Scream 2022: All 9 Times Dewey Was Stabbed Explained

Warning! SPOILERS for Scream 2022.

By the time of Scream 2022, Woodsboro’s one-time sheriff has become intimiately familiar with Ghostface’s blade – here are all nine times Dewey was stabbed in the franchise. Taking the reins from the late Wes Craven, Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillet directed Scream 2022, a self-proclaimed “requel” that unites new heroes with legacy characters. Memorably played by David Arquette, Dewey appears in all five films in the meta slasher series, and his habit of narrowly escaping death quickly became a popular running gag.

Debuting in 1996’s Scream, Dewey was a hapless deputy who quickly falls for the ambulance-chasing reporter Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox). From Hollywood adviser to sheriff of Woodsboro, Dewey always put himself in harm’s way to protect others. When a new Ghostface killer emerges in Scream 2022, determined to reveal a dark secret, Sam Carpenter (Melissa Barrera) seeks Dewey’s help as an “expert” on Woodsboro’s morbid history and the Stab films.

SCREENRANT VIDEO OF THE DAY

Dewey was never supposed to survive the first Scream but was so likable Wes Craven couldn’t help but keep him around for the sequels. That’s not to say Dewey didn’t come incredibly close to death – as he tells Sam in Scream 2022, “I’ve been stabbed nine times.” There’s only one movie in which Dewey isn’t stabbed – though he does suffer a rather embarrassing injury – before he confronts Ghostface for the final time in one of Scream 2022’s best scenes.

Scream

Nobody takes Deputy Dewey seriously in Wes Craven’s original Scream. He is undermined by his teenage sister, Tatum (Rose McGowan), and doesn’t exactly strike an imposing figure when trying to uphold the law. One of his most memorable moments is when he screams in terror after Scream‘s Sidney (Neve Campbell) runs into him holding a Ghostface mask. Nonetheless, he demonstrates his bravery in Scream’s climax, entering Stu’s (Matthew Lillard) house to protect Sidney and her friends. Unfortunately, he is stabbed offscreen, revealed in a tense scene where Sidney watches him stumble through the doorway before collapsing, a knife jutting out of his back. This was supposed to be the demise of the bumbling, yet heartfelt Dewey, only for Craven to save him right at the end. He is lifted into an ambulance, giving a weak thumbs-up as he mutters, “Where’s Gale?” That selfless reaction is exactly why Dewey deserved to survive his first of nine stab wounds.

Scream 2 

If anyone doubted Craven’s decision to have Dewey survive, the underrated Scream 2 perfectly demonstrated why he made the right call. Dewey rushes to Windsor College to help Sidney as soon as he learns of the new Ghostface attacks. It’s revealed he has a limp due to a severed nerve from his first stab wound, but this doesn’t deter him and he teams up with fellow survivors Gale and Randy (Jamie Kennedy). Dewey and Gale’s romance is most fully realized in Scream 2, leading to a heartbreaking scene as she is forced to watch Ghostface repeatedly stab Dewey. Hiding from Ghostface in the college film department, Gale barricades herself in a soundproof booth, initially unaware of both Dewey and Ghostface standing behind her. When she turns to see Dewey stabbed several times, slammed up against the glass, her horror speaks for the entire audience. Dewey’s death seemed certain. Yet, miraculously, he survived once again – only this time, Gale accompanied him in the ambulance, abandoning her news report.

Scream 3

Although remembered as the weakest movie in the franchise, Scream 3 did give Dewey an interesting role as a technical advisor on Stab 3. After two Ghostface massacres, he has matured somewhat and is better prepared for the current killing spree, even shooting Ghostface during one sequence. He is also one of the very few people Sidney trusts with her secret location, only to be drawn out of hiding for a showdown in an eerie Hollywood mansion. After being stabbed seven times by this point, Dewey receives a further two knife wounds. His arm is slashed during a chase sequence before he receives a hilariously close call when protecting Gale in the mansion basement. Unable to shoot Ghostface as his gun is out of bullets, Scream 3‘s killer throws his knife at Dewey, who is extremely lucky to only be hit in the head by the handle and subsequently knocked unconscious. Although this technically isn’t a stab wound, Dewey perhaps considers it one of his nine stabs as it’s simply easier and less awkward than describing what actually happens.

Scream 4 Is The Only Movie Dewey Isn’t Attacked With A Knife

Dewey has already been stabbed nine times, so Scream 4 decides to subvert expectations without entirely dropping the running gag. Perhaps in keeping with his role as sheriff and his personal growth over the last three movies, Dewey is treated as a more competent authority figure. On this occasion, it is his now-wife Gale who is stabbed, with Dewey rushing to her aid and firing at Ghostface during Woodsboro’s Stabathon event. However, Dewey can hardly survive a Scream film without getting attacked – he winds up being beaten over the head with a hospital bedpan by Scream 4‘s Jill (Emma Roberts). It’s his most humorous injury but it arguably contrasts well with his somewhat more serious depiction in Scream 4.

Why Scream 2022 Killed Dewey

Dewey’s death in Scream 2022 is a bold, but necessary choice. As described by Randy’s replacement and niece, Mindy (Jasmin Savoy Brown), the latest massacre is a “requel,” and the rules state not even a legacy character is safe. Although Gale could have been killed by Ghostface, Dewey is the most obvious contender. He had already survived being stabbed nine times and was at a low point in his life. Divorced from Gale and asked to retire from the police force sometime before Scream 2022, Dewey sees it as his duty to protect Sam and her friend group. Much like Han Solo’s (Harrison Ford) death in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Dewey sacrifices himself to save the new generation. During a tense showdown in Woodsboro’s hospital, Dewey subdues Ghostface by repeatedly shooting him in the chest, thereby allowing Sam to escape with her sister, Tara (Jenna Ortega), and Richie (Jack Quaid). Only, in true Dewey fashion, he elects to stay behind to ensure Ghostface is dead. Sadly, a pivotal distraction allows Ghostface to slice him open with two knives, in Scream 2022’s most gruesome and agonizing kill.

Although Dewey could have cheated death yet again, his fate in Scream 2022 raises the stakes, leaving the impression neither Sidney nor Gale is safe. There are only so many times Scream‘s beloved legacy characters can survive a massacre, and Dewey was the best candidate to be killed off. His reference to already being stabbed nine times clearly foreshadowed his death. The character will, of course, be missed, but he died a hero and even got an excellent final line. After Sam cautions him against staying in the hospital to shoot Ghostface in the head, asking “Who cares?” Dewey’s response perfectly summarizes the character and his entire journey: “I do.”

Key Release Dates
  • Scream 5 (2022)Release date: Jan 14, 2022
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