Sidney Prescott is just an iconic aspect of the Scream franchise as its killer, Ghostface, but with Scream 5 reportedly looming on the horizon, could Sidney's end be near?
Wes Craven and Kevin Williamson made movie magic in 1996 with Scream; it was a smart take on the slasher movies of the '80s, where Craven already had made a substantial contribution with his A Nightmare on Elm Street franchise. The movie made bold maneuvers from the start, killing off America's sweetheart, Drew Barrymore, in the first scene. From there, it became an analysis of movies like Halloween and Friday the 13th, among others. At the center of it all was Sidney Prescott, played by Neve Campbell, who quickly established herself as not only the franchise's final girl, but the quintessential example of the trope itself. No matter what curveballs were thrown at her, Sidney prevailed, so much that fans can't imagine another Scream movie without her.
Scream has spawned three direct sequels and a television series. The last movie, Scream 4, already served as a reboot of sorts, with the new cast of teenagers in the fictional town of Woodsboro, California sparring with modern tech and a new Ghostface killer, which ended up to be pluralized, as in the first movie, and featured a female killer who was none other than Sidney's own cousin. Again, Sidney had to contend with her past and fight to see another day, and emerged victorious. Yet, successful as Sidney has been throughout the series, all good things must come to an end. Or do they?
What Could Happen To Sidney Prescott In Scream 5
Scream 4 isn't the most beloved entry in the franchise, but it was arguably one of the best performances from Campbell as Sidney throughout the series. A newly published author whose autobiographical take on the horrors she's faced, Sidney comes at the new Ghostface killers for the fourth - but hopefully not final - time with intelligence and the tenacity of someone who has been through hell and back, then lived to tell the tale. She is relentless and bold, no longer scared of her own fate; in a way, Campbell's performance is almost resigned to this unfortunate string of events just being another aspect of her life, something she can't ever escape. It's just as bittersweet as it is awe-inspiring.
Perhaps it's time for Sidney to become the killer, as has been suggested before. However, if not that, it wouldn't be entirely out of the realm of possibility for Sidney to meet a darker fate and finally meet her end. This has been done before, with the Halloween movies killing off Laurie Strode, though the 2018 retcon brought her back and saw her gearing up for another battle with the "boogeyman", Michael Myers, 40 years after their first encounter. This is another opportunity for the franchise, though, in the spirit of Scream, would have to be subverted somehow to stay on-brand. Scream 4 was a commentary on remakes just as the sequel was a commentary on sequels. Perhaps Scream 5 can be a reflection on retcons, which seems to be the new trend with horror movies and, at its core, that's what the Scream movies have always done.
Sidney's mother's death was part of what set everything into motion in the first movie. If Sidney moved on to try to pick up the pieces and start a family of her own, it's possible that her daughter could carry on the Prescott legacy, either by fighting Ghostface like her mother did or, perhaps, even becoming the new Ghostface in Scream 5. After all, it's not what the audience would be expecting.