Scream(1996) yappathon (pleasepleaseplease read this)

So i recently got really into Scream so im gonna talk about characters because i enjoy talking. The art on the right is a WIP of a Scream poster im making of Billy & Stu. OK !!! SO!! The sequels, as sequels are, are mediocre. But I do quite like the 2nd and 4th. The 3rd was such a drag and I think the original idea (Stu orchestrating high school kids doing ghostface murders from prison) was much more interesting, but it makes sense why they couldn't do it after columbine. Also, Stuilly. I really like Stu and Billy's dynamic together and think that they're very interesting characters. I also love the interpretation that the Actors have spoken about, with Billy not giving a shit and planning to kill Stu as soon as he was done with the murders, and Stu being head over heels. A lot of fans dislike the idea of Billy manipulating Stu into doing the ghostface murders, which I agree since that's not the message of the original trilogy, but I think Billy DEFINITELY manipulated Stu, taking advantage of the fact Stu thought they'd get to live happily together after finishing the murders.

I also have lots of ideas about their family lives, since that's the MAIN thing that came to me after watching the 2nd movie. The first two movies (and the 3rd ig, I dont like it though so i'm including it less) give the message of "don't blame media for people's actions, people's actions are largely a result of their family and the society that they live in.
Btw I wasn't . alive in the 90s and I know there was somewhat of a cultural shift around family and how you take care of children so this might not be the most accurate. Also these are headcanons based around the things canon provides. dont beat me up please)

Ok. Lets start with the fact that Stu's parents never even show up. At all. The only time he brings them up is while he's actively bleeding out, saying that his mom and dad are gonna be so mad at him. Compare this to Sidney, Casey, and Billy. Sure, other characters don't have parents mentioned, but they aren't hosting an impromptu party at their house. They also indirectly mention them with Stu knowing how to hunt and gut things, likely from hunting trips with his dad. I feel like he was the sort of kid that would have intrusive thoughts and often do immoral things, but since his parents weren't very present in his life, he didn't really have anybody to help him out until Billy came into his life as a kid who also had intrusive thoughts, and they just supported eachother with it, not actually doing anything until Roman came into Billy's life.
Billy's parents !! Billy's mother, Nancy Loomis, is absent in Billy's life due to his father cheating on her with Maureen Prescott, Sidney's mother. Billy's father, Hank Loomis, shows up when he is detained, clearly just wanting to get on with his day. I feel like Hank Loomis is very detached to his son, as during that scene he really dont show any concern for Billy other than a plain "He didn't do it" sort of attitude, and only shows a real emotion when he finds out that Billy was sneaking into Sidney's house. I also consider Sidney and Billy's conversation at the party to be evidence. In this scene, Billy says he used his one phonecall to call his dad, and Sidney says she saw Sheriff Burke call Hank. Billy responds that he did too, but when he called, he didn't get an answer. Billy would have absolutely no reason to lie about this so I feel like this is true, and it shows even more the themes of the original trilogy.

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ALSO !! I've been thinking about this for a while and since Matt Lillard is in scream 7 (I don't remember if Stu's confirmed to be in it but his actor is) im just thinking about those final scenes where Sidney tears apart the ghostface's motives and calls them crazy like. Imagine Stu doing a whole speech about avenging Billy and stuff and Sidney is like "Billy never loved you, you crazy fuck. He was manipulating you that entire time and you KNOW it" and Stu is silent because he knows its true he knows Billy never gave a shit about him but he can't accept it. He can't let that be true because he needs to keep living in the world where him and Billy had a chance at living happily ever after together.

In conclusion !! Don't neglect children or they'll start murdering their classmates? Yeah, sure yeah thats the conclusion. I just wanted to talk about my ideas and thoughts for Scream. Thanks for reading this if you did :))
I like when horror has themes i can think about and turn around in my brain as well as very interesting actors. You should watch the recorded panels from the many conventions they're in !