10 Iconic Horror Movie Characters Done Dirty

Yes, he may have been a bit of an idiot at times, but by the time of 2022's Scream, Dewey Riley had survived four previous Ghostface murder sprees, learning on the job as he took to heart the basic fundamentals of, essentially, how to stay alive in a horror movie.

So, while many had predicted that fifth Scream picture might be the end of the line for one of our legacy characters as a way to amp up the stakes, nobody predicted that would happen in such dumb fashion.

Of course, it was David Arquette's Dewey - by this point an unemployed, depressed alcoholic - who kicked the bucket in that film, being collateral damage as part of a Ghostface attack on the hospitalised Tara Carpenter. There, Dewey, Tara, Tara's sister Sam, and Sam's boyfriend Richie managed to put down a Ghostface, as they head to the elevator and leave the fallen, seemingly unconscious villain laid out on the deck.

Then, that's when Dewey decides to foolishly exit the elevator to go and check on Ghostface, as the elevator descends the others to safety. With his gun pointed at the prone, lifeless Ghostface, the former cop somewhat hesitates, is distracted by a ringing phone, and the masked killer springs to life and stabs Dewey in his stomach and spine, as our hero's guts spill to the floor.

With modern franchise leads Melissa Barrera (Sam) and Jenna Ortega (Tara) both no longer a part of Scream VII, and with Neve Campbell still being low-balled by Spyglass to return, what the franchise would give to still have the Dewey Riley character at its disposal...