. Earl Brown
*Appeared in: ''Scream''

Kenneth "Kenny" Brown is Gale Weathers' cameraman on the fictional news show "Top Story". In ''Scream'', Kenny accompanies Gale as she reports on the series of murders in Woodsboro. After seeing on a hidden camera that Randy Meeks is about to be murdered, he leaves his van to help, and his throat is slit by Ghostface. His surname is revealed in an Easter egg in the opening of ''Scream'' (2022 film).

Kenny's neck being slashed was one of the several scenes that had to be toned down by Craven at the behest of the MPAA in order to avoid the restrictive NC-17 rating. The scene was shortened because the MPAA felt that Kenny's expression after his throat was cut was too disturbing.

Maureen Prescott

*Portrayed by Lynn McRee
*Appeared in: ''Scream'' (photos only), ''Scream 3''

Maureen Prescott ( née Roberts) is the mother of Sidney Prescott and wife of Neil Prescott. She is murdered before the events of the ''Scream'' films but receives a mention in every film, with the first four films' killing spree motivations back to her in some way. She conducted several extra-marital affairs, including those with Cotton Weary and Hank Loomis, the father of Billy Loomis. Cotton was arrested and convicted of her murder. In ''Scream'', a killer taunts Sidney on the phone about her mother's murder; this killer is later identified as Sidney's boyfriend Billy Loomis and his friend Stu Macher. Billy reveals that it was he and Stu who murdered Maureen and framed Cotton for it.

In ''Scream 3'', the current Ghostface uses Maureen's synthesized voice and image to taunt Sidney and lure her out of hiding. The killer is unveiled as Roman Bridger, who reveals that he is Maureen's son and Sidney's half-brother. For a two-year period in her youth, before she met Sidney's father, Maureen had traveled to Hollywood to become an actress under the pseudonym Rina Reynolds. During this time she was impregnated with Roman by Hollywood producer John Milton, after being gang-raped. She then gave him up for adoption. When the adult Roman found her, she denied she had been Rina and rejected him. Roman then proceeded to film her affairs and showed the footage to Billy before convincing him to kill Maureen, starting the chain of events that occur throughout the ''Scream'' films. ''Scream 4'' introduces Maureen's sister Kate Roberts and her niece Jill Roberts. Sidney observing a photo gallery of Maureen in Kate's home was filmed for ''Scream 4'', but it was deleted from the final cut. ''Scream'' (2022) shows Gale's remorse for writing the book about her murder, believing she is responsible for the Ghostface killings after. Sidney reassures her, however that it was Billy Loomis who started it and they will end it.

Neil Prescott

*Portrayed by Lawrence Hecht
*Appeared in: ''Scream'', ''Scream 3''

Neil Prescott is the father of Sidney Prescott and widower of Maureen Prescott. In ''Scream'', he leaves Woodsboro on business and later disappears without trace, raising suspicions that he may be the perpetrator of a series of murders in the town. It is revealed in the finale that he was kidnapped by the real killers, Billy Loomis and Stu Macher, who intended to frame him for their crimes. Neil is saved by his daughter. It is theorized that his absence from ''Scream 2'' is to emphasize Sidney's independence in college; he is mentioned in-film as being out of the country on business. He appears briefly in ''Scream 3'', commenting on Sidney's withdrawal from her friends and life. ''Scream 4'' also introduces his sister-in-law Kate Roberts and his niece Jill Roberts.

Randy Meeks

*Portrayed by Jamie Kennedy
*Appeared in: ''Scream'', ''Scream 2'', ''Scream 3'' (cameo), ''Scream 5'' (photos)

Randy Meeks is a Woodsboro teenager. He is a friend of Sidney Prescott, for whom he has romantic feelings, and is an avid fan of horror movies. He uses his knowledge of horror film plots and clichés to define the series of murders that occur in ''Scream'', ''Scream 2'' and ''Scream 3''. In ''Scream'', he is shot by Billy Loomis but survives. In ''Scream 2'', he attends the fictional Windsor College with Sidney, studying film. When a new series of murders begins, Randy taunts the killer over the phone, mocking Billy Loomis' in the previous film. During this call, the killer dragged him into a van and killed him. It is later revealed that Mrs. Loomis, Billy's mother, killed Randy out of anger at his insults to her son. Randy appears posthumously in ''Scream 3'' in a recorded video, in which he explains to Sidney the rules of a trilogy, similar to how he explained the rules in the first two films.

In the published screenplay for ''Scream'', an alternate ending had Randy (rather than Sidney) kill Stu before asking Sidney out on a date. Before a script leak forced the rewriting of parts of the ''Scream 2'' screenplay, Randy was to be Gale Weathers' cameraman rather than a student as shown in the finished film. His death, however, remained the same. Craven and Ehren Kruger considered bringing Randy back in ''Scream 3'', revealing him to have survived his attack in ''Scream 2'' but abandoned the idea as too unrealistic.

Casting for Randy was contested between Kennedy and Breckin Meyer. The production team favored Kennedy, as they believed he had certain qualities that made him more suitable than Meyer for the role. Kennedy, however, had had no major roles prior to ''Scream'', and Dimension Films, the studio producing the films, was eager to have a more prominent actor in the production alongside the other well-known stars such as Barrymore and Cox. The production team itself, however, was adamant that Kennedy was the best choice and fought successfully to keep him in.

Sidney Prescott

*Portrayed by Neve Campbell
*Appeared in: ''Scream'' (1996), ''Scream 2'', ''Scream 3'', ''Scream 4'', ''Scream'' (2022)

In ''Scream'', a year after the murder of her mother Maureen, she is stalked by a killer, later revealed to be her boyfriend Billy Loomis and his friend Stu Macher. These two prove to have been Maureen's murderers, Billy being motivated by Maureen's affair with his father, which caused his mother to leave home. Sidney kills both of them in self-defense. In ''Scream 2'', while attending college, she again becomes the target of a masked killer, this time her boyfriend's friend Mickey Altieri and the mother of Billy Loomis, seeking revenge for the death of her son. Once more Sidney manages to survive the attempts on her life. During ''Scream 3'', she is drawn to Hollywood by yet another killer. She discovers that this one is her half-brother Roman Bridger, who wants to kill her out of anger at his abandonment by Maureen. In ''Scream 4'', she returns to Woodsboro to promote her new self-help book about overcoming the tragedies of her life, but is targeted once again by a new Ghostface, who turns out to be her cousin Jill Roberts who is envious of Sidney's fame and wants to become the new "Sidney Prescott". In ''Scream'' (2022), Sidney is revealed to be married to a man named Mark, with whom she has two children. With Gale, Sidney returns to Woodsboro to help Sam Carpenter and her sister Tara to kill the new Ghostfaces, avenging Dewey and the other victims.

