Kirby Reed | |
---|---|
Scream character | |
![]() Hayden Panettiere as Kirby Reed in Scream 4 (2011) | |
First appearance | Scream 4 (2011) |
Created by | Kevin Williamson |
Portrayed by | Hayden Panettiere |
In-universe information | |
Alias | Woodsboro Survivor |
Occupation | Woodsboro High senior (graduated) F.B.I. special Agent |
Significant other | Charlie Walker (love interest; formerly) |
Location | Woodsboro (formerly) Atlanta (current) New York (temporary, formerly) |
Status | Alive |
Kirby Reed is a fictional character in the Scream film series, created by Kevin Williamson and portrayed by Hayden Panettiere. She first appeared in Scream 4 (2011) and returns in Scream VI (2023).
The character is a target in the fourth killing spree committed by Ghostface, a mysterious, masked killer who wears a ghost mask and black cloak, to pursue her and her friends. In each film, the killer targets their victims with threatening phone calls and intimate knowledge of their target's lives before one or several of the alleged victims is revealed as a killer. [1]
In Scream 4 , Reed is introduced as the best friend of franchise protagonist Sidney Prescott's young cousin, Jill Roberts, a millennial target for a copycat anniversary serial killer wearing the infamous Ghostface costume. Since the original killings, no killer has targeted Woodsboro until 2011, making it the second Woodsboro massacre. Panettiere's character worries for her survival after not receiving a phone call like her best friends. The character is a horror genre savvy, trivia fanatic with a dry sense of humor and sarcastic quip. She shows subtle interest in fellow film geek Charlie Walker.
She is initially slotted into the "sidekick" archetype but outgrows this by the final act. She rises to heroine status by the end and is left near-fatally wounded. [2] Being the only unconfirmed victim of the Woodsboro Remake, Kirby was confirmed alive through a photographic cameo in the fifth entry, making her the sole teen survivor of the fourth film and a final girl. [3]
Kirby has been described as a "fan-favorite" [4] [5] and the fourth film's breakout character. [6]
Kirby reappears in Scream VI, now an FBI special agent based in Atlanta who travels to New York to assist in the investigation into the latest Ghostface knockoff mystery.
Kirby's first appearance is in Scream 4 (2011) as the 18-year-old high school senior from the fictional town of Woodsboro, in Northern California. The anniversary week of Billy Loomis (Skeet Ulrich) and Stu Macher (Matthew Lillard)'s original killing spree coincides with the murder of her classmates, Jenny Randall (Aimee Teegarden) and Marnie Cooper (Britt Robertson). She stays at her best friend, Jill Roberts (Emma Roberts)'s house, with her mother, Kate (Mary McDonnell) and Jill's celebrity cousin and heroine, Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell), whom Kirby admires and looks up to. Kirby credits Sidney for her love of horror movies. They receive police protection by Deputies Perkins (Anthony Anderson) and Hoss (Adam Brody). Kirby gets her first call, amid watching Shaun of the Dead with Jill. Ghostface claims to be in Jill's closet, but it turns out to be their other best friend, Olivia Morris (Marielle Jaffe)'s closet next door, whom they watch get savagely murdered. Kirby tends to Jill after she is slashed on the arm by Ghostface following Olivia's murder.
She attends film geeks Charlie Walker (Rory Culkin) and Robbie Mercer (Erik Knudsen)'s third annual Stab-A-Thon, a Friday night movie marathon celebrating all seven Stab films back-to-back. The venue takes place at an abandoned farm, where Gale Riley (Courteney Cox) is stabbed during the Casey Becker (Heather Graham) opening scene. The sheriff's wife being left in critical condition causes the teens to disperse. The exception to this is Jill, who was prohibited from attending the party by her mother. Kirby is contacted by a snuck-out Jill to pick her up due to her mother "driving [her] crazy", and they invite Robbie and Charlie to Kirby's for an afterparty. Trevor Sheldon (Nico Tortorella)—whom she had been suspicious of—shows up uninvited, much to her annoyance, and Charlie apologizes, being the last arrival. A drunken Kirby almost kisses Charlie, but Trevor barges in again, causing Charlie to storm off.
