Note: This article was originally written in 2022 in celebration of the release of Scream (2022), and it’s now being shared with Hack or Slash for the first time in honor of the movie’s 3 year anniversary. There are spoilers for the first 4 films in the Scream franchise.
Since its release, Scream has always been a part of my life. I was 6 years old when the first Scream came out, and I watched it when it was a newly released VHS tape. It’s safe to say those early memories of mine are fuzzy at best when I try to recall my initial reactions. Looking back, I see Scream through the lens of the countless rewatches I’ve had over the past 25 years. I’m 31 now, and while the list of memorable characters in all 5 movies is a mile long, there has always been one character that I really admired and felt like I saw a lot of myself in, or at least had qualities I would like to see within myself, and that’s the one and only Dewey Riley.
One of the things I like most about Dewey is his quiet confidence. He’s not the loudest person in the room, but you know how he feels. He’s quick to stand up for himself, he’s brave, and he’s very sincere. Something else I appreciate, which I think gets overlooked sometimes, is how analytical he can be. On at least two separate occasions, he quotes impactful lines in both Gale and Sidney’s books, and can even reference the page he’s quoting.
In the first film we see Dewey on two fronts. Both as a deputy protecting Woodsboro, and as Tatum’s watchful older brother. Due to Tatum’s close relationship with Sidney and how much time they spend together, Dewey develops a close friendship with Sid by extension, as well. Although it’s never explicitly stated, it feels like Tatum’s death at the end of the first film was a catalyst that really brought them closer together to have a sibling-like relationship of their own.
In my opinion, Scream 2 really brings out and highlights some of the best qualities we’ve seen of Dewey, and really shows his caring side. When ghostface killings start happening at Windsor College, he immediately makes the long trip out to Ohio (the presumed location of the college) to make sure Sidney is okay. He also seems to be on a first name basis with Chief Hartley as they talk in passing, so it’s reasonable to assume he uses his knowledge not only as a past survivor but possibly also his time working as law enforcement to help with the investigation in some capacity.
For the sake of his friends, he courageously faces danger time and again. Keeping in mind, this is all while walking with a limp due to injuries received from a knife wound in the first film causing a severed nerve. It occasionally causes him to stagger, walk a little slower, and there are times where he trips where he otherwise might not have without the injury. Yet in spite of all that, he makes the safety and health of his friends his priority.
Despite all my rewatches, Dewey’s fake-out death in Scream 2 is still really sad for me to watch. Even knowing he makes it to future sequels, the suspense and the tension of the entire sound booth scene is so palpable that it really comes to a head at that moment when he’s slammed against the window. Marco Beltrami’s brilliant score really drove that scene home.
During the events of Scream 3 Dewey works as a technical advisor on the set of the Hollywood movie Stab 3, Scream’s movie-within-a-movie. As someone who lives in Woodsboro, the production wanted someone on hand to help get the details right. In reality, I think the writers just needed to find a way to write a survivor from previous movies into the Hollywood setting. But in-universe, I like to think Dewey’s decision to work on the movie ties back to caring for his community. The traumatic events at 261 Turner Lane radically changed his life, so when a production with the subtitle “Return to Woodsboro” is being made and recreates the house where his sister died, I could see him wanting to make sure they accurately find ways to represent the setting.
As a side note, I really get a kick out of the chuffed way Dewey talks when somebody wants to spend time with him. When Gale tags along with him during the finale of the first Scream, he giddily tells Tatum “She’s with me!”. And then in Scream 3 when Gale jealously asks why he lives with Jennifer, he confidently and in an almost smug way says “She says I make her feel safe. She says I’m her rock”. It’s a hilarious scene, but I also think it goes back to the core of his character of being someone that other people can depend on.
Scream 4 really comes full circle in terms of Dewey’s personal goals and ambitions, and we really see him at the top of his game. He’s the sheriff of Woodsboro, and he’s still married to Gale after a long series of “will they/won’t they” culminated in a marriage proposal at the end of Scream 3. At this point he has even lost his limp, which can probably be attributed in equal parts to physical therapy and his state of mind.
I won’t spoil anything about Scream 2022, but you can really tell the film was a labor of love from creators who understand the characters and the trajectory their paths could take, and I think during the decade of time that passed between Scream 4 and now there’s a realistic portrayal of how life can change in unexpected ways, for better or worse. But I think throughout the 25 years of the franchise the core of Dewey’s character remains the same. Someone who cares about his friends, his family, and his community.
“You’re a brave man, Dewey Riley”.
