What Happened: Screenwriter Kevin Williamson and horror maestro Wes Craven teamed up for
Scream’s first installment, set in the fictional town of Woodsboro, California. A knife-wielding murderer sporting a Munch-ian Ghostface mask torments his mostly teenage victims in Woodsboro with phone calls and horror movie references. The serial killer’s main target is Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell), a high schooler whose mother, Maureen, was brutally murdered one year before the film begins. Sidney is aided by headline-grabbing TV reporter Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox) and deputy sheriff Dewey Riley (David Arquette).
Domestic Box Office Gross: $103,046,663
Biggest Stars: Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, David Arquette, Skeet Ulrich, Rose McGowan, Matthew Lillard, Drew Barrymore, Liev Schreiber
Role: Casey Becker, ex-girlfriend of Stu Macher (Matthew Lillard) and one of the killer’s first victims in the opening scene.
How She Dies: After being harassed over the phone and seeing her murdered boyfriend, the killer stabs her multiple times in the chest before hanging her from a tree in her backyard.
Since
Scream… Former child star
Barrymore became one of the more likeable female leads in the romantic comedy genre with films like
The Wedding Singer and
Never Been Kissed. She also dabbled in action as one of
Charlie’s Angels, where she met comedian Tom Green, whom she was briefly married to. In 2009, she made her directorial debut in
Whip It, starring Ellen Page as a roller derby girl in Texas.
Role: Tatum Riley, sister of Deputy Dewey (David Arquette), Sidney’s best friend, and Stu’s current girlfriend.
How She Dies: Trapped in a tiny doggy door in a garage trying to escape. As the garage door rises, her neck snaps.
Since
Scream… After a very public three-and-a-half year relationship with goth rocker Marilyn Manson, McGowan starred on the WB’s
Charmed and a string of B-movies before being cast in a major supporting role in the 2007 Quentin Tarantino/Robert Rodriguez-directed double feature,
Grindhouse. She briefly dated Rodriguez, but the couple split in 2009. McGowan will next appear as the female lead in the 2011 remake of
Conan the Barbarian.
Role: In an uncredited cameo, Winkler pokes fun at his rebellious Fonz persona from
Happy Days as Woodsboro High’s strict principal.
How He Dies: After he is stabbed in the stomach repeatedly, Sidney’s friend Randy Meeks (Jamie Kennedy) reveals that he was gutted and hung from the goal post on the football field.
Since
Scream…
Winkler received a career third act thanks to Adam Sandler, who cast him in several of his films, including
The Waterboy (1998),
Little Nicky (2000),
Click (2006), and
You Don’t Mess with the Zohan (2008). He also starred as the dimwitted Bluth family attorney in the cult TV series
Arrested Development and is currently appearing on the USA hit
Royal Pains.
Role: Billy Loomis, Sidney’s boyfriend. It’s later revealed that Billy is one of the killers—along with his boy Friday, Stu—and torments Sidney because her murdered mother, Maureen, had an affair with Billy’s father, breaking up their family. At the film’s end, the audience learns that Billy—an obvious homage to Johnny Depp, who made his film debut in Wes Craven’s
A Nightmare on Elm Street in 1984—also murdered Maureen one year ago.
How He Dies: Shot in the head by Sidney Prescott.
Since
Scream… After interesting roles in James L. Brooks’
As Good as It Gets and Ang Lee’s
Ride with the Devil, Ulrich’s career took a dive with the 1999 film
Chill Factor, about an ice cream truck carrying a deadly chemical weapon. He later starred in CBS’ short-lived post-apocalyptic drama
Jericho and was recently killed off of
Law & Order: Los Angeles after 11 episodes.
Role: Stu Macher, Sidney’s best friend and Billy Loomis’ partner in crime. He is Billy’s accomplice in the Woodsboro murders, motivated by his obsession with scary movies.
How He Dies: Sidney Prescott drops a TV set on his head (poetic justice).
Since
Scream… Lillard co-starred in the seminal ‘90s teen comedy
She’s All That and later played Shaggy in the blockbuster
Scooby Doo franchise. He’s mostly dabbled in direct-to-DVD fare since, but recently landed a role in
Sideways director Alexander Payne’s upcoming dramedy
The Descendants alongside George Clooney.
