Scream (1996 film)/Characters

Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell)
The professional survivor, Sidney's life has been defined by a series of killing sprees all directed at her. First her mother Maureen was killed out of a jealous rage, then her friends in high school and college were hacked to bits, and then they started making hit slasher movies based on her tragedy. While this has brought her fame, fortune and a bestselling autobiography, it also means that she has had to spend large parts of her adult life constantly looking over her shoulder for the next wannabe Ghostface.

": I shot you.
 * Action Girl: In the fourth film.
 * Billing Displacement: Always billed second to David Arquette, despite being the lead.
 * Brainy Brunette
 * Character Development: At the beginning of the first film, she's just a perky high school kid who, over time, develops into a guilt ridden survivor in the second film, to a seclusive hermit by the third. The fourth, however, shows how, many years later,
 * Death By Sex: Averted in the first film; she's the only named character in the franchise to have sex and live to tell about it.
 * Famed in Story: Becomes a celebrity after the events of the first movie.
 * Final Girl: Initially played straight, although she slowly evolves into a deconstruction as the series goes on, with her life defined by her "perpetual victimhood" and the bloody consequences that this has for those around her.
 * Genre Savvy: "Horror movies are all the same. Some stupid killer stalking some big-breasted girl who can't act who's always running up the stairs when she should be going out the front door. It's insulting."
 * By the end of the series, she's full-on Dangerously Genre Savvy.
 * He Who Fights Monsters: While Sidney has managed to survive 4 occasions of attacks, there were some scenes that make you wonder whether or not she might end up as a killer, or no different than one. She herself even Lampshaded this in 3.

Sidney:*Reveals bullet proof vest.* I guess we think alike."


 * Plucky Girl -> Took a Level In Badass -> Action Girl
 * Sanity Slippage:, she apparently undergoes this in the third film, having visions of her dead mother coming for her. It doesn't work though.
 * Shut UP Hannibal: In the third film, she can't help but be annoyed and disgusted with . Eventually, she gets fed up, having heard this speech before, and shouts that really just a Complete Monster who's looking for an excuse.
 * Tomboyish Name
 * What Could Have Been: Drew Barrymore was originally cast to play her, but then she came up with the idea of having the biggest star in the film be killed off in the first fifteen minutes to throw off the viewers.
 * Zen Survivor

Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox)
A reporter who, in the first film, is fighting to prove that Cotton Weary did not commit the murder that he was put on death row for, and returns to Woodsboro for the one-year anniversary and to cover the new string of murders. Come the sequel, she's written a book about the Woodsboro murders, which has been adapted into a film, and comes to Windsor College to cover yet another killing spree. Has a rather abrasive personality.


 * Anti Hero: Type II.
 * Brainy Brunette
 * Deadpan Snarker
 * Hot Scoop
 * If It Bleeds It Leads: At first, but she gets better.
 * Intrepid Reporter
 * Jerk With a Heart of Gold: In the sequels.
 * Playing Against Type: Courteney Cox specifically sought out the role in order to avoid being typecast as Monica Gellar.
 * Plucky Girl
 * Running Gag: Her getting punched in the face by people (usually Sidney) that she pisses off. In the third film, this is turned on its head when she punches Jennifer, the actress playing her in Stab 3. She threatens to do it again in the fourth film.

Dewey Riley (David Arquette)
Woodsboro's deputy sheriff, Dewey is always on the case when a new Ghostface killer comes out of the woodwork, partly due to the loss of his little sister Tatum to the first Ghostface, and partly out of his sense of family with Sidney, Gale and Randy.


