Casey Becker
{{short description|Fictional character in the Scream film series}}
{{Infobox character
| name = Casey Becker
| series = Scream
| image = File:Casey Becker (Drew Barrymore - Scream circa 1996).jpg
| caption = Drew Barrymore as Casey Becker in Scream
| first = Scream (1996)
| last = Scream 4 (2011)
| creator = Kevin Williamson
| portrayer = Drew Barrymore (Scream);
Heather Graham (Scream 2)
| voice = Megumi Hayashibara (Scream Japanese dubbed version);
Paola Valentini (Scream Italian dubbed version);
Virginie Ledieu (Scream European French dubbed version);
Christine Bellier (Scream Canadian French dubbed version);
Nuria Mediavilla (Scream European Spanish dubbed version);
Jessica Ortiz (Scream Latin American 2nd dubbed version);
Claudia Lössl (Scream German dubbed version);
Letícia Quinto (Scream Portuguese 1997 dubbed version);
Silvia Suzy (Scream Portuguese 2011 dubbed version)
| nickname =
| occupation =
| family =
| relatives = Mr. and Mrs. Becker (parents)
| lbl21 = Location
| data21 = Woodsboro, California, United States
| significant_others = Steve Orth (deceased);
Stu Macher (former; deceased)
| lbl22 = Status
| data22 = Deceased
}}
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 on-screen in the franchise, in what has been called "one of the most famous scenes of all time."{{cite news |last1=Labonte |first1=Rachel |title=Wes Craven Was Almost Fired Over Scream's Drew Barrymore Opening Scene |url=https://screenrant.com/scream-movie-drew-barrymore-scene-wes-craven-controversy/ |access-date=June 8, 2022 |publisher=ScreenRant |date=November 1, 2021 |archive-date=June 8, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220608193120/https://screenrant.com/scream-movie-drew-barrymore-scene-wes-craven-controversy/ |url-status=live }}
Appearances
Casey Becker first appears in Scream for the initial twelve minutes of the film.{{cite book |last1=West |first1=Steven |title=Scream |date=2017 |publisher=9781800347052 }} In 1997's Scream 2, the second installment of the Scream franchise, the character appears in a film-within-a-film titled Stab.{{cite news |last1=Taylor |first1=Robert Brian |title=Why 'Scream's Very First Scene Is Still the Defining Point of the Franchise |url=https://collider.com/scream-drew-barry-more-scene-explained/ |access-date=June 7, 2022 |publisher=Collider |date=October 14, 2021 |archive-date=March 29, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220329142651/https://collider.com/scream-drew-barry-more-scene-explained/ |url-status=live }} Archival footage of Heather Graham as Casey in Stab from Scream 2 is reused in Scream 4 as part of the viewing at a theme party. The character Casey also appears briefly in Scream VI in a recreation of the first Stab movie made by character Richie Kirsch.
= Other appearances =
In October 2020, Barrymore unofficially revived the character for a short video skit titled What if Casey Becker from Scream Lived? on The Drew Barrymore Show in which she gets texts from the killer on her cell phone, but ignores him.{{cite news |last1=Towers |first1=Andrea |date=October 5, 2021 |title=Drew Barrymore shows how her iconic Scream character would handle Ghostface today |url=https://ew.com/movies/drew-barrymore-scream-casey-becker-if-she-lived-video/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220608193120/https://ew.com/movies/drew-barrymore-scream-casey-becker-if-she-lived-video/ |archive-date=June 8, 2022 |access-date=June 6, 2022 |publisher=Entertainment Weekly}}{{cite news |last1=Squires |first1=John |date=October 24, 2020 |title=VIDEOS "What If Casey Becker Lived?": Drew Barrymore Reprises Her 'Scream' Role for Short Skit [Video] |url=https://bloody-disgusting.com/videos/3638281/casey-becker-lived-drew-barrymore-reprises-scream-role-short-skit-video/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220608193129/https://bloody-disgusting.com/videos/3638281/casey-becker-lived-drew-barrymore-reprises-scream-role-short-skit-video/ |archive-date=June 8, 2022 |access-date=June 7, 2022 |publisher=Bloody Disgusting}}
Casting and development
Williamson created the character when he started the script. Initially, filmmakers did not think to cast a well-known actress for Casey's part, as the character dies in the opening of the film.{{cite book |last1=Maroney|first1=Padraic |title=It All Began With A Scream |date=August 25, 2021 |publisher=BearManor Media}} Barrymore was initially cast as lead character Sidney Prescott in Scream (eventually played by Neve Campbell), but opted to take the role of Casey instead to break the trope of high-profile actresses never dying in horror films.{{cite news |last1=Sanchez |first1=Omar |title=Drew Barrymore explains why she fought to have her Scream character die right away |url=https://ew.com/movies/drew-barrymore-on-scream-character-death/ |access-date=June 6, 2022 |publisher=Entertainment Weekly |date=August 20, 2020 |archive-date=June 8, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220608193121/https://ew.com/movies/drew-barrymore-on-scream-character-death/ |url-status=live }} Barrymore stated:
{{Blockquote
|text="In the horror film genre, my biggest pet peeve was that I always knew the main character was going to be slugging through at the end, but was going to creak by and make it. What I wanted to do is to take that comfort zone away. I asked if I could be Casey Becker so we would establish this rule does not apply in this film."
