Kevin Meade Williamson (born March 14, 1965) is an American screenwriter and director, best known for creating the Scream franchise. In 1995, and unhappy with his futile attempts to get an acting career off the ground, Williamson wrote a self-referential comedy horror script titled Scary Movie, which was subsequently bought by Miramax Films and put into production under filmmaker Wes Craven. Retitled Scream, the movie was a sleeper smash upon release in 1996 and was credited with reviving the horror genre as a commercial money-maker. It has, as of 2026, spawned six sequels and a TV spin-off series. The success of Scream led to Williamson becoming one of the most in-demand screenwriters of the era, with some of his biggest hits including the thriller I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997), the alien invasion film The Faculty (1998), and the TV drama Dawson’s Creek (1998), which was loosely inspired by his own coming-of-age and ran for six seasons. He also made his directorial debut with the black comedy Teaching Mrs Tingle in 1999. Williamson’s other credits include the TV series The Vampire Diaries (2009) and The Following (2013), as well as the werewolf horror film Cursed (2005). In 2026, Williamson returned to the world of Scream – having only served as a producer on the third, fifth and sixth entries in the franchise – as the co-writer and director of Scream 7.
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Biography from TMDB.
- March 14, 1965 (61)
- New Bern, North Carolina, USA
- Writer and producer, also director
- 22 on MovieCove · 32 credits in all
What are Kevin Williamson's films like?
Across their 16 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Survival and Self.
Genres
Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 3 · Wry 3 · Earnest 8
A split, not a type: Light 3 · Serious 4 · Dark 8
Grounded 5 · Stylized 9 · Heightened 1
Gentle 0 · Charged 2 · Intense 13
Steady 2 · Shifting 8 · Whiplash 5
Straight-faced 6 · Some laughs 9 · Funny 0
Slow burn 0 · Even-paced 10 · Relentless 5
Casual 5 · Engaged 9 · Full focus 1
Easy watch 3 · Affecting 9 · Heavy 3
Resolved 14 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 0
Moods and endings
- Happy4
- Bittersweet11
- Ambiguous1
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Kevin Williamson's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 19 of their 22 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Paramount+ (9).
- Scream (1996) · writer
- The Faculty (1998) · writer
- Scream VI (2023) · writer, producer
- Scream (2022) · actor, writer, producer
- Scream 2 (1997) · actor, writer, producer
- Scream 3 (2000) · writer, producer
- Scream 7 (2026) · director, writer, producer
- Teaching Mrs. Tingle (1999) · director, writer
- Venom (2005) · producer
Subscription and free streaming for Kevin Williamson's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
32 credits, 22 with a MovieCove page; 4 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.
Scream 7(2026)
Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all films
The Waterfront(2025)
Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all shows
The Exorcism(2024)
Midcredits score: 2nd percentile of all films
Scream VI(2023)
Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films
Sick(2022)
Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films
Scream(2022)
Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films
Tell Me a Story(2018)
Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all shows
Time After Time (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)
Scream: The TV Series(2015)
Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all shows
The Originals: The Awakening (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)
Stalker (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)
The Following(2013)
Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all shows
The Secret Circle (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)
Scream 4(2011)
Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films
The Vampire Diaries(2009)
Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all shows
Hidden Palms(2007)
Midcredits score: 28th percentile of all shows
Venom(2005)
Midcredits score: 10th percentile of all films
Cursed(2005)
Midcredits score: 17th percentile of all films
Glory Days (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)
Scream 3(2000)
Midcredits score: 34th percentile of all films
Wasteland (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)
Teaching Mrs. Tingle(1999)
Midcredits score: 18th percentile of all films
The Faculty(1998)
Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films
Unmasking the Horror (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)
Dawson's Creek(1998)
Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all shows
Scream 2(1997)
Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films
Scream(1996)
Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films
Strip for Action (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)
Scream 8 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
The Faculty (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Career shape
A full career of 32 titles, 30 of them dated from 1995 to 2026.
Film career
- 1997Screen debut· Scream 2
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.
How do Kevin Williamson's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 39th percentile, the median of all 15; across their 15 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 45th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up2
- 50th to 74th8
- 25th to 49th7
- Below 25th5
Shape of the crowd
10 of their 22 titles are Crowd Pleasers.