What Happened: Craven and Williamson joined forces again for the sequel, which centers on the film-within-a-film
Stab, based on a book by TV reporter Gale Weathers about the Woodsboro murders. At the
Stab premiere in Sidney’s college town, a couple is brutally murdered, upsetting her attempt to be a normal sorority girl at Windsor College. Sidney, Gale, and now-Sheriff Dewey soon discover that a copycat is killing people with the same names (in the same order) as those murdered in
Scream.
Domestic Box Office Gross: $101,363,301
Biggest Stars: Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, David Arquette, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Jamie Kennedy, Jerry O’Connell, Timothy Olyphant, Jada Pinkett Smith, Omar Epps, Liev Schreiber
Role: Maureen Evans, girlfriend of Phil Stevens (Omar Epps), who is dragged against her will to the premiere of
Stab. Maureen was the name of Sidney’s mother, who was killed prior to the action in the first
Scream.
How She Dies: Stabbed in the stomach and back repeatedly in the middle of the crowded movie theater, with onlookers thinking it’s a publicity stunt.
Since
Scream… One-half of a Hollywood power couple
along with Will Smith, Pinkett Smith is mom to son Jaden and
daughter Willow, who have followed their parents into show business. Pinkett Smith also starred in
The Matrix Reloaded and
The Matrix Revolutions, voiced a hippo named Gloria in the
Madagascar films, and currently stars as a chief nursing officer in the TNT medical drama
Hawthorne.
Role: Phil Stevens, boyfriend of Maureen Evans (Jada Pinkett Smith). His last name is similar to Casey Becker’s (Drew Barrymore) boyfriend Steve, who was killed at the start of
Scream.
How He Dies: Stabbed in the head through a bathroom stall divider at the
Stab premiere while listening to what he believes to be a hook up in the stall next door.
Since
Scream… Epps’ film career sank a bit after starring in the critically mauled 1999 film
The Mod Squad. But since 2004, he’s appeared as Dr. Eric Foreman in the highly rated Fox series
House.
Role: Sidney’s sassy sorority sister Casey “Cici” Cooper. Casey is also the name of Drew Barrymore’s character in
Scream, who is killed in the opening sequence.
How She Dies: She is stabbed in the back and thrown off the balcony of their sorority house.
Since
Scream… Gellar married her
I Know What You Did Last Summer and
Scooby Doo co-star Freddie Prinze Jr. in 2002, and, for the most part stayed in the horror genre. She starred in the acclaimed TV series
Buffy the Vampire Slayer from 1997 to 2003 and was the lead in
The Grudge horror films. Gellar also played the devious Kathryn Merteuil in the 1999 film
Cruel Intentions—a modern day retelling of
Dangerous Liaisons. The new mom is next scheduled to appear in a new CBS series called
Ringer.
Role: Resident movie nerd Randy Meeks, Sidney’s friend and confidant.
How He Dies: Thrown into Gale Weathers’ news van and stabbed to death.
Since
Scream… Kennedy had some intriguing roles with
David O. Russell’s 1999 Desert Storm black comedy
Three Kings and the 2000 film
Boiler Room. That same year, he made a post-mortem appearance as Randy in
Scream 3 when the characters discover an instructional video he had once created about surviving a horror movie. But Kennedy’s film career headed south after duds
Malibu’s Most Wanted (2003) and
Son of the Mask (2005). He appeared in the now-defunct CBS TV series
The Ghost Whisperer, where he made tabloid headlines for briefly dating his onscreen co-star, Jennifer Love Hewitt. Though there were rumors that he would make another back-from-the-dead cameo in
Scream 4, Kevin Williamson squashed the
rumors.
Role: Derek, Sidney’s dreamy, frat boyfriend. Sidney suspects him of being the murderer.
How He Dies: Shot in the chest while tied Christ-style to a stage prop.
Since
Scream… The former child star of
Stand By Me has appeared in several TV series, including a five-year stint on the NBC drama
Crossing Jordan. In 2007, he married former Sports Illustrated swimsuit model Rebecca Romijn and the two are now the parents of twin girls. Currently,
O’Connell stars in the CBS legal comedy-drama
The Defenders alongside Jim Belushi.
Role: Movie fanatic Mickey, a friend of Sidney and Derek’s. He is later revealed to be one of the killers, who committed the murders in order to get captured and defend himself in a nationally televised trial, blaming the movies for his violent tendencies.
How He Dies: Shot in the chest by his accomplice (Laurie Metcalf) and then filled with a barrage of bullets courtesy of Gale and Sidney.