}}
{{multiple image
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| image1 = Drew Barrymore Berlin 2014.jpg
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| image2 = HeatherGrahamByDimitriSarantis2011.jpg
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| footer = Actresses Drew Barrymore (left, pictured in 2014) and Heather Graham (right, pictured in 2011) have both portrayed the character
}}
Casey's scenes were shot over five days, independent from the rest of the movie.{{cite news |last1=Holmes |first1=Jon |title=How Scream Perfected the Art of the Cold Open |url=https://movieweb.com/scream-perfect-cold-open/ |access-date=June 8, 2022 |publisher=Movieweb |date=January 7, 2022 |archive-date=August 27, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220827150758/https://movieweb.com/scream-perfect-cold-open/ |url-status=live }} At first, Dimension Films studio did not appreciate the dailies of this scene and almost fired director Wes Craven until they saw the footage cut together and were impressed.
In the Japanese dubbed version of the film, voice actress Megumi Hayashibara dubs Barrymore’s lines.{{cite web |url= https://item.rakuten.co.jp/r-mediashop/d-0018171/|title= スクリーム■監督：ウェス・クレイヴン//ドリュー・バリモア/ネーヴ・キャンベル■(1996) アスミック■【DVD】【中古】|access-date= May 19, 2019|work= Rakuten}} In the Italian dubbed version, Paola Valentini provides the voice of Casey. The European French dubbed version was provided by Virginie Ledieu, while Christine Bellier provided the Canadian French dubbed version). Nuria Mediavilla voiced Casey for the European Spanish dubbed version. Jessica Ortiz voiced Casey for the Latin American 2nd dubbed version). Claudia Lössl provided the voice of Casey for the German dubbed version. Letícia Quinto voiced Casey for the 1997 Portuguese dubbed version, while Silvia Suzy provided a new dubbing for the 2011 version). In Scream 2, Casey is played by Heather Graham.
Fictional biography
Casey Becker is a 17-year-old Woodsboro teenager and the former girlfriend of Stu Macher. After receiving a taunting and threatening phone call, she is ordered to answer horror film trivia questions to save the life of her 18-year-old boyfriend, football player Steve Orth (portrayed by actor Kevin Patrick Walls). When Casey answers incorrectly, Steve is disemboweled on her porch and she is asked another question to save her own life. When she refuses to answer, Ghostface chases her down and kills her, leaving her disemboweled and hanged from a tree, where she is discovered by her mother Mrs. Becker.
Reception
Since Barrymore was featured so heavily in promotional materials, the character being killed off was a "huge shocker that let the audience know that Scream was a film where all bets were off."{{cite news |last1=Pollard |first1=Andrew |title=Who Actually Killed Who In Scream? |url=https://whatculture.com/film/who-actually-killed-who-in-scream?page=2 |access-date=June 7, 2022 |publisher=WhatCulture |date=October 5, 2021 |archive-date=October 7, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221007133522/https://whatculture.com/film/who-actually-killed-who-in-scream?page=2 |url-status=live }} WhatCulture stated Casey was "the tone-setter for Scream and for the larger Scream franchise."
In his 2017 book Scream, author Steven West dissects the character, the way she acts in the film, and her appearance, writing "Drew Barrymore's previously exploited sex appeal... is deemphasized [with an] unbecoming bob wig..."