- Universally Loved1
- Universally Panned1
- Cult Classic1
- Crowd Pleaser10
- Broadly Agreed3
- Mixed6
Reviewers score the dialogue 48/100 and the plot and story 40/100 in their films, across 15 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a writer.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Is Kevin Williamson's work okay for kids?
Across up to 16 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore, profanity and frightening / intense run heavier than most films.
Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.
Who does Kevin Williamson work with?
People who share at least 2 of Kevin Williamson's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Bob Weinstein shares the most, 9.
Directors
- Wes CravenShared titles: Scream 4 (2011), Cursed (2005), Scream 3 (2000), Scream 2 (1997), Scream (1996)See all 5 shared titles with Wes Craven
- Matt Bettinelli-OlpinShared titles: Scream VI (2023), Scream (2022)See all 2 shared titles with Matt Bettinelli-Olpin
- Tyler GillettShared titles: Scream VI (2023), Scream (2022)See all 2 shared titles with Tyler Gillett
- Jim GillespieShared titles: Venom (2005), I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997)See all 2 shared titles with Jim Gillespie
Writers
- Guy BusickShared titles: Scream 7 (2026), Scream VI (2023), Scream (2022)See all 3 shared titles with Guy Busick
- James VanderbiltShared titles: Scream 7 (2026), Scream VI (2023), Scream (2022)See all 3 shared titles with James Vanderbilt
- Katelyn CrabbShared titles: The Waterfront (2025), Sick (2022)See all 2 shared titles with Katelyn Crabb
Actors
- Courteney CoxShared titles: Scream 7 (2026), Scream VI (2023), Scream (2022), Scream 4 (2011), Scream 3 (2000), Scream 2 (1997), Scream (1996)See all 7 shared titles with Courteney Cox
- Neve CampbellShared titles: Scream 7 (2026), Scream (2022), Scream 4 (2011), Scream 3 (2000), Scream 2 (1997), Scream (1996)See all 6 shared titles with Neve Campbell
- David ArquetteShared titles: Scream (2022), Scream 4 (2011), Scream 3 (2000), Scream 2 (1997), Scream (1996)See all 5 shared titles with David Arquette
- Jasmin Savoy BrownShared titles: Scream 7 (2026), Scream VI (2023), Scream (2022)See all 3 shared titles with Jasmin Savoy Brown
Composers, cinematographers and editors
- Marco BeltramiShared titles: Scream 4 (2011), Cursed (2005), Scream 3 (2000), The Faculty (1998), Scream 2 (1997), Scream (1996)See all 6 shared titles with Marco Beltrami
- Patrick LussierShared titles: Cursed (2005), Scream 3 (2000), Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998), Scream (1996)See all 4 shared titles with Patrick Lussier
- Ramsey NickellShared titles: Scream 7 (2026), The Waterfront (2025)See all 2 shared titles with Ramsey Nickell
- John FrizzellShared titles: The Waterfront (2025), Teaching Mrs. Tingle (1999)See all 2 shared titles with John Frizzell
Producers
- Bob WeinsteinShared titles: Scream 4 (2011), Cursed (2005), Venom (2005), Scream 3 (2000), Teaching Mrs. Tingle (1999), Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998), The Faculty (1998), Scream 2 (1997), Scream (1996)See all 9 shared titles with Bob Weinstein
- Harvey WeinsteinShared titles: Scream 4 (2011), Cursed (2005), Venom (2005), Scream 3 (2000), Teaching Mrs. Tingle (1999), Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998), The Faculty (1998), Scream 2 (1997), Scream (1996)See all 9 shared titles with Harvey Weinstein
- Cathy KonradShared titles: Scream 7 (2026), Scream VI (2023), Scream (2022), Scream 4 (2011), Scream 3 (2000), Teaching Mrs. Tingle (1999), Scream 2 (1997), Scream (1996)See all 8 shared titles with Cathy Konrad
- Marianne MaddalenaShared titles: Scream 7 (2026), Scream VI (2023), Scream (2022), Scream 4 (2011), Cursed (2005), Scream 3 (2000), Scream 2 (1997), Scream (1996)See all 8 shared titles with Marianne Maddalena
Mixed roles
- Ehren KrugerShared titles: Scream 4 (2011), Scream 3 (2000)See all 2 shared titles with Ehren Kruger
