WARNING! This article contains major SPOILERS for Scream 6!The Scream franchise heavily focuses on the importance of legacy and blood dies, so it’s not surprising that the family trees of original characters and later killers play such significant roles in Ghostface massacres, especially in Scream 6. Iconic final girl Sidney Prescott has seen multiple members of her family die or become Ghostface, with the family of original Ghostface killer Billy Loomis either following in his footsteps or resisting the serial killer lurking within. While all of Randy’s known relatives have survived massacres and taken on similar movie lore roles, the families of Stu, Dewey, and Richie have primarily perished between Scream (1996) and Scream 6.
The Ghostface killings in Scream, Scream 3, and Scream 4 all went back to Sidney Prescott’s family connections. In Scream 2, the revenge spree was based on Billy Loomis’ bereaved mother wanting to avenge her son’s death. Scream 5 wasn’t directly aimed at familial revenge, but still utilized the familial connections between the new generation of Woodsboro teens and their relatives from the 1996 Woodsboro massacre. Scream 6 was similarly based on a father, brother, and sister seeking revenge for Richie’s murder. The family trees in the Scream movies thus play a key role in the larger franchise lore and the motivation of Ghostfaces, primarily being traced back to Sidney, Billy, Randy, Stu, Dewey, and Richie.
Prescott Family
Sidney Prescott
While Sidney doesn't return for Scream 6, Neve Campbell’s character is indisputably the franchise’s lead. As the primary target of the 1996, 1997, 2000, and 2011 Ghostface killing sprees, Sidney has been through plenty of trauma and physical pain, which is why it was surprising that she returned to Woodsboro to help Sam and Tara Carpenter in Scream (2022). Sidney suffered yet another stab wound, but helped take down Amber and Richie before returning home to her family. Before and throughout the first four Scream movies, Sidney lost her mother Maureen, secret half-brother Roman, aunt Kate, and cousin Jill, with her only original surviving family member being her father.
Scream (2022) revealed that Sidney Prescott’s family tree now includes four other figures. In an exciting Scream 5 Easter egg, it was revealed that Sidney had married Detective Mark Kincaid sometime after the events of Scream 3, the film in which he helped investigate Roman’s Ghostface killings. Sidney also has two unnamed young daughters and a toddler, who are the primary reason why she moved away from Woodsboro and keeps her distance from new Ghostfaces.
Maureen Prescott
Maureen Prescott is the mother of Sidney Prescott, secret mother of Scream 3’s Roman Bridges, wife of Neil Prescott, and older sister of Kate Roberts. Before marrying Sidney’s father Neil, having Sidney, and settling down again in Woodsboro, Maureen was a film actress who became pregnant after being sexually assaulted by men in the industry. Maureen soon gave up her son Roman for adoption, but he tracked her down 25 years later. Maureen was killed by Billy Loomis and Stu Macher one year before the events of Scream (1996), as Roman conspired to influence the teens into getting revenge after disclosing video footage of Maureen’s affair with Billy’s father Hank.
Neil Prescott
Neil Prescott is the father of Sidney and husband of Maureen. While Neil was an important supporting character in the original Scream movie, he hasn’t appeared in the franchise since Scream 3 – despite being one of the few still-living survivors of the 1996 Woodsboro killings. During the original killings, Stu and Billy intended to frame Neil for the Ghostface kill spree, but the real killers’ deaths proved him innocent. Scream 4 implies that Neil moved away from Woodsboro, with his fate also being left a mystery after Scream (2022).
Roman Bridger
The villain of Scream 3, Roman Bridger is the son of an unknown attacker and Maureen Prescott, who gave him up for adoption after he was born. Roman is thus also the older half-brother of Sidney Prescott, cousin of Jill Roberts, and nephew of Kate Roberts. Scream 3 reveals that Roman was rejected by Maureen once he tracked her down in 1995, leading to his revenge plot on her and later his attack on Sidney while filming Stab 3. After revealing himself to be Ghostface and his true familial connection to the Prescotts, Roman is killed by Sidney in Scream 3’s ending.
Kate Roberts
Kate Roberts is introduced in Scream 4 as the younger sister of Maureen Prescott, mother of Ghostface killer Jill Roberts, and aunt of Sidney Prescott. Having lived in Woodsboro all her life, Kate was deeply affected by Maureen’s death and the many Ghostface killings impacting Sidney. However, it’s implied that she was not close to Sidney after Maureen’s death. Kate is killed in Scream 4 by Ghostface as part of Jill’s plan to repeat the events of the original massacre and replace Sidney as the Woodsboro slayings’ sole survivor.
