10 All-Time Best Cameos in the Scream Movies

Scream is the perfect franchise for horror fans and general film lovers in general. Though it constantly points to a horror plot, solidly remodeled through the years and even in new reimaginings, chances are if you’re watching a Scream movie, you will get a pop culture reference.

Wes Craven wasn’t a stranger to bending the rules every now and then. He even made the most meta film ever with New Nightmare, and during the last films he made, he also made sure to let his fans know we were witnessing a film of his.

Ever since 1996’s Scream, one of the resources Craven had at hand was the use of cameos. From every angle, he had a card up his sleeve, and he always made sure to use it. This trend has continued even to this day, with the newest Scream films continuing the meta approach and acknowledging the fact that it’s a horror film taking place in a world where horror films are important.

Movie stars are the movie stars we’re aware of, and they will make an appearance in this horror journey. But make no mistakes: Drew Barrymore’s participation in Scream isn’t a cameo. She’s a full-blown character required to die by the script. The fact that she does in the first 10 minutes of the franchise is part of the story. These are the all-time best cameos in the Scream franchise, so far. Stream Scream–Scream 4 on Max, and Scream (2022) and Scream VI on Paramount+.

The following list may contain minor spoilers.

10 Wes Craven – Scream (1996)

A Provoking Nod to His Most Important Creation

We’ll kick things off with possibly the best cameo in the franchise. 1996’s Scream tells the story of Sidney Prescott and the ordeal she and her friends are forced to go through when a killer arrives in town. The town of Woodsboro is being terrorized by a masked killer with a zany love for horror movies who uses trivia as foreplay. Wes Craven, the director of the first four Scream films, heavily reveals what kind of film he’s going for in the first entry.

Full of horror references, Scream is a delight for horror fans. Craven’s cameo comes when Principal Arthur Himbry is playing around an empty school, and he opens the door of his office and finds Fred, the school’s janitor, who’s wearing Freddy Krueger’s attire and hat. He’s played by Craven himself, who also directed the original version of A Nightmare on Elm Street. Those of us who noticed this cameo in 1996 almost screamed in excitement when we saw it.

This was added to Craven’s previous cameos in other films: he plays himself in Wes Craven’s New Nightmare and a very shady man in the horror anthology Body Bags.

9 Tori Spelling and Luke Wilson – Scream 2 (1997)

In Scream 2, the survivors from the first film are dealing with the resurgence of Ghostface’s acts. The new iteration of the masked killer is targeting Sidney and her surroundings, and apparently it has to do with her past once again. Most of the film takes place in college, where Sidney is attending, and where Ghostface is able to use “his” horror knowledge to creep everyone out.

However, the events in the film also revolve around Hollywood’s production of Stab, a film based on the Woodsboro Murders, which depicts the events in which Sidney faced the wrath of her boyfriend Billy Loomis and his psychopath friend Stu Macher. In the first Scream, Sidney jokes about the idea of her character being played by Tori Spelling because of her sheer bad luck. And that’s exactly what happens: In a clip from Stab, we see Tori Spelling‘s Sidney dealing with her boyfriend, played by none other than young actor Luke Wilson, who sports a ridiculous hairdo and indulges in terrible acting.

Related: 15 of the Most Highly Rewatchable Horror Movies

8 Anna Paquin and Kristen Bell – Scream 4

A Great Participation that Fooled Everyone

Scream 4, the franchise’s return after almost a decade, was a solid revival of the slasher genre in the early 2010s, when films of this nature didn’t really exist, as Hollywood preferred to give remakes a try instead of anything else. Craven, who brought back Kevin Williamson to the writer’s desk after Scream 3 was based on Ehren Kruger, uses the theme of horror remakes to give enough of a dramatic backdrop to Sidney’s challenge against a modern version of Ghostface.

The film has not only one, but two false starts. In the first one, two teenagers face Ghostface in the traditional “phone rings, and it’s Ghostface on the other end of the line,” and one of them gets killed in what’s actually the opening for Stab 6. Then we cut to Kristen Bell‘s Chloe and Anna Paquin‘s Rachel, who are actually watching the movie. The two exchange a fun set of words about horror movies, and then Chloe brutally kills Rachel. It’s actually the beginning of Stab 7, a movie seen by Scream 4‘s first victims. Don’t worry, it all makes sense at some point.

7 Joshua Jackson – Scream 2 (1997)

Teen Heartthrob Making an Appearance

In Scream 2, Sidney and her new friends are in film school, a decision that would probably seem controversial considering where she comes from and what she went through before. But thanks to Kevin Williamson’s exceptional writing, we didn’t notice these details. This actually becomes very relevant when the true identity of Ghostface is revealed in the third act. Just stick around for this.

One of the cameos in Scream 2 comes early on in the film, when film students at Windsor College are arguing in class. As they discuss the possibility of sequels being better than the films that inspired them, Joshua Jackson shows up to play one of the passionate students. Jackson was a ’90s icon, having starred in TV shows like Dawson’s Creek and then playing an obnoxious student in Urban Legend. His presence in Scream 2 is not a coincidence, as Williamson was the mastermind behind the successful TV show where he played Pacey Witter.