In the fictional films within a film ''Stab'' and ''Stab 2'', based on the murders, Sidney is portrayed by Tori Spelling as herself. In ''Stab 3: Return to Woodsboro'', she would be portrayed by fictional actress Angelina Tyler; however, Angelina is killed by Ghostface.

Neve Campbell won the Saturn Award for Best Actress in 1997 for her role as Sidney Prescott in ''Scream'' and the MTV Movie Award for Best Female Performance in 1998 for her role in ''Scream 2''. When she was cast in ''Scream'', Campbell was starring in the television drama series ''Party of Five''. It was previously unheard of to cast an established television actress in a horror film, but, following the success of this casting and that of Courteney Cox, the practice became common in many later horror films. Craven opined that their presence helped raise the profile of ''Scream'' and attract a large female audience.

Steve Orth

*Portrayed by Kevin Patrick Walls
*Appeared in: ''Scream''

Steven "Steve" Orth is a Woodsboro teenager and the boyfriend of Casey Becker. He is captured and held hostage by Ghostface, who keeps him bound to a chair outside Casey's home. Casey is made to answer horror-film trivia questions to save his life. When she gets a question wrong, Steve is disemboweled and dies.

Walls auditioned for the part of Billy Loomis, but took the smaller role of Steve when Ulrich was cast as Billy.

Stu Macher

*Portrayed by Matthew Lillard
*Appeared in: ''Scream''

Stuart "Stu" Macher is a Woodsboro teenager, the ex-boyfriend of Casey Becker and boyfriend of Tatum Riley. Following a series of murders in the town, starting with the killing of Stu's ex-girlfriend Casey Becker, school is suspended. Stu hosts a party at his house to celebrate. At the party, Ghostface murders Tatum. Billy Loomis is revealed to be Ghostface, and Stu his accomplice. Stu cites peer pressure as his motivation. Stu tries to kill Sidney, but she drops a television on his head, electrocuting him. In ''Scream 3'', it is revealed that, under Roman Bridger's advice, Billy was planned to set Stu up as the "fall guy" for their killing spree in case they got caught, while him getting an easy sentencing for being an accomplice.

Matthew Lillard has an uncredited cameo at a sorority party in ''Scream 2''. He revealed in a 2009 interview that Stu was originally intended to be the killer in ''Scream 3'', having survived his apparent death. From prison he was to orchestrate new Ghostface attacks on high school students, ultimately targeting Sidney. Following the Columbine High School massacre, which took place shortly before production began, this plot was abandoned and the script was rewritten without Stu to avoid presenting violence and murder in a high school setting. Many of Lillard's notable and humorous lines in the film were improvised. He was cast by chance, after accompanying his girlfriend at the time to a separate audition in the facility where ''Scream'' auditions were also taking place. ''Scream'' casting director Lisa Beach saw Lillard and, believing he had the characteristics required of the character, asked him to audition.

Tatum Riley

*Portrayed by Rose McGowan
*Appeared in: ''Scream''

Tatum Riley is a Woodsboro teenager, the best friend of Sidney Prescott, the girlfriend of Stu Macher and the sister of town Deputy Dewey Riley. After a series of murders begin in the town, Tatum attempts to protect Sidney from the ensuing media attention, since the killings occurred on the anniversary of the brutal murder of Sidney's mother. Tatum's boyfriend Stu hosts a house party, during which the killer strikes, attacking her in the garage. She tries to escape through a pet flap fitted to the automatic garage door, but becomes stuck, and the killer raises the door. Tatum's neck is crushed between the rising door and the top of its frame, killing her.

Twenty-five years after her death, her older brother Dewey is shown in possession of her ashes in his trailer.

Tatum's death, like those of Casey Becker and Kenny Brown, caused conflict between director Wes Craven and the MPAA film rating board. Craven was ultimately forced to reduce any lingering shots of her body, necessitating a quick visual cutaway once she dies. Actresses Melinda Clarke and Rebecca Gayheart also auditioned for the role. McGowan was cast as Tatum because the production team felt she best embodied the "spunky" nature of the character. While filming Tatum's death scene, McGowan discovered she actually could fit through the pet flap and as a result, she would fall out of it during filming. The producer had to staple her clothes to the flap to prevent her from falling out of it again.

''Scream 2''

''Scream 2'' is the second film in the ''Scream'' series and is set one year after the Woodsboro murder spree. Sidney Prescott and Randy Meeks now attend the fictional Windsor College as students. "Stab", a film based on the Woodsboro murders, has just been released, and a copycat murder spree begins during its premiere. The new Ghostface attacks Sidney and her friends, killing Randy and wounding Dewey Riley, before being revealed as Sidney's classmate Mickey Altieri and Mrs. Loomis, the mother of ''Scream'' killer Billy Loomis.

Cici Cooper

*Portrayed by Sarah Michelle Gellar
*Appeared in: ''Scream 2''

Casey "Cici" Cooper is a student at Windsor College. While alone in her house, Cici is attacked by Ghostface. She runs upstairs pursued by the killer, who throws her through a glass door on to a balcony and stabs her twice in the back before picking her up and throwing her over the balcony to her death. From her murder and the preceding murders of Phil Stevens and Maureen Evans, Gale Weathers and Dewey Riley deduce that the new killer is choosing targets with names similar to those of the victims of the original Ghostface killers, Billy Loomis and Stu Macher.

Debbie Salt

*Portrayed by Laurie Metcalf
*Appeared in: ''Scream 2''

Debbie Salt is the pseudonym of Nancy Loomis, referred to simply as "Billy's mother" and "Mrs. Loomis" in the film. She is a local news reporter covering the series of murders at Windsor College. In the finale, Salt is revealed to be Billy's mother, and the copycat Ghostface alongside her accomplice, Mickey. Before the events of ''Scream'', she leaves her home after learning of her husband's affair with Sidney Prescott's mother Maureen, abandoning Billy and providing his motivation for his killing spree in ''Scream''. After Billy's death Mrs. Loomis undertakes a physical makeover, losing weight to change her appearance. She then recruits Mickey from a website devoted to serial killers, to enact a plan for revenge against Sidney. She ultimately betrays Mickey and shoots him, claiming to have indulged his desire for fame to gain his help, while she really intends to kill Sidney and then disappear without trace. Cotton Weary intervenes and manages to save Sidney's life by shooting Mrs. Loomis in the chest, before Sidney shoots her through the head, to guarantee that she won't return.

In the original ''Scream 2'' script, Mrs. Loomis worked with Hallie and Derek, not Mickey, though she still killed her allies. She intended to frame Cotton for the murders, but he managed to stab and kill her. After the script leaked on to the Internet, it underwent rewrites that removed this ending.

