Return to Woodsboro with our catch-up guide to Scream’s cast and characters

The role: Sidney Prescott

The actor: Neve Campbell

Last seen: “You just won’t die, will you?” says Sidney’s cousin Jill (Emma Roberts). Sidney Prescott has had a rough go of things. Most of what we learn about her over the course of the franchise—that her mother, Maureen (Lynn McRee), was brutally murdered following an affair, that her boyfriend and his idiot friend framed someone else for the murder, that she has a half-brother, Roman Bridger (Scott Foley), who was the result of rape—all come by way of the Ghostface of the week, and are usually designed to punish her for her past (or her mother’s). The body counts get higher with each Scream film, but from the 1996 original onward, the focus is largely on Sidney—and the curse that condemns everyone around her to death. Sidney has weathered seven killers so far, and the last we see of her is at the end of Scream 4, where she has outlasted the latest Ghostface—her own cousin Jill. Jill’s motive was one of pure jealousy for the clout Sidney was receiving as a survivor, and she worked in tandem with film nerd Charlie Walker (Rory Culkin) to gain infamy. But she ended up getting the shock of her life instead.

Where have they been since? Since Scream 4 was released in 2011, Campbell has oscillated between features and TV with appearances on Grey’s Anatomy, Mad Men, and the role of Leann Harvey on Netflix drama House Of Cards. In 2018 Campbell starred opposite Dwayne Johnson in Skyscraper and the Steve Coogan comedy Hot Air. Following Scream (2022), the Canadian actor returns to the small screen as L.A. Deputy DA Maggie McPherson in The Lincoln Lawyer.

Will they be in the new Scream? As shown in the trailer and Paramount’s synopsis, Sidney returns to weather the latest Ghostface storm, and Campbell will return to play her.

The role: Gale Weathers

The actor: Courteney Cox

Last seen: As one of the legacy characters in this survivor-focused film series, Gale Weathers has appeared in every Scream film thus far. In her misadventures, the ambitious reporter has driven a van into a tree and gotten Spartan-kicked into unconsciousness (both in the original Scream), been shot (Scream 2), blown up (Scream 3), and stabbed at the Stab-a-thon party of Scream 4. But she always gets the scoop on the killers she (co-)defeats with Sidney, Dewey, or a combination of the three. For her troubles, Weathers has risen from fluff pieces on Top Story to becoming a published author (the fictional Stab movies are based on her work), and got married to the cop with nine lives, Dewey Riley. Gale is an ice queen who gets the job done, but no line of hers is as notorious as those bangs in Scream 3.

Where have they been since? Courteney Cox was already well-known by the time she starred in Wes Craven’s 1996 horror film, thanks to her role as Monica Geller on the long-running NBC series Friends. Since then, the SAG Award winner has stayed busy with all the Scream sequels and feature films, including The Longest Yard remake in 2005 and the documentary You Cannot Kill David Arquette, about her erstwhile husband.

Will they be in the new Scream? As the trailer promises, Courteney Cox reprises her role as Gale Weathers in Scream (2022).

The role: Dwight “Dewey” Riley

The actor: David Arquette

Last seen: Dewey has been touched by an angel. The character wasn’t even supposed to survive Craven’s original, but test audiences found the plucky deputy endearing enough to ensure that he made it to the end of the first film. As the deputy sheriff of Woodsboro, Dewey was at ground zero when the first batch of killings occurred in 1996: His sister, Tatum Riley (Rose McGowan), was killed while he was on the job, and he has remained a friend and protector to Sidney ever since—even finding time to pursue love with reporter Gale Weathers. While tailing Sidney and investigating the town’s murders, Dewey has been stabbed multiple times by multiple Ghostfaces—from Woodsboro High to Windsor College to the set of Stab and beyond. (He’s even taken a beating with a bedpan.) But being so close to the action means that he gets to save the day now and then, as he did when he shot Roman, the killer of Scream 3. Part four sees Dewey and Gale married, with the former becoming the new sheriff of Woodsboro. And in Scream (2022), it’s Dewey who calls Sidney up to tell her that “it’s happening again.”

Where have they been since? In addition to taking on feature film roles both goofy (Eight Legged Freaks) and dark (Bone Tomahawk), Arquette enjoyed a 21-year wrestling career in the WCW and the WWE up until his retirement in 2021. His comeback was the subject of the 2020 documentary You Cannot Kill David Arquette, directed by David Darg and Price James.

