List of Scream characters

Wes Craven's Scream series of slasher films features a large cast of characters created by Kevin Williamson. 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 includes four films, Scream (1996), Scream 2 (1997), Scream 3 (2000) and Scream 4 (2011).

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

Each film provides motive and suspicion for multiple characters leaving the true killer or killers identity concealed until the finale in which they reveal themselves and state their motivation for conducting a killing spree. 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) and his friend Stu Macher (Matthew Lillard). Billy admits to being responsible for the murder of Sidney's mother Maureen Prescott, angry at an affair she had with his father that caused his mother to "abandon" him. In Scream 2, copycat killers of the Woodsboro killers emerge and again stalk Sidney and her friends before being revealed as Sidney's friend Mickey (Timothy Olyphant) and Billy Loomis' mother, Mrs. Loomis (Laurie Metcalf). In Scream 3, another killer arises, hunting Sidney while claiming to have knowledge of Sidney's tragic past, prior to the events of the original film. The killer is revealed as Roman Bridger (Scott Foley) who also reveals that he is Sidney's half-brother and is after revenge for his rejection and abandonment by their mother. Roman is found to be responsible for convincing Billy to kill Maureen before the events of Scream, starting 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 and is revealed as Sidney's cousin Jill Roberts (Emma Roberts) and horror film fan Charlie Walker (Rory Culkin). Jill was jealous of Sidney's fame and desired to become known as the only survivor of Ghostface's killing spree.

The film series has been the recipient of several awards including a Saturn Award for Best Actress and MTV Movie Award for Best Performance for Neve Campbell and Saturn Award for Best Horror Film for Scream.

Scream
Scream is the first film in the Scream series. One year prior to the events of the film, Maureen Prescott is brutally murdered by Cotton Weary. During the events of the film, the fictional town of Woodsboro is again attacked by a murderer who particularly targets Sidney Prescott, the daughter of Maureen. Deputy Sheriff Dewey Riley investigates the murders while news reporter Gale Weathers follows the story and 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 before Sidney kills them both.

Billy Loomis
Billy Loomis is a Woodsboro teenager, the boyfriend of Sidney Prescott and an avid fan of horror films. When a series of murders occur, Billy becomes a suspect after he is found at Sidney's house shortly after she is attacked but is later released when evidence points to other characters. During a house party at Stu Macher's home, he and Sidney reconcile and have sex before Billy is stabbed by Ghostface. The wounded Billy attempts to help Sidney but after obtaining a gun, reveals himself as the killer, having feigned his injuries, and shoots Randy Meeks. Stu confesses to being Billy's accomplice, and the pair admit to having murdered Sidney's mother, Maureen Prescott, one year before the events of the film after she had an affair with Billy's father, causing his mother to "abandon" him. With help from Gale, Sidney manages to kill both Billy and Stu. In Scream 2, his mother Mrs. Loomis attempts to get revenge on Sidney for his death. In Scream 3, Roman Bridger reveals that he provided the evidence of his father's affair to Billy and gave him "pointers" on how to kill Maureen.
 * Portrayed by Skeet Ulrich
 * Appeared in: Scream

In the fictional film within a film "Stab", based on the murders, he is portrayed by Luke Wilson. The character is parodied in the film Scary Movie.

Kevin Patrick Walls and Justin Whalin were final contenders for the role of Billy Loomis before it was won by Skeet Ulrich, with Walls being given 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 to save the life of her boyfriend Steve. When she answers incorrectly, Steve is murdered and she is asked another question in exchange for her own life. When she refuses to answer, the Ghostface killer chases her down and kills her, leaving her hung and gutted from a tree. In the fictional film within a film "Stab", based on the murders, Casey is played by Heather Graham.

Barrymore was already a successful actress when she appeared in Scream where casting a big name for a horror film was not common. She was originally signed to play the role of Sidney Prescott after approaching the production herself after reading the script but her schedule eventually meant that she no longer had the time to fill the role and she volunteered for the smaller part of Casey Becker. Like her co-stars Neve Campbell and Courteney Cox, she is credited by Craven for raising the profile of the film with her appearance and helping to attract an increased female audience. Several scenes leading to her eventual death involved several incidences of back and forth between director Wes Craven and the film rating board MPAA 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 and as such no substitution could be made though he was in fact lying. The scene where her corpse is hung from a tree and gutted was severely cut down with Craven forced to remove any still shots of the body and the scene itself being sped up to reduce its time on screen.