6 Carrie Fisher – Scream 3 (2000)

Both Behind and in Front of the Camera

Scream 3 is one of the weakest films in the franchise. But it doesn’t mean it’s less interesting. It tells the story of Sidney as she works as a Hollywood advisor, where her story is being adapted. Of course, Dewey and Gale show up when Ghostface starts showing up and slashing throats all around. It’s anything but a bad film, and remains a favorite among some fans.

Carrie Fisher, aka Princess Leia, has a great cameo in a film that doesn’t actually need them. Fisher plays Bianca Burnette, an archivist who helps Gale and Jennifer Jolie find the truth about Sidney’s mother. Bianca is a bitter Hollywood worker who’s not bribed easily but a very expensive ring will do.

Gale and Jennifer notice how she looks like Carrie Fisher, and they instantly let her know. Bianca wryly replies: “I was up for Princess Leia. I was this close. So, who gets it? The one who sleeps with George Lucas.” Considering Fisher’s ability to doctor and fix scripts, there’s probably a high chance that she wrote this herself.

5 Jay and Silent Bob – Scream 3 (2000)

Miramax Doing Their Thing

Scream 3 takes place in the Hollywood spotlight. It’s where Stab is being produced, where Sidney must be, and where Gale Weathers decides to be. The setting is a film studio where, strangely, the characters have permission to be. You wouldn’t let Gale, a tabloid journalist, hang around the film studio, right?

In one of the most random cameos of the franchise, Gale is seen walking out of the set, and Clerks‘ characters, Jay and Silent Bob, played by Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith, are seen in character. Just like they would in one of their films, throwing punchlines for humor. They say Gale resembles Connie Chung, and they accomplish one of the film’s funniest moments. But there’s not much more to it, and their cameos seem like a playful move by Miramax executives.

4 Linda Blair – Scream (1996)

A Horror Queen Shows Up

Early on in Scream, the brutal murder of a teenager shakes Woodsboro. It’s a media frenzy outside the school where Sidney and friends are trying to understand how the murder may affect them beyond the obvious. Gale Weather is about to enter the picture as a reporter who’s not afraid to be unethical to find the information to make her journalism work more appealing. She was the one to speculate about Sid’s mom, so there’s a grudge.

By this point, we can see one of the film’s funniest cameos. In the sea of reporters, a familiar face arises. The Exorcist‘s Linda Blair plays a reporter who asks Sidney, “How does it feel to be almost brutally butchered?” Luckily, Dewey is able to fight her off, and we don’t see her again. Do you want a cool Easter egg? Take a look at her earrings. They seem to be more than just a fashion-based decision.

3 Heather Graham – Scream 2 (1997)

Hollywood Meat Grinder at Its Best

Scream 2 begins as Maureen and Phil are attending the premiere of Stab, the fictional film that depicts the events that took place in Woodsboro where Sidney was brutally attacked by Billy and Stu during their rampage that began when they murdered the innocent girl known as Casey Becker, aka Drew Barrymore. It doesn’t take long for Phil and Maureen to face the real Ghostface in the film premiere in the opening of one of the most interesting horror sequels ever made.

In one of the most interesting cameos of the Scream franchise, blonde starlet Heather Graham gives life to Casey in the opening sequence of Stab, one that’s seen by Maureen while her boyfriend is getting sliced and diced in the restroom. Unfortunately, Stab is very realistic, and Graham suffers the same fate as Becker did. Of the Stab cast, at least from what we know about it, Graham is one of the most respectable performers.

Related: Scream 7: Who’s Left to Carry on the Franchise?

2 David Warner – Scream 2 (1997)

A Classic Thespian Shows Up

It’s hard to imagine what poor Sidney Prescott is going through in Scream 2. Her boyfriend in school turned out to be a serial killer, and overcoming this seems impossible. She can’t even trust her new boyfriend, because why would you? Couldn’t Derek also be the killer? At least, Randy thinks he could be.

Sidney uses her time in college and her acting skills to cope. This puts her in the middle of a stage production where she plays the lead role in a Greek tragedy. When her paranoia gets the best of her, she’s comforted by one of her teachers. In a very interesting cameo, classic British actor David Warner shows up to throw some emotional support to Sidney. The worst part about his cameo is that it’s too short.

1 Rebecca Gayheart and Portia de Rossi – Scream 2 (1997)

Icons of College Life in the Hands of Underrated Performers

Scream 2 shows off college culture like few modern films do. Kevin Williamson’s script keeps it all fresh while exploiting every single trope that the plot may use for comic relief. One of the funniest cameos in the film is in the hands of not one, but two performers who give it their all in their short roles.

Portia de Rossi and Rebecca Gayheart (who is also in Urban Legend) play Murphy and Lois, respectively, two sorority sisters trying to help Sidney enter their sorority house in the middle of chaos. Their clothes, their manners, and how they speak are a great representation of the clichés of popular girls in college. Their best scene involves Randy Meeks trying to socialize with them, before his cruel and brutal demise.

Other cameos in the Scream franchise:

• Roger Corman in Scream 3
• Patrick Warburton in Scream 3
• Tim Robinson in Scream 6
• Shenae Grimes-Beech and Lucy Hale in Scream 4

To stay in the spirit of franchises, here’s a video of the best franchises with more than four sequels: