Timeline

For Timeline Inconsistencies, See: Continuity Errors for further details.

The timeline in the Scream universe refers to character births, and events depicted in the franchise, which occur before and after events of the original film. Due to several instances of retroactive continuity and continuity errors, there are occasional gaps and assumptions to be made. The first section refers to a general basis of "rules" on what is validated in timeline events, and the subsequent section refers to the series of events in order.

Resolving Technicalities
The 30th birthday of Roman Bridger potentially conflicts with finding Maureen "four years ago", as it indicates four years have passed since her 1995 murder (when majority of production for the third film occurred, it was the year 1999). When referring to John Milton's Hollywood parties, he states "it was the 70s, everything was different", making the logical assumption for it to be a minimum of five years ago. Due to the production of the third film suffering with scripts being written day-by-day during filming, this is one of a few notable continuity errors.

By real-world logic, a pregnancy is 42 weeks, and Maureen would have conceived Roman via rape in 1969. However, it is also possible, given we know it was a two-year period for Maureen to be a Hollywood actress, Milton is referring to the allegations where "no charges were brought", when she came to confront it as early as 1970.

Additionally, Roman's four-year track can be an approximate timeframe, if we consider the film occurs on its release date (February 2000), 5 months after the 4 year anniversary of her murder; it would be an approximate 4 year and a half period prior, where Roman stalked Maureen (as early as one month prior to her murder).

This contradicts the bulletin posts of filming dates indicating the film occurs in the summer (when Sarah Darling goes for a meeting). In this case, background filming dates are generally ignored, as they often contradict on-screen dialogue (such as Himbry's office showing an out-of-focus calendar of April 1996, Scream 2 stating Stab is released in April 1997, etc).

Assumptions
Other assumptions made are ages fitted to real-world requirement ages, such as the age of a high school graduation senior or the actors matching a relatively similar age range, unless stated or strongly implied otherwise. For example, if the characters are seniors in a film set in late-1996, it is generally assumed they are born between September 1978 and August 1979, the California cut-off age of birth for the time period when the film occurred.

A future film may reinvent this rule, and state Woodsboro High has a unique age-based system that cuts off year-by-year. However, for the purpose of real-world logic, it is generally best to stay consistent.

Other assumptions made include the ages of the Scream 4 characters. Unlike their predecessors and successors, they are not explicitly stated to be seniors in the final cut of the film. An extended ending reveals Jill Roberts is 17. However, a future film may retroactively decide Jill is younger i.e 15 years old. This technically would not violate continuity either, as it is generally assumed, based on script reference and dialogue in a deleted scene, for it to be canon.

Some divergences are made from script references if considerably older actors are cast, such as Anna Paquin and Kristen Bell for much younger described characters in a script, or Richie Kirsch, who was promoted as being around 25, but the film makes several inferences to him being a millennial in the final cut (like actor, Jack Quaid, who shot the film at age 28). As such, Richie is generally regarded as having an early-90s, late-millennial birth instead.

Pre-series timeline
The following documents the timeline of events depicted prior to the events in the Scream film franchise:

1940s—1950s

 * 1941: Sheriff Burke is born.
 * 1946: Arthur Himbry is born.
 * Late-1950: Maureen Roberts (later Prescott) was born in Woodsboro, California. (Maureen was 19-20 in a Hollywood photo taken at the backlight of Sunrise Studios specifically 28-years ago, according to Dewey in Scream 3 (set early-2000).
 * Approx. 1955: Kate Roberts is born.
 * December—January 19, approx. late-1950s: Officer Richards is born. Sidney Prescott describes him as a Capricorn. (Scream 2)

1960s

 * 1964 or beginning of 1965: Sarah Darling was born. (35 in Scream 3, set in February 2000).
 * Approx. 1964: Gale Weathers was born. In the original film, she is already in her 30s, and notes her age difference with Dewey Riley.
 * Approx. mid—1960s: Cotton Weary is born.
 * May 21—June 20, approx. late-1960s: Officer Andrews is born. Sidney describes him as a Gemini. (Scream 2)
 * 1969—1971: Maureen Roberts moves to Hollywood and tries an acting career under the name Rina Reynolds. She is gang raped and gets pregnant. Amid this and afterwards, she appears in three of John Milton's horror movies.