After Sidney arrives to warn Jill to leave, Ghostface has followed and launches at the three women at the front door after Robbie collapses to his death in front of them; the cousins run upstairs, while Kirby runs to another room in her main hallway. Kirby later reconvenes with Sidney again to say someone has smashed the router and the landline is dead; Sidney informs her she may have gotten in contact with the police. The two find Charlie outside her basement patio doors, where Sidney tells her not to let him in if she cannot trust him. Kirby cries, telling him she cannot open the door.
Ghostface arrives to attack him. Then the lights shut. When they re-open, Charlie is duct-taped and rope-tied to a chair, like Steven Orth (Kevin Patrick Walls) in the original film's opening scene. Kirby must save his life with horror trivia questions, a callback to Casey Becker (Drew Barrymore), also in the original scene, now taking place in the tentative climax. She mentions Psycho (1960) as starting the slasher craze, but the killer states it is Peeping Tom (1960), the first film to "put the audience in the killer's POV." She begs for one more question to save Charlie's life. After answering every remake she can think of, Ghostface goes silent, making her assume she has won the trivia game.
Kirby goes out to untie and release Charlie, and in doing so, he stabs her in the stomach, revealing he is one of the killers. He blames her for not noticing him sooner, and is tearful about having to kill her. He stabs her in the stomach again, leaving her to drop on the floor and bleed out, still motioning on the ground. Sidney later hears a noise from the basement before Charlie grabs her and takes her away to be confronted with the other killer, Kirby's best friend, Jill. With the other two accounted for in the main hallway, it is inferred that the noise comes from Kirby, who crawls in after being stabbed. Dewey, Judy Hicks (Marley Shelton) and the remaining cops arrive; the victim-acting Jill mistakes Sidney and Kirby, both stabbed in the stomach twice, as being dead. Being a family member, Dewey naively discloses to Jill that Sidney is alive; while Jill targets Sidney in her recovering hospital bed, Sidney is able to subdue and kill her psychotic cousin. Meanwhile, it is assumed Kirby was found in the basement by other law enforcement off-screen. Jill is falsely identified as a survivor, while Kirby, whose fate is in limbo, [7] is the later-revealed true survivor and final girl. [8]
Kirby has a cameo via photograph in the fifth Scream film, simply titled Scream (2022), confirming her survival. When Richie Kirsch (Jack Quaid) watches a YouTube video by Film Fails criticizing Stab 8, she is seen in a thumbnail still on the top video on the sidebar. The video titled "Interview with Woodsboro Survivor Kirby Reed!", uploaded by Bloody Disgusting three years ago. Since the film takes place in 2021-2022, the interview occurred in 2018, when Kirby was 24.
Kirby appears again in Scream VI, now an FBI special agent and living in Atlanta. She works alongside Detective Bailey to investigate the latest attacks made by the Ghostface killer, acknowledging her previous attack by Charlie Walker in 2011. It is shown that Kirby and Samantha Carpenter are familiar with each other, both having attended Woodsboro High School together and have a friendly reunion at the NYPD station. Kirby accompanies Sam and her friends to the Ghostface shrine, where she is seen looking at items belonging to her former best friend and past killer, Jill Roberts along with evidence from her attack at the hands of Charlie Walker.
During the finale, Kirby helps Sam turn the shrine into a trap and reveals she is the only one of them that will be armed with a gun. Detective Bailey then contacts Sam to inform her that Kirby was fired from the FBI months prior due to mental instability from her previous attack. Once Bailey arrives at the scene, Kirby is shown to have been attacked again by another Ghostface killer, although Sam remains suspicious. Kirby quickly alerts Detective Bailey when she sees another Ghostface appear behind him, only to be shot twice by Bailey, who reveals himself to be one of the killers along with his children, Ethan Landry and Quinn.
Kirby is then shown to have worn a bulletproof vest and has survived her shooting, but is later stabbed once again by Ethan before killing him for good by dropping the TV that was used to kill Stu Macher on his head. She is then seen receiving medical attention for her attack, instructing Sam to call her anytime she needs.
