The original is packed with horror movie references such as SCREAM (1996), I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER (1997), BLAIR WITCH (1999), and more. However, the audience doesn’t need to be familiar with the movies to laugh at the scenes which makes it appealing to a wider audience as the characters handle the comedy.

Sure, if you know the beginning of SCREAM (1996), where Drew Barrymore is terrorized on the phone and subsequently murdered, the opening scene with Carmen Electra being run down by a masked killer may make more sense, but the writers find a way to make it funny either way.

The characters and their reactions to the unhinged killer on the loose in town makes this film hilarious, and still just as funny 26 years later. They are loud, confrontational, and each character has a distinctively different POV, making a cohesive comedic group that plays off each other for the entirety of the film (and sequels.)

Cindy’s aloof nature, compounded with her outgoing directness, make each scene with her investigations and revelations hilarious. Her questioning observant attitude, commonly championing others, makes her likeable, and easy to follow along with on SCARY MOVIE’S journey. She fights back, is an active character, and steps up and confronts the killer suddenly unveiling martial arts skills in a Matrix-like scene.

Cindy’s naivety and compassionate nature, set her up for multiple let downs through the movie. Without Cindy, the group would lose its comedic synergy.

Brenda, Cindy’s best friend, is almost a voice of reason if this wasn’t a comedy. She picks up on people’s bullsh*t, and isn’t afraid to voice it by calling out their flaws by standing up for what she believes in—which is yelling during the movies.

Brenda helps Cindy navigate life and question other characters that might have a little more of a devious nature such as Buffy. In the beginning of the film, Brenda questions Cindy’s friendship with Buffy but ultimately comedically goes along with it when pressed face-to-face with her.

The ultimate test of her character, in the movie theater, reveals she doesn’t care if anyone gets mad she’s going to raise alarm, which ultimately leads to her stabbing. But don’t worry, her character is reprised in the sequels.

Shorty, Brenda’s stoner brother, who is high for the entirety of the movie, has such a great laidback, jovial personality where even if there is a killer on the loose—he isn’t that broken up about it.

Even when the killer sits down, raps with him, and kills most of his friends, Shorty is unfazed and left alive—showing us that even the killer can’t help but hang with him.

Even though the ensemble is hilarious, Shorty brings it to another level, especially when he rolls up in his smoke-filled car the night the group hits the fisherman. He is the comedic relief, to the comedic relief.

Shorty is completely oblivious to what’s going on most times, frequently has to be updated on what’s happening, and never truly seems to grasp the seriousness it all, and when he is shot, aw no not Shorty!

Greg, the boyfriend of Buffy, is a little more uptight, on edge and brings stress to scenes where the other characters are a little laidback or slow to come to terms with the situation. He provides sharp banter, and breaks through quieter scenes to raise the alarm that, yes, this might be a serious situation. If no one else will freak out, he’ll take care of it.

Greg repeatedly shuts down the fact that the group killed a man last summer. He’s ready to throw the fisherman in the water right off the wharf, and is in a rush to move on from the accident. He will do what it takes to protect the group’s secret at all costs.

Ray, Brenda’s boyfriend, is a character whose actions and words are commonly mixed up. His dialogue brings comedic hilarity and by the end, leads Bobby on—in Bobby’s mind. His demeanor allows plenty of room for comedic situations in smaller scenes. The audience never really truly knows what’s going on with Ray until the end when he fights Bobby’s declaration of love.

Bobby plays Cindy’s sex-scorned boyfriend who has snapped by the end of the movie. His on-edge behavior sets him up as a suspect earlier in the movie, and by the end, it sets up the scene where he confesses as the killer, that him and Ray are in love, and he doesn’t need Cindy anymore.

Like Greg, he brings a more uptight, but hilarious reaction to the constant unraveling of the murder mystery with his high energy alerting the audience that sh*t has hit the fan.

Used as a prime suspect throughout the film, he eventually tries to use that to announce his new relationship and provides a comedic deterrent and person of interest for the audience.

Buffy, a ditzy self-involved beauty queen who is the most popular girl in school, is completely unaware of others point of views or concerns. She’s self absorbed, entitled and easily confronts the killer and speaks out. The killer might be on the loose, but it’s okay as long as her hair and makeup look good.

It’s only suiting that her boyfriend Greg is egging her on during her pageant, as she is trying to tell him the killer is behind him, but is praised for her dramatic performance and unabashedly accepts her place as the winner forgetting about Greg.

Cindy’s Dad is preoccupied and tells her he is going away on a trip, so the supervision is lacking at Cindy’s house. He is essentially non-present throughout the movie. Allowing for these activities to unfold. But when he does show up, he doesn’t shut down the scene only amps up the hilariousness.

Sheriff Burke is the authority figure in town but his antics lead to his ineffective investigating of missing major clues that could solve the case. When Cindy is called in to speak with him, he still can’t be taken seriously as he gives his modeling portfolio to Cindy asking her opinion.

He’s the first to pursue the killer, but only because Cindy told him who it was.

Gale is one of the first on the scene, who gets a little too close to the case and ends up falling for the killer. She is over-the-top, and loses her cool frequently which you don’t normally see on live TV making her role as the reporter who is supposed to remain calm and grounded, a comedic character worth remembering.

She presses the police department for answers, and yells ridiculous things at them when she doesn’t.

Buffy’s brother, Doofy, is a sheriff’s assistant where absolutely no one takes him seriously, and seems like the most innocent of them all. He is constantly dismissed and mocked by the characters. The realization that he might be the killer doesn’t come until the end in an unexpected twist.

He leaves town with Gale, his new girlfriend, revealing his true character—a smooth-talking killer in disguise. It’s over-the-top, and brings about a hilarious ending to a comedy by revealing, well yeah, he was there all along.

The writers are then able to take these characters and reinvent their circumstances into subsequent films Scary Movie 2, 3, 4, 5 and even a Scary Movie 6, that’s set to be released in June 2026.

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