1970s

 * February 4, 1970: Roman Bridger is born. Maureen Roberts gives up her only son for adoption.
 * Approx. 1970: Mark Kincaid, the husband of Sidney Prescott, is born. Already at least 30 during Scream 3. (Dempsey was 33 in real-life).
 * 1971: Maureen Roberts is blacklisted after trying to expose the truth of what happened to her.
 * 1971: Maureen returns to Woodsboro and meets her future husband, businessman Neil Prescott. (An earlier draft of Ehren Kruger's script places the dates exactly. These fit with the filmed version. Roman turns 30 in the movie's events in Scream 3.)
 * 1972—1978: Maureen and Neil Prescott date and marry. They buy 34 Elm Street in Woodsboro, California.
 * 1971: Dewey Riley is born to Mrs. Riley and an unknown father.
 * May 16, 1973: The fictional Scream universe version (who appears in Scream 2) of real-life actress Tori Spelling is born.
 * approx. 1970s: Mickey Altieri is born. Possibly one of the 95 active serial killers in the country, or "one his way up", as of 1998.
 * 1976—1977: Phil Stevens and Maureen Evans are born. (Senior students and Windsor College, Ohio Alumni of 1998.)
 * Approx. 1976: Cameraman Joel Martin is born.
 * March 14, 1979: series protagonist Sidney Prescott is born to Neil and Maureen. They reside as a family at 34 Elm Street. (Sidney is 17 in Scream, turns 18 before Class of 1997 graduation, turns 19 before the events of Scream 2 as a freshman, is one month shy of 22 in Scream 3, 32 in Scream 4, 42 in Scream 5).
 * September 1978—August 1979: The rest of Woodsboro High School Class of 1997 are born. This includes:
 * Tatum Riley, Dewey's younger sister.
 * Judy Hicks, future sheriff and the future mother of Wes Hicks.
 * Billy Loomis, born September—October 1978. Son of Hank and Nancy Loomis (known simply as "Mrs. Loomis").
 * Stu Macher, Leslie's brother.
 * Steven Orth, born September-October 1978, he is 18 in Scream (1996 film).
 * Casey Becker is born to Mr. and Mrs. Becker.
 * Christina (née unknown, later Carpenter)
 * Mr. Carpenter
 * Cheerleader in Bathroom is born.
 * Girl in Bathroom is born.
 * Karen Kolchak is born.


 * 1978—1979: Cici Cooper, Derek, and Hallie, are born. (Sophomore students and Windsor College, Ohio Alumni of 2000.)

1980s

 * Mid-late 1982: Martha Meeks, Randy's younger sister, is born. (Martha is a 17 year old high school senior in Scream 3, which takes place in February 2000).
 * Approx. 1980s: Rebecca Walters, Deputy Hoss and Deputy Anthony Perkins are born.