Cotton Weary

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

Cotton Weary is the original suspect in the rape and murder of Maureen Prescott, the mother of Sidney Prescott. He was identified by Sidney who saw someone she believed to be Cotton leaving her home, later finding her mother's body. It is revealed that Maureen was having an affair with him before she was murdered by Billy Loomis and Stu Macher, who then framed Cotton. In Scream 2, Cotton attempts to gain fame from his incarceration and exoneration for Maureen's murder, travelling 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 current Ghostface killers.

In Scream 3, Cotton has become famous for his exploits, hosting his own talk show. He and his girlfriend are attacked by the latest Ghostface killer who demands to know the whereabouts of Sidney Prescott who has gone into hiding. When Cotton refuses, Ghostface kills him.

In the original Scream 2 script, Cotton was captured by the real Ghostface killers, Derek, Hallie 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 his 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 are not detailed. Following the script leaking on the internet, extensive rewrites were undertaken, changing this plot.

Dewey Riley

 * Portrayed by David Arquette
 * Appeared in: Scream, Scream 2, Scream 3, Scream 4

Dwight "Dewey" Riley is the deputy sheriff in Woodsboro, the brother of Tatum Riley and friend of Sidney Prescott. After a series of murders occur he helps lead the investigation while pursuing a romance with Gale Weathers. He is stabbed by the Ghostface killer during the finale of Scream but survives. Dewey returns in Scream 2, now suffering from a limp and weakened arm caused by nerve damage following his stabbing in the previous film. He travels to Windsor College to help Sidney when a new series of Ghostface murders begin. He is attacked and stabbed repeatedly by the current Ghostface but again survives. In Scream 3, he aids in an investigation into a new Ghostface, later revealed to be Roman Bridger. Dewey shoots Roman in the head, killing him. He later asks Gale to marry him and she accepts. By Scream 4, Dewey has married Gale and returned to Woodsboro to become the new Sheriff. When a new series of Ghostface murders begin on the anniversary of Billy and Stu's spree, he investigates with his deputy Jude Hicks while dealing with a strained relationship between himself and Gale. After Gale is badly injured by Ghostface, the pair resolve their differences.

Dewey was intended to die in the finale of Scream but Wes Craven filmed an additional scene where he survives and is placed in an ambulance in case test audiences reacted positively to the character. When audiences did, the scene was inserted and Arquette's character survived. When Arquette was brought in to audition for Scream, it was for the role of Billy Loomis. Arquette however liked the character of Dewey and wanted to audition for him instead despite resistance from the production as the role was described as "hunky" instead of the younger, "goofier" approach of Arquette but Craven appreciated the idea and cast him in the role.

In the fictional film within a film, "Stab 3", based on the Ghostface murders, he is portrayed by fictional actor Tom Prinze.

Gale Weathers

 * Portrayed by Courteney Cox
 * Appeared in: Scream, Scream 2, Scream 3, Scream 4

Gale Weathers is a news reporter for the fictional news show Top Story. Prior to the events of the film, she was involved in coverage of the murder of Maureen Prescott and the resulting trial of Cotton Weary, during which she was critical of the testimony provided by Sidney Prescott. In Scream she returns to Woodsboro to cover the current murder spree. During the finale of the film, her cameraman Kenny is murdered and she is left for dead following a car crash. She is later revealed to be alive and witnesses the admission of Billy Loomis and Stu Macher about their role in the killings. She helps Sidney defeat Billy and after the events of the film, writes a new book concerning the Ghostface killings. In Scream 2 she travels to Windsor College to cover the current murder spree, later witnessed the apparent death of Dewey before she herself is shot by Mickey, 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 after a new series of murders begin. At the end of the film, Dewey asks Gale to marry him and she accepts. In Scream 4, Gale has married Dewey, becoming Gale Riley, and gone on to write a series of novels about the Ghostface killings which have been turned into new installments in the fictional "Stab" series of films. Attempting to reignite her journalism career she investigates the new murders but is attacked and badly wounded by the new Ghostface. She resolves her differences with Dewey and the two agree to work on their relationship.

In the fictional film within a film "Stab" series, she 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 in horror casting to cast a popular actor or actress which continued in many horror films that followed. Along with fellow star Neve Campbell, Wes Craven opined that their presence helped raise the profile of Scream and in turn attract a large female audience. Brooke Shields and Janeane Garofalo were the original choices for the role of Gale with Cox not even considered due to her Friends role as it was not believed that she could play the selfish, abusive and aggressive character after playing the softer, nice role of Monica Geller. Cox however was eager for the part, wishing to play a "bitch" character specifically because of her Friends character and lobbied the production hard until she ultimately won the role.