Derek Feldman

*Portrayed by Jerry O'Connell
*Appeared in: ''Scream 2''

Derek Feldman is a pre-med student at Windsor College, a friend of Mickey and boyfriend of Sidney Prescott. After publicly declaring his love for Sidney, he is captured by his fellow frat brothers and restrained as a prank. During the finale, as Sidney is escaping Ghostface, she finds Derek still restrained and tries to untie him before the killer arrives. Ghostface reveals himself as Mickey and accuses Derek of being his accomplice, causing Sidney to hesitate in freeing him. After Derek threatens Mickey, Mickey shoots him through the heart, killing him.

In the original ''Scream 2'' screenplay, Derek was one of the killers working with Mrs. Loomis and Hallie McDaniel. He and Hallie, who were also secret lovers, shared the motivation of gaining fame for the murders when they were caught, but were both killed by Mrs. Loomis to preserve her anonymity. After the script was leaked on the Internet, it underwent rewrites, removing this ending.

Hallie

*Portrayed by Elise Neal
*Appeared in: ''Scream 2''

Hallie is a psychology major at Windsor College and the roommate of Sidney Prescott. She is also sworn to the Delta Lambda Zeta sorority. When Sidney is taken into protective custody, Hallie accompanies her, but Ghostface attacks the car in which they are traveling and murders the policemen guarding them. Ghostface hijacks their car, but crashes, rendering himself unconscious and allowing Sidney and Hallie to escape. When Sidney returns to the vehicle to discover the killer's identity, she finds him missing from the car. Ghostface leaps out at Hallie as she waits nearby for Sidney, and stabs her to death.

In the original ''Scream 2'' screenplay, Hallie was one of the killers, working with Mrs. Loomis and Derek Feldman. She and Derek, who were also secret lovers, shared the motivation of gaining fame for the murders when they were caught, but were both killed by Mrs. Loomis to preserve her anonymity. After the script was leaked on the Internet, it underwent rewrites, removing this ending.

Joel

*Portrayed by Duane Martin
*Appeared in: ''Scream 2''

Joel is Gale Weathers' new cameraman, replacing Kenny Brown from ''Scream''.

When the Windsor College murders begin, Joel becomes scared of Gale's need to follow the trail. After he reads her book "The Woodsboro Murders", he becomes even more reluctant, especially when he learns about the fate of Kenny and greatly dislikes it when anybody mentions his name in front of him. He goes to buy some doughnuts and coffee and is shocked to come back and find Randy Meeks murdered in his van, passing out once he sees the gruesome sight. Left without his van due to it being an official crime scene and finally being pushed to his limits following Randy's death, he leaves, giving Gale all of the news footage that they had filmed so far and telling her that she needed her "head examined".

At the end of the film, he returns to Gale to once again be her cameraman.

In the original ''Scream 2'' screenplay, Joel had a larger role as a member of Sidney Prescott's group of friends. His corpse was found during the film's finale. After this script was leaked on the Internet, it underwent rewrites, changing the role of several characters and making Joel a cameraman.

Maureen Evans and Phil Stevens

*Portrayed by Jada Pinkett and Omar Epps
*Appeared in: ''Scream 2''

Maureen Evans and her boyfriend Phil Stevens are students at Windsor College. They attend a sneak preview of the film "Stab", during which Phil goes to the bathroom and hears strange whimpering from the next stall. He presses his ear against the divider to listen closer, but a blade is forced through the divider, stabbing Phil in the ear and killing him. The killer, wearing a Ghostface costume, returns to the screening and sits beside Maureen, before mortally stabbing her. The audience believe her to be part of a publicity stunt, until she falls dead in front of the cinema screen.

Their deaths are satirized in ''Scary Movie''.

''Stab'' Casey Becker

*Portrayed by Heather Graham
*Appeared in: ''Scream 2'', ''Scream 4'' (archive footage), ''Scream'' (2022) (photo only)

''Stab'' Casey Becker is the movie version of Casey Becker, portrayed by Drew Barrymore. She takes a shower while making popcorn. She also does not have a boyfriend, unlike her real-life counterpart. In the fourth film, Gale is attacked at Stab-A-Thon as the Woodsboro High teenagers watch the famed ''Stab'' opening scene, quoting her lines of dialogue. In the fifth film, Tara sees Heather Graham's image on her QuickSearch results when drilled with a movie trivia question by Ghostface. She identifies Heather Graham as the actress who portrays Casey.

Mickey Altieri

*Portrayed by Timothy Olyphant
*Appeared in: ''Scream 2''

Mickey Altieri is a student at Windsor College and Derek's best friend. Like Randy Meeks from ''Scream'', he shows an avid interest in horror films and sequels. In the finale he is revealed as the current Ghostface, with his accomplice Mrs. Loomis. He kills Sidney's boyfriend Derek in front of her. Mickey states that he carried out the killings with the intention of getting caught, believing he would receive fame for his deeds and from the resulting trial, and intending to blame film violence for influencing him. Contrary to Mickey's desires, however, Mrs. Loomis intends to disappear after the killings; so she shoots him, seemingly fatally. After Mrs. Loomis' defeat, though, Mickey leaps to his feet to attack Sidney, but is finally killed by Gale and Sidney.

In the original ''Scream 2'' script, Mickey was murdered by Ghostface while trying to save Sidney, but this was changed in rewrites after the original script was leaked online.

Joshua Jackson

*Portrayed by Joshua Jackson
*Appeared in: ''Scream 2'', ''Scream'' (2022; archive footage from "The Scare")

Joshua Jackson (originally credited as Film Class Guy #1) is a film student at Windsor College, and a friend of Randy Meeks who he explains the "Rules to Survive" to.

In ''Scream'' (2022), Joshua re-appears in a scene watched by Tara Carpenter at the hospital, in ''Dawson's Creek'', a ''Scream'' parody episode (that functions as a ''Stab'' parody episode in the ''Scream'' universe) titled "The Scare" alongside Scott Foley's character, Roman Bridger. The filmmaking team Radio Silence supported a fan's interpretation that Jackson is playing himself at Windsor College, and look-alike Roman is portraying Foley's role in ''Dawson's Creek'' in a brief acting guest stint.

''Scream 3''

In ''Scream 3'', the third film in the ''Scream'' series, a new series of Ghostface murders begins during production of "Stab 3", a film within a film based on the murders in ''Scream'' and ''Scream 2''. Sidney Prescott has hidden herself away, and Ghostface leaves photographs of a young Maureen Prescott, her mother, at the crime scenes, hoping to lure her to Hollywood. The killer is revealed as Roman Bridger, Sidney's unknown half-brother and Maureen's son. Roman was conceived after the young Maureen was gang-raped in Hollywood while attempting to become an actress under the pseudonym Rina Reynolds. Baby Roman was given up for adoption, but as an adult he found Maureen, who rejected him. In revenge for this, Roman convinced Billy Loomis to kill her. Sidney and Roman fight, and Sidney stabs him before Dewey Riley shoots him through the head and kills him.