 * Action Survivor
 * Big Brother Instinct: Literally towards Tatum, metaphorically towards Sidney.
 * Billing Displacement: Always billed ahead of Neve Campbell, the series' lead.
 * Butt Monkey: He gets the shit beaten out of him by Ghostface in every movie,.
 * Embarrassing Nickname: His real name is "Dwight", with "Dewey" being a childhood nickname he got stuck with. By the time Scream 2 rolls around, he makes a point on being called "Dwight" by Gale - it doesn't take, though.
 * Good Hair Evil Hair: Dewey sports a heroic cop mustache.
 * Made of Iron: Stabbed in the back in the first film, stabbed multiple times in the second one, beaten almost to death with a bedpan in the fourth one... and still alive.
 * The Sheriff: He's been promoted to this by the fourth film.

Ghostface (Roger L. Jackson (voice), )
Wearing a white ghost mask and long black robes, the Ghostface killer sneaks and stabs his way through suburban neighborhoods, hacking to pieces pretty young teenagers and college kids -- but not before calling them up with horror trivia games. Word of advice: don't get the wrong answer.


 * Big Bad: Merges this in with Legacy Character.
 * Card Carrying Villain
 * Catch Phrase: "What's your favorite scary movie?"
 * Determinator / Made of Iron: Any Ghostface is repeatedly beaten up by the stalked person, yet doesn't give up the chase.
 * Freudian Excuse: Most Ghostfaces have these, although Sidney's Shut UP Hannibal in the third film implies that they're all just that -- excuses to kill people For the Evulz.
 * The exception to this being
 * Knife Nut: Every Ghostface has a hunting knife as their primary weapon.
 * Legacy Character: Since it's a generic Halloween costume in-universe, a grand total of characters don the identity.
 * Malevolent Masked Men:
 * Serial Killer
 * Voice Changeling: Ghostface's trademark is a voice changer that masks their voice over the phone.

Randy Meeks (Jamie Kennedy)
A horror movie fan who, in the first three films, gave the characters (and the audience) a list of rules for surviving a horror movie. He is one of the key reasons for the series' reputation for self-referential, post-modern humor.


 * Genre Savvy
 * Hollywood Nerd
 * Meta Guy
 * Noodle Incident: You're left wondering exactly when he  in 2. We find out exactly  in 3.
 * Noodle Incident: You're left wondering exactly when he  in 2. We find out exactly  in 3.

Cotton Weary (Liev Schreiber)
The man who was sentenced to death for the murder of Maureen Prescott, Sidney's mother, whom he was having an affair with. In the first film, Gale Weathers is trying to get his name cleared for the murder, feeling that he is innocent. In the second film, he travels to Windsor College to convince Sidney to do an interview with him. By the third film, his exploits have made him a celebrity, getting him his own talk show.


 * Clear Their Name: What Gale does for him prior to the first film, and also what he does in the second film.
 * Dude Where's My Respect: Played with: after being found innocent of the murders, he feels pretty entitled to his newfound fame and asks Sidney to help him land a big TV interview, believing she "owes" it to him.
 * Early Bird Cameo: In the first film.
 * : The first film reveals that.
 * : In the second film.
 * Show Within a Show: in the beginning of Scream 3, he's been hosting talk show 100% Cotton for some time; he's also being asked to appear in the latest Stab movie. (Or so he says.)
 * What Could Have Been:
 * Show Within a Show: in the beginning of Scream 3, he's been hosting talk show 100% Cotton for some time; he's also being asked to appear in the latest Stab movie. (Or so he says.)
 * What Could Have Been:

Casey Becker (Drew Barrymore)

 * Dead Star Walking
 * Decoy Protagonist
 * Hair of Gold
 * Mauve Shirt
 * One Scene Wonder
 * Sacrificial Lamb
 * Throw It In: The casting of Drew Barrymore in the role was her idea; she was originally cast as Sidney, but felt that audiences would react more strongly to seeing a big-name actress like her getting whacked early.

