For the massacre it is based on, see: The Woodsboro Murders (original massacre)
The Woodsboro Murders is the best-selling non-fiction follow-up novel to Wrongly Accused (1996) by Top Story journalist and reporter, Gale Weathers. It was released sometime in 1997.
It is Weathers' first eye-witness account of the Ghostface killing sprees. It was published by Sunset True Crime books and later adapted into a successful horror franchise, Stab, beginning in 1997 (continuity error).
It was written after the conclusion of the Woodsboro Murders in 1996 where Maureen Prescott's killers in 1995 were revealed to be Woodsboro High students, Billy Loomis and Stu Macher. With Weathers proven correct that Cotton Weary was wrongfully convicted of rape and murder, he was exonerated, and now Weathers details her firsthand account, including her own confrontation with the true killers.
History[]
Information[]
Before it was released, Gale was in the midst of releasing Wrongly Accused: The Maureen Prescott Murder during the original Woodsboro killing spree.
The book is based on the events of the first installment. Gale is critical of Dewey Riley in his police work, describing him as "oozing with inexperience". Gale also admits to writing false, exaggerated information, describing Kenny Brown's death, saying he was gutted by the infamous, Ghostface, rather than his throat being slashed.
It is also mentioned in the second installment that the ending was different from what Sidney, Randy and Gale recalled. It was revealed that numerous characters from the second installment had read the book, like Dewey, Randy, Joel and Debbie Salt (aka Nancy Loomis).
It played a big part in the final scenes of the third installment. When Dewey asked Gale to sign the book for her, she opens it to find an engagement ring.
Trivia[]
The original description of The Woodsboro Murders from the defunct GaleWeathers.com promotional website for Scream 3.
- Despite being non-fiction, it had exaggerative elements, such as Kenny Brown's murder.
- A defunct promotional website for the book suggests it was released in 1996.
- Given the events of the first film are implied to take place in late-1996, it was likely published in 1997.
- Gale's engagement ring was hidden in the book cut out by Dewey.
Other books[]
The order of Gale's published books, as seen on her desk in Scream 4 or in the shrine in Scream VI. In overall chronological order:
- Wrongly Accused (Mentioned in Scream; Never seen until Scream VI in the Ghostface Shrine.
- The Woodsboro Murders (Gale's first book on Ghostface based on the 1996 Woodsboro Murders. Seen in Scream 2, Scream 3, Scream 4 and Scream VI.
- College Terror (Mentioned in Scream 3; Easter egg on Gale's desk and in Jill's room in Scream 4; Seen in the shrine in Scream VI; 1998 book; adapted into Stab 2 released in 1999)
- Stabbed In The Back (Seen in Scream VI; Gale's book detailing the shady past of Sunrise Studios)
- Hollywood Horror (Easter egg on Gale's desk in Scream 4; Seen in the shrine in Scream VI; 2000 book; adapted into Stab 3: Hollywood Horror released in 2006)
- Knife of Doom (Seen in Scream 4; Seen in the shrine in Scream VI; adapted into Stab 4 released in 2007)
- Clock of Doom (Seen in Scream 4; Seen in the shrine in Scream VI; adapted into Stab 5 released in 2008)
- Ghostface Returns (Fiction; Easter egg on Gale's desk and in Jill's room; Seen in the shrine in Scream VI; released 2000s decade; adapted into Stab 6 released in 2009)
- Knife of the Hunter (Fiction; adapted into Stab 7 released in 2010; Easter egg on Gale's desk; Seen in the shrine in Scream VI).
- Requel: Terror Returns To Woodsboro (Non-fiction; Gale's latest book based upon the 2022 Woodsboro Murders).