9 Sidney Prescott Moments That Prove Why ‘Scream 6’ Desperately Misses Neve Campbell

Neve Campbell is not in Scream 6, which means Scream 6—which opens only in theaters today—is officially the first movie in the slasher franchise not to feature everyone’s favorite meta-final girl, Sidney Prescott.

It’s a major blow for fans, who have been rooting for Sidney to outrun and outsmart Ghostface since 1996, when the first Scream movie from director Wes Craven hit theaters. The franchise, which both satirizes and indulges in slasher horror movie tropes, has always been about the story of Sidney Prescott. Sindey is just a small-town girl from Woodsboro, whose mom was brutally murdered and raped. One year after the anniversary of her mother’s death, a serial killer in a cheesy Halloween mask comes after Sidney. She wins that fight, but there will always be copycat killers in more Ghostface masks, that haunt Sidney for the rest of her life.

Until now, apparently. The newest Scream movie—which is directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett and written by James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick—continues the story of Scream 5, following a new cast of characters led by stars Jenna Ortega and Melissa Barrera. But while Sidney provides back-up support for the new, young “re-quel” cast in the previous film, in Scream 6 the only legacy character that makes an appearance is Gale Weathers, played by Courteney Cox.

Is Neve Campbell in Scream 6?

No. Don’t get your hopes for a cameo, or even an appearance in the Scream 6 post-credits scene. Although her name is mentioned in the movie, Campbell herself never appears on screen in Scream 6.

Why is Neve Campbell not in Scream 6?

Neve Campbell opted not to return for Scream 6 after she was unable to negotiate her desired salary for the movie. She released a statement to the press about her decision not to return for the film in June 2022, saying, “As a woman I have had to work extremely hard in my career to establish my value, especially when it comes to Scream. I felt the offer that was presented to me did not equate to the value I have brought to the franchise. It’s been a very difficult decision to move on. To all my Scream fans, I love you. You’ve always been so incredibly supportive to me. I’m forever grateful to you and to what this franchise has given me over the past 25 years.”

She later elaborated on the decision in an interview with People, saying, “As a woman in this business, I think it’s really important for us to be valued and to fight to be valued. I honestly don’t believe that if I were a man and had done five installments of a huge blockbuster franchise over 25 years, that the number that I was offered would be the number that would be offered to a man.”

While we don’t know what exactly Campbell was offered, I personally think Paramount should have coughed up the money, no matter the price tag. She’s Sidney fucking Prescott! She is the Scream franchise. But you don’t have to take my word for it. All five previous Scream movies are currently streaming on Paramount+, which means it’s easy to remember just how vital Campbell is to the Scream franchise. Here are nine of the best Sidney Prescott moments that prove Scream 6 should have paid Campbell whatever she wanted.

1. “Would you settle for a PG-13 relationship?”

   Billy Loomis didn’t deserve this PG-13-worthy flash, but she’s still iconic for doing it.

   From: Scream (1996)

2. “Some stupid killer stalking some big-breasted girl who can’t act, who’s always running up the stairs when she should be going out the front door. “

   “It’s insulting.”

   From: Scream (1996)

3. “Fuck you both.”

   When Randy and Stu were arguing over who was the real killer, Sidney said, “Trust no one,” and she was so real for that.

   From: Scream (1996)

4. Sidney’s behind the mask.

   She was the best Ghostface, hands down.

   From: Scream (1996)

5. Sidney slaps the shit outta Gale Weathers.

   Will Smith could never.

   From: Scream 2 (1997)

6. “Why don’t you take some fucking responsibility!”

   “You know why you kill people, Roman? Because you choose to. There is no one else to blame.”

   From: Scream 3 (2000)

7. Sidney defibrillates Emma Roberts in the freakin’ head.

   “Clear.”

   From: Scream 4 (2011)

8. “You forgot the first rule of remakes, Jill. Don’t fuck with the original.”

   Mic. Drop.

   From: Scream 4 (2011)

9. “I’m Sidney fucking Prescott. Of course I have a gun.”

   You tell ’em, Sid!

   From: Scream 5 (2022)

Now let’s just pray Paramount learns its lesson and agrees to pay Campbell whatever she wants for Scream 7.