Will they be in the new Scream? Arquette will be back as Dewey—although, judging by that stubble, he doesn’t wear a sheriff’s badge anymore—in Scream (2022).

The role: Judy Hicks

The actor: Marley Shelton

Last seen: Beyond the Big Three, there aren’t many characters that last more than a couple of Scream films—it is a horror franchise, after all. But Judy Hicks was still standing at the end of Scream 4, despite being presented as a red herring throughout the film. A former classmate of Sidney’s, Hicks works closely with Dewey in her role as deputy sheriff of Woodsboro—a role she relishes as long as she doesn’t have to be near Gale Weathers-Riley, who is by this time married to Dewey. Despite wanting Gale’s man, Judy saves Gale’s life at the end of Scream 4, tackling her before Jill has a chance to shoot her. Jill shoots Judy instead, but the deputy wore the (bulletproof) vest, which saved her chest.

Where have they been since? Marley Shelton has been a goddess for an entire generation, having played the role of Wendy Peffercorn in the beloved summer movie The Sandlot in 1993. She’s also a recognizable genre face, with roles in Sin City, the slasher thriller Valentine, and Grindhouse. Since Scream 4, the American actor has starred opposite Anthony Hopkins in Afonso Poyart’s mystery Solace, the 2018 Dwayne Johnson action vehicle Rampage, and the Discovery series Manhunt.

Will they be in the new Scream? Judy Hicks can be glimpsed late in the trailer, frantically speeding through a residential area in a police cruiser.

The role: Billy Loomis and Stu Macher

The actors: Skeet Ulrich and Matthew Lillard

Last seen: Though they begin the film as Sidney’s boyfriend and friend, respectively, at the climax of Craven’s original Scream, Billy and Stu reveal themselves as (spoiler alert!) the killers. The motive is largely Billy’s; after blaming Sidney’s mother for his own family’s disintegration—which he learned directly from Roman Bridger, as Scream 3 reveals—Billy convinces his high school classmate Stu to tag-team with him to turn Woodsboro into the town that dreaded sundown, with the intent of framing Sid’s father, Neil Prescott (Lawrence Hecht), for the murders. Between them, the pair racked up six victims during their reign of terror, making Woodsboro famous overnight and influencing at least one copycat killer in a sequel—not to mention the murders Billy’s mother, Mrs. Loomis (Laurie Metcalf), committed on his behalf in Scream 2.

Where have they been since? After Scream, Ulrich appeared in As Good As It Gets and Ride With The Devil, and has had recurring roles on the Robot Chicken and Riverdale series. Lillard has entrenched himself firmly in the Scooby-Doo franchise, lending his face and voice to numerous turns as the perpetually hungry Shaggy. He also put in a phenomenal effort in David Lynch’s 2017 Twin Peaks revival series.

Will they be in the new Scream? Neither Billy, Stu, nor the actors who have played them will return for the latest Scream. But a quote from the trailer hints that the victims are all related to the original mid-’90s spree of murders, so it’s likely that Billy and Stu—or their reputation—figure into the story somehow.

The role: Randy Meeks

The actor: Jamie Kennedy

Last seen: Randy is a sort of oracle for the Scream universe, handing out guidance based on his extensive knowledge of the rules of the game. It was Woodsboro High senior Randy that laid down the “rules” necessary to survive a horror movie in the original Scream: You can never have sex. You can’t drink or do drugs. And you can never, ever say, “Ill be right back.” That said, Randy’s film know-how didn’t save him in the sequel. Technically, Randy’s final appearance was in a cameo in Scream 3, where the cinephile made a tape for Sidney to watch in the event of his untimely death. He met his end in Scream 2 after insulting the killer’s dead son (surely, dying to a Kottonmouth Kings song is the biggest tragedy of the franchise). Presumably, he could explain the rules to a franchise reboot, but alas, we lost the character in 1997.

Where have they been since? Since his 2000 cameo in Scream 3, Kennedy has stuck largely with comedic roles, finding continued fame as a pretty fly white guy in Malibu’s Most Wanted and doing voice work on The Cleveland Show and Fanboy & Chum Chum. Next up, Kennedy is starring opposite Scott “Carrot Top” Thompson in RJ Collins’ feature Don’t Suck, which is in post-production.

Will they be in the new Scream? Kennedy will not be returning for another Scream, but Woodsboro newcomers Mason Gooding and Jasmin Savoy Brown are credited as Chad and Mindy Meeks-Martin—Randy’s nephew and niece, respectively.