Jill Roberts
Jill Roberts (Emma Roberts) is the only daughter of Kate Roberts, niece of Maureen Prescott, and younger cousin of Sidney Prescott. Jill was only an infant at the time of Scream’s original killings, so she grew up in the fictional town of Woodsboro always being associated with her cousin Sidney’s legacy. In Scream 4, Jill decided that she would take over Sidney’s role as the hero survivor by secretly organizing a new Ghostface massacre in Woodsboro. After Jill tried to kill her several times, Sidney defensively killed the 2011 Ghostface in the hospital.
Loomis Family
Billy Loomis
Just as notorious as Sidney in the Scream movies is Billy Loomis, her ex-boyfriend and the original Ghostface mastermind who was inspired to kill Maureen Prescott by Roman. Billy is the son of Nancy and Hank Loomis, the former of whom abandoned Billy after discovering that the latter was having an affair with Sidney’s mother. With Stu, Billy conducted Scream’s original Ghostface deaths before being killed by Sidney. In Scream 2, Billy’s mother became Ghostface as she sought revenge on Sidney for killing Billy. Later on, Scream (2022) revealed that Billy apparently cheated on Sidney shortly before the original kill spree and unknowingly had a daughter, Sam Carpenter.
Nancy Loomis
Although she goes under the alias of reporter Debbie Salt in Scream 2, the Ghostface mastermind seeking revenge against Sidney in the first sequel is Billy Loomis’ mother Nancy Loomis. Nancy was also married to Hank Loomis before leaving him and Billy. While she likely never knew of the character’s existence before being killed by Cotton Weary and Sidney Prescott in Scream 2, Nancy Loomis is also the biological grandmother of Billy's daughter Sam Carpenter.
Hank Loomis
Despite only appearing in Scream (1996) and Scream 3 in a minor cameo, Hank Loomis is another of the few surviving characters from the original movie. Hank is the father of Billy, ex-wife of Nancy, and biological grandfather of Sam Carpenter, though it’s unclear if he’s aware of the latter’s true identity and status on his Scream family tree. It’s also unknown if Hank is still living in Woodsboro, but it’s possible he departed the town due to his family’s reputation.
Sam Carpenter
Scream (2022) introduced Sam Carpenter, who took over as the franchise’s new leading female character. The film revealed that Sam was secretly the biological daughter of Billy Loomis, though she was raised until she was 13 years old thinking she was the daughter of her mother Christina Carpenter’s husband. Sam is also the older half-sister of Tara Carpenter, who was the first character attacked in Scream 5’s Ghostface killing spree. Through Billy, Sam is also the granddaughter of Nancy and Hank Loomis.
Meeks Family
Randy Meeks
Randy Meeks, the franchise’s original horror rules expert, was a close friend of Sidney and one of the few survivors of Scream’s 1996 Woodsboro massacre. However, Randy was killed by Billy’s mother Nancy Loomis at the Windsor College killings in Scream 2. Randy’s family tree includes his younger sister Martha Meeks, niece Mindy Meeks-Martin, and nephew Chad Meeks-Martin, all of whom still pay tribute to his legacy in Scream (2022) and Scream 6.
Martha Meeks
Martha Meeks was introduced in Scream 3 as Randy’s younger sister, who brought a tape to Dewey filmed shortly before Randy’s death in Scream 2. When Martha returns in Scream (2022), it’s revealed that she is the mother to twins Mindy and Chad Meeks-Martin, two Woodsboro teenagers who are attacked by Ghostface. The Scream movies have yet to reveal the identity of Mindy and Chad’s father.
Mindy Meeks-Martin
Mindy Meeks-Martin is the daughter of Martha, twin sister of Chad, and niece of Randy Meeks. Much like her uncle Randy, Mindy is Scream’s new horror film expert, meaning she’s well-versed in the rules that apply to survivors, victims, and suspects in horror settings. After being stabbed in Scream (2022), Mindy was one of the few survivors of the Woodsboro requel massacre alongside her brother Chad. Mindy and Chad then survived the Bailey family's Ghostface killings in Scream 6.
Chad Meeks-Martin
Also on Scream’s Meeks family tree is Chad Meeks-Martin, who is Martha’s son, Mindy’s twin brother, and Randy’s nephew. Chad isn’t a horror movie fanatic like Mindy and Randy, as he took on a jock role growing up in Woodsboro and a fraternity role at college. If Scream 7 happens after Scream 6’s ending, the identity of Chad and Mindy’s father could finally be revealed.
