With Scream 6 (2023) now out in theaters, dozens of fan-favorite characters have officially bitten the dust throughout the franchise’s history. Some of the deaths are rather satisfying to watch, like when Billy Loomis gets shot in the head at the end of the original Scream (1996). But then there are killers like Stu, who brought so much comedic relief to the table that it was hard to see them go despite their overbearing psychopathic tendencies.
But ultimately, these stood out as the most heartbreaking passings away the franchise had to offer. Some of you may disagree, but for the most part, these deaths hit a nerve in the hearts of fans across the world. With all that said, these are the ten most heartbreaking deaths in the Scream franchise, ranked.
10 Kenny the Camera Guy
This one hurt the most out of all of Gale’s cameramen, as Kenny provided some great comedic relief to the original Scream (1996). Perhaps it hurt so much to see him die because all he had done up to that point was put up with Gale’s nonsense. Plus, she constantly spat vitriol at him, using names that revolved around his weight. And the whole time, he was just trying to do his job.
Staked out inside a van in front of Stu Macher’s parents’ house, he was surveying the party that was being run by the same group of kids who were being sought out by Ghostface. Of course, Gale was there to get any potential stories, and she had tiny cameras posted up around the house. Thus, Kenny was able to keep track of things inside the van, and of course, that made for a whip smart death sequence as Kenny figured out that the tape was behind the actual live recording. If only he’d figured it out sooner.
9 Kate Roberts
As the mother of Jill Roberts, she was also the aunt of Sidney Prescott. And ultimately, this character makes the list because, like Kenny the camera guy who came before her, Kate Roberts was essentially an innocent bystander with regard to the Ghostface killings. As in, she wasn’t friends with any of the actual targets, nor did she technically choose to be the aunt of Sidney. So, you could argue she was more innocent than Kenny, even, considering he willingly chose to be in his respective situation.
Kate’s death was simply circumstantial, and dug extra deep because she was one of Sidney’s last remaining relatives. Unless you count Jill, that is, which I’m not sure even her mother would had she known her daughter was behind the brutal killings that took place in Scream 4 (2011) — the only entry in which either Roberts lady was featured. And thus, the unfortunate circumstances of her death lands her here at number nine.
8 Sheriff Judy Hicks
As many characters on this list did, Sheriff Judy Hicks provided great comedic relief for the two movies she stuck around for. And even then, her time in Scream (2022) didn’t last much longer than the film’s midpoint. And although her role in Scream 4 (2011) appeared on the offset to be one of a particularly creepy nature, Sheriff Hicks did come around to audiences in the end, and not just due to her being a funny character.
And, sure, her death doesn’t reach anything close to the heartbreaking extents found on the rest of the list. But the death of Judy Hicks was hard to watch nonetheless, especially when considering it happened as she was trying to save her son Wes. Aside from her dedication to the force, her role as a mother was absolutely paramount.
7 Cotton Weary
After having redeemed himself for being, well, just super creepy, perhaps, Cotton Weary was killed off at the start of Scream 3 (2000). He was at one point the one and only suspect in the death case of Maureen Prescott — the mother of Sidney, the franchise’s main character. Nearly everyone in this meta world had it on good authority that Cotton was the one at fault.
But again, he was proven innocent, and ended up saving Sidney in Scream 2 despite her being the primary accuser of his being the murderer. And aside from that final act of redemption, Cotton actually proved to be a rather charismatic character in the grand scheme of things. Liev Schreiber had much to do with that, and ultimately, Cotton lands here at number seven.
6 Casey Becker
Played by Drew Barrymore, fans were led to believe to an extent that Casey Becker was actually the film’s main character. Barrymore was even featured on the film’s poster, appearing to fit the mold perfectly of the “final girl” archetype found constantly within slasher films. And Barrymore proved capable of delivering the charisma necessary to fill the shoes of such a character.
However, Casey died in the opening scene of the film after having convinced audiences that she was indeed the protagonist. But she also did a fantastic job of setting up the film’s meta, self-referential voice. In the end, there are plenty of reasons at play that made Casey’s death sad to watch.
5 Derek Feldman
For a second there during Scream 2 (1997), audiences were led to believe that Derek Feldman was just another Billy Loomis — the high school boyfriend of Sidney Prescott who ended up being one of the two Ghostface killers from the original film. But essentially the moment it was revealed that Derek was innocent and that his roommate Mickey was actually the Ghostface killer, he was no longer around to tell the tale.
He and Sid began dating in college, and shared the same circle of friends during this their freshman year. They had a great chemistry, too — another breath of fresh air considering the prior film’s unfortunate endgame circumstances. In the end, whether you suspected Derek was the actual killer at any point or not, this death hit home in the most heartbreaking of fashions.
4 Hallie McDaniel
As Sidney’s new college best friend in Scream 2 (1997), the character Hallie McDaniel took over Tatum Riley’s role from the original film. And frankly, despite a bitt less memorable of a death sequence, Hallie was on par with Tatum in terms of dialogue and the hilarity thereof. As most of the characters on this list were, Hallie was a consistently funny character that brought a much-needed light to the more serious demeanor of Sidney.
Which isn’t to say she doesn’t have a reason to be so somber. It’s just that Hallie provided a tremendous dynamic in that regard, almost acting as a foil to Sidney in more ways than one. And in the end, her death at the hands of Ghostface was undoubtedly among the most heartbreaking ever featured in the Scream franchise.
3 Tatum Riley
While she was around in the original Scream (1996), Tatum Riley provided some fantastic comedic relief. Although audiences should’ve been able to tell she wasn’t long for the world of this meta Slasher, and the scene itself was pretty iconic, the death sequence was still hard to watch in the end.
Tatum was the best friend of Sidney Prescott, the franchise’s main character, and she also fit the archetype of the “dumb blonde”. At least, that’s what they call that respective archetype in the movies at hand. They are meta, after all. And while she did have her fair share of witty dialogue and other stints of intelligence, she did fit that archetype pretty well in the end.
2 Randy Meeks
Every Scream fan knows how badly this one hurt, especially considering how early on in the franchise the death of Randy Meeks actually occurred. This fan-favorite character bit the dust at the hands of Ghostface just halfway through Scream 2 (1997) — and with the sixth entry having just released in early 2023, that means that four Scream films have passed without the inclusion of one of the funniest characters the series has ever offered.
Screenwriter Kevin Williamson has even stated he regrets the decision to kill of Randy, while the actor who played this beloved Woodsboro nerd has stated that he hates his character’s death scene. However, he also said in the same interview that the film at hand was as good of a sequel as Hollywood would ever produce. We can all agree with him on that.
1 Dewey Riley
In the recent “requel” titled Scream (2022), the original crew banded together again to stop Ghostface once and for all. They were joined by a cast of new characters, but the three key players from the first four films all made an appearance: Sidney Prescott (played by Neve Campbell), Gale Weathers (played by Courtney Cox), and everyone’s favorite Woodsboro sheriff, Dewey Riley (played by David Arquette).
Of those three, Dewey was undoubtedly the most lovable. Maybe not the wittiest, or even the funniest, but he cared for his friends and family unlike anyone else in the series. And his caring nature almost stood out as an idiosyncrasy amid Sidney’s misadventures and Gale’s journalistic mindsets. And it didn’t help the case of Dewey’s death scene that the deed was done by some truly despicable villains. In hindsight, this was undoubtedly the most heartbreaking death featured in the Scream franchise. And that was due to Dewey’s engaging personality in tandem with the circumstances of the death itself.