The Scream series is back with a vengeance, thanks to 2022's smash hit reboot from Radio Silence, and this year's Scream VI, which grossed over $168 million, boosted by positive reviews and warm fan response. The graphically violent comic thrillers honored the history of one of horror's most beloved franchises while taking it in new, engaging and worthwhile directions. That's a feat.

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If there's one factor that's undeniably, sorely missing from the overall delightful Scream VI, it's the highly publicized absence of series series lead Sidney Prescott. As has been the case with every entry since Wes Craven's 1996's original, Neve Campbell's performance as Sidney in the reboot was perhaps that film's greatest asset. Sidney is one of horror's best final girls, a tough survivor who's always anchored the bloody, amusingly snarky series in real emotion. Critics and Scream fans have praised Campbell for re-imagining Sidney over decades of Scream; she grew older, tougher, and wiser. Most recently, we saw her as a wife and mother, and as a result, more assertive, less patient with adversaries, and quicker to take action — even lethal action. Just as the Scream movies have maintained remarkable quality control relative to other horror series, Neve Campbell has always delivered a fully formed performance with complexity and depth. Over her time in Woodsboro, Sidney has learned some crucial life lessons.

1 Be careful who you trust

Neve Campbell and Skeet Ulrich in Scream

Sidney comes from a grief-stricken background, with roots long before the original film's events even took place. For years, the brutal assault and murder of Sidney's mother was Woodsboro's most infamous unsolved crime. Sidney's testimony and suspicions contributed to innocent (admittedly unlikable) Cotton Weary's (Liev Schreiber) imprisonment until, thanks in part to the persistence of ethics-bending, undeniably talented TV journalist Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox), the killers are revealed to be Sidney's boyfriend Billy Loomis (Skeet Ulrich) and accomplice Stu Macher (Matthew Lillard). Sidney narrowly survives the experience, and it has a resounding impact on her friendships and relationships moving forward. Campbell's flawless performance evolves, quietly, over the course of the series.

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To be clear, this lesson isn't "never trust anyone." If Sidney lived entirely within a bubble, she wouldn't be as relatable. Over time and through shared experiences, Sidney has learned to let people in again: most notably Dewey Riley (David Arquette), and of course Gale. Sidney and Gale's friendship is perhaps especially touching because they start as frenemies at best.

2 At some point, you have to let go of the past and move on

Neve Campbell and Courteney Cox in 'Scream'

The greatest action and thriller heroines in film are called to action in an extreme way, under dire and unsustainable circumstances. Campbell's Sidney truly belongs in the pantheon of greats like Jamie Lee Curtis' Laurie Strode, Sigourney Weaver's Ellen Ripley, and Linda Hamilton's Sarah Connor. These characters discover themselves and their strength in life-or-death scenarios that are foreign to most people watching the films. Credit strong writing and great acting with making fans relate.

What really sets Sidney apart from other final girls and action heroines, however, is her refusal to let her traumatic haunted past define her. In a contrast to 2018's Halloween reboot where Laurie (admittedly, played to perfection by Curtis) has sidelined her family and retreated into a life of hiding target practice, the Sidney of 2022's Scream is first seen pushing a double stroller on a morning jog. The most dedicated fans of the series will notice the subtle reference that Sidney's husband, and father to her kids, is Mark Kincaid (Patrick Dempsey). Sidney is now married to the charming, hunky cop from Scream 3. Motherhood and a new, happy life outside of Woodsboro give Sidney a newfound motivation. "I won't sleep until he's in the ground," she says. Chills.

3 Never succumb to bullying

Neve Campbell in 'Scream'

A keen move of the original Scream script is Sidney's haunted, murky past, and the lurid details surrounding her mother's violent death. It makes her a pariah in her small town. There's a seriously sad moment in that picture when two high-school girls cruelly mock Sidney's backstory, unaware she's listening from a bathroom stall. Details like this make her agency and arc feel more empowering.