Ghostface

 * Portrayed by Roger L. Jackson (voice), Skeet Ulrich, Matthew Lillard, Laurie Metcalf, Timothy Olyphant, Scott Foley, Emma Roberts, Rory Culkin
 * Appeared in: Scream, Scream 2, Scream 3, Scream 4

Ghostface is a fictional identity created in Scream by Billy Loomis (Skeet Ulrich) and Stu Macher (Matthew Lillard) to conduct a murder spree in the town of Woodsboro. The costume they use is a generic Halloween costume officially titled "Father Death" that allows anyone to adopt the identity and makes the killers difficult to identify. The killers will taunt their victims by phone before attacking, using a voice changer to disguise their true identity, during which they are voiced by seasoned voice actor Roger L. Jackson. The Ghostface identity is adopted by other killers following the death of Billy and Stu, first by Billy's mother Mrs. Loomis (Laurie Metcalf) and her accomplice Mickey (Timothy Olyphant) in Scream 2 and later by the half-brother of Sidney Prescott, Roman Bridger (Scott Foley) in Scream 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 the finale of each film, they are confronted by Sidney and killed by her or her friends, Gale Weathers and Dewey Riley.

Jackson voices Ghostface in all Scream films and was chosen for the part following weeks of local casting in Santa Rosa. Jackson was intended to be used only as a temporary voice and be replaced in the post production phase of the film with a dubbed voice, but his contribution was retained because Craven felt he brought a true evil malevolence to the voice. He and the cast of the films were intentionally prevented from meeting for most if not all of each films production to prevent them putting a face to the voice to make him seem more menacing when interacting with the actors by phone.

Kenny

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

Kenny is Gale Weathers' cameraman on the fiction news show Top Story. In Scream, Kenny accompanies Gale as she reports on the series of murders occurring 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.

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.

Maureen Prescott

 * Portrayed by Lynn McRee
 * Appeared in: Scream, Scream 3

Maureen Prescott is the mother of Sidney Prescott and wife to Neil Prescott. She is murdered before the events of the Scream films. She conducted several extra-marital affairs including with Cotton Weary and Hank Loomis, the father of Billy Loomis, with Cotton being arrested and convicted for her murder. In Scream, Sidney is taunted by phone about her mother's murder by a killer, later revealed to be her boyfriend Billy Loomis and his friend Stu. Billy reveals that it was he and Stu who murdered Maureen and then framed Cotton for it. In Scream 3, the current Ghostface uses her 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 gang raped and impregnated with Roman who she later gave up for adoption. When an 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.

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, later disappearing without trace, raising suspicions that he may be the perpetrator of a series of murders that begin to occur in the town. It is revealed in the finale that he was kidnapped by the real killers, Billy Loomis and Stu Macher, who intend to frame him for their crimes. Neil is saved by his daughter. He appears briefly in Scream 3, commenting on Sidney's withdrawal from her friends and life.

Principal Himbry

 * Portrayed by Henry Winkler
 * Appeared in: Scream

Principal Himbry is the principal of Woodsboro high school attended by Sidney Prescott and her friends. While in his office, he is attacked by Ghostface and stabbed repeatedly before dying.

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. This inadvertently gave writer Kevin Williamson a reason for the teenagers to leave Stu Macher's party in the film's finale, a plot point Williamson had been struggling to formulate. The language used by the character and his aggressive actions towards the students was one of several reasons that the films production was forced to leave Santa Rosa high school after the school board decided that the film's content was unacceptable and did not want it filming there.

Randy Meeks
Randy Meeks is a teenager in Woodsboro. Randy 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 begin, Randy taunts the killer over the phone, mocking Billy Loomis' own killings in the previous film. During this call, the killer drags him into a van and stabs him to death. It is later revealed that Mrs. Loomis, Billy's mother, killed Randy out of anger at his insults towards her son. He appears posthumously in Scream 3 in a recorded video where he explains the 'rules' concerning the latest killer to Sidney.
 * Portrayed by Jamie Kennedy
 * Appeared in: Scream, Scream 2, Scream 3

In the published screenplay for Scream, an alternate ending had Randy kill Billy instead of Sidney before asking Sidney out on a date. Before a script leak forced rewrites on the Scream 2 screenplay, Randy had an alternate role as Gale Weathers' cameraman rather than a student as shown in the finished film. His death however remained the same. An alternate ending in Scream 3 revealed the rest of Randy's posthumous tape, where he explains other genres, claiming it is time for a "happy ending". Wes Craven and Ehren Kruger considered bringing Randy back in Scream 3, revealing him to have survived his attack in Scream 2. The idea was scrapped due to it being considered too unrealistic for the series.