Tatum Riley (Rose McGowan)

 * Action Girl: To this day she is still the only murder victim that really put up a fight against Ghostface
 * Bare Your Midriff
 * Diabolus Ex Machina: Her death, which wasn't even the death Ghostface intended for her.
 * Do Not Taunt Cthulhu: "Oh, you wanna play psycho killer? Can I be the helpless victim?"
 * That scene is parodied by Scary Movie.
 * Dumb Blonde: Unusually manages to be both this and a...
 * Fiery Redhead: Well, Fiery Strawberry Blonde anyway.
 * Girlish Pigtails
 * Gory Discretion Shot: Her death scene had to be trimmed down to avoid an NC-17 rating.
 * Ms. Fanservice: Surely she has a good reason not to be wearing a bra...
 * Plucky Girl
 * Sacrificial Lion
 * Your Head Asplode: Specifically, Your Head Gets Crushed Between A Garage Door And The Edge Of The Roof. Even Ghostface seemed a little shaken by this death.

Billy Loomis (Skeet Ulrich)

 * All Girls Want Bad Boys
 * Jerkass
 * Troubled but Cute
 * Jerkass
 * Troubled but Cute
 * Troubled but Cute
 * Troubled but Cute

Stu Macher (Matthew Lillard)

 * Jerkass
 * Large Ham
 * Tempting Fate: He really doesn't mind blurting out "I'll be right BACK!", even knowing it's without the rules to survive.
 * Large Ham
 * Tempting Fate: He really doesn't mind blurting out "I'll be right BACK!", even knowing it's without the rules to survive.
 * Tempting Fate: He really doesn't mind blurting out "I'll be right BACK!", even knowing it's without the rules to survive.

Cici Cooper (Sarah Michelle Gellar)

 * Alliterative Name
 * Hair of Gold
 * Reasonable Authority Figure: Seems to be something like this at Omega Beta Zeta.
 * Hair of Gold
 * Reasonable Authority Figure: Seems to be something like this at Omega Beta Zeta.

Debbie Salt (Laurie Metcalf)
"Gale: Jesus. It can't be, I've seen pictures of you.
 * Formerly Fat:
 * Formerly Fat:

Sidney: Yeah this is 60 pounds and a lot of work later.

Debbie: It's called a makeover. You should try it. Look a little tired yourself there, Gale!"


 * Suspiciously Similar Substitute: To pre-Scream Gale..
 * Woman in White: In the finale. White coat, white suit, white shoes, everything.
 * Woman Scorned: Not in the love sense, but in the sense of.
 * Woman in White: In the finale. White coat, white suit, white shoes, everything.
 * Woman Scorned: Not in the love sense, but in the sense of.
 * Woman Scorned: Not in the love sense, but in the sense of.

Mickey (Timothy Olyphant)

 * Made of Iron:
 * Nice Guy:
 * Plucky Comic Relief: Somewhat. Getting snarkingly rejected by Hallie, discussing sequels with Randy, supporting Derek's singing performance, conducting the crowd's applause...
 * You Are Not Alone: His words of encouragement to Sidney after Ghostface's attack at Omega Beta Zeta.
 * Nice Guy:
 * Plucky Comic Relief: Somewhat. Getting snarkingly rejected by Hallie, discussing sequels with Randy, supporting Derek's singing performance, conducting the crowd's applause...
 * You Are Not Alone: His words of encouragement to Sidney after Ghostface's attack at Omega Beta Zeta.

Hallie (Elise Neal)

 * Black Best Friend
 * Deadpan Snarker
 * Deadpan Snarker

Jennifer Jolie (Parker Posey)

 * Brainy Brunette
 * Deadpan Snarker
 * Jerk With a Heart of Gold
 * Suspiciously Similar Substitute: For Gale.

