In 2022, a reboot/sequel to the popular Scream franchise has been confirmed with original stars Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox, and David Arquette set to return. While the story remains a mystery, one thing should be clear, Sidney Prescott should not be the protagonist of another Scream film. When it comes to essential must-watch horror movies, most fans of the genre will likely include Scream in their list. Whether you saw it in theaters back in 1996 or at a Ghostface party on Halloween night in 2020, the classic horror movie is a timely film that takes the traditional slasher horror movie tropes and turns them on its head.
More importantly, Scream was more than just some slasher flick mocking the rules of the particular genre, it was simply a great film that could make you laugh, cry, and well…scream. At the center of the film was Sidney Prescott (played by the talented Neve Campbell), a high school senior reeling from the aftermath of her mother Maureen Prescott, who was found murdered one year earlier. Throughout the film, we watch as Sidney’s friends get slaughtered down one by one, with the culprits revealing themselves to be Stuart (Matthew Lillard) and her bubble butt boyfriend, Billy (Skeet Urich).
Luckily, our non-virgin hero manages to kill off the two psychopaths and move on with her life…at least until Scream 2 and 3 happened. The sequels are essentially the same in terms of plot, though the connection remained personal to Sidney Prescott, with the killers revealing themselves to be Debbie Loomis (mother of bubble butt boyfriend Billy Loomis), Mickey Alteri, and her brother (who was never mentioned until Scream 3) Roman Bridger aka Scott Prescott. With Scream 3, while arguably the weakest of the film entries thus far, Sidney’s whole journey came full circle. We got more information about her mother’s background and how Billy Loomis became the central figure targeting Sidney in the first film.
Just like the first film, Sidney ultimately won the battle and had some sort of a ride into the sunset ending in Scream 3. That ending is where the story of Sidney Prescott should’ve ended. Yeah, yeah, the reason these Scream sequels keep popping up is due to money, but a fresh approach should’ve been taken once Scream 4 was announced. We grew up with Sidney in the first three films and felt that her journey was complete once the credits rolled in Scream 3. Sidney Prescott was no longer a victim living in the world, she was a grown woman who not only understood her past but was a strong character who was no longer afraid of the future.
Scream 4 was an entertaining addition to the franchise, but there was no reason for Sidney and the gang to return. Sure, it was nice seeing her, Dewey, and Gale back in one place, but at this point, those three felt like an unnecessary plot device. Worse yet, it was the same old story of another crazed lunatic trying to kill Sidney Prescott and failing. Don’t get me wrong, who didn’t laugh their butt off at Jill Roberts hurting herself to make it seem like she’s the victim; however, the journey was stale because the result was the same, Sidney lives. And so did Dewey and Gale. The personal connection was a loose one, with the true reasoning being that Jill just wanted to be famous. That story did not need to involve Sidney. However, nostalgia rules over everything, so another psycho terrorizing Sidney and company make sense financially wise. Just ask Michael Myers and Laurie Strode. As previously stated, Sidney, Dewey, and Gale are confirmed as characters in the reboot/sequel.
There’s no confirmation that the story will revolve around Sidney again, as Neve’s character could be the mother of the lead of the film. Hell, Sidney could be one of the Woodsboro killers herself. It would be a cool moment, though the writers would have to work very hard to make sure the twist makes sense. The point is that the plot can’t be recycled once again. We’ve seen Sidney struggling in the past four movies, there are only so many inventive and clever ways the writers can tell the exact same story once again. Whatever the purpose Sidney Prescott serves in the latest Scream movie, it should still have some type of meaning while the plot centers around the new cast in the upcoming film.
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I agree with your points. However, I’d like to point out the fact that—according to what I’ve read before—the original vision (from Wilkinson and Craven) for Scream 4 was for it to be the beginning of a new trilogy; and Jill wasn’t supposed to die at the end!
That would have been a badass new twist on the series! But producers brought in rewrites, and we got stuck with the same old story (even as well done as it was).
I’ll be pissed as hell if Sydney gets killed off in the opening sequence, but it definitely wouldn’t be out of place if she dies off during the movie.
*Sorry, Williamson