Scream 4 / Characters

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Roberts Family

Jill Roberts

"You just had to be a hero, huh?"

Played By: Emma Roberts

Sidney's cousin, though not very close to her since she and her mother live in Woodsboro, while Sidney left the town many years ago (presumably ever since Scream 2). She reminds Sidney of herself as a young woman. Jill looks like something of an ingenue, but she's actually smart and strong-minded. She deals with her complicated relationship with her ex-boyfriend...and the rise of a new Ghostface, who seems determined to kill her and her friends before targeting Sidney.

Ambiguously Absent Parent: Her father is not around. Given that she uses her mother's maiden name, he might have walked out on the family.
Disappeared Dad: Her dad is not mentioned anywhere.
The Friends Who Never Hang: She and Sidney are first cousins but estranged, and she primarily sees Sidney as "the woman who survived Ghostface" instead of a relative.
Heterosexual Life-Partners: With Kirby. Kirby picks Jill up from school and spends more time with her throughout the film than anyone else. The bond between the pair is so obvious to others that Trevor contacts Kirby in attempts to get to Jill.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: She's very critical towards Sidney, but despite this she does bond with her as family.
Plucky Girl: Always the optimist.
Suspiciously Similar Substitute: In keeping with the remake theme of Scream 4, Jill is set up to be the new Sidney Prescott.
Tomboy and Girly Girl: The girly girl to Kirby's tomboy.

Kate Roberts

"I'll be right back."

Played By: Mary McDonnell

Maureen's younger sister, Sidney's aunt and Jill's mother.

All There in the Script: She is a realtor. This is never mentioned on-screen. Production props indicated it was planned to be unveiled somewhere in a scene.
Berserk Button: Downplayed, but she goes on a rant when Kirby talks about Sidney's scars, bitterly noting how she's suffered from Maureen's death too before Jill points out Kirby meant physical scars.
Blood from the Mouth: Coughs up blood when Ghostface stabs her.
Cloudcuckoolander: Her behavior throughout the movie is odd to say the least and is never explained. Cut scenes would have shown that she regularly takes pills.
Demoted to Extra: Originally drafted as one of the most prominent characters in the story in a twisted Gilmore Girls-esque dynamic with Jill. Re-writes caused actress Lauren Graham to exit the role during the early days of principal photography, leading to recasting and a delayed production start. Mary McDonnell also shot additional scenes with Jill and Trevor at the hospital, as well as reacting to Olivia's death. In the theatrical release, Kate appears in only two scenes. (She also appears briefly in the background from behind at Sidney's book signing).
In the Back: Ghostface stabs her in the back through a mail slot.
Ironic Last Words: As she dies, she says, "Tell Jill I'm so sorry." What she doesn't know is that Jill is the one who is responsible for her death, if not actually killed her.
Mama Bear: Despite her resentment against her sister and niece, she was still willing to defend Sidney from the killer at the cost of her life.
Meaningful Echo: Subverted due to scene deletion. The line: "Tell Jill I'm so sorry". A deleted scene reveals she drank wine and took ambien so she missed the commotion surrounding Olivia's attack. It implies she was neglectful and did not protect Jill due to her reliance on substances. The official release makes the reference vague, with it simply referencing a mother being unable to protect their child.
Remember the New Guy?: She was never mentioned at any point before this film.
Shipper on Deck: In the deleted hospital scene, she convinces Jill to talk to Trevor, and looks like she really supports him.
Tempting Fate: She utters the dangerous sentence "I'll be right back". Gets killed minutes later, though she DOES come back.

Other Students

Olivia Morris

"That's the worst imitation I've ever heard, Jill."

Played By: Marielle Jaffe

A close friend of Jill Roberts and Kirby Reed who lives next door to the former.

Cruel and Unusual Death: Charlie stabs and slashes her multiple times to the point of disembowelment.
Death by Genre Savviness: Her decision to stay as far away from Sidney as possible means she's completely alone in her room for Ghostface to ambush.
Genre Savvy: She is very apprehensive of Sidney, knowing her reputation as a Doom Magnet, and refuses to get close with her.
Gutted Like a Fish: As mentioned before, Charlie disembowels her, and when Sidney finally comes to Olivia's aid, she finds her corpse with intestines spilling out.
Ms. Fanservice: Is played by an attractive model, and takes off her shirt at one point.
Suspiciously Similar Substitute: To Tatum, Sidney's best friend from the original movie, although Kirby shares this role as well.
- To the point where a deleted scene shows Ghostface put a pet door around her neck after killing her, much to Dewey's horror.

