These Photos Of The Scream Cast Prove 25 Years & Divorce Can't Keep Them Apart

Released in 1996, Wes Craven’s Scream revitalized the slasher genre by twisting its own tropes to craft an unpredictable comedic horror. Starring Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, and David Arquette, Scream earned a cult following and has since spawned three sequels and a TV series.

Campbell stars as Sidney Prescott, whose mother’s murder leads the Ghostface killer to terrorize her and other residents of fictional small town Woodsboro. Cox and Arquette play journalist Gale Weathers and police officer Dewey Riley, respectively, who investigate the murders.

The trio will reunite in Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett’s Scream, the series’ fifth installment and first to be created since Craven’s passing. With the film hitting theaters Jan. 14, take a look at the cast’s evolution since the inaugural film’s premiere 25 years ago.

Then known for her main role on Fox’s Party of Five, 1996 marked Campbell’s big-screen breakthrough, as she starred in two major hits: Scream and The Craft. “That height of fame was not something a 22-year-old really knows how to handle,” she recently told Elle of her experience.

“I was never going to do another horror movie because I already made the best one,” she said of being approached for the new Scream, though its directors won her over with a letter about how Craven inspired them to make films. “And so it just seemed like the right fit.”

Cox was cast as the ultra-determined local journalist in the midst of her Friends fame. “I just had to prove I could go from Monica to [Gale]. It’s really hard to express,” she said. “You don’t want to say that you’re not that nice of a person. But I definitely can be a b*tch.”

After ambushing Sidney for interviews and writing a book about the violence, Gale eventually works alongside her to stop it. “[Scream] taught me [not to] go into a parking lot, ever, at night, [or] the bathroom in a movie theater,” Cox said. “Anybody could go off the deep end.”

After acting in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Scream marked Arquette’s breakthrough role. “When we all got cast, Wes had us out at his house,” he said. “I saw Courteney and [said], ‘Hey, I’m playing Dewey.’ And she’s like, ‘Yeah, I heard about you...’ She gave me some real attitude.”

Despite a rough start, the pair bonded on-set, formed a romantic connection, and married in 1999. Released the following year, Scream 3 saw their onscreen characters say “I do” as well, but 2011’s Scream 4 saw their relationship hit a rocky point — which soon mimicked real life.

Cox and Arquette divorced in 2013, but they both appear in the new Scream, which has received rave reviews. “It’s been 25 years of our lives,” he recently said, adding that despite the obvious awkwardness, “It’s a cathartic experience to just be able to act opposite Courteney.”