1990—1996

 * September 1993—August 1994: Woodsboro High School Class of 2012 are born. This includes Trevor Sheldon, Charlie Walker, Kirby Reed, Olivia Morris, Jenny Randall and Marnie Cooper are born. They were toddlers at the time of the original Woodsboro murders and mostly all 17 years old by the time Sidney returns to Woodsboro.
 * November 1993—August 1994: Jill Roberts is born to Maureen's younger sister, Kate Roberts and an unknown man.
 * approx. September 1994: Billy and Sidney start dating as sophomores in high school.
 * Approx. September 1995: Roman Bridger (mid-20s) tracks down Maureen Prescott, but she spurns him. He stalks her and records her affairs; one of them being Billy's father. Roman uses the evidence to convince Billy Loomis to murder Maureen.
 * 1995: Maureen has had affairs; Hank Loomis and Cotton Weary being definite affairs within the year. Nancy Loomis finds out and leaves Hank, despairing Billy.
 * Thursday 28, September 1995: Billy peer pressures Stu Macher, and the two kill 44-year-old housewife, Maureen Prescott and frame Cotton Weary. (One year before the events of Scream.)
 * Between September 1995 and September 1996:
 * Cotton Weary is arrested for the murder of Maureen and later convicted of first-degree murder.
 * Sidney testifies in court as a key witness, but Gale Weathers is skeptical, writing stories against her.
 * Late-1995 or early-1996: Gale writes her first known book, Wrongly Accused: The Murder of Maureen Prescott.
 * September 1996: Gale is planning to write a soon-scrapped follow-up book to The Murder of Maureen Prescott. (Planned release date "later this year", which would be by the end of 1996).
 * Late-1995—June 1996 (sophomore year) or late-1996—June 1997 (senior year): Sidney plays Tiger Lily and Judy Hicks plays a Lost Boy in Woodsboro High's theatre production of Peter Pan.
 * This theatre event could have only taken place in either Sidney's sophomore or senior year, given Judy's commentary that she had "a lot of stuff going on" relates to either Maureen's murder trial pre-Scream (1996) or the Ghostface murders one year after.
 * Possible (likely) senior production (late 1996—June 1997): Sidney is able to recall Casey Becker clearly despite being a relative stranger who sat beside her in English class. She has a strong friendship circle also.
 * In the early stages of the original film amid Casey's murder news, Sidney appears functional and simply grieving her mother's loss quietly almost one year on exactly (though her emotional state between this time is unaccounted for).
 * Additionally, this is during the time she believes Cotton Weary, her mother's alleged killer, has been either brought to justice and awaits death row or arrested and awaiting trial. "a lot" also indicates an accumulation of struggles, referring to the media frenzy of both the Ghostface phenomena, her rise to fame and the Ghostface killing spree of 1996's connection to Maureen's murder).
 * Possible sophomore year production (late-1995—June 1996): Despite this, however, Sidney's adamance in her testimony against Cotton does not underscore her initial trauma stemming from her mother's murder (including Gale's stories against her); Hicks could have simply been referring to these events alone.


 * Approx. September 1996 (immediately pre-Scream, concurrent month): Billy Loomis impregnates fellow high school student, Christina.
 * Unknown to Sidney who believes he is being "patient", Billy has not been "waiting" on Sidney to feel comfortable enough to have sex. He cheats on her with Christina, who has also cheated on her own boyfriend.
 * Billy also likely cheated on Sidney with other girls. In Scream (1996), he flirts with girls at the video store.
 * Christina (née unknown) is pregnant for approximately 42 weeks. However, it is Billy Loomis' child, not her boyfriend's (unnamed forename, surname Carpenter).

September 1996
 See Above : Pre-Scream (1996) information on Maureen's murder, Cotton's trial, birth dates, relationships, etc.

The following documents the timeline of events depicted in the Scream film franchise:
 * Calendar Week: Sunday, 22 September—Saturday, 28 September (Corresponding with Scream 5).
 * 25—28th September 1996: The events of Scream (1996 film). The continuation of the Woodsboro Murders, three calendar days shy of one full year after its first murder in 1995.
 * Begins on a late-Wednesday night after 10pm. (According to Tatum Riley, Casey and Steve didn't "bite it till after 10"). Possible opening sequence aftermath featuring Billy and Sidney is a prelude to the killing.
 * Neil Prescott's flight leaves early Thursday morning. He intended to go on an international business expo until Sunday morning, stating it will last through the whole weekend, meaning he will miss the next
 * Ends on a Saturday morning. Billy Loomis and Stu Macher are killed by Sidney one year after their first murder, killing her mother. She avenges her mother on the exact one year anniversary of her murder. Billy confirms it has been exactly one year by midnight, and both men die one calendar day after Tatum Riley, Kenny Brown and Arthur Himbry.

Post-Scream, pre-Scream 2

 * September 1996—September 1997:
 * Mr. Carpenter proposes to Christina Carpenter in their senior year of high school.
 * An oblivious new grandmother-to-be, Nancy, grieves the loss of her son, Billy and loses weight and gets plastic surgery. She conspires for a copycat killing spree, set for 1998.
 * May—July 1997 (approx. graduation month timeframes): Senior students at Woodsboro High, Judy, Randy and Sidney are approx. all 18 (or about to in summer 1997) and graduate from Woodsboro High. See more : Woodsboro High Class of 1997.
 * July 1997 (maximum): Samantha Carpenter, preferably known as Sam, is born to teenage mother, Christina.
 * August—September 1997: Sidney and Randy decide to move to Ohio together and start over. Judy Hicks stays in California.
 * 1997: Gale Weathers publishes a best-selling novel, The Woodsboro Murders based on the six murders occurring between October 1995 and 1996 killings.
 * 1997: Sunrise Studios gives a horror film named Stab, based on the true events of the Woodsboro Murders (1995—1996) and its novelization the greenlight.
 * 1997: Stab begins principal photography, but will not be released until approx. May—June 1998. Its casting include Tori Spelling, Jennifer Jolie among others.
 * 1997—1998: Fake nude images of Gale Weathers leak on the internet. She later claims it was just her head, and Jennifer Aniston's body.
 * Pre-Scream 2 (1997 film) (September 1997—August 1998):
 * Sidney and Randy enrol and begin taking classes at Windsor College, Ohio in their freshman year. She studies Theatre and Randy studies Film.
 * Grieving absent mother, Nancy Loomis begins using an alias, Debbie Salt, and contacts one of the 95 active serial killers in the country, Mickey Altieri. They plan their copycat killing spree now that the film based on her son's murderous rampage Stab is greenlit.
 * Approx. December 1997: Stab is given a limited release before its wide release in Spring 1998. (From Tara's IMDb or Google results page; see: Continuity Errors).
 * Possibly 1998: Roman Bridger is a 28-year-old music video director with a brief, failed television acting career stint as a guest star on Dawson's Creek. He portrays Cliff Elliott. (Radio Silence discussed the idea in their January 27 Q&A, though did not confirm it. They enjoyed the premise of it).

Scream 2 events

 * Thursday night—Monday morning in June 1998, not 1997 : Events of Scream 2 (December 12, 1997 released film):
 * Sidney and Randy Meeks, 19, survivors in Scream, are now college freshmen, finishing their first year at Windsor College.
 * Following the first two murders, Sidney states it is opening weekend for the multiplex film, indicating it is a Friday morning after the title credits appear for Scream 2. She also states "300 people" watched Maureen die (likely an exaggeration).
 * It appears it was not the only sneak-preview screening earlier that Thursday night, as earlier attendees can be seen exiting an earlier screening of the film as Maureen goes to get popcorn, which occurs minutes into the film.
 * Sidney has a starring role as Cassandra in The Oresteia with no understudy, due to open on Sunday night. She tells Dewey "we open in two days" on the Friday after the first two killings.
 * Stab (1998) starring Tori Spelling is given a wide-release in theatres on a Friday in June 1998. A preview clip is viewed by Randy and Dewey in a coffee shop on Saturday, one day after Cici Cooper's Friday night murder at the co-sponsored Acid Rain mixer, observing an interview conducted by Nancy O'Dell speaking to actress Tori Spelling.
 * Possibly Stab had an initial limited release in December 1997, as it is referenced multiple times in-dialogue as occurring two years after the original film, which has date references to 1996 both within the film itself and its sequels).
 * Maureen Evans, a senior at Windsor College, hears someone say "those kids got killed in California a couple of years ago".
 * Gale Weathers refers to Cotton and Sidney's tension with the revelation he is innocent in a time frame stating, "given everything that's happened in the last few years ".
 *  See More  in Continuity Errors: Information about the infamous movie mistake "April 12, 1997" at "09:50" production filming date seen at the Stab midnight sneak preview opening screening, and its timeline inconsistency (also later referenced in the fifth film as an Easter egg), see the next section.
 * Maureen Evans and Phil Stevens are 22-year-old Windsor seniors murdered 10-15 minutes after midnight on Friday during a sneak-preview screening. A new Sandra Bullock film is released concurrently with the release of Stab (1998 film).
 * Accidentally Consistent Continuity — The Sandra Bullock movie referenced by Phil Stevens is likely to be Hope Floats, released on May 29, 1998, five months after the official release of Scream 2 (December 1997), and the only film she made that year.
 * This would also correspond to Sidney starring as Cassandra in The Oresteia, her first starring role in an end-of-year production.
 * Cotton Weary states his exoneration to Sidney was "over a year" ago, in the library scene, implying it has been under two years, but over one year.
 * (Seen in Scream 3 (2000 film) only, first ever interquel-timeline scene, as it takes place between the beginning of Scream 2 and the beginning of Scream 3): Randy records "Scary Movies 101", while locking roommate Paul outside, explaining the Rules to survive the End of a Trilogy. It is indicated to be the same Friday before or after Film Class with Cici and Mickey due to him wearing the same outfit.

