In the first Scream film, Sidney Prescott lives in the California town of Woodsboro.
Woodsboro is the fictional setting where a masked killer begins calling teenagers and attacking residents. Sidney is a high-school student in the town, and the murders also involve her friends, local police, and reporter Gale Weathers. The town functions as the enclosed community at the center of the first film’s mystery.
Woodsboro is sometimes confused with other famous horror settings. Springwood belongs to A Nightmare on Elm Street, Haddonfield is associated with Halloween, and Crystal Lake is linked to Friday the 13th. Woodsboro is the Scream franchise’s recurring fictional California community.
Scream was released in 1996 and directed by Wes Craven from Kevin Williamson’s screenplay. Neve Campbell played Sidney Prescott, and the film deliberately used horror-film conventions as part of its story. Its success launched a long-running franchise and helped renew interest in self-aware slasher films.