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

Sidney Prescott

 * Portrayed by Neve Campbell
 * Appeared in: Scream, Scream 2, Scream 3, Scream 4

Sidney Prescott is a Woodsboro teenager. In Scream, a year after the murder of her mother Maureen she is stalked by a killer later revealed to her boyfriend Billy Loomis and his friend Stu Macher, who are revealed as her mother's murderer, Billy motivated by her affair with his father that caused his mother to leave home. Sidney is able to kill them both in self-defense. In Scream 2, while attending college she again becomes the target of a masked killer, revealed as her boyfriend's friend Mickey and Billy Loomis's mother, seeking revenge for the death of her son, though Sidney again manages to survive the attempts on her life. She is later drawn to Hollywood during Scream 3 by another killer who she discovers is her half-brother Roman Bridger who attempts 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.

In the fictional films within a film "Stab" and "Stab 2", based on the murders, she is portrayed by Tori Spelling and by fictional actress Angelina Tyler in "Stab 3". 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. At the time she was cast in Scream, Campbell was starring in the drama series Party of Five. It was previously unheard of to cast an established TV actress in a horror film but following the success of the casting, alongside Courteney Cox, the practice became common in many horror films that followed. Director Wes Craven opined that their presence helped raise the profile of Scream and in turn attract a large female audience.

Stu Macher

 * Portrayed by Matthew Lillard
 * Appeared in: Scream

Stuart "Stu" Macher is a teenager in Woodsboro, the boyfriend of Tatum Riley and friend of Billy Loomis. After a series of murders occur in the town starting with the killing of his ex-girlfriend Casey Becker, school is temporarily cancelled, so Stu throws a party at his house where the killer strikes, killing Tatum. Stu is revealed to be Ghostface with his accomplice Billy, citing only peer pressure as his motivation. While trying to kill Sidney Prescott, she drops a television on Stu's head, electrocuting him to death.

Matthew Lillard makes an uncredited cameo in Scream 2 at a sorority party. Lillard revealed in a 2009 interview that Stu was originally intended to be the killer in Scream 3, having survived his apparent death, orchestrating new Ghostface attacks from prison on High School students and ultimately targeting Sidney. Following the Columbine High School massacre shortly before production began, the script was scrapped and re-written without his character and this plot to avoid development of a film which associated violence and murder with a High School setting. Many of Lillard's notable and humorous lines in the film were improvised. Lillard was cast by chance after accompanying his then-girlfriend to a separate audition in the same facility where Scream auditions were taking place. Scream casting director Lisa Beach saw Lillard and, believing he had the characteristics required of the character, asked him to audition, where he secured the role.

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, the killings occurring 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 cat flap fitted to the automatic garage door but becomes trapped and the killer raises the door. Tatum's neck is crushed between the rising door and the top of its frame, killing her.

Her death, like those of Casey Becker and Kenny's caused conflict between director Wes Craven and the film rating board MPAA. Craven was ultimately forced to reduce any lingering shots on her body resulting in a quick visual cutaway once she dies. Actresses Melinda Clarke and Rebecca Gayheart auditioned for the role of Tatum before McGowan was cast as the production felt she best embodied the "spunky" nature of the character.

Scream 2
Scream 2 is the second film in the Scream series. In the film, two years have passed since the murder spree committed in Woodsboro and Sidney Prescott and Randy Meeks now attend the fictional Windsor College as students. At the same time, a film, "Stab", based on the Woodsboro murders has been released and a copycat murder spree begins during the preview of the film. The new Ghostface attacks Sidney and her friends, killing Randy and wounding Dewey Riley before being revealed as her classmate Mickey 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. Cici is attacked in her sorority house by Ghostface while she is alone. She runs upstairs followed by the killer who manages to corner and severely wound her before picking her up and throwing her over a tall balcony to her death. Following her murder and the preceding murders of Phil Stevens and Maureen Evans, Gale Weathers and Dewey Riley are able to realize 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.

Sarah Michelle Gellar admitted in interviews that she signed on to Scream 2 without having read the script, based on the success of the first film.