Post-Scream 2, pre-Scream 3

 * Approx. mid-1998 (post-Scream 2):
 * Sidney, 19, is given an honorary diploma at Windsor College due to the murders.
 * Sidney and Cotton sit down with Diane Sawyer.
 * Cotton Weary parlays his fifteen minutes as a talkshow host on his show, 100% Cotton (1998—2000). He develops a bad reputation as a con-man with many enemies.
 * Gale writes College Terror / The Windsor College Murders (the latter is the name of book mentioned in Scream 3) as she waits for Dewey to recover from his near-death experience and lives in Woodsboro briefly. It is released by the end of the year.
 * Stab 2 (1999) based on the Windsor College murders is fast-track green-lit and filmed within this timeframe. It is released sometime in 1999. (Likely encouraged by Cotton to elevate his public image).
 * 1998—1999:
 * Sidney relocates to Monterey, California.
 * Sidney adopts a retriever named Cherokee.
 * She takes a job from home as a crisis counsellor using a changed legal name, "Laura" to hide her identity. Her father comes to visit her at some points.
 * Vince Schneider is born to Leslie Macher, Stu's older sister. The script describes Vince as 22.
 * Jennifer Jolie dates Brad Pitt. It does not work out.


 * 1999:
 * Gale abandons Dewey in Woodsboro for further career opportunities.
 * She is offered 60 Minutes II (1999—2005), for which she feels could have made her "the next Diane Sawyer". Jennifer later says she was sorry "things didn't work out" (either she was replaced or the opportunity was given to someone else), leading her to become an anchorwoman for Total Entertainment.
 * Stab 2 (1999) based on the Windsor College murders is released over a year after Stab (1998)'s wide release.
 * Fans are upset over Randy (Christopher Speed)'s death in the Stab sequel. This is Tori Spelling and David Schwimmer's last known appearance as Sidney, not wanting to portray fictional events for the green-lit sequel.
 * Yet another sequel is green-lit, but no real-life events encourages a fictional story. A lost cause, the job is given to an unknown music video director, Roman Bridger who promises something special.

February 2000
The events of Scream 3. Sidney is now 21 turning 22.


 * Roman Bridger is defeated by Sidney at Milton's mansion on his 30th birthday, February 4. (Born 1970).
 * Martha Meeks is 17.
 * It has been approximately four years since Roman tracked Maureen down in late 1995.
 * Gale and Dewey get engaged. Mark and Sidney watch a movie together with the engaged couple, an implied double-date.

Post-Scream 3, pre-Scream 4

 * Approx. 2000s decade [undetermined timeframe events]:
 * Sidney and Mark date then separate.
 * Cherokee dies.
 * Sheriff Burke retires and/or passes away.
 * Judy Hicks joins the Woodsboro police department.
 * Sidney begins martial arts classes.


 * 2000: An engaged Gale writes Hollywood Horror, her fourth Sidney/Maureen Prescott-related Ghostface book (following Wrongly Accused (1996), The Woodsboro Murders (1997) and College Terror (1998)). It is based on the cancelled Stab 3: Return to Woodsboro murders at Sunrise Studios committed by Roman Bridger.
 * Approx. 2000—2011: Dewey undergoes intense physical therapy.
 * 2001: Gale and Dewey get married after one year of engagement. Scream (2022 film) confirms the fourth film is set in 2011, when Gale says they have been married ten years. The Rileys live in Woodsboro together for at least a decade.
 * 2002—2005: Development for Stab 3: Hollywood Horror occurs after Gale has written the real-life book on it.
 * Approx. 2000—2001: Gale writes her fourth Maureen Prescott-related Ghostface book, based on the murders at Sunrise Studios.
 * July 2002: Samantha Carpenter turns five. Her mother is pregnant with her second child during this period.
 * December 14, 2002 (timeline conflict, but canonical): Tara Carpenter is born. She is Christina Carpenter's second child and Mr. Carpenter's first.
 * September 2003—August 2004 (timeline conflict, see next section): The teenagers featured in the fifth Scream (2022 film) are born. They would correspondingly be Woodsboro High School Class of 2022 (confirmed by reporter's dialogue).
 * approx. September 2003—August 2004: Mindy Meeks-Martin and Chad Meeks-Martin are born, Martha Meeks's twin children. (Martha is 21 after giving birth).
 * Mrs. McKenzie gives birth to her youngest child, a daughter named Liv McKenzie.
 * approx. 2004: Wes Hicks (17 in the fifth film) is born, Judy Hicks' first and only child. (Hicks was approx. 25 when she had her only child).
 * Approx. 2006: Filmed in 2005, Stab 3: Hollywood Horror is eventually remade loosely re-telling a story of true events. It completes the Stab trilogy based on true events. It is possible Tori Spelling returned one final time.
 * In Stab 3, Dewey and Gale's characters are married for 10 years, just like they are in Scream 4 (set in 2011, married in 2001). Given Stab (1998 film-within-a-film) is set in 1996 and released in 1998, it is likely it was released in 2006, coinciding with the 10th anniversary of the Woodsboro Murders (the earliest possible timeframe for Dewey and Gale to be a married couple, without a futuristic time jump, which Jenny notes does not occur until Stab 5).
 * Given Gale likely wrote about her romantic relationship with Dewey in The Windsor College Murders book, which included his near-death experience (published late-1998 or early-1999) and Stab 2 was released in 1999, it is possible Stab 2 streamlined their romantic story, and decided they got married right after the events of Stab in 1996. This would make sense, and Stab 3's delayed release would also be affected by the previous production murders six years prior.
 * Given Scream 4 's mockery of Stab 's 'endless sequels' is a reference to the Saw franchise's consecutively released sequels during this timeframe, it is likely this detail was intentional, as Saw 3 was also released in 2006.
 * Approx. 2006—2007:
 * Sunrise Studios attempts and fails to license a real-life inspired Stab film (either a prequel on Maureen or a Stab remake) approaching the tenth anniversary of the original Stab, which would have fit the style of 2000s Hollywood horror remake trends.
 * Sidney blocks this and threatens to sue the studios if they attempt to use real-life events. She appears to have the publishing rights for the original events in media form. (The reason for her desire/threat to sue is implicated differently in the fourth and fifth films)..
 * Approx. 2007: Stab 4 is the first officially released fictional Stab sequel. It is a fresh story.
 * According to Jenny Randall in Scream 4, it is not based on her true story anymore, and is a purely fictional franchise onwards.
 * It appears likely her role shifted from true-events based protagonist to a secondary character in these fictional storylines.
 * Sidney's character continues to appear in this film and its three sequels (Scream 5), according to Richie Kirsch.
 * Note: This differentiates from a deleted fountain scene at Woodsboro High in Scream 4; Kirby states Sidney's character has been gone since Stab 3. (Non-canon). (For more information, see: Next section).
 * Potential new distributor, following Sidney's dispute with Sunrise Studios, unable to create their remake.
 * The role reprisal of Tori Spelling or a recast is unknown.
 * Judy Hicks is a potential character in the film, according to Wes Hicks. (In the original script for Scream 5 dubbed Scream Forever).
 * Despite it being a stretch, it is highly unlikely she was in the most recent two Stab films (7 or 8).
 * It is possible her character as a Woodsboro police officer was used as a general reference to create "realism", now with the franchise becoming fictional.
 * Coincides with the release of Saw IV.
 * 2008: Stab 5 (filmed 2007) is the infamous time travel Stab film is released. Time travel's importance would be elevated by the fact that it is released on the decade anniversary of the original Stab. Coincides with the release of Saw V.
 * 2009: Stab 6 (filmed and takes place in 2008) is released.
 * Coincides with the release of Saw VI (2008).
 * The character Trudie has a Sidekick 2 (model released in 2005) and saw Saw IV, a Halloween 2007 release, in theatres. The pair deal with a "Facebook serial killer", confirming its pre-2009 timeframe (filmed in 2008).
 * By the time of its 2009 release, Twitter had become a more relevant platform to include a cyber stalker plot element, likely a plot point criticized by moviegoers after Stab received backlash. Rachel, from the opening of Stab 7 makes note of this.
 * The final Stab film to have a storyline in continuity with the previous 5 films, similar to the A Nightmare on Elm Street franchise.
 * First annual Stab-a-thon occurred.

