As a meta-slasher, the Scream series is in many ways aware of the filmmaking process, with consistently self-referential dialogue. So it’s less of a horror movie meant to scare you, and more of an experience or piece of art whose sole focus is to entertain. There are bound to be tense moments – almost all of the deaths in the movies are some of the most gruesome you’re likely to see on screen. But for the most part, every character is more comically inclined than anything else.
Most of these will be supporting characters as the protagonists like Sidney, Sam and Tara tend to have more serious demeanors with cheesy one-liners to boot. They certainly have their moments, but not nearly as many compared to the laughs the characters on this list elicit. So with that said, here are the ten funniest characters to ever appear in the Scream franchise.
10 Mickey Altieri
As one of the two murderers on the list, Mickey Altieri reflects the other in more ways than just their murderous tendencies. He’s not nearly as funny, but he’s clearly one of the more side-splitting characters the franchise has to offer. And that was thanks in large part to an early, charismatic performance by Timothy Olyphant.
He can only be seen in Scream 2 (1997), and Mickey probably stole the whole show. He was funny here and there leading up to the movie’s climax, where he made fun of Sidney on Derek’s behalf, but in that scene he hit some memorable one-liners that are sure to make you laugh at a movie theater even all these years later. review. In the end, Mickey ends up here at number ten.
9 Deputy Sheriff Judy Hicks
although Deputy Sheriff Judy Hicks has a sort of eerie, awkward style of humor compared to the more candid nature of all the others on this list, there’s no doubt she remains a highlight of a few more recent titles in the scream franchise. She was in both Scream 4 (2011) and scream (2022), but finally went down by the start of the latter.
She as a character is close to Dewey, who she seems to have a crush on. That dynamic adds a whole new meaning to Judy’s “creepy” character. Of course, the idea was to suggest to the public that she may have been the Ghostface killer Scream 4, but she was eventually revealed to be innocent and a fellow victim. Her awkward dialogue was a hilarious addition to her featured films.
8 Chad Meeks-Martin
While he certainly fits this archetype in many ways, Chad Meeks-Martin isn’t just a regular, dumb jock as his physique (and his name) might suggest. He is actually rather quick-witted, and gives the two most recent ones an undertone of humour scream films that remain a highlight of both entries from start to finish.
And honestly, actor Mason Gooding shares a huge dynamic with all of his many costars. If you’ve seen the most recent post, Scream 6 (2023), not much more needs to be said than “core four”. He also has a few death scares. The public should be happy that he made it out alive.
7 Tatum Riley
The younger sister of Dewey, she fulfilled a particular fan-favorite archetype in the “dumb blonde” for the franchise’s first entry. Her consistent sarcasm and back-and-forth banter with her brother and other characters like her boyfriend Stu Macher made for side-splitting dialogue right up to her iconic death scene in her own garage.
It is a pity that Tatum Riley didn’t last longer in Scream’s world, as she would have been a great addition to the cast of the original’s many sequels. But in the end, her witty one-liners and biting attitude coupled with her memorable death sequence made Tatum one of the best reasons to revisit the original movie. Her, among many others.
6 Dewy Riley
The Scream franchise was famously directed by Wes Craven, but the story and scripts were actually conceptualized by a man named Kevin Williamson. He’s the man who created all these memorable characters from the original scream (1996) – and that includes Deputy Sheriff Dewey Rileythe love interest of Courtney Cox’s character Gale Weathers and a protector of sorts, older brother figure of the franchise’s main character, Sidney Prescott.
He has a sort of casual humor from his status as a bit of a sweet idiot. And honestly, that most important personality trait has made Dewey one of the most beloved characters the franchise has ever produced. His death in the fifth entrywas perhaps the most heartbreaking yet.
5 Kirby Reed
Played by Hayden Panettiere, she’s one of the most ardent horror movie fanatics in the franchise, more or less breaking the archetype of the “dumb blonde” whose precedents had been set three films earlier. So in other words: Kirby Reed is arguably the latest new featured characters to be offered Scream 4. She is a friend of Jill Roberts (seemingly the new “last girl” until she is revealed as the killer) and Olivia Morris.
But she was also the love interest of Charlie Walker, a fellow movie nerd. This made Kirby even more of a specialized, rule-breaking character. Unfortunately for her, it was revealed that Charlie was also one of the two Ghostface killers from their respective movie – talk about keeping your enemies close, right? But despite apparently dying, Kirby returned to the franchise with Scream 6 — and fans should rejoice, because she’s as funny and charismatic as ever. It’s good to have her back.
4 Gale weather conditions
As a reporter, Gale weather conditions clearly has the gift of gab. It’s almost in the job title of those who want to appear in front of a camera with a microphone to their mouth to bring news to their community. But Gale’s humor can often border on vicious, making for some hilarious biting moments in back-and-forth exchanges of dialogue. The whole series actually.
She is beautifully portrayed by Courtney Cox – and if this list were to rank the best characters in the franchise, she would come out on top. That has a lot to do with how funny she is by nature. There’s a kind of subtle humor carefully placed by Williamson (or one of the other screenwriters) into every line of Gale’s dialogue. Little does she know that she is rude to others for the most part, and it makes for an accidental hilarity every time. Because as self-aware as these films are, Gale Weathers is anything but. And the products are much better for it.
3 Randy Meeks
The original funny guy of the series, Randy’s dialogue is full of iconic one-liners. He’s obsessed with horror movies, of course, and even works at a local video store. That is why he constantly refers to projects such as Jaws (1975), Halloween (1978) and Scare Night (1985), among dozens of others. Randy Meeks is thus considered a bit of a geek by his friends, and that opens up space for his unforgettable, self-deprecating style of comedy.
His run was short-lived, as he died of Ghostface in the franchise’s second entry. And his death is still a relevant topic in the community of scream fanatics more than twenty-five years later. And with several of his relatives appearing as major characters in subsequent entries, Randy is referenced throughout the films themselves. May he and his rule book live on forever.
2 Mindy Meeks-Martin
So, if you’re not very good at remembering the names and haven’t figured it out yet, Chad and Mindy Meeks-Martin are the aforementioned relatives of Randy. And they’re both arguably the most special and memorable additions of any kind to the series thanks to the two most recent entries – scream And Scream 6 (2023).
This could be a popular choice for many fans, with Mindy coming just over her uncle. But almost every line of hers has some comedic value. Even after being stabbed in the sixth entry, she’s still an absolute riot. She’s furious for guessing the killer wrong, and despite bleeding and eventually going to the hospital for her injuries, Mindy continued to be a hilarious highlight until the final frame rolled around.
1 Stu Macher
A primary character and one of the two Ghostface killers in the original scream, Stu Macher is fondly looked back on for his inherently hilarious tendencies. Just look at the last act: when he’s stabbed and bleeds to death on the phone with Sidney as she chases after him at his own game, Stu is still hilarious. After murdering (or at least being an accomplice to) a few of his friends and even some adults, his first concern is getting caught by his parents.
He remains a fan favorite all these years, with audiences eager for a “surprise” return of the character for decades. This is entirely due to its comedic value, which showed in the brilliance of Williamson’s script coupled with Matthew Lillard’s indelible performance. He is undoubtedly the funniest character the scream franchise has ever produced.