Debbie Salt (Mrs. Loomis)

 * Portrayed by Laurie Metcalf
 * Appeared in: Scream 2

Debbie Salt is a local news reporter following the series of murders at Windsor College. In the finale she is revealed as Mrs. Loomis, the mother of Billy Loomis, one of the original Ghostface killers, she herself now a copycat Ghostface alongside Mickey. She left her home after learning of her husband's affair with Sidney's mother Maureen, abandoning her son and defining his motivation when he conducting a killing spree. Following his death, Mrs. Loomis undertakes a physical makeover, losing weight to change her appearance, and recruits Mickey from a serial killer-devoted website before enacting a plan to get revenge on Sidney. She ultimately betrays Mickey and shoots him, claiming to have indulged his desire for fame, while she really intends to kill Sidney and then disappear without a trace. Cotton Weary manages to intervene and save Sidney's life by shooting Mrs. Loomis through the throat, killing her.

In the original Scream 2 script, Mrs. Loomis was working with both Hallie and Derek, not Mickey, though she still proceeds to shoot her allies to death. She intends to have Cotton Weary framed for the murders but he manages to stab and kill her. Following the script leaking onto the internet, it underwent rewrites, removing this ending.

Derek

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

Derek is a student at Windsor College, 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 attempts to untie him until the killer arrives and reveals himself as Mickey before accusing Derek of being his accomplice. Sidney hesitates to free him based on this information and Mickey shoots him through the heart, killing him.

In the original Scream 2 screenplay, Derek was revealed as one of the killers, working with Mrs. Loomis and Hallie. He and Hallie are also secretly lovers. He and Hallie share the motivation of gaining fame for the murders when they are caught but are both shot to dead by Mrs. Loomis to preserve her anonymity. Following the script leaking onto the internet, it underwent rewrites, removing this ending.

Hallie

 * Portrayed by Elise Neal
 * Appeared in: Scream 2

Hallie is a student at Windsor college and the best friend of Sidney Prescott. When Sidney is placed into protective custody, Hallie accompanies her but Ghostface attacks the car in which they are traveling, murdering the policemen guarding them. The killer hijacks their car but crashes, rendering himself unconscious and allowing Sidney and Hallie to escape. When Sidney returns to the vehicle to discover the killers identity, she finds him missing from the car. He leaps out at Hallie as she waits for Sidney, and stabs her to death.

In the original Scream 2 screenplay Hallie was revealed as one of the killers, working with Mrs. Loomis and Derek. She and Derek are also secretly lovers. She and Derek share the motivation of gaining fame for their role in the murders after they are caught but are both shot to death by Mrs. Loomis to preserve her anonymity. Following the script leaking onto the internet, it underwent rewrites, removing this ending.

Joel
Joel is Gale Weathers new cameraman. After reading Gale's book about the murders that occur in Scream he becomes reluctant to stay and film at Windsor College and leaves after finding the corpse of Randy Meeks.
 * Portrayed by Duane Martin
 * Appeared in: Scream 2

In the original Scream 2 screenplay, Joel had a much larger role as a member of Sidney Prescott's group of friends whose corpse is found during the films finale. Following this script leaking onto 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 bathroom 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 film 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.

Mickey

 * Portrayed by Timothy Olyphant
 * Appeared in: Scream 2

Mickey is a student at Windsor College and the best friend of Derek. 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 and executes Sidney's boyfriend Derek in front of her. Mickey states that he conducted the killings intending to be caught, believing he will receive fame for his acts and the resulting trial, intending to blame film violence as his influence. He is betrayed by Mrs. Loomis who wishes to disappear after the killings, contrary to Mickey's desires, and seemingly shot to death. After Mrs. Loomis' defeat, he 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 following rewrites when the original script was leaked online.

Scream 3
Scream 3 is the third film in the Scream series. In the film, a series of new Ghostface murders begin during production of "Stab 3", a film within a film based on the previous Ghostface murders in the fictional town of Woodsboro and Windsor College. Ghostface leaves photographs of the murdered Maureen Prescott, mother of Sidney Prescott, at the crime scenes to lure Sidney, who has hidden herself away, to Hollywood. The killer is revealed as Roman Bridger, the unknown half-brother of Sidney and son of Maureen, born as a result of gang rape whilst Maureen was in Hollywood trying to become an actress under the pseudonym Rina Reynolds. After finding her as an adult, she rejects him and Roman reveals that in revenge, he convinced Billy Loomis to kill her. Sidney and Roman fight, with Sidney stabbing him before Dewey Riley shoots him through the head, killing him.

Angelina Tyler

 * Portrayed by Emily Mortimer
 * Appeared in: Scream 3

Angelina Tyler is an actress playing the role of Sidney Prescott in "Stab 3". She took part in a talent competition to win the leading role of Sidney but later reveals that she slept 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 murdered by the Ghostface killer.