Writing for Comic Book Resources in January 2022, Renaldo Matadeen stated Casey was "Screams most iconic victim".{{cite news |last1=Matadeen |first1=Renaldo |title=Scream's Most Iconic Victim Could Have Stopped the Ghostface Killings |url=https://www.cbr.com/how-screams-drew-barrymore-could-have-stopped-ghostface/ |access-date=June 6, 2022 |publisher=Comic Book Resources |date=January 11, 2022 |archive-date=June 8, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220608193120/https://www.cbr.com/how-screams-drew-barrymore-could-have-stopped-ghostface/ |url-status=live }} Collider's Robert Brian Taylor called the appearance of Casey and her killing as "the defining point of the franchise." The Nerd Stash named Casey's killing as their number one "best kill" of the series.{{cite news |last1=Smith |first1=Donnie |title=10 Best Kills In The Scream Series |url=https://thenerdstash.com/10-best-kills-in-the-scream-series/ |access-date=June 8, 2022 |publisher=The Nerd Stash |date=March 30, 2022 |archive-date=May 23, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220523092148/https://thenerdstash.com/10-best-kills-in-the-scream-series/ |url-status=live }} Polygon ranked Casey as number 5 on their top 40 Scream characters list, behind Dewey Riley (4), Randy Meeks (3), Sidney Prescott (2), and Gale Weathers (1).{{cite news |last1=Reid |first1=Joe |title=Every major character in the Scream movies, ranked |url=https://www.polygon.com/2019/10/25/20925479/scream-movies-characters-cast-ranked |access-date=June 8, 2022 |publisher=Polygon |date=October 25, 2019 |archive-date=May 23, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220523042554/https://www.polygon.com/2019/10/25/20925479/scream-movies-characters-cast-ranked |url-status=live }} As the Polygon list was released in 2019, it does not include characters from 2022's Scream or 2023's Scream VI.
=Accolades for performances=
Barrymore's performance as Casey earned her a nomination for Best Supporting Actress at the 1996 23rd Saturn Awards.{{cite news |last1=Gaudens |first1=Reed |title=Santa Clarita Diet and the 10 top Drew Barrymore performances so far |url=https://hiddenremote.com/2020/09/12/drew-barrymore-movies-tv-performances/4/ |access-date=June 8, 2022 |publisher=Fansided |date=September 12, 2020}} She lost the award to Alice Krige who played the Borg Queen in Star Trek: First Contact.
While Graham's part in Scream 2 was a bit part, her performance received positive reviews. E! News considered her one of the best Scream franchise cameos, and Digital Spy called it a "prominent cameo".{{cite news |last1=Rankin |first1=Seija |title=All of the Best Scream Movie Cameos You Totally Forgot About |url=https://www.eonline.com/news/816935/all-of-the-best-scream-movie-cameos-you-totally-forgot-about |access-date=June 8, 2022 |publisher=E! News |date=December 20, 2016 |archive-date=June 8, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220608221354/https://www.eonline.com/news/816935/all-of-the-best-scream-movie-cameos-you-totally-forgot-about |url-status=live }}{{cite news |last1=Armitage |first1=Hugh |title=Whatever happened to Heather Graham? |url=https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a848314/heather-graham-now-what-happened/ |access-date=June 8, 2022 |publisher=Digital Spy |date=January 4, 2018 |archive-date=June 8, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220608221347/https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a848314/heather-graham-now-what-happened/ |url-status=live }} Giant Freakin Robot called Graham's performance one of her "memorable bit roles".{{cite news |last1=Gonzalez |first1=Rick |title=Heather Graham: Her Must-See Movies |url=https://www.giantfreakinrobot.com/ent/heather-graham-her-must-see-movies.html |access-date=June 9, 2022 |publisher=Giant Freakin Robot |archive-date=June 12, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210612203743/https://www.giantfreakinrobot.com/ent/heather-graham-her-must-see-movies.html |url-status=live }} The Guardian stated she "...upped her teen-cool stakes [with the] wink-wink role" and that "her talent outshone her co-stars."{{cite news |last1=Ojumu |first1=Akin |title=Heather Graham |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/1999/jun/06/comment.akinojumu |access-date=June 9, 2022 |work=The Guardian |date=June 5, 1999 |archive-date=June 9, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220609173942/https://www.theguardian.com/film/1999/jun/06/comment.akinojumu |url-status=live }} Parade stated along with Tori Spelling (who played Sidney Prescott) and Luke Wilson (who played Billy Loomis), Graham was "wickedly deadpan" in her performance.{{cite news |last1=Murrian |first1=Samuel R. |title=Do You Like Scary Movies? We Ranked All Five Scream Movies Worst to Best |url=https://parade.com/1294275/samuelmurrian/scream-movies-ranked/ |access-date=June 9, 2022 |publisher=Parade |date=January 14, 2022 |archive-date=April 14, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230414172046/https://parade.com/1294275/samuelmurrian/scream-movies-ranked/ |url-status=live }}
References
{{reflist}}
{{Scream}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Becker, Casey}}
Category:Characters created by Wes Craven
Category:Female characters in film
Category:Female horror film characters
Category:Fictional characters from California
Category:Fictional murdered people
Category:Film characters introduced in 1996