Trevor Sheldon

"I'm not the bad guy. I may be the stupid guy for coming over here, but I'm not the bad guy."

Played By: Nico Tortorella

Jill's ex-boyfriend, who is said to have cheated on her. Despite being pretty much shunned by Jill and their friends after the incident (they all behave at least uncomfortably towards him, except maybe Robbie), he's eager to win her forgiveness and resume their relationship...with little to no success. He's an avid fan of the Stab series — surprisingly even attending to the Stab-a-thon — a fan of the Ghostface character, and is notorious for his ninja-like stealth skills.

Ain't Too Proud to Beg: Does this after Jill shoots him in the groin, right before getting shot in the head.
Asshole Victim: Harshly and cruelty subverted. Not only did he not deserve to be framed, tortured, or killed, but the reasons he was killed were similar to that of Casey Becker, emphasizing his innocence.
Boom, Headshot!: After Jill shoots him in the crotch, she finishes him off with a shot to the head.
Bound and Gagged: By Jill and Charlie, in the same fashion Neil Prescott was.
Cruel and Unusual Death: Gets shot in the groin by his girlfriend and cries for forgiveness after revealing that he really did love Jill before she shoots him in the head.
A Deadly Affair: Deconstructed as his misstep wasn’t cheating on Jill, but dating her in the first place.
Deadpan Snarker: Has his moments.
"Yeah, 'cause that's what I would do if a was a crazy psycho killer, I'd use my own phone to call you."
Death by Woman Scorned: His death was part of the plan, but Jill specifically evokes this trope before murdering him.
Determinator: "The problem with Trevor is: he never quits".
Demoted to Satellite Love Interest: Somewhat averted. The film was shot with extended footage of Trevor and Jill's relationship, including how he felt about losing his missing phone, his lifelong love for Jill, and the search for his new phone revealing his intentions. It was likely shelved to make him a stronger Red Herring. Other diegetic references to clue the audience into these plot details exist anyway, such as Kirby asking him "Isn't your phone missing?" and his reply, "Got a new one".
Flat Character: We learn he's good at sneaking and has been a lousy boyfriend to Jill in the past... and that's about it. Some of the deleted scenes give him more characterization.
Frame-Up: Jill and Charlie plan to frame him for the new Woodsboro murders, making him this generation’s Billy Loomis.
The Friend Nobody Likes: In Jill's group of friends.
Groin Attack: From Jill, with a gun.
Hated by All: There isn't one person in the film who has a pleasant thing to say about him. Everyone reacts to his presence with suspicion, fear, irritation or framing him for murder AND murdering him. To be fair history is not on his side and he doesn't exactly have a winning personality to do him any favors. It's mostly funny, until it's not.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: He cheated on his girlfriend, but realized it was wrong and desperately wants to make up with her.
Moment Killer: He interrupts Kirby and Charlie when they're about to kiss.
Noodle Incident: The fateful "going out" with someone else that caused his falling out with Jill. The subject is only mentioned, never explored upon.
Red Herring: And a well played one; because of the fourth movie's whole remake theme, viewers are led to believe that this time the killer will actually be the obvious boyfriend again, just like Billy. Ends up completely subverted.
The Sneaky Guy: He compares his stealth skills to those of a Ninja. In fact, his sneakiness is good enough to get past the cops guarding Jill's house.
Stalker with a Crush: To Jill, his ex-girlfriend, who is still angry with him.
Stealth Hi/Bye: His trademark! He simply pops out of nowhere when people least expect it. Both he and Robbie lampshade this.
Suspiciously Similar Substitute: To Billy. Ends up subverted, and he gets Neil Prescott's role, though this time it works as planned by the killers. His innocence and genuine love for Jill also makes him a substitute for Derek from Scream 2. He ultimately also draws similarities to Casey Becker who was also tortured and murdered by a Ghostface that she had dumped for someone else.
Two First Names: "Trevor" and "Sheldon".

Charlie Walker

"The unexpected is the new cliché."

Played By: Rory Culkin

President of the Cinema Club at Woodsboro High, "one rung below the Glee Club, two above Nintendo Wii Fit". Charlie has a vast knowledge about films in general, although with a penchant for the horror genre, and a calm, collected, but somewhat clumsy air. He has a very obvious crush on Kirby, which she is naturally well aware of, but doesn't seem to reciprocate. He and Robbie host the Stab-a-thon every year.