Roman Bridger (Scott Foley)

 * Arc Welding:
 * : Strongly implied.
 * Hollywood Nerd
 * : Strongly implied.
 * Hollywood Nerd
 * Hollywood Nerd

Angelina Tyler (Emily Mortimer)

 * : How she got the part of Sidney in Stab 3.
 * : Damn, do the rules strike fast!
 * Final Girl: She's playing one in Stab 3, and she's initially presented as such.
 * Foreshadowing: Averted. Early in the film, she wonders if . In the original script,, but this was changed in the final draft.
 * The Ingenue: What she presents herself as.
 * Suspiciously Similar Substitute: For Sidney.
 * What Could Have Been: In the original draft of the script,.
 * What Could Have Been: In the original draft of the script,.

Sarah Darling (Jenny McCarthy)

 * Actor Allusion: Back then, Jenny McCarthy was a bit of a professional Dumb Blonde type who'd gained notoriety posing for Playboy and had had plastic surgery at 19; while on the phone with her agent, Sarah briefly grabs her breasts and seems... displeased with their state.
 * Brainless Beauty: Partially subverted; she may acts as The Ditz, on occasion, but overall she comes off as sharp as her fellow actors. (Which is not saying much.)
 * Dawson Casting / Playing Gertrude: In-universe Sarah is a 35 year old actress playing a 21 year old character. In real life Jenny McCarthy was (then) 27.
 * White Dwarf Starlet: She's afraid this will be her fate, and seems quite unsatisfied with the way her career's panning out: as it is, she'd love to get out of Stab 3.
 * White Dwarf Starlet: She's afraid this will be her fate, and seems quite unsatisfied with the way her career's panning out: as it is, she'd love to get out of Stab 3.

John Milton (Lance Henriksen)

 * Cash Cow Franchise: As the head of Sunshine Studios, he turned the Stab film series into this.
 * Executive Meddling: Along with other producers, he pointed out the violence in Stab 3 would upset the Moral Guardians.
 * Jerkass
 * Suspiciously Specific Denial: When asked about Maureen Prescott/Rina Reynolds, he claims he's employed too many actors to remember. Gale quickly points out nobody said she was an actress.
 * Suspiciously Specific Denial: When asked about Maureen Prescott/Rina Reynolds, he claims he's employed too many actors to remember. Gale quickly points out nobody said she was an actress.
 * Suspiciously Specific Denial: When asked about Maureen Prescott/Rina Reynolds, he claims he's employed too many actors to remember. Gale quickly points out nobody said she was an actress.
 * Suspiciously Specific Denial: When asked about Maureen Prescott/Rina Reynolds, he claims he's employed too many actors to remember. Gale quickly points out nobody said she was an actress.

Jill Roberts (Emma Roberts)
Sidney's cousin, though not very close to her since she and her mother live in Woodsboro, while Sidney left the town many years ago (presumably ever since Scream 2). She reminds Sidney of herself, as a young woman. Jill looks like a somewhat ingenuous girl, but she's actually smart and strong-minded. She deals with her complicated relationship with her ex-boyfriend... and the rise of a new Ghostface, who seems determined to kill her and her friends before targetting Sidney.


 * Action Girl: Ultimately proved to be one.
 * Fifteen Minutes of Fame: She even uses the exact phrase.
 * The Danza: Both the character and her actress share the same last name.
 * Although Maureen's maiden name had been established as Roberts since the third film. Her sister Kate probably never got married, since she kept "Roberts" and passed it on to Jill.
 * Final Girl:
 * Girls Are Really Scared of Horror Movies: Subverted.
 * Suspiciously Similar Substitute: To Sidney.
 * Three Amigos: With Kirby and Olivia, though the expanded gang includes Trevor, Charlie and Robbie.
 * Tomboy and Girly Girl: The girly girl to Kirby's tomboy.
 * Final Girl:
 * Girls Are Really Scared of Horror Movies: Subverted.
 * Suspiciously Similar Substitute: To Sidney.
 * Three Amigos: With Kirby and Olivia, though the expanded gang includes Trevor, Charlie and Robbie.
 * Tomboy and Girly Girl: The girly girl to Kirby's tomboy.
 * Three Amigos: With Kirby and Olivia, though the expanded gang includes Trevor, Charlie and Robbie.
 * Tomboy and Girly Girl: The girly girl to Kirby's tomboy.