Hayden Panettiere was announced to be offered a role on Scream 4 on May 21, 2010 following the cancellation of Heroes (2006–2010). The character was described as fulfilling the "best friend" archetype to new heroine, Jill, the cousin of Sidney (portrayed by Neve Campbell). [9] One week later, Panettiere and Rory Culkin were confirmed to star in the film. [10]
A very different character than I've ever played. She's kind of a tomboy. She's got that, that edge to her. That dry, sarcastic sense of humor which I loved playing. And underneath that, she's this horror movie buff that you don't expect from her. So she's very surprising.
—Panettiere on her character, Kirby in an April 2011 Scream 4 promotional interview. [11]
The casting call for Kirby characterized her as "Cute and quirky, was a tomboy until a year ago, now she's alternative, cool and sexy. Jill's best friend. She's a pop culture and horror aficionado.". [12] Panettiere responded to false claims and rumors she was unsatisfied with her role amid press release for Scream 4: "I actually think my role is very, very, very fun. She's very sassy. She's very strong. It's a character I don't think I've ever played before. Her name is Kirby". [13] She described portraying the character and taking direction from Wes Craven as "a blast". [11]
In an interview promoting the film, director Wes Craven praised Panettiere's performance as Kirby, working under a supporting cast member role and said, "Hayden is a real powerhouse. Tremendous technical ability. Able to bring enormous emotionalities to something very quickly. Smart. Just so full of life and laughter and fun. And, you know, played this really difficult role as Emma's best friend. And again, brought the picture up so much in her scenes. [...] she just re-affirmed that she is just a really great actress [...] packed into a very small package—but wow, what a powerhouse." [14]
On Kirby's development off-screen between the fourth and sixth films, Panettiere stated, "She's come a long way. What happened to her has obviously impacted her life, and it sends her in a certain direction, but she's still the same old Kirby at the heart of it. She's just a little older, a little wiser, but just as spitfire-y, and snarky, and all that good stuff." [15]
In an October 2011 interview, Wes Craven discussed Kirby's uncertain fate following the film's release in April. He revealed actress Hayden Panettiere had a no-kill clause in her contract, and further stated that she did not die on-screen, as she "kept moving on the ground", but also expressed uncertainty on the development of a fifth film. [7] On January 14, 2012, a fan tweeted to Craven. He asked if Kirby died and Craven tweet-replied, "I don't think so. She was still moving when we cut away from her..." [17] Craven passed away in August 2015, and the fate of the franchise went into limbo following the dissolution of The Weinstein Company. The franchise rights were bought by Spyglass Media Group in November 2019.
In November 2019, Spyglass Media Group acquired the rights to make a new Scream film, then-unknown to be a direct Scream 4 sequel. [18] In March 2020, it was announced that Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett would direct the fifth installment, with Kevin Williamson serving as an executive producer, and that the film had already entered official development. [19]
Co-director, Matt Bettinelli-Olpin spoke about answering Kirby's fate, stating, "Honestly, the only reason she wasn't in it is because we were so far down the road that it would have been an injustice to Kirby to sort of shoehorn her in," he said. “But we did know that we wanted to somehow answer that at some point." Co-director Tyler Gillett elaborated, "The perfect moment came when the crew was doing post production. They were looking at the YouTube page where she would ultimately make her appearance."
