SCREAM 1-6 Recap | Everything You Need To Know Before SCREAM 7 | Movie Series Explained

[0:00]The 1996 film Scream opens with the murder of high school student Casey Becker and her boyfriend Steve at the hands of the mysterious Ghostface killer. Fellow high school student Sydney Prescott is still struggling with the murder of her mother Maureen one year prior by her young lover Cotton Weary. And so as the media descend on the town of Woodsboro to cover the murders, Sydney is forced to confront her emotional trauma. Part of the media frenzy is reporter Gale Weathers, a cold and cut-throat reporter who will stop at nothing to get the best story. And trying to help save the town from a vicious killer is Dewey Riley, a kind-hearted and bumbling Deputy Sheriff. Sydney's friend group includes boyfriend Billy Loomis, best friend Tatum Riley, who is also the sister of Deputy Dewey, Tatum's boyfriend Stu Macher, and Randy Meeks. A nerdy fan of horror movies who is constantly referencing and acknowledging patterns and motives of famous movie killers. Sydney soon begins receiving calls from the killer who mercilessly stalks and taunts her. Amidst his murderous rampage, Ghostface kills the high school's principal Himbry, then kills Tatum at a house party before stabbing Dewey and leaving him for dead. Eventually, Billy Loomis reveals himself to be the killer with his best friend Stu acting as his accomplice. They plan to kill Sydney and pin all of the murders on her father. Billy also reveals that he had killed Sydney's mother Maureen the year prior and framed Cotton, as Marine was having an affair with Billy's father, driving his own mother away. Just as Billy arrives to kill Sydney, Gail arrives to intervene. Sydney kills Stu by dropping a television on his head before teaming up with Gail to shoot Billy to death. As the women celebrate their victory, they learn that Dewey has survived his injuries. Though he is left with permanent nerve damage and a limp. Scream 2 opens with the premiere of Stab, a film based on the book Gail Weathers wrote about the Woodsboro Massacre. At the premiere, Windsor College students Marine and Phil are murdered by a Ghostface copycat killer. Sydney Prescott is now enrolled at Windsor College and trying to move on with her life, but the return of a new Ghostface turns everything into complete disarray. Fellow classmates of Sydney at Windsor College include her high school friend Randy Meeks, new best friend Halle, her new boyfriend Derek Feldman, and Derek's best friend Mickey. Following the arrival of the copycat killer, Dewey Riley races to Windsor College to ensure Sydney's safety. Gale Weathers arrives with a flurry of other reporters to cover the ongoing case and constantly butts heads with a journalist named Debbie Salt, who is obsessed with both the original case and Gail Weathers' coverage of it. Also arriving at the college is Cotton Weary, who, following his exoneration of Marine Prescott's murder, has become obsessed with the media attention and hopes to convince Sydney to sit down with him for a national televised interview with Diane Sawyer. Randy tries to help uncover the new killer, utilizing his knowledge of past horror films and their sequels, but before solving the case, he is tragically stabbed to death by the new Ghostface. Also murdered are sorority girl CC Cooper and Sydney's best friend Halle. As Gail and Dewey team up to try to solve the case, the cold-hearted Gail begins to soften up and even starts a relationship with Dewey. That love affair is quickly cut short when the pair are attacked by Ghostface and Dewey is brutally stabbed. As all of her friends are getting killed off around her, Sydney begins to suspect that once again it is her boyfriend behind the mask causing the massacre. But eventually Sydney discovers that her boyfriend Derek was truly innocent as Mickey has Derek tied up and reveals himself to be the killer. Mickey kills Derek and confesses to Sydney his master plan, going on a killing spree and getting caught, only to blame violent movies like Stab for normalizing murder at his trial. And then Mickey reveals his accomplice, reporter Debbie Salt, who is actually Billy Loomis's mother who wants revenge on Sydney for her son's death. Mrs. Loomis then kills Mickey and attacks Sydney, but just as Mrs. Loomis