Kirby Reed (Hayden Panettiere)
A notorious horror film fan, Kirby is a quirky and spirited best friend to Jill and Olivia. She's somewhat of a tomboy and "alternative" girl, who likes to watch movies, drink (a lot, apparently) and party. She seems to be aware of Charlie's crush on her, but instead prefers to "tease and torment" him. Upon realizing she's the only one of the Three Amigos not to receive a phone call from the killer, she becomes really uneasy (ultimately insisting it means she'll be the next one to die).


 * Bottle Fairy: "You continue your good girl thing and I'll drink for the both of us." The young lady isn't afraid of alchool at all.
 * Deadpan Snarker
 * Drives Like Crazy: Unbelievable speed, real loud music, doesn't always see the stop signs... Jill and Olivia must be very courageous to go to school with her every day.
 * Dumb Blonde: Subverted; Kirby is probably the wittiest character in the film.
 * Girls Are Really Scared of Horror Movies: Thoroughly subverted. She absolutely loves them.
 * The Ladette
 * Suspiciously Similar Substitute: To Tatum.
 * Three Amigos: With Jill and Olivia, though the expanded gang includes Trevor, Charlie and Robbie.
 * Tomboy and Girly Girl: The tomboy to Jill's girly girl.
 * Three Amigos: With Jill and Olivia, though the expanded gang includes Trevor, Charlie and Robbie.
 * Tomboy and Girly Girl: The tomboy to Jill's girly girl.

Trevor Sheldon (Nico Tortorella)
Jill's ex-boyfriend, who is said to have cheated on her. Despite being pretty much shunned by Jill and their friends after the incident (they all behave at least uncomfortably towards him, except maybe Robbie), he's eager to win her forgiveness and resume their relationship... with little to no success. He's an avid fan of the Stab series -- surprisingly even attending to the Stab-a-thon -- a fan of the Ghostface character and is notorious for his ninja-like skills.

""Yeah, 'cause that's what I would do if a was a crazy psycho killer, I'd use my own phone to call you.""
 * Deadpan Snarker: Has his moments.


 * Determinator: "The problem with Trevor is: he never quits".
 * Jerk With a Heart of Gold
 * Moment Killer: For Kirby and Charlie.
 * Noodle Incident: The fateful "going out" with someone else that caused his falling out with Jill. The subject is only mentioned, never explored upon.
 * Stealth Hi Bye: His trademark! He simply pops out of nowhere when people less expect it. Both he and Robbie Lampshade this.
 * Suspiciously Similar Substitute: To Billy.
 * Troubled but Cute
 * Stealth Hi Bye: His trademark! He simply pops out of nowhere when people less expect it. Both he and Robbie Lampshade this.
 * Suspiciously Similar Substitute: To Billy.
 * Troubled but Cute

Charlie Walker (Rory Culkin)
President of the Cinema Club at Woodsboro High, "one run below the Glee Club, two above Nintendo Wii Fit". Charlie has a vast knowledge about films in general, although with a penchant for the horror genre, and a calm, collected, but somewhat clumsy air. He has a very obvious crush on Kirby, which she is naturally well aware of, but doesn't seem to reciprocate. He and Robbie host the Stab-a-thon every year.


 * Hollywood Nerd: Just without the glasses
 * Meta Guy
 * Suspiciously Similar Substitute: Seemingly to Randy, and even stated as he was going to be the next Randy.
 * UST: With Kirby, and possibly with Robbie.
 * Suspiciously Similar Substitute: Seemingly to Randy, and even stated as he was going to be the next Randy.
 * UST: With Kirby, and possibly with Robbie.