Macher Family
Stu Macher
While Billy Loomis has become more notorious in Scream lore, Stu Macher is another important character as an original Ghostface killer. Stu agreed to be Billy’s accomplice in the first Scream movie massacre for no true motive other than that he was a horror movie fanatic and was intrigued by Billy’s plan. Stu was killed when Sidney dropped a TV on his head in Scream’s ending, though there are theories that he secretly survived. Scream (2022) expands Stu Macher’s family tree by revealing he had a sister named Leslie Macher and a nephew named Vince Schneider. The film also confirms that Stu’s parents sold the house following the first killings, after which time Amber’s family moved in.
Vince Schneider
Vince briefly appears in Scream (2022), becoming the first official victim in Richie and Amber’s Ghostface killings. As the daughter of Leslie and nephew of Stu, Vince was targeted due to his position on the Macher family tree and relationship to the original massacre. It’s unclear if Vince had any younger or older siblings, so his death may have ended the Macher family tree’s residency in Woodsboro.
Riley Family
Dewey Riley
Having survived the first four Scream movies, Dewey Riley is one of the franchise’s most iconic characters. However, he was finally killed by Amber Freeman in Scream 5 when trying to save Jenna Ortega's Tara Carpenter. Before his death, Dewey Riley was once the Woodsboro Sheriff and was married to Gale Weathers for several years. Dewey was also the older brother of Tatum Riley, who was killed by Billy Loomis in the original Scream movie.
Tatum Riley
Tatum Riley was one of the teenage victims in Scream’s first Woodsboro massacre. Tatum was Sidney Prescott’s best friend, Stu Macher’s girlfriend, and the younger sister of Dewey Riley. The Scream franchise still hasn’t confirmed what happened to Dewey and Tatum Riley’s parents after the latter’s death.
Gale Weathers
Gale Weathers became a member of Scream’s Riley family tree after marrying Dewey before the events of Scream 4. Originally a reporter trying to prove Cotton Weary’s innocence in the death of Sidney’s mother, Gale later befriended Sidney and Dewey as the trio survived several Ghostface massacres together. While they were finally married shortly after Scream 3, Dewey and Gale separated before Scream 5, with their relationship officially ending upon Dewey’s death.
Bailey Family
Richie Kirsch
First introduced as Sam’s boyfriend, Richie Kirsch is revealed to be a Stab fanatic and Ghostface killer in Scream (2022), having targeted Sam due to her connection to Billy Loomis. Richie was later killed by Sam Carpenter in Scream 5’s ending, which seemed to end his story. However, Scream 6’s twist ending reveals that Richie was actually the son of Wayne Bailey and older brother of Ethan Landry and Quinn Bailey. Kirsch is seemingly his filmmaker stage name, so his real name was Richie Bailey. After Richie’s death, his family sought revenge against Sam and Tara Carpenter, leading them to become the three main Ghostface killers in Scream 6.
Wayne Bailey
Detective Wayne Bailey is secretly the father of Richie Kirsch, Ethan Landry, and Quinn Bailey in Scream 6. After Richie’s death, Wayne took a position with the NYPD as a way to be closer to Sam and Tara, who had moved to New York City. With his two surviving children, Wayne organized the New York City Ghostface killings in order to avenge the death of former Ghostface killer Richie.
Ethan Landry
Scream 6's twist ending reveals that Ethan Landry is the younger brother of Richie Kirsch, son of Detective Wayne Bailey, and brother of Quinn Bailey. Ethan followed his brother, father, and sister into being a killer, as they sought to undo Richie's villainous Ghostface legacy by framing Sam as the real Woodsboro killer. Considering they ran in the same group of friends at Blackmore University, it's possible that Quinn and Ethan were actually twins in Scream 6. However, this information may never be confirmed since Sam, Tara, and Kirby were able to completely extinguish Richie's homicidal family members.
Quinn Bailey
Sam and Tara's roommate Quinn Bailey was supposedly one of the first victims of the New York City Ghostface, only for Scream 6 to reveal that she faked her death and was secretly one of the three killers. Quinn is actually the daughter of Scream 6 character Detective Wayne Bailey and the sister of Richie Kirsch and Ethan Landry. When confronting Sam and Tara at the theater shrine, Quinn is killed by Sam, which means the last of Richie's siblings are dead. Scream 6 didn't reveal what happened to the mother of Richie, Quinn, and Ethan, so it's possible that a sequel will bring back another member of the Bailey family tree for revenge.