Scream 4 was released in 2011 and introduced several new characters, including Jill Roberts. The beloved horror franchise is still going strong and audiences loved Scream (2022) and Scream VI. All three movies strike a nice balance between giving legacy characters proper storylines while allowing fans to get to know younger characters.
Jill Roberts in Scream 4 is one of the most compelling characters since she's part of a major plot twist that changes the entire story and makes her just as interesting as the famous final girl Sidney Prescott. There's a lot to know about Jill Roberts and her importance in the slasher franchise.
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What Happens In Scream 4?
Scream 4 picks up 15 years after the events of the first movie. The Scream franchise is best in Woodsboro, California, and this setting is what makes the fourth installment in the franchise so enjoyable to watch. A new group of teenagers, including fan-favorite character Kirby Reed (Hayden Panettiere), are trying to live regular lives in a small town that is famous for brutal and gruesome murders. Now Jenny Randall (Aimee Teegarden) and Marnie Cooper (Britt Robinson) have been killed, and it's clear that a new Ghostface is here.
Scream 4 focuses on Sidney Prescott's (Neve Campbell) homecoming. She does an event at a bookstore for her memoir, Out Of Darkness, which chronicles her terrible experience of losing her mother Maureen and surviving several attempts on her own life. As Sidney spends time with her family, she runs through the list of past Ghostface killers in Scream while trying to figure out who the latest one is.
Who Is Jill Roberts In Scream 4?
Jill Roberts (Emma Roberts) is Sidney's cousin who has grown up in Woodsboro in her relative's shadow. At first, she's sweet, innocent, and tough and seems to be a new final girl in Scream 4. However, near the end of the movie, she is revealed as one of the killers. Jill has been jealous of Sidney for a long time and believes that she also deserves love, praise, and attention. Jill convinces her friend and classmate Charlie Walker (Rory Culkin) to team up with her, but she doesn't care about him at all.
While some might say that Matthew Lillard's character Stu Macher is the best Ghostface in Scream, Jill Roberts in Scream 4 is fascinating to watch. She plays an innocent victim throughout the movie as it seems like Ghostface is also coming after her, and she pretends to love her cousin.
Ultimately, Jill wants fame and fortune, and some fans have been critical of the Ghostface killers Amber (Mikey Madison) and Richie (Jack Quaid) in Scream (2022) because their motives seem similar to Jill Roberts in Scream. All three Ghostfaces want to go viral and become celebrities. Jill is still a great character because she almost gets away with her plan and proves that she underestimated the best final girl Sidney Prescott, which was a mistake. The ending of Scream 4 was exactly what fans of the franchise wanted to see. Sidney is stronger than ever before and the final scene also made it possible to make more movies, which is of course exactly what is happening.
How Jill Roberts Subverts Final Girl Tropes
Jill Roberts in Scream 4 subverts final girl tropes because she isn't who she first appears to be. She has a complete arc from an innocent supposed final girl to a calculated and brutal killer. When she attacks Sidney in an action-packed scene near the end of Scream 4, she doesn't hold back and is strong and mighty.
At first, the final girl trope in the horror genre featured characters who were fairly weak and couldn't fight back. Then things changed and characters like Sidney Prescott became active participants in trying to save themselves. Jill Roberts changes the typical story of the final girl because she is only pretending to be afraid.
Jill Roberts in Scream 4 is also a unique character: a final girl who is actually the killer. This doesn't happen often in slashers and there are only a few examples of this type of character. Jill is a perfect example of why Scream is one of the most influential horror franchises. Time and time again, the movies surprise audiences, even though it would be easy to think that every potential storyline has been done and there can't be more twists and turns. Jill is one of the most shocking Ghostfaces because she really did convince her cousin Sidney and her friends that she was just as scared as they were. Depending on the scene in Scream 4, Jill Roberts is either sweet or terrifying, and that sets her apart from other final girls in the slasher subgenre.