Bound and Gagged: By Ghostface in the finale, in a deliberate Call-Back to Steve Orth's death from the first movie.
Eerie Pale-Skinned Brunette: Has pale skin and is certainly weird to the point of being creepy.
Expy: Of Randy, as a brunette nerd type with a great deal of meta knowledge.
Meta Guy: Replaces Randy in this role, along with his friend Robbie.
Suspiciously Similar Substitute: To Randy.
Those Two Guys: He's almost never seen apart from Robbie.
Unresolved Sexual Tension: With Kirby.

Robbie Mercer

"We have reputations. I mean, we don't, but we'd like to have reputations."

Played By: Erik Knudsen

Vice-president of the Cinema Club at Woodsboro High, "in case Charlie takes a bullet". Usually seen with a headset and a camera, broadcasting his school experiences live into a videoblog, something he believes will be common one day. Less collected and more playful and prone to panic than Charlie, but just as much a film geek, knowledgeable about the makings of a modern horror movie. He and Charlie host the Stab-a-thon every year.

Ambiguously Bi: He claims to have a crush on Olivia, but also says he's gay just before Ghostface stabs him to death, a call-back to Charlie's earlier line about how gay people always survive horror movies. It is almost unclear how truthful Robbie's confession actually was, but he states, "If it helps", implying he is trying to save his skin. Later, Kevin Williamson confirmed Robbie is not gay, and Mindy is the franchise's first canon LGBT character.
Celebrity Paradox: Stab 7 references Saw IV. Robbie’s actor played Daniel Matthews in Saw II.
Drowning My Sorrows: After the killer attacks at Stab-a-thon — a risk both Sidney and Gale warned Robbie and Charlie about — and it looks like his website will be shut down, this is his reaction to cope.
Dying Moment of Awesome: Even after being stabbed three times, he drags himself back to the house and warns the girls to run before dying.
Gutted Like a Fish: Allegedly being gay doesn't save Robbie from getting some serious stabbings from Ghostface.
Meta Guy: Replaces Randy in this role, along with his friend Charlie.
Sacrificial Lion: When he's attacked and killed by Ghostface. With Kirby's survival confirmed in 5, Robbie winds up being the last victim before The Reveal in 4.
Suspiciously Similar Substitute: To Randy, the horror movie geek, and to Kenny because of their usage of cameras.
Those Two Guys: He's almost never seen without Charlie until his death scene.
Too Dumb to Live: Walking out alone, drunk, after dark, with a serial killer on the loose. He should have thought that through.
Unresolved Sexual Tension: He seems to have a thing for Olivia. None of it comes due to her death at Ghostface's hands.

Jenny Randall

Played By: Aimee Teegarden

A Woodsboro teenager and Stab fan who ends up on Ghostface's radar.

Ambiguous Situation: Some fans theorize that she's the girl Trevor cheated on Jill with. This is supported in an alternate re-dubbed scene where Olivia can be heard in the car referring to her as "The Other Woman" in passing; furthermore, she namedrops Trevor when Ghostface calls her. However, none of the ways Trevor or Jill react to her death do anything to support this. Despite this, an additional deleted scene implies it was not one girl, as Jill says to him when he tries to apologize, "Glad it took you half the year book to figure that out".
A Deadly Affair: Jill would have gone on a killing spree anyway, but Jenny sleeping with Trevor ensured her as one of the first kills
Deadly Prank: She goes upstairs to prank call Marnie. This winds up splitting the duo up and giving Ghostface an opportunity to kill Marnie.
Dumb Blonde: Subverted. While she is a bit frivolous when Ghostface calls her "the dumb blonde with big tits" Jenny indignantly replies that she has a 4.0 GPA and 135 IQ.
Fangirl: She's seen the latest Stab movie five times.
Hidden Depths: She isn't a Dumb Blonde, and pauses to check her friend Marnie for signs of life before running from Ghostface.
Ms. Exposition: She describes the current state of the Stab franchise and how Sidney has been trying to distance herself from it.
The Prankster: Pulls a Ghostface prank on her friend Marnie.
Screaming Woman: When being chased and stabbed by Ghostface, although it's hard to blame her.
We Hardly Knew Ye: Given that she's an Expy of Casey and Cici.

Marnie Cooper

Played By: Britt Robertson

Jenny's best friend, who isn't much of a Stab fan.

Audience Surrogate: She's one for viewers who don't find the Stab 6 and Stab 7 fake-outs amusing.
Butt-Monkey: Jenny constantly messes with her, which happens again when Jenny prank calls her. Almost immediately afterwards, she becomes Ghostface's first victim. Even afterwards it’s revealed that Olivia has the nickname for her “marnie the carney “
Lampshade Hanging: She questions Stab 7's Film Within a Film logic before dismissing the Stab movies as stupid.
Noodle Incident: Olivia belittles her as "Marnie the Carnie" when reporting to Jill and Kirby that she got a strange message from Marnie's phone. What Marnie did to earn that sort of nickname from Olivia is never explained.
The Watson: She isn't familiar with the Stab movies, which allows Jenny to give her (and the audience) the necessary exposition.

