Neil Prescott, played by Lawrence Hecht, is a character in the 1996 film Scream (1996).
Neil is the father of Sidney Prescott and widower of Maureen Prescott. In Scream, he leaves Woodsboro on business and later disappears without trace, raising suspicions that he may be the perpetrator of a series of murders in the town.
It is revealed in the finale that he was kidnapped by the real killers, Billy Loomis and Stu Macher, who intended to frame him for their crimes. Neil is saved by his daughter.
It is theorized that his absence from Scream 2 is to emphasize Sidney's independence in college; he is mentioned in-film as being out of the country on business.
He appears briefly in Scream 3, commenting on Sidney's withdrawal from her friends and life.
Scream 4 also introduces his sister-in-law Kate Roberts and his niece Jill Roberts. He has either relocated from Woodsboro, or has since passed away, as Sidney chooses to stay with her aunt and cousin during the film rather than her own house.