Adam James, (also known as Ad), was a mentioned character and the father of Brandon James and Troy James in the original Scream television series, of the first and second season. He was also the paternal grandfather of Piper Shaw, the mastermind of the Second Lakewood Murders committed 21 years to the ones which his son was framed for.
His wife hinted that he and Brandon didn't have the closest father-son relationship as he was apparently ashamed of Brandon's deformed appearance.
Adam was mentioned by his wife in "The Dance", who's currently presumed deceased either before or after his son was framed for the 1994 Lakewood Murders committed on Halloween night by the 94 Killer (identity unknown), who'd framed his son by using Brandon's mask to kill 5 teens and attack Kevin Duval, all of whom were his son's bullies at George Washington High School in Lakewood, due to his son having an affair with his crush and the James's family neighbor, Daisy Anderson, who happened to be dating Kevin, and who would become a grandfather either before his death or posthumously to his son's daughter illegitimately conceived child with Daisy, Piper Shaw, who'd grow up trying to avenge her father, unaware of him being framed.
Biography[]
Early Life[]
Not much is known about Adam's early life except that he was born approximately in the late 1920s-1929 (if or if not in Lakewood, Louisiana). Growing up, Adam would meet and marry his future wife and mother of their sons, Cassie. Adam was almost 50 by the time he and his wife had their second son, Brandon James, born approx. in June 1978-August 1979, which Cassie mentions could've contributed to Brandon being born deformed. Due to this fact, Adam would grow to have an estranged relationship with his youngest son growing up because of this.
Adam with his family would also live next door to the Andersons, whose daughter, Daisy, was Brandon's crush as well as childhood friend. Their relationship would culminate growing up, much to the chagrin of Cassie though Adam's stance is unstated but who probably took her side due to Brandon being deformed and an outcast, of which opened his son for exposure and judgement from others, due to Daisy's popularity as the two attended George Washington High at the start of 1993 as freshmen.
The 1994 Lakewood Murders[]
Adam, as well as his wife, Cassie, would disapprove of Brandon as a 15-16 year old teenager in the summer of 1994, heading into his sophomore year of high school, going to work at the Bowling Alley just to be closer to Daisy.
Both him and his wife would be unaware of Daisy's affair with Brandon in October 1994, which led for him to be targeted on the night of the Halloween dance on Monday, October 31st, 1994 by his bullies, due to Daisy being Kevin Duval's girlfriend at the time, another male student, with rumors of the affair circling. This then led to an unknown assailant seizing the opportunity to frame Brandon, by killing the male bullies and other students, of who jumped and beat on him at George Washington High when Brandon tried to approach Daisy to talk, which were Brett Keener, Dara Alden, Mike Vinson, Laura Cossey, and Trent Price, as well as brutally attacking Kevin, who survived.
Afterwards, Adam's youngest son would be shot and presumably killed when attempting to meet Daisy at the pier of Wren Lake that Halloween night, leading into midnight on November 1st, 1994, due to the Lakewood Sheriff's Department setting up a rendezvous and shooting Brandon down upon him arriving wearing a hoodie and after approaching Daisy to talk and handing her a necklace, before he was shot down into the lake.
Due to his son's body not being found initially after he'd fallen in the lake, a search was issued but cancelled the same day. It's unstated how Adam had taken the news of his son's alleged killings and death, or if he, his eldest son Troy, and his wife organized a funeral afterwards. Due to the publicity, the James found themselves moving away, much like the Anderson family. At this time, Daisy would become pregnant with Adam's granddaughter, of who she gave birth to a year later in July 1995, named Piper Shaw, who was given up for adoption.
Aftermath and Fate[]
It's unclear whether Adam had passed away either before or just prior or concurrent to the Second Lakewood Murders committed nearly 21 years after the 1994 murders committed by an unknown killer that framed his son, by his revenge stricken granddaughter Piper and her accomplice, 17-year old Kieran Wilcox.
Trivia[]
- From the dialog of Cassie James in "The Dance", it is widely believed that her husband's name is Ed, but according to the website Emma browsed in "Exposed", his full name is Adam.
- Hence, Cassie was actually referring her husband as Ad.
- Adam is one of various fathers in the Scream franchise, who's family consisted of at least a killer that was his own child, although it was later confirmed that Brandon was framed, as well as a grandchild that was a killer (Piper), which is similar to:
- Hank Loomis in Scream (although his son, Billy Loomis, and ex-wife, Nancy ended up being Ghostface killers, and which his paternal granddaughter, Samantha Carpenter, didn't inherit despite the relation).
- Adam being the father of two children, specifically sons, would be referenced by Earl Elliot in Season 3 (who with his wife Sherry, had Marcus and Deion Elliot), and by Wayne Bailey in Scream VI (who with his wife, had Richie Kirsch and Ethan Landry).