Originally, the "blink-and-miss" cameo was the original stand-in for the YouTube video clip that Richie Kirsch (Jack Quaid) watches. Gillett said that the YouTube page was not going to be used and instead, "It was going to be an interview with Rian Johnson" (the film's movie-within-a-movie director, parodying the backlash to the eighth Star Wars film's backlash, of which Johnson directed) where Panettiere's character speaks about "how great" Stab 8 is. "When scheduling made the Rian Johnson thing not work out, we designed the YouTube page and the first thing we said was, 'This is where we can answer the Kirby thing. This is where we can let people know Kirby survived. We'll make this an Easter egg.' As soon as we did that, we're like, 'Oh, it's great. It's subtle.' But it answers the thing we all wanted to know: did she live or die?", Gillett stated. [16] "We went back to that Wes Craven quote," Bettinelli-Olpin further shared. "And just thought, all right, let's see that through. We also just loved giving that piece of information in such a small way," he explained. "We know that the fans that really genuinely care about Kirby and are in the did Kirby live or die debate are watching things that closely." [16]
For Tilt Magazine, Sarah Truesdale reviewed Scream 4 on its ten year anniversary, and referred to Panettiere as Kirby being "easily the best part of the film,". [20] She also expressed enthusiasm at the idea of Kirby reappearing in the franchise's future stating that after Panettiere spent "many years [...] post-Heroes and Scream in the very un-genre series Nashville [i]t would be nice to see her show back up in this realm again." Germain Lussier for Gizmodo retroactively praised the film in a retrospective review and singled out Panettiere saying, "the kids throughout are wonderful, especially Hayden Panettiere—who spent many years post-Heroes and Scream in the very un-genre series Nashville . It would be nice to see her show back up in this realm again." [21] William Hughes for The A.V. Club also described Panettiere as "one of the best parts of Scream 4" when noting her Scream VI return. [22]
In a 2021 Fangoria article, Julieann Stipidis noted the importance of Kirby, stating, "The epitome of effortlessly cool, the chic, quick-witted, middle finger-flipping secondary character chewed her way through the scenery, showcasing an abundance of horror knowledge and enthusiasm – and becoming a favorite among women horror fans who had never before quite seen themselves depicted in the mainstream." She further stated, "And exactly 10 years later to the day, we still haven’t really witnessed anything quite like a Kirby again", and noted the minimality of examples in similar characters introduced later in the 2010s. [23]
Melanson for Fangoria in 2022 wrote about Kirby's return for the sixth installment stating, "And while we appreciated the confirmation (Kirby lives!) and nod to this fan-favorite, we are happy to see Kirby returning as more than an easter egg for astute eyeballs." [5] Fans reacted to the news of Panettiere's return to the role 12 years later with excitement, but also fear that she would be killed off. [24] [25]
Scream is a 1996 American slasher film directed by Wes Craven and written by Kevin Williamson. It stars David Arquette, Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, Matthew Lillard, Rose McGowan, Skeet Ulrich, and Drew Barrymore. Set in the fictional town of Woodsboro, California, Scream's plot follows high school student Sidney Prescott (Campbell) and her friends, who, on the anniversary of her mother's murder, become the targets of a costumed serial killer known as Ghostface.
Wesley Earl Craven was an American film director, screenwriter, producer, actor, and editor. Amongst his prolific filmography, Craven was best known for his pioneering work in the horror genre, particularly slasher films, where he mixed horror cliches with humor and satire. Craven has commonly been recognized as one of the greatest masters of the horror genre due to the cultural impact and influence of his work.
Scary Movie is a 2000 American slasher parody film directed by Keenen Ivory Wayans and written by Marlon and Shawn Wayans, alongside Buddy Johnson, Phil Beauman, Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer. Starring Jon Abrahams, Carmen Electra, Shannon Elizabeth, Anna Faris, Kurt Fuller, Regina Hall, Lochlyn Munro, Cheri Oteri, and Dave Sheridan, it follows a group of teenagers who accidentally hit a man with their car, dump his body in a lake, and swear to secrecy. A year later, someone wearing a Ghostface mask and robe begins hunting them one by one.
Hayden Lesley Panettiere is an American actress and singer. She is best known for her lead roles as Claire Bennet on the NBC superhero series Heroes(2006–2010), Kirby Reed in the slasher horror franchise Scream(2011–2023), and Juliette Barnes in the ABC/CMT musical drama series Nashville(2012–2018). The latter earned her two nominations for the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film.
Scream 2 is a 1997 American slasher film directed by Wes Craven and written by Kevin Williamson. It stars David Arquette, Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Jamie Kennedy, Laurie Metcalf, Jerry O'Connell, Elise Neal, Timothy Olyphant, Jada Pinkett, and Liev Schreiber. A sequel to Scream (1996), the film was released on December 12, 1997, by Dimension Films as the second installment in the Scream film series. Scream 2 takes place two years after the first film and again follows the character of Sidney Prescott (Campbell), along with other survivors of the Woodsboro massacre, at the fictional Windsor College in Ohio where they are targeted by a copycat killer using the guise of Ghostface. Like its predecessor, Scream 2 combines the violence of the slasher genre with elements of comedy, satire and "whodunit" mystery while satirizing the cliché of film sequels.