Angelina Tyler

*Portrayed by Emily Mortimer
*Appeared in: ''Scream 3''

Angelina Tyler is the actress who plays the role of Sidney Prescott in "''Stab 3''". To win this role, she took part in a talent competition, but she later reveals that she had sex with John Milton, the producer of the "''Stab''" films, to secure the job. While attending the birthday party of Roman Bridger, she is attacked and killed by Ghostface.

In an early version of the script, Angelina was a second Ghostface, Roman's lover and accomplice, and a former classmate of Sidney from Woodsboro, originally named Angie Crick. Her motivation was stated as her idolizing Sidney and wanting her fame and attention, thus taking on the role of Sidney in the "''Stab''" film, and giving Roman's and Sidney's relationship incestuous vibes. The idea was later apparently scrapped; however, in the film's director's commentary, Craven confirmed that Angelina was still portrayed as the second killer in the final film, but that the scenes revealing her relationship with Roman (and having captured Milton in order for Roman to execute him) had been cut; Craven elaborated that an earlier scene in the film where Sidney came across Angelina wearing Ghostface gear in her dressing room, which she had passed off as still wearing due to just having come off of set, was Sidney unknowingly having actually caught Angelina in the act of changing into her Ghostface gear.

Craven furthermore left it ambiguous as to whether Angelina was actually dead (due to her "murder" having occurred offscreen), or whether Roman had betrayed and killed her while she was "wandering off" to get changed into her Ghostface gear; in the subsequent ''Scream Trilogy'' box set booklet written by Craven, Angelina is listed among the characters still-alive after ''Scream 3''.

Christine Hamilton

*Portrayed by Kelly Rutherford
*Appeared in: ''Scream 3''

Christine Hamilton is Cotton Weary's girlfriend. In the opening of ''Scream 3'', she is stalked by the current Ghostface, who uses a voice synthesizer to sound like Cotton, convincing her that Cotton is behind the mask. When the real Cotton arrives, she believes him to be Ghostface and attacks him, while the real Ghostface approaches her from behind and stabs her to death.

Jennifer Jolie

*Portrayed by Parker Posey
*Appeared in: ''Scream 3'', ''Scream'' (2022) (photo only)

Jennifer Jolie (real name Judy Jurgenstern) is the actress playing the role of Gale Weathers in the first two ''Stab'' movies, and the cancelled ''Stab 3: Return to Woodsboro''. After a new series of Ghostface murders, Jennifer believes she may be the next victim and starts following the real Gale, hoping the killer will choose to kill her instead. While attending a birthday party for Roman Bridger she is attacked and killed by Ghostface. In the fifth film, Tara sees an image of Jennifer when she uses QuickSearch to find the cast of the original ''Stab''.

Parker Posey was nominated in 2000 for an MTV Movie Award for Best Comedic Performance for her role as Jennifer Jolie, losing to Adam Sandler, who won it for his performance in '' Big Daddy'' (1999).

John Milton

*Portrayed by Lance Henriksen
*Appeared in: ''Scream 3''

John Milton is the producer of the three fictional "''Stab''" movies. He is revealed to have known Maureen Prescott in her youth, when she was an aspiring actress using the pseudonym Rina Reynolds. It was during one of Milton's parties in the 1970s that Rina was gang-raped and became pregnant with Roman Bridger, with Milton himself being his father, making him an overall catalyst of the Ghostface killing sprees. Ghostface, revealed as Roman, kidnaps Milton and murders him in front of Sidney, blaming his father for turning their mother into a "slut".

Mark Kincaid

*Portrayed by Patrick Dempsey
*Appeared in: ''Scream 3''

Mark Kincaid is a detective investigating the most recent Ghostface murders. He displays an interest in horror films, and in the history of Sidney Prescott. When Sidney is forced to confront the killer, Kincaid is concerned for her and secretly follows her. Kincaid is attacked and severely wounded by Ghostface. After Ghostface is killed, he is seen with Sidney, Dewey and Gale at Sidney's house, preparing to watch a movie.

In the fifth film of the franchise, Sidney mentions having married and started a family with a man named Mark, which directors Tyler Gillett and Matt Bettinelli-Olpin later confirmed was in fact Mark Kincaid.

Martha Meeks

*Portrayed by Heather Matarazzo
*Appeared in: ''Scream 3'', ''Scream'' (2022)

Martha Meeks is Randy Meeks' younger sister, four years his junior. After learning of the new Ghostface murders, she sneaks onto the ''Stab 3: Return to Woodsboro'' set to give Dewey Riley a tape recorded by Randy prior to his death in ''Scream 2''; it contains his advice for surviving the concluding chapter of a trilogy and the third series of Ghostface murders. She is surprised to find Sidney, now out of hiding, there alongside the former deputy.

In the DVD commentary, Marianne Maddalena stated that a line reference to Martha being in Hollywood for a game show was deleted, explaining how she bypassed security on the set.

In ''Scream'' (2022), Martha is the 39-year-old mother to fraternal twin children: Chad and Mindy Meeks-Martin. Both children are high school seniors, suggesting she became a mother at 21. She leaves snacks for the kids to discuss the new killings, and reunites with Dewey for the first time on-screen since the third film after telling him "Bye Dewey, come visit us soon". She appears speechless at his unkempt appearance, before Chad signals her to leave. Later, a text message sent by Chad reveals he text Liv that he snuck out of his mother's house behind her back.

Roman Bridger

*Portrayed by Scott Foley
*Appeared in: ''Scream 3'', ''Scream'' (2022; archive footage from "The Scare")

Roman Bridger is the director of "''Stab 3: Return to Woodsboro''". During his birthday party at John Milton's mansion, he is found in the basement, apparently murdered. Later, when Sidney Prescott is confronted by Ghostface, the latter is unmasked as Roman, who has faked his death to eliminate himself as a suspect. Roman tells Sidney that he is her half-brother, relating the circumstances of his conception by Milton (who is unaware that Roman is his son) and later rejection by Maureen Prescott and how he had convinced Billy Loomis to murder Maureen, thus making him the overall architect of the Ghostface murders. Believing that Sidney has the life and fame that he was denied, Roman now tries to kill her, but in the end he himself is killed by Dewey Riley.

In ''Scream'' (2022), Roman is revealed to have portrayed Cliff Elliott in ''Dawson's Creek'' (created by ''Scream'' screenwriter Kevin Williamson) before the events of ''Scream 3'', with footage featuring him from the episode "The Scare" (in actuality a parody of ''Scream'', presented as an in-universe parody of ''Stab'') being watched by Sam Carpenter and Amber Freeman; the film uses archive footage from "The Scare", in which Scott Foley had actually featured as Elliott.

