Warning: Spoilers ahead for 2022’s Scream!

Over a decade goes by between Scream 4 and the events of 2022’s Scream, leaving Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell), Dewey Riley (David Arquette), and Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox) at new points in their respective lives. The trio is once again at the center of a Woodsboro massacre at the hands of Ghostface. This movie, however, marks the first in the franchise not to be directed by Wes Craven, who passed away in 2015.

Following Craven’s death, there was hesitation from the core cast to return for another Scream movie. The trio needed to be convinced that the story would honor Craven while building on a story that already spanned decades. Thankfully, the directors, Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, convinced Campbell, Arquette, and Cox that the franchise was in good hands.

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Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett’s Scream honors the original stories while expanding on the beloved franchise’s lore. The movie follows a new generation of victims with Tara (Jenna Ortega) and Sam Carpenter (Melissa Barerra) at the center of the chaos, though Sidney, Dewey, and Gale still play crucial roles in the latest chapter of Scream. There are plenty of Easter eggs and references to past Scream movies, but equally important are the revelations surrounding core characters and what happened to them since their last appearances.

Sidney Prescott Got Married & Started A Family

When Sidney Prescott was last seen in Scream 4, she was on the floor of the Woodsboro hospital after killing her cousin Jill Roberts (Emma Roberts). Jill was one of two Ghostface killers in the movie who attempted to reenact the original killings so Jill would be the sole survivor. After failing to kill Sidney, Jill tried to finish the job in the hospital room. Jill didn’t make it out alive, but Sidney lived on to see another day. In the years that followed, she finally found some normalcy based on Scream 2022‘s reveals.

Following a new set of attacks, Dewey contacted his long-time friend Sidney to warn her. At the time of the call, Sidney was jogging with a stroller. It turned out that Sidney was the mother of two girls, although their names were never revealed. She also name-dropped her husband, Mark, who was confirmed to be no other than Scream 3‘s Mark Kincaid (Patrick Dempsey). The duo likely kept in touch after Scream 3, but it’s unclear when they got married. Based on the stroller and no mention of a family in Scream 4, Sidney most likely didn’t have kids with Mark until after Scream 4. Logically, Sidney’s family didn’t reside in Woodsboro, nor did she have plans to ever return until Dewey’s tragic death.

Dewey Riley Lost His Career & Wife

Dewey Riley’s life following Scream 4 seemed to be the toughest out of the three major Scream legacy characters. In Scream 4, Dewey served as the sheriff of Woodsboro and bravely vowed to help end the latest massacre. He was also happily married to Gale. By the time Sam and Richie visit him in the new Scream, Dewey lived alone in a trailer, having lost his job and his wife. The only connection he still had to Gale was watching her daily New York City morning show. It turned out Dewey went to NYC with his wife, but he couldn’t cut it in the big city, so he returned to Woodsboro, leading to their separation.

Dewey presumably returned to his job as the sheriff upon his return, but the role didn’t last long. Initially claiming he retired from the police force, the truth was that the department forced him to leave. The separation from Gale and years of traumatic experiences obviously took a toll on Dewey, emotionally and physically. Dewey’s career had always been important to him, but losing Gale was likely the last straw, leading him into a spiral. As revealed to his text messages and reunion with Gale, he never stopped loving her, nor did he stop caring about the safety of his small town he always swore to protect.

Gale Weathers Returned To Her TV Journalism Career

As stated, Gale Weathers was married to Dewey during the events of Scream 4, and the pair served as Woodsboro residents. Gale vowed to prioritize writing after leaving her career as a TV journalist behind. However, following Scream 4, Gale got another big break, taking her to New York to host a morning show for a major network. Dewey accompanied her but ended up leaving without telling her. The pair then didn’t speak for years despite how much they meant to one another. When Ghostface killings began happening again, Dewey contacted his former wife and warned her not to come to Woodsboro. In typical Gale fashion, she didn’t listen.

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Gale returned to Woodsboro shortly after the deaths of Judy (Marley Shelton) and Wes Hicks (Dylan Minnette). With a news crew in tow, Gale arrived at the gruesome scene, where she found Dewey assisting in the investigations. She claimed she had to cover the story for her show, but it was also an excuse to see Dewey again. This allowed the two have a heart-to-heart conversation where Dewey revealed his insecurities while in New York. Gale wished she knew the truth, so they could work it out rather than separate for years.

What Happened To Other Scream Characters Since Scream 4

Sidney, Dewey, and Gale were major characters from previous Scream installments to appear in 2022’s Scream, but they weren’t the only ones. Aside from two Scream 4 characters, the new movie unveiled the fates of a few other memorable characters. Some of the characters hadn’t been seen or referenced for decades.

Judy Hicks (Marley Shelton): Alongside the return of Sidney, Dewey, and Gale, Judy Hicks was the other major character from Scream 4 to have a role in 2022’s Scream. She was previously a deputy who worked closely with Dewey, but since 2011, she replaced her former boss as the sheriff. Hicks was also revealed to have a teenage son named Wes, who was also a vital character in the new movie.

Kirby Reed (Hayden Panettiere):Scream 4‘s Kirby Reed was finally revealed to be alive thanks to a Scream Easter egg. Panettiere didn’t appear in the movie, but a YouTube video titled “Interview With Woodsboro Survivor Kirby Reed” was shown. Despite being stabbed multiple times by Charlie Walker (Rory Culkin), she wasn’t mortally wounded.

Martha Meeks (Heather Matarazzo): Martha Meeks wasn’t in Scream 4, but the character, who happened to be Randy Meeks’ sister, was in Scream 3. Since that time, Martha returned to Woodsboro, got married, and had twins, Mindy (Jasmin Savoy Brown) and Chad Meeks-Martin (Mason Gooding). Alongside Wes, Mindy and Chad served as the new generation of victims for Ghostface.

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Mark Kincaid (Patrick Dempsey): Dempsey hasn’t played Detective Kincaid since Scream 3, but his character is alive and well in the franchise. After assisting Sidney, the two eventually fell in love and started a family, which was a major reveal in the latest Scream movie.

Billy Loomis (Skeet Ulrich): One of the original Ghostface killers and the mastermind behind the first massacre, Billy Loomis is still dead in the Scream franchise. However, the character still had somewhat of a presence through Sam’s visions, considering he’s her father.

Stu Macher (Matthew Lillard): Unlike Billy, fellow original Ghostface, Stu Macher, wasn’t in 2022’s Scream. That said, his nephew, Vince, was a victim of the new killers, and his former home was the site of the major showdown. Interestingly, a deleted scene in Scream 3 confirmed that Stu survived the first movie’s events, so he’s technically still around in canon.

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About The Author


Kara Hedash
(1746 Articles Published)

Kara Hedash is a features editor and writer for Screen Rant. From time to time, she dives into the world’s most popular franchises but Kara primarily focuses on evergreen topics. The fact that she gets to write about The Office regularly is like a dream come true. Before joining Screen Rant, Kara served as a contributor for Movie Pilot and had work published on The Mary Sue and Reel Honey. After graduating college, writing began as a part-time hobby for Kara but it quickly turned into a career. She loves binging a new series and watching movies ranging from Hollywood blockbusters to hidden indie gems. She also has a soft spot for horror ever since she started watching it at too young of an age. Her favorite Avenger is Thor and her favorite Disney princess is Leia Organa. When Kara’s not busy writing, you can find her doing yoga or hanging out with Gritty.

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