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

Character Film Scream Scream 2 Scream 3 Scream 4 Scream Scream VI Scream 7 1996 1997 2000 2011 2022 2023 2026 Ghostface Roger L. Jackson Sidney Prescott Neve Campbell Neve Campbell Dewey Riley David Arquette David Arquette Gale Weathers Courteney Cox Billy Loomis Skeet Ulrich Skeet Ulrich Randy Meeks Jamie Kennedy Jamie Kennedy colspan= colspan="2" Cotton Weary Liev Schreiber Liev Schreiber colspan="4" Casey Becker Drew Barrymore Heather Graham colspan="3" Stu Macher Matthew Lillard colspan="2" Matthew Lillard Nancy Loomis Laurie Metcalf colspan="3" Laurie Metcalf Roman Bridger colspan="2" Scott Foley colspan="1" Scott Foley Martha Meeks colspan="2" Heather Matarazzo Heather Matarazzo colspan="2" Kirby Reed colspan="3" Hayden Panettiere Hayden Panettiere Judy Hicks colspan="3" Marley Shelton colspan="2" Sam Carpenter colspan="4" Melissa Barrera Tara Carpenter colspan="4" Jenna Ortega Chad Meeks-Martin colspan="4" Mason Gooding Mindy Meeks-Martin colspan="4" Jasmin Savoy Brown Richie Kirsch colspan="4" Jack Quaid Maureen Prescott (née Roberts) Lynn McRee Lynn McRee colspan="4" Neil Prescott Lawrence Hecht Lawrence Hecht colspan="4" Hank Loomis C.W. Morgan C.W. Morgan colspan="4" Reporter Nancy O'Dell colspan="3"

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, Steven Orth. When she answers incorrectly, Steven 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