Sarah Darling

*Portrayed by Jenny McCarthy
*Appeared in: ''Scream 3''

Sarah Darling is an actress starring in "''Stab 3''". She receives a phone call from someone claiming to be Roman Bridger (later revealed to actually be him), the director of that film, but after the call turns sinister she attempts to conceal herself among a set of film prop Ghostface costumes. However, one of the costumes is being worn by the killer, who attacks and murders Sarah, leaving a picture of the young Maureen Prescott on her corpse.

Steven Stone

*Portrayed by Patrick Warburton
*Appeared in: ''Scream 3''

Steven Stone is Jennifer Jolie's bodyguard. While guarding her home, he inspects Dewey Riley's trailer, which is kept on her land. While there he receives a phone call from someone claiming to be Dewey, who is later revealed to be Ghostface using a voice synthesizer to imitate Dewey's voice. Stone is attacked and killed by Ghostface.

Tom Prinze

*Portrayed by Matt Keeslar
*Appeared in: ''Scream 3''

Tom Prinze is an actor in ''Stab 3'', playing the role of Dewey Riley. At night in Jennifer Jolie's house, Tom, Jennifer, Dewey and Gale Weathers are attacked by Ghostface. The killer begins faxing them pages of script detailing the immediate events. As there is a power cut in the house, Tom attempts to illuminate the pages with his lighter, unaware of gas leaking into the house, causing an explosion that kills him.

Tyson Fox

*Portrayed by Deon Richmond
*Appeared in: ''Scream 3''

Tyson Fox is a fictional actor in ''Stab 3'', playing the role of Ricky, the ''Stab 3'' equivalent of Randy Meeks, following backlash of his death in '' Stab 2''. While attending the birthday party of Roman Bridger, he is attacked, stabbed, and thrown over a balcony to his death.

''Scream 4''

''Scream 4'' is the fourth film in the ''Scream'' series. On the fifteenth anniversary of the Woodsboro massacre depicted in ''Scream'', Sidney Prescott returns to the town to promote her new self-help book, "Out of Darkness", about her overcoming the attacks and the deaths in her life. The fictional "''Stab''" series of horror films based on her life have continued to be produced and have become increasingly popular. In ''Scream 4'', Woodsboro is attacked by a new Ghostface, who recreates the original Woodsboro killings from ''Scream''. Ghostface targets Sidney, her cousin Jill Roberts, and Jill's friends. As the killings occur, Gale Weathers-Riley struggles to reestablish her journalistic career, while working on her strained marriage to Dewey Riley, now promoted to Sheriff.

Anthony Perkins

*Portrayed by Anthony Anderson
*Appeared in: ''Scream 4''

Deputy Anthony Perkins (credited simply as "Deputy Perkins") is a member of the Woodsboro police, who is assigned to guard Jill Roberts, Kirby Reed and Sidney Prescott after threats from Ghostface. While patrolling the grounds of Jill's home, he and his partner are attacked and stabbed to death by Ghostface. Perkins pulls a prank on Hoss, before Hoss is stabbed from behind, then Perkins is stabbed in the head. Hoss refers to him as "Anthony" when he plays dead, a nod to actor Anthony Perkins, who portrayed Norman Bates in Psycho (1960).

Shortly before he drops to his death, he is still living, despite being impaled in the skull with a knife; this was based on a real-life story that Wes Craven heard about, from a man who took himself to the E.R after being stabbed in the head.

Anderson replaces Rutina Wesley who was intended to portray Marcie Perkins until budget cuts prevented it.

Deputy Hoss

*Portrayed by Adam Brody
*Appeared in: ''Scream 4''

Deputy Hoss (forename unknown) is a "rookie" member of the Woodsboro police, who is assigned to guard Jill Roberts, Kirby Reed and Sidney Prescott after threats from Ghostface. While patrolling the grounds of Jill's home, he and his partner are attacked and stabbed to death by Ghostface, after his partner Perkins pulls a prank on him. His wife is pregnant with his child at the time of his death.

Charlie Walker

*Portrayed by Rory Culkin
*Appeared in: ''Scream 4''

Charlie Walker is a student at Woodsboro High School, friend of Robbie Mercer, love interest of Kirby Reed and an avid fan of horror films, particularly the "''Stab''" series. He runs a film club with Robbie, and the pair are recruited by Gale Weathers-Riley to help profile the killer. He hosts a large-scale viewing of the seven "''Stab''" films in a remote area, and later attends an after-party at Kirby's house. Ghostface attacks the party and Charlie is captured and bound to a chair. Kirby is forced to answer horror film trivia questions to save his life. Believing she has won, Kirby frees Charlie, but he stabs her in the stomach and confesses to being the killer, angry with her for not returning his affections in the years they had known each other, before leaving her for dead. Charlie is revealed to have an accomplice, Jill Roberts, with whom he is in a romantic relationship. Charlie admits to aiding Jill in order to become the new generation Randy Meeks to her Sidney Prescott. Jill instead betrays him and stabs him through the heart, killing him.

Jenny Randall

*Portrayed by Aimee Teegarden
*Appeared in: ''Scream 4''

Jenny Randall is a student at Woodsboro High. After watching ''Stab 7'', Jenny pranks Marnie by pretending to be Ghostface. However, Marnie is then attacked and killed by the real Ghostface. Ghostface calls Jenny, taunting her, and Jenny assumes it is Trevor, Jill's ex-boyfriend, suggesting a connection between the two. The killer then chases Jenny through the house, wounding her and crushing her back as she tries to crawl under an automatic garage door, before stabbing her to death.

The next day, Jill gets a call from Jenny's phone in front of Olivia and Kirby, using the Ghostface voice. At Sidney's book signing, the knife used to kill her makes Sidney a material witness to the crime, as Jenny and Marnie's phones are found in Sidney's rental. The film highlights Trevor's infidelity and a small suggestion is Trevor may have cheated on Jill with Jenny. When Jill is revealed as the killer, she expresses rage over Trevor cheating on her.

The PPV version of the film released to streaming in some countries re-dubs some of Olivia's lines, calling Jenny "the other woman" in the car on the way to school, making her murder much more obvious in how personal it may have been.

Wes Craven expressed disappointment in the removal of Jenny and Marnie's crime scene aftermath/autopsy scene, which was to occur sometime after the title card appeared. In the scene, the Woodsboro remake theme became apparent. The scene features Sheriff Dewey Riley (David Arquette), Deputy Sheriff Judy Hicks (Marley Shelton), the other cops and Craven himself in a coroner cameo, discussing leads, bodily fluid samples, the murder weapon, and explanations for why the girls were home alone. Jenny is tied to a chair like Steven Orth, while Marnie's corpse is hung to the ceiling like Casey Becker (Drew Barrymore) is hung from the tree in the original opening scene.