Robbie Mercer (Erik Knudsen)
Vice-president of the Cinema Club at Woodsboro High, "in case Charlie takes a bullet". Usually seen with a headset and a camera, broadcasting his school experiences live into a videoblog, something he believes will be common one day. Less collected and more playful and prone to panic than Charlie, but as much a film geek, knowledgeable about the makings of a modern horror movie. He and Charlie host the Stab-a-thon every year.


 * Adorkable
 * Cool Loser: Slightly. "We don't have reputations, but we'd like to."
 * Drowning My Sorrows: After -- a risk both Sidney and Gale warned Robbie and Charlie about -- and it looks like his website will be shut down, this is his reaction to cope.
 * Hollywood Nerd: Just without the glasses.
 * Meta Guy
 * Suspiciously Similar Substitute: To Randy
 * UST: With Olivia.
 * Suspiciously Similar Substitute: To Randy
 * UST: With Olivia.
 * Suspiciously Similar Substitute: To Randy
 * UST: With Olivia.

Deputy Sheriff Judy Hicks (Marley Shelton)
A dedicated police officer and loyal right-hand woman to Dewey, whom she idolizes and seems to have a crush on (and likes to bake lemon squares to). There is some sort of rivalry between herself and Gale, and the latter doesn't even bother hiding her antipathy towards the deputy (and her lemon squares). Judy knew Sidney from high school, but didn't make a big enough impression for Sidney to remember her.


 * Fair Cop
 * Forgotten First Meeting: She and Sidney went to high school together and used to act together in plays. Sidney doesn't remember her, though.
 * Meaningful Name: 'Deputy Judy' sounds very close to 'Deputy Dewey'.
 * Number Two: To Dewey, now a Sheriff.
 * Suspiciously Similar Substitute: She's essentially the female version of Dewey, which is explicitly lampshaded by Gale.
 * Tomboyish Ponytail
 * Suspiciously Similar Substitute: She's essentially the female version of Dewey, which is explicitly lampshaded by Gale.
 * Tomboyish Ponytail

Deputy Ross Hoss (Adam Brody) and Anthony Perkins (Anthony Anderson)
Two police officers working under Dewey, assigned to guard Sidney and Jill after it's confirmed that a new Ghostface killer has surfaced. Hoss is a rookie officer, recently graduated, with a reserved, respectful and somewhat apprehensive demeanor -- as well as a sad realization that cops are always endangered in fiction -- while Perkins is an older and seasoned cop with a perpetual cocky and bigoted disposition.


 * Genre Savvy: Hoss, who knows exactly how a cop can get killed in fiction and seems to be knowledgeable about the horror movie rules.
 * Police Are Useless:
 * Red Oni Blue Oni: Perkins is red, Hoss is blue.
 * Suspiciously Similar Substitute: Hoss, to Dewey.
 * Those Two Guys
 * Those Two Guys

Rebecca Walters (Alison Brie)

 * Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Three girls get brutally killed, and the only thing she can think about is how well this will affect the sales of Sidney's book. She also seems to be somewhat envious of Sidney.
 * Composite Character: In the original draft of the script, there were two characters named Bette (Sidney's pushy and secretly envious assistant) and Rebecca (editor-in-chief of the high school newspaper and Gale's fangirl and wannabe), who were eventually combined into Rebecca Walters.
 * If It Bleeds It Leads: If it bleeds, it rockets the book sales.
 * Motor Mouth: Even when she's completely by herself.
 * Plucky Comic Relief: Somewhat.
 * Suspiciously Similar Substitute: To Gale, but she acts towards her in a way similar to Debbie Salt.

Kate Roberts (Mary McDonnell)
Maureen's younger sister, Sidney's aunt and Jill's mother.


 * Hot Mom: She's considered better-looking than Maureen.
 * One Scene Wonder: Almost. Her screentime is very limited, but you gotta love every second of it.
 * Shipper On Deck: In the deleted hospital scene, she convinces Jill to talk to Trevor and looks like she really supports him.
 * Tempting Fate: She utters the dangerous sentence "I'll be right back".