2010s

 * 2010: Stab 7 (filmed 2009) is released. The final numbered Stab film, a popular DVD in 2011. In the seventh film, they respond to backlash from the relea se of Stab 6 's dated "Facebook killer" story.
 * Stab 7 appears to be a reference to the seventh A Nightmare on Elm Street, a meta film named Wes Craven's New Nightmare (1994) that influenced the original Scream (1996). The seventh Nightmare film acknowledged the events of the previous six Nightmares as Hollywood films, and real-life Heather Langenkamp appears again, playing herself.
 * It is possible Tori Spelling appeared as herself here, which would count as "Sidney" appearing.
 * Marnie Cooper (later in October 2011) mistakenly believed that the beginning of Stab 7 being Stab 6 meant the same for Stab 6 with Stab 5. Jenny corrects her, telling her that she is simply overthinking it.
 * Second annual Stab-a-thon occurred.
 * Following this, the franchise was at a standstill, especially after Sidney released a more accurate account of her life with the self-help book, Out of Darkness. It is the final appearance in the franchise, though it was likely the actress who portrayed her playing Sidney in a movie-within-a-movie role (Spelling if she returned).
 * Between 15—24 December 2010: 13-year-old Sam Carpenter searches for Christmas presents, and discovers her family origins and confronts her mother. Her legal father overhears this, and abandons his family that night. Tara turned eight on December 14, and Samantha turned 13 in August.
 * 15—24 December 2010: Mr Carpenter abandons his family.
 * approx. 2010—2011 (off-screen):
 * Trevor cheats on Jill with someone, possibly Jenny Randall (deleted scenes confirm this idea, Though if canon, Jill would be more of an obvious suspect).
 * Jill then begins a secret relationship with Charlie Walker. When they learn Sidney is returning to Woodsboro as a last stop for her upcoming book tour, they conspire for a 15th anniversary remake killing spree.

October 2011

 * October 2011 (on-screen):
 * Events of Scream 4, the Second Woodsboro Murders, also known as the Woodsboro Massacre remake.
 * Third annual Stab-A-Thon. Olivia Morris indicates she is an attendee of a previous Stab-A-Thon.
 * Sidney releases Out of Darkness, a self-help novel about her life. Her publicist Rebecca Walters has not read her book, instead waiting for the movie.
 * Gale and Dewey have been married for 10 years, just like their characters in Stab 3. (According to Rebecca).

Post-Scream 4, pre-Scream 5

 * 2011 (off-screen):
 * Shortly after Christmas 2010, Mr. Carpenter leaves the family, including his approx. 8-year-old-that-year daughter, Tara.
 * Martha Meeks lives outside of Woodsboro, California with her twin children. (She returns later, however).
 * Possible: Sam Carpenter, age 14, is babysitting Wes Hicks, age approx. 7/8, while Judy Hicks is on sheriff's deputy duty. If not, Wes is staying at his father's house.
 * Between October-2011—October 2021:
 * Kirby Reed, sole teen survivor, relocates from Woodsboro to an undisclosed location.
 * Approx. 2012—2015:
 * Sidney reconciles with and marries Mark Kincaid.
 * Sidney gives birth to 2 daughters (of her known 3 children in Scream 5) between 2013 and 2015. (Grade-school level schoolgirls, required age being 6, mentioned in the fifth film, set in late-2021).
 * Given the timeframe to recover from ICU complications and near-death, and her reconciliation with Mark, it is most likely her elder daughter, if not a twin or adopted, is born in 2013—2014.
 * Her second-born daughter (if not a twin and adopted) is born no later than 2015.
 * An early script for the fifth film indicates the Kincaid daughters' ages as 6 and 8 (thus born 2013 and 2015).
 * Gale relocates back to New York. (It is implied Gale is from New York, she briefly mentions she should be covering the Sharon Stone stalker story there).
 * Dewey splits up from Gale after two months in New York City.
 * 2016: 18-year-old Sam Carpenter (turning 19) abandons Woodsboro and her 13-year-old sister. She will not return for another 5 years.
 * Error: Amber Freeman claims Sam left on her exact 18th birthday. (Possible exaggeration for others to generate suspicion against Sam).
 * Though this would be inconsistent with the reference to the reporter and its near-25th anniversary 'to the day'. It is possible Tara refers to the events of her father's abandonment rounded to the year of her eighth birthday in 2011 (with the reference to Christmas gifts being leftover gifts in January), so she was actually much closer to age 7 than age 8.)
 * Approx. 2016—2019: Judy Hicks is promoted and becomes Sheriff of Woodsboro. She is preceded by Dewey Riley (approx. 2000s—2016) and Sheriff Burke (until at least 2000). This follows Sam's departure (who knew her as Deputy).
 * 2018: Kirby Reed gives a public interview about her survival in her mid-20s.
 * 2019: Gale and Dewey stop speaking.
 * 2019—2021: Sidney Prescott-Kincaid welcomes an additional child, her most recent (likely her third). (Physically unseen, but her young child is inside a pram in 2021).

