Warning: This article contains spoilers for Scream (2022).
Scream (2022) was framed as a "requel" of Scream (1996), which is defined in the film as being a sequel that attempts to reboot the franchise with new characters while simultaneously keeping old fans hooked through similar elements and legacy characters. The movie is meant to feel familiar to lovers of the original and does a good job of doing just that.
One way in which this happened was by having the new characters work as parallel figures to the original cast of characters, either through personality or role in the movie. From the heroes and villains to the minor characters, almost every Scream (1996) character had a counterpart in Scream (2022) who let audiences look at the original in a new light.
Maureen Prescott — Billy Loomis
In each Scream film, there is a character from the past who is the inspiration for the killings. In Scream (1996), it was Maureen Prescott. The killing spree featured in the film is on the anniversary of her death and was done in part because Maureen was sleeping with Billy's father.
Likewise, Scream (2022) has a figure from the past whose life and death inspired the events of the plot, and that character is Billy Loomis. Sam's paternity is a central part of the movie, as is the fact that the original was the best. In order to fit the requel rules, Richie was inspired by Billy to become Sam's boyfriend for symmetry. All in all, Billy serves as this movie's Maureen Prescott.
Casey Becker — Tara Carpenter
It is pretty obvious from watching the film that Tara was set up to parallel Casey Becker, given that she was the subject of the opening scene. The breakdown of the phone call and questions that were asked make it that much more obvious, as well as the fact that Tara had to answer horror-themed trivia questions to try to save a friend.
Beyond the obvious parallels, Casey and Tara are both fighters. Tara was meant to survive her first attack, but she put up quite a fight, and the scene of her working her way through the hospital with a broken leg and sliced hand is the definition of tough. While Casey did not survive her attack, she also put up quite a fight, dealing Ghostface some serious blows before she was taken out. Tara's success as a character makes fans wonder what the original might have been like if Casey had survived.
Principal Himbry — Vince Schneider
Slashers require high body counts, but for that to work, not every kill can be a winner. In each of the respective Scream films, there was a kill that audiences kind of forget happened. For the 1996 classic, it was Principal Himbry, who was killed in his office for the sake of getting the teens out of Stu's house during the party. For Scream (2022), it is Vince Schneider, whose death explained the pattern of being related to earlier figures but was not overly significant other than that.
In addition to their deaths, both characters were ominously present in earlier scenes for brief red herrings before being killed off away from the rest of the action.
Tatum Riley — Wes Hicks
This one is a little bit of a stretch, but Tatum Riley and Wes Hicks had the best kills of their respective movies, with extended kill scenes full of tension. Tatum put up quite a fight against Ghostface before trying to escape through the dog door and dying from the garage door. Wes did not get the chance to put up much of a fight, but his death scene was preceded by his mother's attempt to rescue him and several aborted jumpscares.
Both characters were close to the main character, and both had memorable deaths that stay with audiences after the end of the movie.
Kenny Jones — Liv McKenzie
Like Principal Himbry and Vince Schneider, Kenny and Liv had less significant death scenes than some other characters. However, both also had a surprise factor that makes fans jump in their seats.
When Kenny was killed in the original, he opens the door to the news van to help the kids inside the house, only to be immediately killed by Ghostface. Similarly, Liv is yelling about not being trusted when Ghostface (in this case, Amber) shoots her in the head without any fanfare. There were no chase scenes, no monologues, just sudden deaths that change the game for the heroes.
Dewey Riley — Chad Meeks-Martin
It is hard to claim that anyone fills Dewey's shoes, but if pressed, the character who does it best is Chad Meeks-Martin. While Chad did not have an extensive amount of screen time, he was portrayed as a bit of a lovable doofus. While he may not have been the smartest character, he was a romantic one and one the audience rooted for.
In addition, both suffered seemingly life-ending injuries before being pulled out on a stretcher at the end of the movie, miraculously surviving their injuries. One has to wonder if Chad made enough of an impression for fans to be as devastated by his future death as they were Dewey's.
Randy Meeks — Mindy Meeks-Martin
It should be no surprise that the "new Randy" came in the form of Mindy Meeks-Martin. She knows all the rules, like Randy, and survives the movie by following them. While Randy survived because of his virgin status, Mindy was able to self-awarely turn around when Ghostface was behind her, saving her from a deadly fate.
In addition, both characters came across as potential red herring killers at first, taking their knowledge of horror movies to the extreme and acting somewhat crassly toward those around them, given the circumstances. Even so, they are fun characters that fans love, because they represent the audience.
Billy Loomis — Richie Kirsch
This parallel is obvious because Richie himself intended it to be. Billy and Richie are both boyfriend/killer/horror enthusiasts, giving them a lot of similarities. While Richie was a more conscientious boyfriend than bad-boy Billy, he was just as expected and, yet, kind of as surprising as Billy was in the original movie.
Beyond the obvious, the horror enthusiast sides of both characters shine, with Billy's love of horror movies making some of the franchise's best lines and Richie's creating his motive. Both see the world like a movie, which blurs the lines between fact and fiction enough for them to justify murder.
Stu Macher — Amber Freeman
Amber fits the role of Stu, as the other killer who does not have quite as deep of a connection to the heroes as their partner. Amber was supposedly Tara's friend, as Stu was supposedly Sidney's, but they were also distant enough that it was not surprising when they turned out to be involved in the crimes.
Additional similarities are obvious: they live in the same house. They also both lack the dedication to their motive that their partner had, switching stories. Stu claims first that he has no motive before switching to peer pressure, and Amber begins with wanting to make a better Stab movie, followed by being radicalized by chat forums. They are inconsistent and over the top in their behavior, which makes them unnerving and terrifying Ghostface killers in their own right.
Sidney Prescott — Sam Carpenter
Sam is obviously being set up as the new Sidney Prescott, though her potentially inherited bloodlust may cast that role onto her sister in the next movie. In the end, it is all about her, and a number of other characters will die to get her attention.
After four films focused solely on Sidney, the franchise needs some fresh faces, and Sam is supposed to fill that role. While the killers imagine her as Neil Prescott, their easy frame job, she is a survivor and a fighter, outsmarting the killers and beating them at their own game, helping to make her one of the best characters from the new movie.