The deletion was administered by Bob Weinstein for pacing reasons. While Craven was susceptible to other deleted scenes, he felt the removal of this scene made the remake theme less apparent. Craven further stated, "For whatever reason he felt it wasn’t important or necessary. We argued a long time for it. Our working relationship is give and take. He technically has final cut."

Marnie Cooper

*Portrayed by Britt Robertson
*Appeared in: ''Scream 4''

Marnie is the shyer, more reserved best friend of Jenny. She is a student at Woodsboro High, who is critical of ''Stab 6'' and ''Stab 7'' due to the movie-within-a-movie format seeming illogical. She is the audience surrogate in order for viewers to be explained by Jenny what the fake-out openings meant. When Jenny claims to hear a noise, Marnie immediately suspects she is about to prank her, a regular occurrence. When she comes upstairs, Jenny calls Marnie in the Ghostface voice through an app, and scares her, before she reveals it is her speaking through an app. However, Marnie croaks, and the phone shuts off, indicating something has happened to her.

Jenny investigates. Her window is smashed open, and Marnie's corpse falls through, and Jenny is killed moments later. The next day, unbeknown that she has died, Olivia Morris refers to her as "Marnie the Carnie" when she tells Jill that she got a call from her earlier in the morning using the Ghostface voice, indicating animosity between the two. At Sidney's book signing, the knife used to kill her makes Sidney a material witness to the crime, as Jenny and Marnie's phones are found in Sidney's rental. The climax reveals Charlie killed her, and shows footage of Marnie's stabbing to Sidney. The stabbing scene is the first time a character's death is shown, after they are murdered. The scene is from the original shot opening where Marnie is the primary target in the attack, not Jenny, after Jenny is stabbed on the couch and Marnie assumes it is a prank. The scene was available for viewing on the DVD for ''Scream 4''.

A crime scene aftermath scene was shot and famously photographed as a promotional image for the film in 2010. It depicts Marnie hung from a ceiling at the Randall household, where the cops photograph the crime scene. Dewey asks them to take Marnie's corpse down. Later, Judy Hicks provides an explanation for why they are home-alone, with Marnie's parents assuming Jenny's parents were at home, while they were away. Against director Wes Craven's wishes, Bob Weinstein who had greater creative power, deleted the scene in the editing room, which was critical to highlight the remake theme. Craven expressed disappointment with this decision, arguing with Weinstein about it. He stated that the remake "was a huge theme" that was sadly "minimized throughout the editing process".

Jill Roberts

*Portrayed by Emma Roberts
*Appeared in: ''Scream 4''

Jill Roberts is a student at Woodsboro High School, cousin of Sidney Prescott and Roman Bridger, the daughter of Kate Roberts, and the niece of Maureen and Neil Prescott. Before the events of the film, she ends her relationship with her boyfriend Trevor Sheldon after he cheats on her. She and her friends, Kirby Reed and Olivia Morris, are targeted by the new Ghostface, resulting in their gaining police protection. Jill sneaks away from the protection to Kirby's house for a party. Ghostface attacks the party, murdering some of the attendees before being revealed as Charlie Walker. Following this reveal, Jill reveals herself as the other Ghostface and the mastermind behind the murders, as she and Charlie capture Sidney.

Envious of Sidney's fame, Jill wants to become the new "Sidney Prescott" by recreating the events that made Sidney famous. Jill murders Trevor for cheating on her, betrays Charlie by stabbing him through the heart, and stabs Sidney in the stomach. Believing that the witnesses to her crimes are all dead, Jill plants evidence framing Trevor and Charlie for the murder spree. Jill then intentionally harms herself to appear to be the lone survivor of the Ghostface attacks. After being taken to the hospital, Jill discovers that Sidney has survived her wounds. Jill again attempts to kill Sidney, but Sidney, aided by Dewey Riley, Gale Weathers-Riley and Judy Hicks, shoots Jill in the chest, killing her.

Ashley Greene was considered for the role of Jill before Emma Roberts was cast.

Judy Hicks

*Portrayed by Marley Shelton
*Appeared in: ''Scream 4'', ''Scream'' (2022)

Judy Hicks is Deputy Sheriff of Woodsboro under Sheriff Dewey Riley and a former classmate of Sidney Prescott. She idolizes Dewey but dislikes his wife Gale Weathers-Riley. The two are able to put aside their differences in the end, when Judy saves Gale from being shot by Jill Roberts. She is then shot herself, but is unharmed, as she is wearing a bulletproof vest.

In the fifth entry, Judy is promoted to Sheriff. Her son, Wes Hicks, is introduced (a name tribute to series veteran director Wes Craven who died in 2015), portrayed by Dylan Minnette. She is subsequently murdered along with Wes at her home.

A deleted scene for ''Scream 5'' reunited Woodsboro cops, Dewey and Judy in person for ''Scream 5'', but it was cut to give Arquette's character a better introduction and for the audience to spend more time with the newer characters.

Lake Bell was given the role of Judy, but she dropped out only four days before filming was to begin, citing scheduling conflicts. Hicks is Shelton's first role she has been asked to reprise, and she is also the first sequel performer to star in another sequel.

Kate Roberts

*Portrayed by Mary McDonnell
*Appeared in: ''Scream 4''

Kate Roberts is the mother of Jill Roberts, aunt to Sidney Prescott, sister to Maureen Prescott, and the sister-in-law of Neil Prescott. After Kate and Sidney are attacked by Ghostface, Kate, leaning against a door, is stabbed in the back through a mail slot and dies.

Lauren Graham was originally cast in the role of Kate Roberts but left the production a few days into principal photography, being replaced with McDonnell.

Kirby Reed

*Portrayed by Hayden Panettiere
*Appeared in: ''Scream 4'', ''Scream'' (2022) (photograph only), ''Scream VI''

Kirby Reed is a Woodsboro teenager, friend of Jill Roberts and Olivia Morris, love interest of Charlie Walker and an avid fan of horror films. While entertaining friends at a party, she begins to pursue Charlie romantically. Ghostface attacks the party and she retreats into the basement with Sidney. Ghostface captures Charlie and forces Kirby to play a game to save his life. When she believes she has won, she unties Charlie, who then stabs her in the stomach and reveals that he is the killer, blaming her because she had not returned his affections sooner. After Scream 4, she became a fan favorite and a frequent topic of debate as to whether or not she survived her stabbings.

