'Scream' is a Bonafide Staple of Halloween Viewing and the Franchise Keeps Getting Queerer

With the official spooky time of the year and Halloween in full swing, there is a growing trend where audiences are seeking out scary movies to watch in order to get in the right mood. It's an age-old tradition of moviegoers, and studios often take note. It's no accident that horror flicks like "The Exorcist: Believer" and "Five Nights at Freddy's" are scaring audiences into movie theaters in the month of October, and the interest in some scary movie favorites from yesteryear has seemingly never been higher.

One movie that gains in popularity during the season is "Scream," directed by horror veteran helmer Wes Craven. Initially released in December 1996, the first film launched what has become a slasher franchise still developing new movies to add to its growing catalog. Throughout the decades, "Scream" has elevated the horror genre by incorporating humor within its dialogue, and the film series has become gayer with every new installment.

"Scream" became a box office success upon its release in movie theaters, with a gross of $173 million against a budget of around $14 million. The movie created stars out of its leading actors, including future scream queen Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, and David Arquette, all of whom have participated in almost every following film in the franchise. Campbell has since departed her iconic role of Sidney Prescott, the prime target of the Ghostface killer(s) for years.

Spoiler alert for a 27-year-old movie, but the first "Scream" ends with Sidney's boyfriend Billy Loomis (Skeet Ulrich) and friend Stu Macher (Matthew Lillard) being unmasked as the original killers. Though they meet their maker in the film's climactic conclusion, Ulrich has reprised his role as a ghostly figure in the more recent installments, costarring Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega. From the start of the popular horror franchise, Billy and Stu's friendship has always contained queer-coded messaging that fans have picked up on. Even out "Scream" screenwriter Kevin Williamson has weighed in on the theories, noting to Pride Source, "Is Stu secretly in love with Billy? Maybe. Did Billy manipulate that? Possibly."

Fan theories aside, the producers and directors of the "Scream" series of movies have made a concerted effort to add queer representation across the board. Having the first two films and the fourth installment written by Kevin Williamson of "Dawson's Creek" fame, the talented screenwriter has invested time into writing from a queer perspective a horror franchise worthy of the box office receipts it continues to receive.

"Scream 3" introduced the character of Martha Meeks, played by out actor Heather Matarazzo. Martha's daughter, Mindy Meeks-Martin (Jasmin Savoy Brown), is presented in the fifth installment as part of the new high school "Core Four" that attempts to escape Ghostface's stabbings. Savoy Brown identifies as queer, and by the time she appears in the most recent "Scream VI," the actor has customized her character to represent the LGBTQ+ community in the forefront. She proudly rocks her pro-gay gear as she navigates the college scene in New York City along with her close-knit group of friends. She has a girlfriend, and they share countless moments where they kiss, entirely unburdened by judgment from other characters and the audience as a whole.

If the sequels and "requels" of the "Scream" franchise have taught its built-in audience anything, it's that it is comfortable evolving as new installments proceed into production. After the death of original director Wes Craven, who oversaw the first four films, 2022's "Scream" and 2023's "Scream VI" have been led by directing team Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett ("Ready or Not"). "Scream 7," currently under development, has landed its first gay director of the franchise in noted horror aficionado Christopher Landon ("Happy Death Day," "Freaky"). Not much is known at this time about the newest addition to the world of Ghostface slayings. Still, with Landon on board, there should be no question from critics and audiences that comedy and horror will intersect in more representation of the LGBTQ+ community.

Though the original 1996 version of "Scream" was plagued with a queer-coded messaging issue upon its release, the franchise has since avoided such clichés of the horror genre. Now in its rebirth as a series of films with new characters that speak to the modern age and younger voices, the franchise has equipped itself with LGBTQ+ representation from the highest levels on down. "Scream" and its subsequent sequels have become a staple of the spooky season, with the original movie hitting Max's Top 10 movies this week leading up to Halloween. Viewers are eager to get into the mood for Halloween, and "Scream" is one of the go-to movies that hits the right spot this time of year.