Others

Deputy Hoss

"Cops guarding the house, they always get it. It's a movie cop rule. It sucks to be a cop in a movie unless you're Bruce Willis."

Played By: Adam Brody

One of the two police officers working under Dewey, assigned to guard Sidney and Jill after it's confirmed that a new Ghostface killer has surfaced. Hoss is a rookie officer, recently graduated, with a reserved and somewhat apprehensive demeanor and is well aware that cops are always endangered in fiction.

Ambiguous Situation: When Dewey grills Hoss and Perkins on their absence during Olivia's death, Hoss states that he spotted Ghostface two houses down from Jill's house and went off in pursuit. Given that Charlie was already hiding in Olivia's room and that Jill was with Kirby, it is unknown if Hoss was just seeing things or if Hoss mistook Trevor, who was still in the general vicinity, as Ghostface.
First-Name Basis: Hoss is the only character to call Perkins by his first name.
Genre Savvy: Hoss knows that movie cops are basically Red Shirts and cites retirement and pregnant spouses as death flags for movie cops.
In the Back: Hoss is stabbed in the back by Ghostface.
Nice Guy: Hoss is very easy-going and respectful.
No Full Name Given: The other characters addresses Hoss by his surname, and unlike his partner Perkins, Hoss never has his first name disclosed.
Old Cop, Young Cop: He is the young cop to Perkins, who is his senior.
Police Are Useless: The high school protagonists, along with Ghostface, have no problems outwitting him and Perkins.
- Trevor easily sneaks past him and Perkins on the way to Jill's house.
- Despite Hoss and Perkins's surveillance, Jill surreptitiously escapes her house without detection.
- Ghostface kills Olivia while Hoss and Perkins go on a wild goose chase and later gets the upper hand on both cops.
Suspiciously Similar Substitute: Hoss is like Dewey from the original Scream in that he is an inexperienced cop dealing with Ghostface. It is then subverted since he ends up dying to Ghostface whereas fellow police officer Judy Hicks survives the entire ordeal and emerges as Dewey's true successor.
Those Two Guys: He is almost never seen without Perkins.

Anthony Perkins

Deputy Anthony Perkins

"Fuck Bruce Willis."

Played By: Anthony Anderson

One of the two police officers working under Dewey, assigned to guard Sidney and Jill after it's confirmed that a new Ghostface killer has surfaced. Perkins is an older and seasoned cop with a perpetual cocky disposition.

Deadly Prank: Instead of answering when Hoss reports a suspicious open window in the vicinities, Perkins decides to plays dead to scare him. As soon as Hoss comes back to the car to check if he's okay, Ghostface takes advantage of their distraction and kills them both.
Genre Savvy: When Perkins exits the car for a perimeter check around Jill's house, he states "I'll be right back", only to then realize that he is Tempting Fate. He then decides to stay in the car and let Hoss take the perimeter check although he still remains paranoid and decides to check the backseat.
Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: Ghostface stabs Perkins in the head. He manages to stagger out of his car and swing blindly at where he thinks the killer is before collapsing dead in the street.
Ironic Death: Perkins pranks Hoss by pretending to be dead. Seconds later, Ghostface takes advantage of Perkins's unintentional diversion by killing the two of them.
Mauve Shirt: Discussed. When Hoss bemoans how movie cops tend to be Red Shirts unless they are Bruce Willis in Die Hard, Perkins reassures him that some cops do survive. Both of them turn out to be correct. Hoss is right in believing that he and Perkins are the disposable victims, but Perkins is also correct since Deputy Judy manages to survive.
Old Cop, Young Cop: The jaded and mischievous Deputy Perkins is decades older than his cautious partner Hoss.
Police Are Useless: The high school protagonists, along with Ghostface, have no problems outwitting him and Hoss.
- Trevor easily sneaks past him and Perkins on the way to Jill's house.
- Despite Hoss and Perkins's surveillance, Jill surreptitiously escapes her house without detection.
- Ghostface kills Olivia while Hoss and Perkins go on a wild goose chase and later gets the upper hand on both cops.
The Prankster: He plays dead to trick Hoss into falling for a Jump Scare.
Precision F-Strike: States "Fuck Bruce Willis!" after Ghostface stabs him.
Shout-Out: Perkins's name is one to Anthony Perkins, who played Norman Bates.
Those Two Guys: Perkins is almost never seen without Hoss.
Too Dumb to Live: Even though Perkins recognizes that he is in a potentially dangerous situation, he still decides to pull pranks instead of watching the area and ignores Hoss's concerns about a suspiciously open window. Unsurprisingly, Ghostface takes advantage of this and gets an easy double kill.