Since
Scream… Olyphant has since been typecast as an evildoer—he played a drug dealer in Doug Liman’s
Go and the villain opposite Bruce Willis in 2007’s
Live Free or Die Hard. He is best recognized for his work on the small screen, starring as the foulmouthed Sheriff Seth Bullock in HBO’s
Deadwood, and currently, he is the take-no-shit southern-bred federal lawman in the critically acclaimed FX TV series
Justified.
Role: Debbie Salt, an overenthusiastic TV reporter who idolizes Gale Weathers. It’s later revealed that she is really Mrs. Loomis, the mother of Billy Loomis (Skeet Ulrich),
Scream co-killer who Sidney shot dead.
How She Dies: Shot in the chest by Cotton Weary (Liev Schreiber), who was wrongfully accused of raping and murdering Sidney’s mother Maureen in
Scream. Then, Sidney also shot Debbie in the head… “just in case.”
Since
Scream… The former
Roseanne star appeared in minor supporting roles in blockbusters
Runaway Bride (1999) and
Fun with Dick and Jane (2005). Metcalf also had a multi-episode arc on the ABC’s
Desperate Housewives, which earned her an Emmy nod for Outstanding Guest Actress. She is also known as the voice of Andy’s mom in the
Toy Story franchise.
What Happened: As if the series couldn’t get any more meta, the third installment in the
Scream franchise takes place in Hollywood, where actors in the film-within-a-film
Stab 3: Return to Woodsboro, are being sliced and diced one-by-one in the order that they die in the film’s script. Sidney, Gale, and Dewey are drawn back to the set of the film to help catch the killer once and for all. Though Craven returned for
Scream 3, it is the only film in the franchise that Kevin Williamson did not pen.
Domestic Box Office Gross: $89,143,175
Biggest Stars: Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, David Arquette, Patrick Dempsey, Jenny McCarthy, Parker Posey, Scott Foley, Liev Schreiber, Kelly Rutherford
Role: Cotton Weary, who was framed for the murder of Sidney’s mom Maureen Prescott in the first film. He helps save Sidney in
Scream 2 and goes on to become a famed TV/radio talk show host, a la Geraldo.
How He Dies: Stabbed in the stomach and then in the forehead in his L.A. mansion.
Since
Scream…
Schreiber has emerged as one of the most celebrated actors on Broadway, winning a Tony Award in 2005 for his stage performance in
Glengarry Glen Ross. He’s also garnered numerous film roles, including Congressman Raymond Shaw in Jonathan Demme’s 2004 remake of
The Manchurian Candidate and villainous Sabretooth in 2009’s
X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Schreiber is also the father to two young boys with actress Naomi Watts, with whom he appeared in the 2006 film
The Painted Veil. He has three films slated to come out in 2011--
Goon,
Movie 43, and
Jack.
Role: Cotton Weary’s blond trophy girlfriend, Christine.
How She Dies: Stabbed in the back in the couple’s bedroom.
Since
Scream… The former
Melrose Place actress’ career was resuscitated after she was cast as Lily van der Woodsen, the high society mother of Serena (Blake Lively) in The CW hit teen drama
Gossip Girl. On the downside, Rutherford was also recently involved in a
bitter divorce battle with her second husband, German businessman Daniel Giersch.
Role: Sarah Darling, a busty cast member of the film-within-a-film
Stab 3: Return to Woodsboro.
How She Dies: She is stabbed in the back at the movie studio and thrown through a door’s glass window in the film’s special effects department.
Since
Scream… The former Playboy model and MTV hostess appeared in minor roles in several films and TV shows, most notably a multi-episode arc on the CBS hit TV sitcom
Two and a Half Men, opposite
Charlie Sheen. McCarthy has a son, Evan Joseph, who was diagnosed with autism and she has since become an activist promoting
unsupported claims that vaccines cause autism and that chelation therapy helps cure it. McCarthy has written several parenting books and
dated comedian Jim Carrey from 2005 to 2010.
Role: Actress Jennifer Jolie, who is playing the role of Gale Weathers in
Stab 3: Return to Woodsboro.
How She Dies: Stabbed in the stomach behind a one-way mirror, while Sheriff Dewey and Gale are on the other side, unable to see her.
