Scream 5 introduces a plethora of new characters, the majority of whom have big connections to characters from past films in the Scream franchise.

Warning: Spoilers ahead for Scream 2022.

Many of the characters in Scream 2022 (aka, Scream 5) connect to past movies in the horror franchise — here’s every family link. Over the course of five films, Sidney Prescott, Dewey Riley, and Gale Weathers have experienced their fair share of stabbings, bullet wounds, close encounters with death, and a lot of trauma thanks to the continuing existence of Ghostface. Though it’s been more than a couple of decades since the 1996 film, the characters’ connections to the original killers and story has tied them to every sequel released since then. Now, many of the new characters in Scream 5 have a similar connection, leading them to become targets.

Set twenty-five years after the first film, Scream 5 sees the return of the brutal Woodsboro killings. After Tara Carpenter is attacked by a new version of Ghostface, older sister Sam is drawn back to the small California town to protect her. Burdened with a deep, dark secret, Sam and boyfriend Richie go to Dewey Riley for help with taking down the murderer. Ghostface’s return also brings back Gale Weathers, now a morning show journalist, and Sidney Prescott, who vowed never again to step foot in Woodsboro after her experiences.

Scream 5 is a lot about legacy, keeping to the original while trying to create something new. While 2022’s Scream includes the three legacy characters from the first film — who are the only ones to remain alive after all this time and who are brought into the fray for specific plot reasons — the fifth installment introduces a plethora of new characters who could continue on in potential sequels. Many of them are a part of Tara’s core friends group, and they have a lot of history with some of the Scream franchise’s most notable characters from past movies, including a relative of Stu Macher. Here is every new character in 2022's Scream with a family connection to the previous movies.

Samantha Carpenter

Sam Carpenter is the main protagonist of the fifth Scream and has the strongest connection to the original 1996 movie. Sam is revealed to be the biological daughter of Billy Loomis, who slept with her mother, Christina Carpenter, while she was still with her then-boyfriend and who Sam thought to be her father. Sam is targeted by the new versions of Ghostface on account of Billy being her father, a fact that traumatized her growing up and caused her to eventually leave town and her younger sister Tara — who was conceived long after Billy died — behind. Sam is haunted by Billy because she’s afraid of becoming a serial killer like him. What’s worse is that she’s related to not one, but two murderers as she’s also the granddaughter of Debbie, Billy's mom, who was one of the killers in Scream 2. Because of her ties to Billy, Sam becomes akin to the Sidney Prescott of Scream 5.

Mindy Meeks-Martin

Mindy Meeks-Martin is Martha Meeks' daughter and the niece of Randy Meeks. (Martha, who first appeared in Scream 3, has a minor role in Scream 5, though she's not targeted by the Ghostface killers like her kids.) Mindy takes after her uncle in that she is a horror movie aficionado, expertly knowing the rules of the genre and is a known fan of the Stab movies. She’s also the first one to call the actions of the Ghostface killers a “requel,” explaining to her friends how they want to recreate parts of the original film in the Stab movie franchise while including legacy characters and some of their descendants because of their connections to the original movies. Mindy is smart and has a dry sarcasm, managing to realize the killer is behind her before Ghostface could inflict any fatal harm.

Chad Meeks-Martin

Chad Meeks-Martin is Mindy’s twin brother and the nephew of Randy Meeks. Chad isn’t as well-versed in the horror movie genre as his sister, but there isn't much to be gleaned about his character's interiority besides that. However, Chad recognizes the history behind the Stab movies and his uncle's friendship and assistance to Sidney during the murders in Scream and Scream 2. Chad also had the same fear as Randy, believing he would be next on the kill list if he had sex with his girlfriend. Luckily, he and Mindy survive the attacks of Ghostface; the impact their deaths would've had on the Meeks family would have been devastating and Martha has suffered enough.

Vince Schneider

Vince Schneider is a stalker who follows Liv, Chad's girlfriend in a bid to rekindle their summer fling. He's the first person to be killed, likely due to the fact he's the nephew of Stu Macher, the second Ghostface killer in 1996's Scream and accomplice to Billy Loomis. Vince certainly had creepy tendencies like his uncle, who was rather unhinged when it came to killing people. Vince wasn't a murderer, but he clearly couldn't take no for an answer, and it's possible his future might have led him down the same path as Stu.

Wes Hicks

Wes Hicks is a bit of the odd one out. While the rest of the listed characters all have blood ties to the original characters in Scream, Wes is the son of Sheriff Judy Hicks, who was introduced in Scream 4 and doesn't have any major connections to the previous films in the franchise. His character's lack of connection to the first film is something that is referenced in 2022's Scream. When Wes worries he might be on Ghostface's hit list because of the requel rules, which dictate that relatives of legacy characters could be killed because of who they're linked to, a scathing comment about how "no one cares about the sequels" shuts down those concerns. Regardless of the comment, Wes is still linked to at least one character from a previous Scream film, which is why he and Judy were still targeted by Ghostface.

Next: Why Scream 2022's Reviews Are So Good