has the upper hand, Cotton Weary arrives to intervene. Cotton shoots Mrs. Loomis in the neck, but to ensure that she is truly dead, Sydney puts another bullet in Mrs. Loomis's head. As the film comes to a close, Dewey is revealed to have once again survived his encounter with Ghostface, and instead of reporting on the events, Gail decides to join Dewey in his ambulance. As reporters flood Sydney with questions, she directs them instead to Cotton, calling him the true hero of the story. And so Cotton gets the attention he's been craving and Sydney is allowed to finally step out of the spotlight. In Scream 3, Cotton Weary has achieved the fame he's long desired, hosting his own television series called 100% Cotton. When a new Ghostface killer demands information from him on the whereabouts of Sydney Prescott, Cotton refuses to answer and is murdered alongside his girlfriend. Sydney Prescott is living a quieter life, changing her name and working as an on-call crisis counselor. As Sydney lives in seclusion, the new Ghostface killer begins their murder spree, trying to draw her out of hiding. In Hollywood, Stab 3, the newest film in the franchise based on Sydney's life, is currently in production. Detective Mark Kincade calls on Gail Weathers to help him catch the new Ghostface killer, who starts to pick off the Stab 3 cast, starting with actress Sarah Darling. The main cast of Stab 3 includes Angelina Tyler as Sydney Prescott, Jennifer Joe Lee as Gail Weathers, Tom Prince as Dewey Riley, and Tyson Fox as Randy Meeks. Also working on the set of Stab 3 is Dewey Riley, serving as a technical adviser. He and Gail have broken up following Gail's successful journalism career, but the two still have feelings for each other. As Dewey, Gail, and the Stab 3 cast convene at Jennifer's house to discuss their predicament, the killer strikes, blowing up the house with Tom still inside. When Sydney arrives in Hollywood to help stop the new Ghostface killer, the team are visited by Randy Meeks' sister Martha. She plays them a video that Randy had made before his death, warning them of how dangerous the killer in the final film of a trilogy could be. At a party for Stab 3 director Roman Bridger's birthday, the Ghostface killer strikes again, killing Angelina, Tyson, and Jennifer. The killer knocks out Detective Kincade and ties up Dewey and Gail before revealing his true identity to Sydney. The killer is in fact Roman Bridger, who also happens to be the long-lost half-brother of Sydney Prescott. Roman was born after Maureen Prescott was assaulted during an attempt at a Hollywood career. When Roman tried to reunite with Maureen four years ago, she rejected him. And so a bitter Roman secretly filmed all of Maureen's extramarital affairs, including the ones she had with Cotton Weary and Billy Loomis's father. Roman then showed Billy those tapes and manipulated him into becoming the original Ghostface killer. And now Roman plans on pinning all of the Stab 3 cast murders on Sydney. The brother and sister engage in a fight, which Sydney ultimately wins, stabbing Roman three times before Dewey shoots him in the head. As the movie comes to a close, Dewey and Gail get engaged, while Sydney finally feels at peace. The story continues in Scream 4. It's been 15 years since the original Woodsboro massacre, and a new Ghostface killer has arrived in town, killing students at the local high school. Sydney Prescott, back in her hometown on a press tour for her new book, is framed for the murders and is forced to stay in Woodsboro for the duration of the investigation. Meanwhile, Dewey Riley, now the sheriff of Woodsboro and his team of deputies, including Judy Hicks, begin investigating the new murderer. Dewey's wife Gail, against his objections, goes back into reporter mode to conduct her own investigation. The students at the high school being targeted by Ghostface include Sydney's cousin Jill Roberts, Jill's cheating ex-boyfriend Trevor Sheldon, her neighbor Olivia Morris, best friend Kirby Reed, and horror movie enthusiast Charlie Walker and Robbie Mercer. After Ghostface kills Olivia, the high schoolers retreat to Kirby's house to figure out their best options. Ghostface then kills Jill's mother Kate before setting their sights on the other high schoolers. A drunken Robbie is killed first, and then Charlie reveals himself to be the killer before stabbing Kirby to death. As Sydney arrives at the house to save her cousin, Jill reveals herself to be one of the Ghostface killers, with Charlie serving as her accomplice. Jill explains her jealousy about the fame Sydney received for being a survivor of the original Woodsboro massacre, and wants the same attention for herself. Jill then kills Trevor to pin all of the murders on him and betrays Charlie, stabbing him to death to leave herself as the sole survivor. Jill then stabs Sydney and then makes herself look like the victim of an attack. Dewey and Hicks arrive to rescue Sydney and Jill, unaware that Jill is actually the killer. At the hospital, Jill discovers that Sydney survived her stabbing and goes to kill her. Dewey, Hicks, and Gail intervene just in time, and Sydney is forced to shoot her cousin dead. And so once again, Sydney, Dewey, and Gail defeat the Ghostface killer and attempt to move on with their lives. Scream 5 takes place 25 years after the original Ghostface murders. A young woman named Sam Carpenter returns to her hometown of Woodsboro with her boyfriend Richie after learning that her teenage sister Tara was brutally attacked and nearly killed by a new Ghostface killer. Sam and Tara became estranged when their parents divorced, following the revelation that the original Ghostface killer Billy Loomis is Sam's actual biological father. Sam and Richie then team up with Tara's high school friends to unmask and defeat the new Ghostface. Those friends include Randy Meeks' twin nephew and niece Chad and Mindy, Chad's girlfriend Liv, Tara's best friend Amber, and Wes Hicks, the son of the now Sheriff Judy Hicks. While trying to unmask the killer, Sam begins to experience hallucinations of Billy Loomis and starts to fear that there is a similar evil inside of her. The new Ghostface murders Liv's ex-boyfriend Vince, who happens to be the nephew of the other original Ghostface Stu Macher. Then attacks Sam at the hospital, who manages to escape. Realizing that they need help in stopping the killer, Sam and her friends recruit Dewey Riley, who has retired from the police force and gotten divorced from Gail. After calling to alert Gail and Sydney that a new killer is terrorizing Woodsboro, Dewey warns Sam not to trust Richie, as the heroines boyfriend is usually the killer. The group also learns that previous Ghostface victim Kirby Reed has actually survived. After Wes and Judy Hicks are both murdered in their home, Gail arrives in town to cover the story and is reunited with her ex-husband. When Ghostface attacks Tara in the hospital, Dewey sacrifices himself to save her. Upon hearing of Dewey's death, Sydney Prescott, who had successfully moved on with her life and started a family, decides to finally return to Woodsboro and help comfort the grieving Gail. Emboldened by Dewey's tragic death, the two women become resolved to defeat the new killer. While attempting to flee Woodsboro and the killing spree, Sam, Tara, and Richie are forced to stop at Amber's house to retrieve Tara's inhaler. Once there, the trio discovers that Amber is throwing a party to honor the death of Wes Hicks. And it just so happens that her house is also the former home of Stu Macher, where Sydney had her final confrontation with the original Ghostface killers. The new Ghostface then arrives at the party and attacks Chad and Mindy. As the friends all band together for safety, Amber pulls out a gun and murders Liv, revealing herself to be the new Ghostface killer. Sydney and Gail arrive to help defeat Ghostface, but their plans are thwarted when Richie reveals himself to be a second Ghostface killer. The killer duo capture Sam, Sydney, and Gail and explain their motivations. Richie and Amber were fans of the Stab film franchise based on the original Woodsboro murders, but were upset by the franchise's recent direction, including the newly released Stab 8. And so, after meeting online, Richie and Amber devise to plan to bring the original Woodsboro survivors back to town to battle new killers in the hopes of inspiring new material for a Stab reboot. With Sam being the daughter of Billy, they intended to frame her as the new Ghostface. The injured Tara then attacks the killers, giving Sam, Sydney, and Gail a chance to free themselves. Gail