In an early treatment of the script, she was intended to be a second killer, Roman's lover and accomplice and a former classmate of Sidney from Woodsboro, originally named Angie Crick. Her motivation is stated as her idolizing Sidney and wanting her fame and attention, thus taking on the role of Sidney in the "Stab" film. The idea was later scrapped.

Christine

 * Portrayed by Kelly Rutherford
 * Appeared in: Scream 3

Christine is the girlfriend of Cotton Weary. 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 the killer. When the real Cotton arrives, she believes him to be the killer and attacks him while the real Ghostface approaches her from behind and stabs her to death.

Mark Kincaid

 * Portrayed by Patrick Dempsey
 * Appeared in: Scream 3

Mark Kincaid is a detective investigating the most recent series of Ghostface murders. He also displays a keen interest in horror films and the history of Sidney Prescott. When Sidney is forced to come to confront the killer, Kincaid follows her out of concern but is attacked and severely wounded by Ghostface. After Ghostface is killed, he and Sidney enter into a relationship.

Jennifer Jolie

 * Portrayed by Parker Posey
 * Appeared in: Scream 3

Jennifer Jolie is a fictional actress playing the role of Gale Weathers in "Stab 3" who begins dating Dewey Riley. After a new Ghostface murder spree begins, she 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.

Parker Posey was nominated for an MTV Movie Award for Best Comedic Performance for her role as Jennifer Jolie in 2000, losing to Adam Sandler for 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 Sidney Prescott's mother in her youth when she was an aspiring actress using the pseudonym Rina Reynolds. During one of Milton's parties in the 1970s, Rina was gang-raped and impregnated with Roman Bridger. Ghostface, later revealed as Roman, kidnaps and later murders Milton in front of Sidney, blaming him for turning their mother into a "slut".

Martha Meeks
Martha Meeks is the younger sister of Randy Meeks. She meets with Sidney Prescott after learning of a new series of murders to provide them with a tape recorded by Randy prior to his death in Scream 2 that contains his advice for surviving the concluding chapter of a trilogy and the third series of Ghostface murders.
 * Portrayed by Heather Matarazzo
 * Appears in: Scream 3

Roman Bridger

 * Portrayed by Scott Foley
 * Appeared in: Scream 3

Roman Bridger is the director of "Stab 3: Return to Woodsboro", based on the Ghostface series of murders. During his birthday party, held at John Milton's mansion, he is found murdered in the basement. Later when Sidney Prescott is confronted by Ghostface, he is revealed as Roman, having faked his death to eliminate himself as a suspect. Roman also informs Sidney that he is her half-brother, born to Maureen Prescott during a period when she was attempting to be an actress in Hollywood. Maureen was gang raped and impregnated with Roman whom she gave up for adoption. Roman located her as an adult only to find that she wanted nothing to do with him and denied she had any other child but Sidney. To get revenge, he revealed to Billy Loomis the real reason that his mother "abandoned" him, his father's affair with Maureen, before convincing him to murder her, setting in motion the chain of events that occur in the Scream films. Roman attempts to kill Sidney believing she has the life and fame he was denied but is ultimately killed by Dewey Riley.

Sarah Darling

 * Portrayed by Jenny McCarthy
 * Appeared in: Scream 3

Sarah Darling is a fictional actress starring in the fictional "Stab 3". She receives a phone call from someone claiming to be Roman Bridger, the director of her film, but after the call turns sinister she attempts to conceal herself amongst a series of film prop Ghostface costumes. One of the costumes is revealed to be the killer who attacks and murders Sarah, leaving a picture of a young Maureen Prescott on her corpse.

Steven Stone

 * Portrayed by Patrick Warburton
 * Appeared in: Scream 3

Steven Stone is the bodyguard of fictional actress Jennifer Jolie. While guarding her home, he inspects the trailer of Dewey Riley that resides on her grounds. While there he receives a phone call from someone claiming to be Dewey who is later revealed to be the killer, 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 a fictional actor in the fictional film "Stab 3", playing the role of Dewey Riley. While with Jennifer Jolie, Gale and the actual Dewey, the group is attacked by Ghostface who begins faxing them script pages detailing the immediate events. In order to read the pages, Tom uses 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 the fictional film "Stab 3", playing the role of Ricky, a substitute for the character of Randy Meeks. 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 seen in Scream, Sidney returns to Woodsboro to promote her new self help book, "Out of Darkness", about her overcoming the attacks and the deaths in her life and the "Stab" series of films based on her life have become increasingly popular. During the events of the film, the fictional town of Woodsboro is attacked by a new Ghostface who is recreating the original Woodsboro killings from Scream, again targeting Sidney, her family including her cousin Jill Roberts, and Jill's friends. While the killings occur, Gale Riley (nee Weathers), struggles to recover her journalistic career while dealing with a strained marriage with, now-Sheriff, Dewey Riley.