One of many reasons the twist of Jill (Emma Roberts) being the killer in Scream 4 (it's the probably best Scream sequel, still) is her warped perspective of cousin Sidney's hard-earned positive image in the media. Jill wants what Sidney has, or what she thinks she has, but she doesn't want to be a real fighter to work for it.

4 Resourcefulness is key

Neve Campbell in 'Scream 2'

One of the most vital traits of a final girl is resourcefulness. For example, one of the greatest moments in horror comes in Halloween, the movie most responsible for Scream's existence. The infamous closet scene in the 1978 thriller sees Sidney predecessor Laurie Strode neutralize the hulking "Shape" with an improvised wire hanger weapon. It's an awesome moment that makes an audience cheer, cementing Laurie's status as a force to be reckoned with, using intellect instead of brawn. Sidney echoes this ability to think on her feet, among myriad notable examples are her surprising, then impaling an armed Billy with an umbrella in the original film, and her ingenuity with a defibrilator near the end of Scream 4.

One of the most touching examples of Sid's resourcefulness comes at the end of the bloody great Scream 2, where killer Mickey (Timothy Olyphant) shoots her innocent boyfriend Derek (Jerry O'Connell) and holds her at gunpoint. Sid slashes Mickey with Derek's Greek letters (a recent token of affection), gaining the upper hand.

5 Double tap

neve-campbell-sidney-prescott-scream

Sidney isn't a fan of horror movies, but she's been living in them for decades, and she knows the rules, not least among them the double tap. Jamie Kennedy's Randy lays many of horror's most practical rules for the uninitiated early in the first Scream (no sex, no drinking, never say "I'll be right back"), and it's not until nearly the end he informs Sidney of the importance of the double tap. As Billy Loomis lies seemingly dead before our surviving heroes, Randy whispers to Sidney that this is the moment where our killer comes back for a final jumpscare. Sidney ends this with a slug to Billy's crown, quipping, "Not in my movie."

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The tradition continues. In Scream 2, Sidney shoots Mrs. Loomis (Laurie Metcalf) twice, "just in case." She tells Dewey to shoot Roman (Scott Foley) in the head in Scream 3 after he unloads seemingly innumerable rounds in the chest. Then, gratifyingly, Sidney gets the final headshot at a Terminator-like Jill Roberts in the underrated Scream 4. Maybe this isn't the most universally applicable life lesson Sidney has learned, but for her, it's one of the most practical.

6 It's fine to swear sometimes

Neve Campbell in 'Scream'

Sidney Prescott is a good person who radiates kindness; we see she's often the first to help a vulnerable person, even at her own peril. She's also never been a Mary Sue; she's got some hardened traits and rough edges that make her more recognizable as human, more sympathetic. Among these traits is surely her salty language under stress. Sidney is no stranger to a four-letter word. One of her most quotable moments is in the blood-soaked finale of the original film. She asserts, to killers Billy and Stu, "You sick f**ks have seen one too many movies."

In the 2022 film, moments after she's reintroduced on screen, Dewey asks if she has a gun. "I'm Sidney f**king Prescott," she says. "Of course I have a gun." It's pure Sidney. It's perfect.

7 Never give up

Neve Campbell in Scream
Image via Paramount

Final girls are forever in the hearts of horror fans, characterized by their resourcefulness, intelligence, and goodness that overcomes evil. From a truly innovative Kevin Williamson script brought to life with Craven's hard-hitting, terrorizing touch, the original Scream had highly original hooks like cine-literate characters and meta-humor balanced with gory, visceral scares and cloak-and-dagger mystery. Backed by strong writing that never delves into caricature, Campbell's naturalistic performance as Sidney was as crucial as anything to the film's appeal. Sidney strengthens and never backs down, despite moments of overwhelmed fear and self-doubt that make her more human and relatable. The events of a Scream movie are extreme, but Sid always feels real.

The meek, intelligent Sidney introduced in 1996 has gradually evolved and never given up, growing into perhaps the toughest final girl in horror history. Maybe, hopefully, she will one day return to the role horror fans cherish.

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