and Tara both shoot and kill Amber, while Sam embraces the legacy of Billy Loomis and murders Richie. With the new killers dead, Chad and Mindy are revealed to have survived their encounters with Ghostface. Gail decides to not write about the new killers, which would give them notoriety, and instead writes a tribute to Dewey. As the film comes to a close, the reunited Sam and Tara are taken to the hospital. Their bond stronger than ever. In Scream 6, one year has passed and the Carpenter sisters have moved to New York City, where Sam keeps a watchful eye over her sister Tara, who is now attending college. Also in New York are Chad and Mindy, who have dubbed their group of survivors the Core 4. Unfortunately, the Core 4 proved to be the only support for Sam, who suffers harassment due to a conspiracy theory that she was in fact the mastermind of the new Woodsboro massacres. As the Core 4 try to move on with their lives, alongside Sam's boyfriend Danny, Tara's roommate Quinn, Mindy's girlfriend Anika, and Chad's roommate Ethan, a new Ghostface arrives, killing off another would-be copycat and leaving behind Sam's ID and the mask worn by Richie for the investigating police to find. Quinn's father, Detective Bailey, calls Sam in for questioning, but on her way to the police station, Sam and her friends are confronted by the new Ghostface, who begins slaughtering innocent bystanders and leaves behind the Ghostface mask worn by Jill during the 2011 Woodsboro massacres. At the police station, Sam meets Kirby Reed, who, following her own near-death experience with Ghostface, has become an FBI agent. Gail Weathers also arrives in New York, though her relationship with the Core 4 is strained, due to exploiting their story in a new book she has written. Despite this, Gail affirms her desire to help bring down the new Ghostface, while also explaining that Sydney has gone into hiding to protect her family. While Sam is at the police station, Ghostface murders her therapist and steals her patient file, leaving behind the mask worn by Roman Bridger during the Stab 3 massacre. Ghostface then attacks Sam and her friends, brutally stabbing Quinn and murdering Anika, before Danny helps the others escape. As everyone flees, Ghostface leaves behind the mask worn by Mickey and Mrs. Loomis at Windsor College. Ghostface then attacks Gail, killing her new boyfriend and brutally assaulting her. Before being killed, Sam and Tara arrive to intervene, saving Gail's life as the killer escapes. While Gail is hospitalized, she alerts the Carpenter sisters to a theater she has discovered that the new Ghostface has used to create a shrine to the past massacres, filled with evidence from all of the past killings. As the group raced to the theater to finally unmask the killer, Mindy is brutally attacked by Ghostface and left for dead. At the theater, Kirby arrives to assist the Carpenters and their remaining friends. Unfortunately, everyone is then locked inside with no way to escape. Two different Ghostface killers reveal themselves, brutally stabbing Chad as he tries to protect Tara. As Kirby tries to stop the killers, Detective Bailey arrives and shoots her, revealing himself to be a third Ghostface killer, and the other two killers being his secret children Ethan and Quinn, who faked her own death. Detective Bailey explains that he is seeking revenge for Richie, his oldest son, by having Ethan and Quinn infiltrate Sam's life with the intent on killing her, using the beloved props that inspired Richie's favorite Stab movies. After the Carpenter sisters unite to kill Ethan and Quinn, Sam dons her father Billy's original Ghostface costume to confront and brutally murder Detective Bailey. As Ethan reveals himself to still be alive, the injured Kirby uses the television set that killed Stu Macher to kill Ethan and put a final end to this family of Ghostface killers. As the film comes to a close, Chad and Mindy are revealed to have once again survived their stabbings. Meaning the Core 4 remain intact. Sam then decides to forsake her father's Ghostface legacy to live life with her sister Tara, at peace with her past and confident in their future. Thanks for watching this video. Make sure to subscribe to the channel for more content like this, and why not check out this recommended video while you're at it?