Anthony Perkins and Ross Hoss
Anthony Perkins and Ross Hoss are Deputies in the Woodsboro police who are assigned to guard Jill Roberts and Sidney Prescott after threats from Ghostface. While patrolling the grounds of Jill's home, they are attacked and stabbed to death by Ghostface.
 * Portrayed by Anthony Anderson and Adam Brody
 * Appeared in: Scream 4

Charlie Walker
Charlie Walker is a teenager in Woodsboro, friend of Robbie Mercer, love interest of Kirby Reed and an avid fan of horror films, particularly of the "Stab" series. He runs a film club with Robbie and the pair are recruited by Gale Riley to help discover the killer. He hosts a large-scale viewing of the seven "Stab" films at a remote area and later attends an after-party at Kirby's house. After Ghostface attacks the party, Charlie is captured and bound to a chair while Kirby is forced to answer horror questions to save his life. When Kirby thinks she has won, she frees Charlie who reveals himself to be one of the killers and stabs her, angry at her for not returning his affections in the years they had known each other, before leaving her for dead. Charlie is revealed to be in a relationship with his accomplice Jill, aiding her in order to become the new generation Randy Meeks to her Sidney Prescott, but she instead betrays him and stabs him through the heart.
 * Portrayed by Rory Culkin
 * Appeared in: Scream 4

Jenny Randall and Marnie Cooper
Jenny Randall and Marnie Cooper are teenagers in Woodsboro and students at Woodsboro high school. After watching "Stab 7", Jenny pranks Marnie by pretending to be Ghostface but is then attacked by the new Ghostface who murders Marnie before chasing Jenny through the house, wounding her and crushing her back as she attempts to crawl under an automatic garage door, before stabbing her to death.
 * Portrayed by Aimee Teegarden and Brittany Robertson
 * Appeared in: Scream 4

Jill Roberts

 * Portrayed by Emma Roberts
 * Appeared in: Scream 4

Jill Roberts is a teenager in Woodsboro, student at Woodsboro High school, ex-girlfriend of Trevor, cousin of Sidney Prescott and daughter of Kate Roberts. She becomes a target for the new Ghostface killer alongside her friends Kirby and Olivia and is placed under police protection. After sneaking away from the protection to visit Kirby's house for a party, Ghostface attacks, killing many of her friends before he is revealed as Charlie. After Charlie captures Sidney, his accomplice reveals herself to be Jill who, envious of her fame, is desperate to become the "new generation's" Sidney Prescott. She murders Trevor for cheating on her, betrays Charlie, stabbing him through the heart and stabs Sidney in the stomach. Believing the witnesses to her crimes are dead, Jill plants evidence to frame Trevor and Charlie and begins stabbing and intentionally harming herself to appear to be lone survivor of the Ghostface spree. After being taken to the hospital and hailed a hero for stopping Ghostface, Jill, having discovered that Sidney is alive, attempts to finish her off but with help from Dewey, Gale and Judy Hicks, Sidney shoots Jill through the heart, killing her.

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

Judy Hicks
Judy Hicks is the deputy Sheriff of Woodsboro under Sheriff Dewey Riley and former classmate of Sidney Prescott. She idolizes Dewey but dislikes his wife Gale Riley. She saves Gale from being shot by Jill before being shot herself but is revealed to be OK, having worn a bulletproof vest.
 * Portrayed by Marley Shelton
 * Appeared in: Scream 4

Lake Bell was given the role of Judy but dropped out of the film only four days before filming was to begin, citing scheduling conflicts.

Kate Roberts
Kate Roberts is the mother of Jill Roberts, aunt to Sidney Prescott and sister to Maureen Prescott. After she and Sidney are attacked by Ghostface, Kate, leaning against a door, is stabbed in the back through a mail slot and dies.
 * Portrayed by Mary McDonnell
 * Appeared in: Scream 4

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

Kirby Reed
Kirby Reed is a teenager in Woodsboro, the friend of Jill Roberts and Olivia Morris, love interest of Charlie Walker and an avid fan of the horror genre. While entertaining friends at a party, Ghostface attacks and she retreats into the basement with Sidney Prescott. Ghostface captures Charlie and forces Kirby to play a game for his life which she believes she wins, but after Charlie is freed, he stabs her in the stomach, blaming her for not returning his affections sooner, and leaves her for dead.
 * Portrayed by Hayden Panettiere
 * Appeared in: Scream 4