Scream 3 is a 2000 American slasher film directed by Wes Craven and written by Ehren Kruger. It stars David Arquette, Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox Arquette, Parker Posey, Patrick Dempsey, Scott Foley, Lance Henriksen, Matt Keeslar, Jenny McCarthy, Emily Mortimer, Deon Richmond, and Patrick Warburton. It is a sequel to Scream 2 (1997) and the third installment in the Scream film series. The film's story takes place one year after the previous film's events and follows Sidney Prescott (Campbell), who has gone into self-imposed isolation following the events of the previous two films but is drawn to Hollywood after a new Ghostface begins killing the cast of the film within a film Stab 3. Scream 3 combines the violence of the slasher genre with comedy and "whodunit" mystery, while satirizing the cliché of film trilogies. Unlike the previous Scream films, there was an increased emphasis on comedic elements in this installment; the violence and horror were reduced in response to increased public scrutiny about violence in media, following the Columbine High School massacre.
Deadly Friend is a 1986 American science fiction horror film directed by Wes Craven, and starring Matthew Laborteaux, Kristy Swanson, Michael Sharrett, Anne Twomey, Richard Marcus, and Anne Ramsey. Its plot follows a teenage computer prodigy who implants a robot's processor into the brain of his teenage neighbor after she is pronounced brain dead; the experiment proves successful, but she swiftly begins a killing spree in their neighborhood. It is based on the 1985 novel Friend by Diana Henstell, which was adapted for the screen by Bruce Joel Rubin.
Vampire in Brooklyn is a 1995 American vampire comedy horror film directed by Wes Craven. It stars Eddie Murphy, who produced and wrote with his brothers Vernon Lynch and Charles Q. Murphy. The film co-stars Angela Bassett, Allen Payne, Kadeem Hardison, John Witherspoon, Zakes Mokae, and Joanna Cassidy. Murphy also plays an alcoholic preacher, Pauly, and a foul-mouthed Italian-American mobster, Guido, respectively.
Ghostface is a fictional identity that is adopted by the primary antagonists of the Scream franchise. The figure was originally created by Kevin Williamson, and is primarily mute in person but voiced over the phone by Roger L. Jackson, regardless of who is behind the mask. The disguise has been adopted by various characters in the movies and in the third season of the television series.
Sidney Prescott is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the Scream franchise. The character was created by Kevin Williamson and is portrayed by Canadian actress Neve Campbell. She first appeared in Scream (1996) followed by four sequels: Scream 2 (1997), Scream 3 (2000), Scream 4 (2011), and Scream (2022). She is set to return in the upcoming seventh film in the franchise. Until 2023's Scream VI, her character had appeared in each successive film in the series, her role initially that of the victim but growing into heroine where she personally confronts each killer and defeats them.
Gale Weathers is a fictional character of the Scream film series, created by Kevin Williamson and portrayed by Courteney Cox. The character first appeared in Scream (1996), followed by five sequels: Scream 2 (1997), Scream 3 (2000), Scream 4 (2011), Scream (2022), and Scream VI (2023). She is the only character who has appeared in every film in the series. For playing Gale, Cox also holds the record of being the only actress to appear in six consecutive films of a horror franchise. At the MTV Movie & TV Awards, Scream VI (2023) won Best Fight for the scene where Ghostface attacks the character, the first time in the franchise where the killer and the character interacted over the phone.
Randy Meeks is a fictional character in the Scream franchise. Randy first appears in Scream (1996) as a high school student with a passion for the horror genre. He is portrayed by Jamie Kennedy. A self-professed "geek", Randy provides comic relief during his appearances throughout the franchise, using his in-depth knowledge of horror film plots and clichés to define the series of murders that occur in the franchise. Director Wes Craven fought for Kennedy's casting for the film, as the studio planned for a bigger name to take the role. Despite Kennedy's lack of experience, Craven got his way, citing that actor Johnny Depp was not a big name when cast in A Nightmare on Elm Street.
