The American slasher film series Scream features a large cast of characters, many of whom were created by Kevin Williamson with contributions from Wes Craven (who directed the first four installments in the series) and Ehren Kruger (who wrote the third), and subsequently by new writers Guy Busick and James Vanderbilt with contributions from directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, and producer Chad Villella. The series comprises seven films: Scream (1996), Scream 2 (1997), Scream 3 (2000), Scream 4 (2011), Scream (2022), Scream VI (2023), and Scream 7 (2026).
The series focuses on a succession of murderers who adopt a ghost-like disguise, dubbed Ghostface (voiced by Roger L. Jackson) who taunt and attempt to kill Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) in the first four films. She is assisted by ambitious news reporter Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox) and police officer Dewey Riley (David Arquette). The fifth and sixth films shift focus to half-sisters Sam and Tara Carpenter (Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega) and twin siblings Chad and Mindy Meeks-Martin (Mason Gooding and Jasmin Savoy Brown), referred to as the "Core Four" in the sixth film. The seventh film again centers around Sidney, with Ghostface also threatening her daughter Tatum (Isabel May). Other major recurring characters include film-geek Randy Meeks (Jamie Kennedy), falsely accused opportunist Cotton Weary (Liev Schreiber), single mother Judy Hicks (Marley Shelton), and FBI agent Kirby Reed (Hayden Panettiere).
The first four films in the series were directed by Craven and scored by Marco Beltrami. Williamson wrote Scream, Scream 2 and Scream 4, but scheduling commitments meant he could provide only notes for Scream 3, which was written by Ehren Kruger. Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett directed the fifth and sixth films, with writing duties helmed by James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick. Williamson later returned to writing Scream 7 (co-wrote with Guy Busick), which is also the first film in the franchise he directed.
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.
Cast overview
Introduced in 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 (1996)
Status: Deceased
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 film after he realized that the film had "30 pages of script" without a death occurring. 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.
Winkler was uncredited in the film and was absent from posters and trailers.
Billy Loomis
Portrayed by Skeet Ulrich
Appeared in: Scream (1996), Scream (2022) (hallucination), and Scream VI (hallucination)
Status: Deceased
William "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. Billy and Stu's plan to frame Sidney's father for their killing spree ultimately backfires when Sidney manages to escape and calls the police on them, while taunting Billy and Stu with a phone call, leaving Billy shocked and enraged. Despite his desperate attempts to kill Sidney, Billy is ultimately beaten by both her and reporter Gale Weathers, and finally 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 during the events of the first film, fathering a daughter named Sam Carpenter (whom he wasn't aware of). Billy appears in her visions throughout the film and Scream VI, encouraging her to fight back against the killers trying to murder her, appearing both as the good man Sam wished he was, and also tempting her to become Ghostface herself.
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 (1996)
Status: Deceased
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 (1996) (cameo), Scream 2, and Scream 3
Status: Deceased
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), Scream VI (photos only), and Scream 7 (cameo)
Status: Deceased
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. In Scream VI, the shrine scene shows a booth dedicated to Dewey, where we see his photographs and portraits, as well as badges and a gun. Dewey is mentioned several times by other characters (including Ghostface). In Scream 7, the killers create a highly realistic deepfake version of Dewey via AI manipulation to torment Sidney, where on his behalf they blame her for his demise and responsibility for the deaths of other loved ones and friends.
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 in 2022, leaving fans devastated. There have since been some fan theories on social media that he could have faked his own murder and may still come back to the franchise in the future.
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, and Scream 7
Status: Alive
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 often clashed with reporter Debbie Salt, whom is revealed in the end as Nancy Loomis, Billy Loomis' mother. 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, Tony Revolori, Dermot Mulroney, Jack Champion, Liana Liberato, Anna Camp, Ethan Embry, Kraig Dane
Appeared in: Scream (1996), Scream 2, Scream 3, Scream 4, Scream (TV series), Scream (2022), Scream VI, and Scream 7
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 Nancy Loomis 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 Sam Carpenter and best friend of her sister Tara. In Scream VI, Ghostface is revealed to be Richie's entire family, father Wayne Bailey and siblings Ethan and Quinn. In Scream 7, Ghostface is Jessica Bowden, Sidney's neighbor; Marco Davis, a supervisor at a mental institution; and Karl Gibbs, a murderer from said institution. In the finale of each film, the current Ghostface killers confront the protagonist and explain their motivation for stalking her. In the finale of Scream VI, after the heroes gain the upper hand against the killers, Ghostface plays a more heroic role as he gives a taunting phone call to the Ghostface mastermind, Wayne Bailey, before making his entrance and stabbing a frightened Bailey multiple times. Ghostface is then revealed to be Sam, wearing Billy's robe and mask, who then ultimately kills Bailey by stabbing him in the eye.
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), and Scream 3 (archive footage)
Status: Alive
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.