In ''Scream'' (2022), a visual clue reveals that Kirby survived her injuries and participated in an interview about the attacks, making her the sole survivor of the 2011 killing spree, although her whereabouts are unknown. In May 2022, Panettiere officially signed on to be a cast member in the upcoming 2023 film Scream 6, indicating Kirby’s return.

Olivia Morris

*Portrayed by Marielle Jaffe
*Appeared in: ''Scream 4''

Olivia Morris is a Woodsboro teenager and a friend of Jill Roberts and Kirby Reed. Following a new series of Ghostface murders, she is attacked by Ghostface in her home and disemboweled while her friends are forced to watch from the neighboring house.

Rebecca Walters

*Portrayed by Alison Brie
*Appeared in: ''Scream 4''

Rebecca Walters is Sidney Prescott's secretary and publicist, who helps arrange Sidney's visit to Woodsboro to promote her book. Sidney fires her after Rebecca attempts to capitalize on the new Ghostface murders to increase sales of Sidney's book. While returning to her car, Rebecca is taunted and attacked by Ghostface. She is stabbed to death and her body is thrown from the top of a parking garage, landing on a news van in front of a crowd of reporters.

Robbie Mercer

*Portrayed by Erik Knudsen
*Appeared in: ''Scream 4''

Robbie Mercer is a Woodsboro teenager, a friend of Charlie Walker and an avid fan of horror films, running a film club with Charlie. While attending Kirby Reed's party, he is attacked by Ghostface and fatally wounded, living long enough to warn Sidney Prescott, Jill and Kirby before dying.

Trevor Sheldon

*Portrayed by Nico Tortorella
*Appeared in: ''Scream 4''

Trevor Sheldon is a Woodsboro teenager and the ex-boyfriend of Jill Roberts, who ended her relationship with him after he took her virginity and then cheated on her with Jenny Randall. He makes repeated attempts to earn her forgiveness and continue their relationship. After Ghostface's victims receive calls from Trevor's cellphone, which he claims to have lost, he becomes a suspect in the murders. He attends Kirby Reed's house party, claiming to have been invited by phone, but the guests deny responsibility. When the true Ghostface killers are unmasked as Charlie Walker and Jill, they reveal a bound Trevor, whom they plan to frame for their crimes. Jill shoots him in the crotch for cheating on her, before executing him by shooting him in the head.

Tortorella auditioned five times to secure the role of Trevor by reenacting a scene from ''Scream'' where the character of Billy Loomis reveals he is one of the killers.

''Scream'' (2022)

Sam Carpenter

*Portrayed by Melissa Barrera
*Appeared in: ''Scream'' (2022), ''Scream VI''

Samantha "Sam" Carpenter is a young woman from Woodsboro who now lives in Modesto, California with her boyfriend, Richie Kirsch. She is the older sister of Tara Carpenter, and former babysitter of Wes Hicks. After discovering her real father is Billy Loomis when she was thirteen, Sam had a troubled adolescence before leaving her family and Woodsboro at eighteen, fearing that she would become a psychotic killer since. Upon receiving a call from Wes about Tara's attack, Sam returns to Woodsboro after five years with Richie to be with Tara as she recovers. At the hospital, she is attacked by Ghostface and begins experiencing hallucinations of her father. She eventually tells Tara her secret, which creates tension between the two. After rescuing Tara from a second attack, Sam decides to leave for Modesto again with both Richie and Tara. When Tara realizes she is missing her inhaler, the trio stops at Amber's house to retrieve a spare. There, Richie stabs her, revealing himself to be one of the killers alongside Amber and Tara's attacker. He tries to kill Sam but she overpowers him and kills him by slitting his throat. She then thanks Sidney and Gale before leaving for the hospital with Tara.

Richie Kirsch

*Portrayed by Jack Quaid
*Appeared in: ''Scream'' (2022)

Richard "Richie" Kirsch is Sam Carpenter's boyfriend and coworker at a bowling alley in Modesto, California. When she learns her sister Tara was attacked and hospitalized, he goes with her to Woodsboro for emotional support. After Sam is attacked in the hospital by Ghostface, he overhears her tell Tara she (Sam) is Billy Loomis' illegitimate daughter, but decides to stay with her. He goes with her to seek out Dewey Riley, who warns her that, as her boyfriend, he's high on the list of suspects. He's also there when she speaks to Tara's friends. He later finds Tara being attacked by Ghostface and is mildly injured. Sam and Dewey arrive and, while Richie and the girls escape, Dewey is killed. Afterwards, they meet Sidney and, despite her warnings, decide to leave. On the way out, Tara realizes she lost her inhaler and Sam convinces Richie to go to Amber's house to get her spare. When they learn Ghostface is there, Sam is suspicious of Richie, though he warns her it could be Tara. After Sidney arrives, she and Sam subdue Ghostface, only for Richie to stab Sam, revealing himself as a killer, the other being Amber. They take them and the wounded Gale captive and reveal their plan: to make a real life reboot of "Stab" with Sam, as Billy's daughter, framed as the killer. Richie also stole Tara's inhaler so they would fall into his trap. However, they learn Tara is free (Richie's attempt to sow distrust in Sam failed), distracting them long enough for Sidney and Gale to deal with Amber while Sam fights Richie. She ultimately gets a knife and stabs him many times with it before slitting his throat. She then empties a gun taken from Gale into his corpse to be sure he is dead.

Amber Freeman

*Portrayed by Mikey Madison
*Appeared in: ''Scream'' (2022)

Amber Freeman is a Woodsboro teenager and friend to Tara Carpenter, Wes Hicks, Chad Meeks-Martin, Mindy Meeks-Martin, and Liv McKenzie. She is seen being threatened by Ghostface during Tara's attack. After Tara's attack, she and the rest of the teenagers go visit her in the hospital along with Tara's older sister Sam and her boyfriend, Richie Kirsch. She and the teenagers are kicked out of a bar, where Liv's summer fling Vince Schneider is killed by Ghostface. After Wes is murdered, she and the teens plan a party at her house to honor his memory. During this, Liv is killed by Amber when she reveals herself as the killer. Amber shoots Gale and Richie reveals himself as her accomplice, taking Gale, Sidney, Sam, and Tara captive. She reveals that they were disappointed at the last ''Stab'' movie and wish to revive the franchise with a new killing spree to act as "source material" and defend fans of the franchise from the "toxic fandom" label they feel they have unjustly received. Amber is set on fire after she is shot by Gale and lands on a lit stove, and is horribly burnt. Later, she is subsequently shot in the head by Tara after she attempts to attack the group again.

