The 2022 Scream reboot introduced new characters but also brought back familiar faces from the Scream franchise. Scream revived the dying slasher sub-genre when it arrived in multiplexes in 1996, and launched the Scream movie and TV franchise. Fresh, funny, and surprisingly scary, the meta movie's ingenious premise — a group of cine-literate teens who know the rules of the slasher sub-genre are targeted by an equally savvy killer — made the movie a huge hit and allowed Scream to become a lucrative franchise. For a time, the Scream series appeared to be over — but over a decade after the last film, the 2022 Scream reboot has revitalized the franchise.
The Scream movie series originally ended in 2011 with the arrival of the late, great Wes Craven’s Scream 4. A belated sequel that reunited the (surviving members of) the original cast, Scream 4 received solid reviews and was widely seen as a step up from the lesser Scream 3, if not quite as strong as the first two movies in the series. Sadly, this was the last Scream movie to involve the iconic horror director since Wes Craven passed away in 2015. Outside of a barely-related MTV series, the Scream franchise then went dormant — until now.
Scream 2022 welcomes back some pivotal players in the series, as well as fresh faces who are tied to the legacy characters. In an attempt to establish a new standalone canon, the Scream TV series ignored the existence of the movies, whereas Scream’s 2022 reboot heralds the return of most of the original movie’s cast. Like 2018’s successful Halloween reboot, Scream does feature the original movie’s final girl, but this sequel also brings back supporting characters — and some secret cameos from long-forgotten franchise figures.
Neve Campbell’s Sidney Prescott
The most pivotal figure in the series, Neve Campbell’s Sidney Prescott is the resourceful, charismatic final girl in Scream. Sidney is the center of the slasher franchise: her mother’s murder sets the series into motion, and it is Sidney who faces down the Scream "Ghostface" killers Billy Loomis and Stu Macher, Mickey, her half-brother Roman, and her cousin Jill. Although she's not the protagonist, Sidney’s role in the Scream reboot proves to be more of a substantial part than many expected.
Sidney is not the focus of Scream 2022 — she's now married to Scream 3's Mark Kincaid and has a family of her own — but she arrives in Woodsboro to help Dewey and Gale solve the mystery of who is behind the latest spate of killings. This marks a departure from earlier movies in the series, wherein Sidney never sought out the killer and instead was unfortunate enough to be targeted again and again no matter where she went. Now, Sidney is in a better and more stable place in her life, and she chooses to come back to support the new generation.
David Arquette’s Dewey
Actor David Arquette appears in Scream 2022 as Dewey, joining Campbell as one of the original cast members reprising their role. Longtime fans of the series will know that Arquette’s erstwhile Deputy (now Sheriff) Dewey has been a major player in the franchise since the original self-referential Scream, and has provided both comic relief and occasional action movie heroics throughout the four movies. Frequently a target of injuries both comical and serious, Arquette’s lovably sheepish character is probably the most harmless of the franchise’s heroes. In 2022's Scream, Dewey is retired from the police force, living as a recluse, and divorced from Gale Weathers. He finds renewed purpose in assisting the descendants of the franchise's old characters hunt down Ghostface.
Courteney Cox’s Gale Weathers
Joining Sidney and Dewey in Scream 2022 is Gale, the reporter from the original movie. Possibly the actor’s most memorable role outside of playing Monica in Friends, Courteney Cox’s Gale Weathers returns as the intrepid reporter-turned-true-crime-novelist investigating another set of killings by a masked murderer. Now, Gale is a morning show host and returns to Woodsboro when Dewey texts her about Ghostface's comeback. Gale is among the franchise’s hardiest characters and could have been another legacy figure to be killed off, but her odds of survival are second only to Sidney when it comes to series pedigree. Gale made it through all four movies and even managed to remain uninjured in Scream 3. Gale and Sidney team up once again for a violent face-off with Ghostface in the Scream reboot.
Roger L. Jackson’s Ghostface
To the delight of many franchise fans, the original Ghostface killer Roger L. Jackson returns as the voice of Ghostface. This is not a clue to Scream 2022's Ghostface killer’s identity though since the Scream universe is replete with voice changers that ensure the actor’s raspy, instantly recognizable vocals have been shared by the villains of all four installments. Still, Ghostface’s voice is as iconic as Michael Myer’s Halloween mask and is a worthy throwback to what made the original movie so effective.
Marley Shelton’s Judy Hicks
To the surprise of some fans, Marley Shelton reprises her role as Woodsboro police officer Judy Hicks in 2022’s Scream reboot. An obvious red herring introduced in Scream 4, Hicks was mostly notable for being a too-chipper officer who was uncomfortably close with her boss Dewey but turned out to be a harmless figure. Although a minor character, Shelton’s Hicks did play a pivotal heroic role in the movie’s climax, and her reboot return is unexpected, but crucial to the narrative.
Skeet Ulrich's Billy Loomis
In the 2022 reboot, Skeet Ulrich reprises his role as Billy Loomis, Scream's original serial killer. He appears sporadically in Sam Carpenter's (Melissa Barrera) visions, which serve as manifestations of her fear and shame in being Billy's daughter. The more she sees him, the closer she becomes to following in his murderous footsteps. Towards the end of the film, Sam does give in to her rage under vision Billy's guidance.
Heather Matarazzo's Martha Meeks
Heather Matarazzo also makes an appearance as Martha Meeks, the little sister of horror and slasher movie buff Randy (Jamie Kennedy). Martha was introduced in Scream 3, delivering a video Randy filmed before his death to Dewey, Sidney, and Gale. In the video, Randy discusses new trilogy rules, having known he would likely perish in the second round of Woodsboro murders. In 2022's Scream, Martha makes a cameo serving her teen children and their friends food at her house. She has an awkward, albeit hilarious exchange with Dewey.
How Every New Character Links To Scream's Originals
2022's Scream also introduces a slew of new Ghostface victims with ties to the original characters. In the main friend group the film focuses on, Sam Carpenter is the child of Billy Loomis and the main target of the new Ghostface, Chad (Mason Gooding) and Mindy Meeks-Martin (Jasmin Savoy Brown) are the nephew and niece of Randy Meeks, and Wes Hicks (Dylan Minnette) is Judy Hicks' son. The other original connection lies with outlier Vince Schneider, the stalker nephew of second Scream killer Stu Macher (Matthew Lillard). Among the new faces, Sam Carpenter is positioned to take up Sidney Prescott's mantle and Mindy Meeks-Martin is more aligned with Randy in terms of being the horror and slasher movie aficionado. Now that the current generation has bested Ghostface, it'll be interesting to see how Scream 6 could continue to blend or completely omit the original characters' involvement in the series going forward.