Rebecca Walters

"Two girls butchered. Payday. I was so not feeling Woodsboro. I was like, "Lame PR move." Well, fuck me now. Best. Idea. Ever."

Played By: Alison Brie

Sidney Prescott's publicist, she accompanies her while promoting her new book, including the fateful visit to Woodsboro.

Asshole Victim: Nobody is affected by her death. In fact, Sidney fired her as an employee only minutes before Ghostface made her termination from Sid's employ permanent.
Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Three girls get brutally killed, and the only thing she can think about is how it will boost the sales of Sidney's book. She also seems to be somewhat envious of Sidney.
Composite Character: In the original draft of the script, there were two characters named Bette (Sidney's pushy and secretly envious assistant) and Rebecca (editor-in-chief of the high school newspaper and Gale's fangirl and wannabe), who were eventually combined into Rebecca Walters.
Disney Villain Death: She dies after she gets thrown from a parking garage by Ghostface. It's downplayed in that she's a selfish Jerkass rather than an actual villain.
Hate Sink: Rebecca is shockingly callous and excited about the deaths of teenagers driving Sidney's book sales. During her final talk with Sidney, she reveals she hasn't even read the book she's promoting, and after being fired, is smug and uncaring with the little screentime she gets. Tellingly, Sidney hardly reacts to Jill offering sympathy for Rebecca's death.
If It Bleeds, It Leads: If it bleeds, it rockets the book sales.
Motor Mouth: Even when she's completely by herself.

Shadow Archetype: Rebecca has many of Gale's worst qualities and seems to represent where Gale could have gone had her Character Development not happened.
Suspiciously Similar Substitute: To Gale, but she acts towards her in a way similar to Debbie Salt.
Too Dumb to Live: Instead of staying in her car where it's safe, she gets out to try to outrun Ghostface.

Dr. Orth

Dr. Danny Orth

Played By: Mark Aaron Buerkle

A doctor who examines Sidney after Ghostface attacks her.

Aborted Arc: In an early script where he played a larger role, Dr. Orth vents to Sidney how his brother is often forgotten. This was meant to set up Ghostface's trivia question "Name the first victim in Stab". Kirby first guesses Casey before changing her answer to Steve, but Sidney realizes that it's a trick question and correctly answers that her own mother was Ghostface's first victim.
All There in the Script: The credits provides his surname and implies that he may be related to Steve Orth from the first movie. Additionally, an early script gives him the first name of "Danny" and confirms he is indeed Steve Orth's relative, more specifically his older brother.
Demoted to Extra: In an early script, his interaction with Sidney is more fleshed out as Sidney recognizes him as Steve Orth's older brother from med school and the two of them discuss how people forget that Steve was Ghostface's first onscreen fatality. In the final film, he only gets one line and never divulges his relation onscreen.

Characters / Scream 4

Jill Roberts

Played By: Emma Roberts

Kate Roberts

Played By: Mary McDonnell

Olivia Morris

Played By: Marielle Jaffe

Trevor Sheldon

Played By: Nico Tortorella

Charlie Walker

Played By: Rory Culkin

Robbie Mercer

Played By: Erik Knudsen

Jenny Randall

Played By: Aimee Teegarden

Marnie Cooper

Played By: Britt Robertson

Deputy Hoss

Played By: Adam Brody

Deputy Anthony Perkins

Played By: Anthony Anderson

Rebecca Walters

Played By: Alison Brie

Dr. Danny Orth

Played By: Mark Aaron Buerkle

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Characters / Scream 4

Edit Locked

Jill Roberts

Played By: Emma Roberts

Kate Roberts

Played By: Mary McDonnell

Olivia Morris

Played By: Marielle Jaffe

Trevor Sheldon

Played By: Nico Tortorella

Charlie Walker

Played By: Rory Culkin

Robbie Mercer

Played By: Erik Knudsen

Jenny Randall

Played By: Aimee Teegarden

Marnie Cooper

Played By: Britt Robertson

Deputy Hoss

Played By: Adam Brody

Deputy Anthony Perkins

Played By: Anthony Anderson

Rebecca Walters

Played By: Alison Brie

Dr. Danny Orth

Played By: Mark Aaron Buerkle

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