Chad Meeks-Martin

*Portrayed by Mason Gooding
*Appears in ''Scream'' (2022), ''Scream VI''

Chad Meeks-Martin is a Woodsboro teenager and the fraternal twin brother of Mindy. Through his mother, Martha, he is Randy Meeks's nephew. He is an athlete at Woodsboro High and the boyfriend of Liv McKenzie. He becomes protective of Liv after Vince Schneider tries to get her back one night at the bar. At the memorial party for Wes, he refuses Liv's request to go somewhere private out of fear of going with the killer. Liv storms away and Chad chases after her using location-sharing on his phone. Believing to have found Liv, he is instead attacked by Ghostface. After the killers are stopped, both Chad and Mindy are revealed to have survived and awaiting medical treatment.

Liv McKenzie

*Portrayed by Sonia Ben Ammar
*Appeared in: ''Scream'' (2022)

Liv McKenzie is a Woodsboro teenager and the girlfriend of Chad Meeks-Martin. She previously had a summer fling with Vince Schneider. At the memorial party for Wes, Liv becomes angry with Chad over his perceived mistrust of her. She leaves the house and returns later to find his body outside after being attacked. Panicked, she rushes inside to discuss the killer's identity with the remaining guests. In the ensuing argument, Liv is shot and killed by Amber.

Mindy Meeks-Martin

*Portrayed by Jasmin Savoy Brown
*Appears in ''Scream'' (2022), ''Scream VI''

Mindy Meeks-Martin is a Woodsboro teenager and the fraternal twin sister of Chad. Through her mother, Martha, she is Randy Meeks's niece. Like her uncle, she is an avid horror fan. At the memorial party for Wes, she is attacked by Ghostface while watching ''Stab'', mirroring the attack on Randy twenty-five years ago. After the killers are stopped, both Chad and Mindy are revealed to have survived and awaiting medical treatment.

Tara Carpenter

*Portrayed by Jenna Ortega
*Appeared in: ''Scream'' (2022), ''Scream VI''

Tara Carpenter is a Woodsboro teenager and the younger sister of Sam Carpenter. Her friend group includes Amber Freeman, Wes Hicks and Chad and Mindy Meeks-Martin. She is the first target of the new Ghostface, though she survives the attack. She admits to being a fan of elevated horror, citing the films '' Hereditary'' and ''The Babadook''. Tara is initially excited to see her sister after five years, but grows distant when Sam reveals her biological father is Billy Loomis. After she is attacked again at the hospital, Sam decides to bring Tara back to Modesto with her and Richie. As they leave Woodsboro, Tara realizes she is missing her inhaler, but remembers she left a spare at Amber's house. Upon arriving, Amber ends the memorial party in honor of Wes Hicks and goes with Tara to retrieve the inhaler. After revealing herself to be the killer, Amber ties up Tara in her closet. She is eventually found by Sam, who unties her. After finally shooting a still-burned alive Amber who were rushing at Sidney, Sam and Gale to stab them, Tara is loaded into an ambulance. Requesting that Sam ride with her, the two leave the scene.

Vince Schneider

*Portrayed by Kyle Gallner
*Appeared in: ''Scream'' (2022)

Vincent "Vince" Schneider is a resident of Woodsboro and had a summer fling with Liv McKenzie. After spending the night at the bar, he is murdered by Ghostface in a nearby alley, becoming the true first victim. When the group discusses potential suspects at the twins' house, it is revealed that Vince is the nephew of Stu Macher through his mother, Leslie.

Wes Hicks

*Portrayed by Dylan Minnette
*Appears in ''Scream'' (2022)

Wes Hicks is a Woodsboro teenager and is also Sheriff Judy Hicks' son. He goes to Woodsboro High and is part of the friend group. He calls Sam and tells her about Tara's attack and is worried that the killer will target him and his mother due to Judy having a part in solving the previous killings. As he is preparing the table for dinner, Wes hears strange noises in the house. He goes to lock the front door for safety but is then attacked by Ghostface. He tries to hold off the knife but the killer forces it through his throat, killing him.

''Scream VI''

Police officer

*Portrayed by Dermot Mulroney
*Appears in ''Scream VI''

This police officer is the father of a victim.

Reception

Neve Campbell praised the role of Sidney Prescott, saying she "adored" the character and "she's a fantastic character for any kind of movie." In 1997, the ''Scream'' role won Campbell the Saturn Award for Best Actress and an MTV Movie Award for Best Female Performance nomination. The following year she went on to win the 1998 Best Female Performance for ''Scream 2'' and received a second nomination for the Saturn Award for Best Actress, losing to Jodie Foster for ''Contact'' (1997). She received a third and final Best Female Performance nomination from MTV in 2000 for the character in ''Scream 3'', but lost to fellow ''Scream'' alum Sarah Michelle Gellar for ''Cruel Intentions'' (1999).

Barrymore and Ulrich also received Saturn Award nominations in 1997 for ''Scream'', for Best Supporting Actress and Best Supporting Actor respectively. Although critical of the film itself, ''Variety'' singled out Campbell and Ulrich for praise as "charismatic", liking Cox's playing against type as the ambitious reporter Gale and saying the film had a "strong ensemble cast".

John Muir, author of ''Wes Craven: The Art of Horror'', was critical of the new characters introduced in ''Scream 2'' – Derek, Joel, Cici, Hallie, Lois, Murphy and Mickey – stating that they never attained the same depth of character as ''Scream'' characters such as Tatum Riley, Billy Loomis and Stu Macher, or even minor characters like Principal Himbry. Muir cited the sequel's focus on increased body counts and violence as the cause of this discrepancy in the quality of the two films' characters. He added that, as a result, ''Scream 2'' lacked the same mystery or intrigue as the original, as the killer could be any character, purely because the audience is never provided with enough information to form an opinion of them. Roger Ebert agreed with this criticism, saying "there is no way to guess who's doing the killing, and everyone who seems suspicious is (almost) sure to be innocent."

However, Muir praised the development of the surviving characters of ''Scream'', labeling Gale Weathers, Dewey Riley, Sidney Prescott, and Randy Meeks as "beloved" and claiming that the death of Randy was the most devastating moment of the sequel and a "bad move". ''Variety''s Leonard Klady was more appreciative of some of the new cast, calling Laurie Metcalf and Liev Schreiber "standout" talent. Cox received a Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress nomination for her role in ''Scream 2'', but lost to Gloria Stuart for ''Titanic'' (1997).

On the characters of ''Scream 3'', Roger Ebert was critical, stating " he charactersare so thin, they're transparent", but he praised Neve Campbell's appearance as Sidney Prescott, saying "The camera loves her. She could become a really big star and then giggle at clips from this film at her AFI tribute". The ''New York Times'' praised her role equally highly, saying "She has developed as an actress; when her eyes go dark with concern and fear, she is nerve-racked and tormented, not play-acting." Harry Knowles of ''Ain't It Cool News'' was less complimentary about Campbell, saying "She adds ZERO coolness. Zero talent. And Zero charisma to 'Scream 3''" The BBC
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