Since
Scream… After breaking onto the scene as a loudmouth senior in the cult classic
Dazed and Confused, Posey has become an indie film queen who appears in Christopher Guest’s ensemble comedies, including
Best in Show (2000) and
For Your Consideration (2006). She’s also dabbled in Hollywood fare, starring as Kitty Kowalski, Lex Luthor’s (
Kevin Spacey) ditzy sidekick, in
Superman Returns (2006). Posey will next appear as Mary Welsh Hemingway, wife of Ernest Hemingway (Clive Owen), in HBO’s
Hemingway & Gellhorn, alongside
Nicole Kidman.
Role:
Stab 3: Return to Woodsboro director Roman Bridger, who turns out to be the killer and Sidney Prescott’s half-brother, who was shunned by his biological mother, Maureen Prescott.
How He Dies: Sidney stabs Roman in the back and chest and then, Sheriff Dewey shoots him in the head.
Since
Scream…
Foley was married to his former
Felicity co-star Jennifer Garner from 2000. The two split in 2003 and in 2007, he wed actress Marika Dominczyk, with whom he has a daughter. Foley’s work has mostly been on the small screen—he guest starred on
Scrubs and appeared in the CBS TV action-drama
The Unit from 2006 to 2009. Foley recently made an appearance on ABC’s
Cougar Town, reuniting with his
Scream 3 costar Courteney Cox.
What Happens: Years after the dust from the events of
Scream 3 settled, Sidney
returns to Woodsboro on the 15th anniversary of the first Woodsboro murders to promote her self-help book. But along with Sidney, (and now-married Gale and Dewey and directing/writing duo Wes Craven and Kevin Williamson) the Ghostface killer also reemerges. This time, the killer is targeting Sidney’s younger cousin, Jill Roberts (
Emma Roberts), Jill’s best friend Kirby Reed (Hayden Panettiere), and more of their high school classmates.
Biggest Stars: Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, David Arquette, Emma Roberts, Hayden Panettiere, Rory Culkin, Alison Brie, Anthony Anderson, Adam Brody, Marley Shelton, Kristen Bell, Anna Paquin
Role: Sidney Prescott, the perpetual target of the Ghostface killer. Her mother, Maureen, was murdered by her ex-boyfriend Billy Loomis. After attending Windsor College and attempting to get over the Westboro murders that haunt her, she went on to pen a self-help book that has sold over a million copies.
Since
Scream… Campbell has dabbled in a variety of different films—she played a ballerina in Robert Altman’s
The Company (2003) and starred as a cunning trailer park girl in
Wild Things (1998). The actress married British actor John Light in 2005 and the couple lived in London together until she filed for divorce in 2010. Campbell most recently starred in the short-lived NBC series
The Philanthropist, and will next appear in the upcoming drama
Vivaldi-- a biography of violinist Antonio Vivaldi's early life, opposite
Elle Fanning and Alfred Molina.
Role: Gale Weathers, intrepid TV/entertainment reporter. She is also the author of
The Woodsboro Murders, a dramatic retelling of the events of the first
Scream film, upon which the fictional
Stab series is based. Sheriff Dewey proposed to her in
Scream 3 and the couple is now married and living in Woodsboro.
Since
Scream… She
met David Arquette while making the first
Scream film and the
onscreen sparks continued when the cameras stopped rolling. The two wed in June 1999 and she changed her name to Courteney Cox Arquette. The couple welcomed a daughter, Coco Riley Arquette, in 2004. But in October 2010, the happy family split
amid rumors of Arquette’s infidelity. On the professional side, after appearing as Monica Gellar (1994-2004) in the enormously popular NBC sitcom
Friends, Cox Arquette remained mostly on the small screen, first appearing as a gossip editor in her and Arquette’s short-lived FX drama
Dirt and now starring in the ABC hit
Cougar Town.
Role: Deputy-cum-Sheriff Dewey, the Barney Fife-type brother of Tatum (Rose McGowan), who gets killed in the first film. He romances Gale Weathers (Cox Arquette) throughout the series, eventually proposing to her at the end of
Scream 3. Despite his bumbling nature, he survives several attacks from Ghostface—he’s stabbed in the back in
Scream, stabbed several times in
Scream 2, and saves the day in
Scream 3, shooting Roman (Scott Foley), the killer.
Since
Scream… Much like his
marriage to Courteney Cox, Arquette’s career has taken many odd twists and turns—he even competed for World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in 2000. His silver screen exploits have been dodgy at best, but he made his directorial debut with the 2007 slasher film,
The Tripper. This year, as he and Cox attempt to
patch up their relationship, he’ll appear in two new movies:
Conception and
Sold.