Olivia Morris
Olivia Morris is a teenager in Woodsboro and the friend of Jill Roberts and Kirby Reed. After the new Ghostface murder spree begins, she is attacked by Ghostface in her home and gutted to death while her friends are forced to watch from the neighboring house.
 * Portrayed by Marielle Jaffe
 * Appeared in: Scream 4

Rebecca Walters
Rebecca Walters is Sidney Prescott's assistant and publicist who helps arrange the finale of her promotional tour to Woodsboro. She is fired by Sidney after she attempts to capitalize on the new Ghostface murder spree to increase sales of Sidney's book. While returning to her car she is taunted and attacked by Ghostface, stabbed to death and thrown from the top of the parking garage and lands on a news van in front of a crowd of reporters.
 * Portrayed by Alison Brie
 * Appeared in: Scream 4

Robbie Mercer
Robbie Mercer is a teenager in Woodsboro, 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, Jill and Kirby before dying.
 * Portrayed by Erik Knudsen
 * Appeared in: Scream 4

Trevor Sheldon
Trevor Sheldon is a teenager in Woodsboro and the ex-boyfriend of Jill Roberts, who ended her relationship with him after he took her virginity and then cheated on her, though he makes repeated attempts to earn her forgiveness and continue their relationship. After Ghostface victims receive calls from his cellphone, which he claims has been lost, he becomes a suspect in the murders. He attends Kirby's house party, claiming to have been invited by phone, but the guests deny having done so. When the true Ghostface killers are unmasked as Charlie and Jill, they reveal a bound Trevor who they plan to frame for their crimes and Jill shoots him in the crotch then in the head for cheating on her.
 * Portrayed by Nico Tortorella
 * Appeared in: Scream 4

Tortorella had to audition 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 5
Scream 5 will be the fifth and final film in the Scream series. After discovering Jill Roberts and Charlie Walker are the killers, Sidney is engaged to her new boyfriend Adam Thomas, and are to move to New York so that they can begin a new life what they wanted. Meanwhile, Woodsboro is once again attacked by a yet again new Ghostface, and Dewey and Gale cancel the marriage between Sidney and Adam so she can clear this crime and stop Woodsboro or else the killer will take on Sidney, Dewey, Gale and Adams's life including high school student Emily Browning and her friends.

Reception
On her character of Sidney Prescott, Neve Campbell was praising, 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 Best Actress nomination from the Saturn Awards, 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 (2000).

In addition to Campbell's success for Scream, both Barrymore and Ulrich received Saturn Award nominations in 1997 for Best Supporting Actress and Best Supporting Actor respectively. Despite being 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 Cooper, Hallie, Lois, Murphy and Mickey, stating that they never attained the same depth of character as Scream characters such as Tatum Riley, Billy Loomis, Stu Macher or even minor characters like Principal Himbry. Muir cited the sequel's focus on increased body counts and violence as the cause for this discrepancy between the two films characters. He also added that as a result, Scream 2 lacked the same mystery or intrigue as the original as the killer could literally be any character purely because the audience is never provided with enough information upon which they can form an opinion about 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."

Muir however praised the development of the surviving characters of Scream, labelling Gale Weathers, Dewey Riley, Sidney Prescott and Randy Meeks as "beloved" and claimed 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 "[the characters] are so thin, they're transparent" but 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 was equally praising of her role, 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 considerably less complimentary of Campbell, saying "She adds ZERO coolness. Zero talent. And Zero charisma to [Scream 3]." The BBC's Tom Coates and Elvis Mitchell of the New York Times were praising of Parker Poseys character, with Mitchell saying "[Jennifer Jolie] alone makes the picture worth seeing. Dizzy and nakedly -- hilariously -- ambitious, she's so flighty she seems to be levitating." So well received was Posey's character that she received an MTV Movie Award for Best Comedic Performance nomination in 2000 for the role but lost to Adam Sandler for Big Daddy (1999). Mitchell also praised the characters of Sarah Darling (Jenny McCarthy), Tyson Fox (Deon Richmond) and Steven Stone (Patrick Warbuton), calling them "assets" to the film.

In 2001, as part of the American Film Institute''s AFI 100 Years... series, the character of Ghostface became one of the four-hundred nominees in the "100 Heroes and Villains" category.

On the characters of Scream 4, Film 4 complimented the new additions to the cast but isolated Robbie Mercer and Charlie Walker out as the best of the new characters while the Los Angeles Times called Panettiere's film-nerd Kirby Reed "feisty", labeling her the most "intriguing" new addition to the series.