Scream Filmmakers Address Lead Character’s Mystery Mom

With the previous four entries in the Scream franchise, all of Ghostface’s victims somehow connected to Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell), though this year’s sequel instead saw the deaths unfold within the sphere of Jenna Ortega and Melissa Barrera’s Tara and Sam. While the film’s finale revealed exactly why these two were targeted, there were still unsolved questions about the sisters’ mom, with directors Tyler Gillett and Matt Bettinelli-Olpin recently confirming that details of the character were in the script, though lack of details about the character could bring with it potential to be explored at some point in the future. The new Scream is in theaters now.

WARNING: Spoilers below for Scream

Both Tara and Sam’s last names are “Carpenter,” a tribute to director John Carpenter, but Sam reveals to her sister Tara that while they share the same mom, Sam’s dad was Billy Loomis, one of the killers from the original Scream. This discovery led Sam to turn her back on her sister and mom to start a new life in hopes of distancing herself from the notorious serial killer.

Their mom, however, is only ever referenced without being identified.

“She was definitely in the script,” Bettinelli-Olpin shared with Nerdist. “But it just never made the cut. It felt like we were kind of opening the movie up too much and making it not as much about the sisters.”

As far as whether audiences will ever learn her identity, he then teased, “It’s hard to say, but it sounds like there’s an interesting story there…”

Over the course of five films, the series has woven together a variety of familial connections across seemingly disconnected characters. Killers often reveal themselves to have some sort of family link to Sidney, with Scream 3 and Scream 4 featuring Sidney’s half-brother and cousin as killers, respectively. The killers in this film, however, didn’t have a direct connection to anyone previously involved in any tragedies, as one was merely hoping to provide the Stab franchise with more material to construct better films from while the other became obsessed with the crimes after moving into a pivotal location in the town’s history.

While a sixth film has yet to be confirmed, the filmmakers involved have teased having promising ideas for a follow-up, which could involve more insight into the identity of Sam and Tara’s mom.

The new Scream is currently in theaters.

Were you curious about the character’s identity? Let us know in the comments below or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter to talk all things horror and Star Wars.