2020s

 * Summer 2020: Liv McKenzie works with Tara Carpenter while dating Vince Schneider the summer before junior year.
 * Fall 2020: Liv breaks up with Vince Schneider.
 * December 2020: Stab (2021) is released. Directed by "Knives Out guy", Rian Johnson.
 * A video titled "Every Stab (2021) Kill Ranked from Worst to Worst" is shown as being released 10 months ago (December 2020—September 2021) to 82,000 views. Despite its would-be release date being December 2020 as an upload, it refers to Stab as being a 2021 film.
 * Timeline Error: It is also mentioned to have come out "last year" twice, by both Samantha and Mindy, despite being shown as a 2021 release date. This would have made the film be set in 2022. This is clearly inconsistent with other dialogues presented to showcase the timeline. See Continuity Error.
 * It is the simple, number-dropped title for Stab 8, a reboot to the franchise in developmental hell.
 * Gag/nod to the 2017 fandom backlash of his role as the eighth Star Wars film director and writer.
 * It is clear that post-production aesthetic goofs for the Easter eggs in the fifth film intended to update the film's year close to the release date, which disregards all previous age and time-related continuity established in the scenes shot in 2020, such as Sam/Tara's ages, Sam's age in relation to being Billy's daughter, and the referenced 25th anniversary, causing many timeline issues.
 * 2021: Liv begins dating Chad Meeks-Martin.
 * May 7, 2021: Dead Meat duo (James A. Janisse and his wife Chelsea) post a critical review of Stab 8 on FILM FAILS. It had 122, 096 views (12/20/96 is the release date of the original Scream film). FILM FAILS has 821,939, which is Wes Craven's birthday, August (8), 2, 1939.
 * March 2021: Six months before the events of the fifth film, Sam Carpenter meets Richie Kirsch.
 * May 2021: StabHead uploads "Not My Stab! Join the StabHead Army and #RedoStab2021!!!" to 12,000 views (Released 4 months ago).Thursday September 23 2021 at 9.27pm.jpg'' (2021). ]]
 * Thursday September 23, 2021 at 9.27pm, then sometime in the following calendar week for 2 days: Events of the fifth film, simply titled Scream (2022):
 * Tara's landline reveals the date to be 09/23 at 9.27pm. As we know the film occurs 25 years after the original, this means it is Thursday night.
 * The Principal of Woodsboro High, Arthur Himbry's successor (voiced by Drew Barrymore), states all classes are cancelled tomorrow due to public safety concerns. This confirms the aftermath of the opening scene's earliest timeframe is on Monday 27th September.
 * As a consequence of this, Vince Schneider is killed on Monday night, and Judy and Wes Hicks, Deputy Keith and Dewey Riley are killed on Tuesday evening, while Liv, Amber and Richie are killed on Wednesday night on 29th September.
 * Tara's surgery for her seven stab wounds as well as her recovery occurred between the final few hours of Thursday 23—Sunday 26th September, mentioned by Wes Hicks. This has to occur over the full weekend, due to the nature of the injuries, as well as the Principal stating the following day as being when class is suspended (as it could not be Friday, as the next day is Saturday).
 * Sam Carpenter is 24. (In-universe dialogue implicates she is 23).
 * Tara Carpenter's hospital wristband reveals she is 18 turning 19 in December 14, 2021, hence why she was a legal adult being left alone during Christina's international business trip.
 * Further dialogue in the opening scene indicates Christina has been absent frequently. "Charlie" states an anecdote from "the other day", also inferring her business venture in Europe is extensive. It is also confirmed to occur over a two-week calendar period.
 * See more: Continuity Errors.
 * See more: Continuity Errors.