The character appears in the Scream films as the target of a series of killers who adopt the Ghostface persona, a ghost mask and black cloak, to pursue her.

Scream 3 later reveals that Billy learned of this affair through Roman Bridger (Scott Foley), Sidney's half-brother, himself seeking revenge for his abandonment and rejection by Maureen, sparking the chain of events that permeate each film.

Drew Barrymore was cast as Sidney Prescott but scheduling conflicts led to her taking a smaller role as Casey Becker, with the lead being offered instead to Campbell, who at the time was starring in the television series Party of Five.

The character is depicted as an intelligent, resourceful young woman who gradually becomes stronger over the course of the series as she attempts to overcome the threats and deaths around her.

After a series of brutal murders occur on the anniversary of her mother's death, the killer begins targeting Sidney herself with attacks and taunting phone calls.

Sidney Prescott's first cinematic appearance was in the film Scream (1996) as a 17-year-old high school senior in the fictional town of Woodsboro, California.

Suspicion falls on several characters before her boyfriend Billy Loomis (Skeet Ulrich) and his friend Stu Macher (Matthew Lillard) are revealed to both be the killers.

With help from Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox), Sidney is able to fight back against Stu and Billy, even using the killer's own tricks against them, and manages to kill them both and survive the events of the film.

Ghostface claims responsibility for the murder of Maureen Prescott and is unmasked as the thirty-year-old director of Stab 3, Roman Bridger, Sidney's previously unknown half-brother.

Roman reveals that their mother was gang raped and impregnated with him during a two-year period where she moved to Hollywood to become an actress, before she met Sidney's father, Neil Prescott (Lawrence Hecht).

Billy's daughter Sam Carpenter (Melissa Barrera) rejects their offer for help to bring down the killer once and for all, but a skeptical Sidney nonetheless places a tracking device on the car of Sam's boyfriend Richie Kirsch (Jack Quaid), leading her and Gale to the former home of Stu, now housed by Amber Freeman (Mikey Madison).

However, with the help of an injured Gale, the pair subdue and light Amber on fire, before she is shot in the head by Tara (Jenna Ortega), Sam's teenage half-sister.

She identified the fans who related to Sidney as being people who felt "misunderstood" and "shut down some way in their life [and] had to push a glass ceiling", or been subjected to bullying.

She expressed appreciation for the character's role as a symbol of resilience and hope for anyone who struggles with bullying, especially in their youth and that her actions in the films give fans and audience goers the "confidence that they can overcome".

In the end she wasn’t even trusting herself.” He further commented on an LGBT allegory for the character, stating the final girl trope spoke to Williamson's own sexuality.

The name of Sidney's childhood home—34 Elm—was given dialogue and visual confirmation in the fifth film, Scream (2022); co-director Matt Bettinelli-Olpin stated that the first reference to this is Tara Carpenter (Jenna Ortega)'s namecalling the address when referring to the Stab movie-within-a-movie version of the character (portrayed by Tori Spelling) in Scream 2), and later an additional scene in the fifth film depicts two characters driving down by the block as they enter Woodsboro.

[18] The third film, penned by Ehren Kruger introduces a future, long-term romance character for Sidney, a homicide detective named Mark Kincaid (portrayed by Patrick Dempsey).

Her children with Dempsey's character include a newborn or toddler in a baby stroller, as well as two school-aged daughters that Sidney plans to take to school after she goes for an exercise run.

[22] Wes Craven, after being hired as director, commented that he was able to have bigger actors in the film than his budget allowed because of Barrymore's desire to be involved, which he believed helped attract other big names to the production.

[25] It was Canadian actress Neve Campbell who was given the lead of Sidney Prescott after Craven saw her in the television series Party of Five, believing she could best embody a character who was "innocent" but also able to handle herself while dealing with the demanding physicality and emotions of the role.

[28] On how she approached the leading role in the series, Campbell stated: I remember feeling insecure on the first film, everybody around me was being goofy and funny and had all these great one-liners, and I seemed so stoic in some ways.

[24] In September 2020, it was confirmed that Campbell would be reprising her role as Sidney Prescott for the fifth Scream film, directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett.

[43] The Hollywood Reporter wrote that "... it's a pleasure to see Campbell again in fine form as Sidney, striding back into Woodsboro to take care of unfinished business.

"[44] Elle magazine named her the "Reigning Queen of Scream" and stated that "Sidney might not have that impact on people were it not for Campbell's portrayal, rife with vulnerability, intelligence, and a palatable dose of humor.

[49] The following year, she went on to win the 1998 Best Female Performance for Scream 2[13] and received a second Best Actress nomination from the Saturn Awards, losing to Jodie Foster for Contact (1997).

[51][52] John Muir, author of Wes Craven: The Art of Horror, praised the development of Sidney Prescott in Scream 2 labeling her character, amongst others, "beloved".

"[56] In its review of the fifth film, Elle magazine said that "Sidney might not have that impact on people were it not for Campbell's portrayal, rife with vulnerability, intelligence, and a palatable dose of humor.