Neve Campbell says that the Sidney Prescott in Scream 2022 is fiercer than ever. Coming to theaters on January 14, Scream is the fifth entry in the long-running horror franchise that began with Wes Craven's 1996 meta slasher classic. Although the master of horror passed away in 2015, making 2011's Scream 4 his final film, his shoes are being filled by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, the directing duo behind the 2019 horror-comedy Ready or Not.
Throughout all four movies, Neve Campbell's character Sidney Prescott has been the center of a long series of serial slayings by different characters donning the signature Ghostface mask and robes. She begins the series as a tortured teenager grieving the murder of her mother and by 2000's Scream 3 blossoms into a hardened fighter who is well-versed in taking down psycho killers. The Sidney of Scream 4 has found success after writing an inspirational nonfiction book titled Out of Darkness: A True Story of Survival, handling a new spate of killings with aplomb. Now, another decade later, Sidney Prescott is going to be dragged into the mire yet again.
During an appearance on Good Morning America, Neve Campbell revealed some details about where Sidney Prescott is in her life at the beginning of the movie. Although she can't reveal too much, she explains that "She’s in a good place in her life and she’s a mother now." Although she is "content," that part of her life gives her a "whole other level of fierceness" so she's prepared when "chaos" inevitably ensues. Read the full quote below:
I can’t tell you a whole lot, but I can tell you that she’s in a good place in her life and she’s a mother now. Which I think gives her a whole other level of fierceness. And she’s… yeah, she’s content. And then of course chaos ensues. Because it’s a Scream movie, you know,
Scream 2022 will see Sidney Prescott reunited with her frequent companions, ex-Sheriff Dewey Riley (David Arquette) and his (presumably) ex-wife, hard-nosed journalist Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox) when Dewey is approached by potential new Final Girl Sam Carpenter (Melissa Barrera). She is being threatened by a new iteration of Ghostface who seems to be tracking down people who were related to the original killers from the first four movies. The rest of the cast includes Jack Quaid, Mason Gooding, Dylan Minnette, Jenna Ortega, Kyle Gallner, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Mikey Madison, and Marley Shelton returning as Judy Hicks, now the sheriff of Woodsboro.
While details of the plot of Scream are still fully under wraps, it will be intriguing to see how Sidney's new character dynamic allows her to progress through the newfound threat in the film. It's not clear that the killer is even specifically targeting her, but even if she's not the main focus, she still puts herself directly in the path of danger by returning to Woodsboro. Now that she has a kid (who, given the timeline, likely can't be more than 11 years old), she might be fiercer, but she also has a new vulnerability to be exploited, which could be extremely perilous.
Source: Good Morning America