Scream is an American murder mystery and meta slasher franchise that includes six films, a television series, merchandise, and games. The first four films were directed by Wes Craven. The series was created by Kevin Williamson, who wrote the first two films and the fourth, and will return to direct the seventh film. Ehren Kruger wrote the third. The fifth and sixth installments were directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, with Guy Busick and James Vanderbilt serving as writers and Williamson returning as executive producer. Dimension Films produced the first four films. Spyglass Media Group took over the rights from the fifth film on with Paramount Pictures distributing. The film series has grossed over US$900 million at the global box office.
Casey Becker is a fictional character from the Scream franchise, first appearing in the 1996 film Scream, as its false protagonist. The character was created by Kevin Williamson and originated by American actress Drew Barrymore. Casey was subsequently played by Heather Graham in Scream 2 for its movie-within-a-movie scenes. Casey and Steve Orth, her boyfriend, are the first characters to be killed in the franchise, in what has been called "one of the most famous scenes of all time."
Scream 4 is a 2011 American slasher film directed by Wes Craven and written by Kevin Williamson. Produced by Outerbanks Entertainment and distributed by Dimension Films, it is a sequel to Scream 3 (2000) and the fourth installment in the Scream film series. The film stars David Arquette, Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, Emma Roberts, Hayden Panettiere, Anthony Anderson, Alison Brie, Adam Brody, Rory Culkin, Marielle Jaffe, Erik Knudsen, Mary McDonnell, Marley Shelton, Nico Tortorella, and Roger L. Jackson. The film takes place on the fifteenth anniversary of the original Woodsboro murders from Scream (1996) and involves Sidney Prescott (Campbell) returning to the town after ten years, where Ghostface once again begins killing students from Woodsboro High. Like its predecessors, Scream 4 combines the violence of the slasher genre with elements of black comedy and "whodunit" mystery to satirize the clichés of film remakes. The film also provides commentary on the extensive usage of social media and the obsession with internet fame.
Dwight "Dewey" Riley is a fictional character in the Scream franchise. Dewey first appears in Scream (1996) as a bumbling police deputy doing his best to deal with the first Woodsboro massacre. He was created by Kevin Williamson and portrayed by David Arquette. A comic relief character of sorts, Dewey is known for his affable personality, his bravery, and his resourcefulness. Arquette was initially called in to audition for the role of Billy Loomis but requested to director Wes Craven that he play Dewey instead, which Craven agreed to.
Scream is a 2022 American slasher film directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, and written by James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick. It is the fifth installment in the Scream film series and a direct sequel to Scream 4 (2011). The first in the series not directed by Wes Craven, who died in 2015, the film is dedicated to Craven at the beginning of the closing credits. The film stars Melissa Barrera, Kyle Gallner, Mason Gooding, Mikey Madison, Dylan Minnette, Jenna Ortega, Jack Quaid, Jasmin Savoy Brown, and Sonia Ammar, with Marley Shelton, Skeet Ulrich, Roger L. Jackson, Heather Matarazzo, Courteney Cox, David Arquette, and Neve Campbell reprising their roles from previous installments. The plot takes place twenty-five years after the original Woodsboro murders from Scream (1996), when yet another Ghostface appears and begins targeting a group of teenagers who are each somehow linked to the original killings.
Scream VI is a 2023 American slasher film directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, and written by James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick. It is the sequel to Scream (2022) and the sixth installment in the Scream film series. The film stars Melissa Barrera, Mason Gooding, Roger L. Jackson, Jenna Ortega, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Hayden Panettiere, and Courteney Cox, all reprising their roles from previous installments, with Jack Champion, Henry Czerny, Liana Liberato, Dermot Mulroney, Devyn Nekoda, Tony Revolori, Josh Segarra, and Samara Weaving joining the ensemble cast. The plot follows a new Ghostface killer, who begins targeting the survivors of the Woodsboro murders in New York City.