Work Text:
Scream, terrifyingly now 23 years old, is best known for it’s post-modernist exploration of horror film tropes. As such, it utilises the role of ‘final girl’, identifying, and either endorsing or reinventing the established moral code from horror classics such as ‘Halloween’ (‘you can never have sex. Big no no!’)
Sometimes this is performed with great success (the reversal of Sidney losing her virginity and yet defeating both killers; with Randy revealed as the virgin saved by his chastity), sometimes less so (the subplot regarding Sidney’s mother, Maureen Prescott.)
It’s exploration of gender can be traditional (Randy jokingly calling Stu ‘Alicia’; the discussion at the beginning regarding the physical strength required of murder and how only a ‘real’ man is capable of it) but is capable of updating the attitudes of the class 1970s horror films it lovingly lampoons (‘It would take a man to do something like that.’ ‘Or a man’s mentality.’) Likewise, it plays with traditional and non-traditional notions of sexuality, in terms of Billy and Stu’s arousal by violence, and the queer coding of the villains.
Director Wes Craven comments on the ‘chemistry’ between the two characters, while editor Patrick Lussier notes: ‘they have this sort of dynamic duo quality. Billy’s definitely the mastermind of the operation, Matthew Lillard’s character is probably in love with him, and is willing to do anything he says.’ Lillard himself explains that he sees the pairing as similar to Hook and Smee from Peter Pan, with Billy as the ‘devilish leader, charismatic, beautiful, and everyone falls for him, but he’s got this little sidekick who’ll do anything.’
From the original script, Stu is a rather underwritten role, which cast and crew freely admit became more fleshed out by Lillard’s improvisations.
In the draft script, a line later given to Tatum to deliver to her boyfriend Stu is assigned to Billy: ‘Open your mouth and stupidity pours out.’ In the film, Stu plays a little less worshipful, more of a class clown than a geek, and his idolisation of Billy is a little more subtle, based around what he says about Billy as much as to him, as he defends his friend to Sidney, Randy and Tatum.
The film pairs Billy and Stu apart from the other male in the group, Randy, who can be just as callous. The group are all horror movie fans which is linked within the film to desensitisation, and others in their age group share this approach (after a recent murder, students dress up in costume, as Stu comments: ‘it’s like Christmas around here!’) – but Billy and Stu’s interactions are linked in a way the others aren't; both defend each other with as much seriousness as they ever use: 'I didn't kill anybody.' 'Nobody's saying you did.' 'Thanks, buddy.') as well as 'It was a misunderstanding. (Billy) didn't do anything.' 'You're such a little lapdog!' This is in direct opposition to the accusations aimed at Randy, which go unquestioned.
Stu reflects Billy’s reprimands of him to Randy, taking on the ‘policing’ role by shh’ing Randy and looking around at onlookers reactions, miming wild disgust at Randy’s comments, and questioning why Billy would be motivated to kill Sidney, his girlfriend.
The film also makes a neat point here about misogyny. Stu wants to kill his own girlfriend, and both his and Billy’s violence, despite as far as we know, not being accompanied with sexual assault, is motivated in part by an urge to punish women for their sexuality –Maureen Prescott, Casey (Stu’s ex-girlfriend, who dumped him in favour of second victim, Steven Orth), Sidney (Billy’s girlfriend), and Tatum (Stu’s current girlfriend) – and they show arousal when discussing the murders, whether openly or obliquely.
Stu’s being disingenuous here, hiding behind a rational façade – why would you date a women you want to harm? – leaving Randy to defend misogyny not just as an aspect of horror cinema, but also in ‘real life’, suggesting ‘there’s always some bullshit reason to kill your girlfriend’ – garnering a disgusted look from a nearby woman.
Randy considers that Billy may be angry if Sidney isn’t sleeping with him, but Stu instantly jokes about Randy’s feelings for Sid in the context of Randy’s inferiority to Billy – the reason she isn’t sleeping with Billy couldn’t possibly be a preference for Randy, instead.
This leads on to one of the more charged homoerotic/threatening moments (imagine the scene with Tatum or Sidney present) whereupon Billy approaches Randy, and grabs him by the collar, asking how do ‘we’ know he isn’t the killer himself?
Randy instantly backs down, guiltily saying ‘Hi Billy’, then rushing to placate him: ‘You’re absolutely right, I’d be the first to admit it, if this were a horror movie, I’d be the prime suspect.’
Billy is leaning in close, while Stu at this point rests his arms on Randy’s back (Randy literally sandwiched between them), and whispers ‘What would be your motive?’ while playing with Randy’s earlobe.
Randy suggests ‘Motives are incidental.’
Billy remains dominant, pinching Randy’s nose like a child, then patronising him: ‘That’s good. Good kid,’ before exchanging a glance with Stu, and exiting.
While Randy questions Sidney and Billy’s relationship, Stu furthers it. We discover the ‘rules’ are that sexually active females die, while virgins survive, so Stu’s desire for Billy to sleep with Sidney would be to make her unworthy, literally of life.
Billy himself seems to represent the sexual double standard writ large – he does seem to genuinely want Sidney’s trust (if only so that she bends to his will), but becomes contemptuous of her when she sleeps with him. ‘We played that game, you lost…(Your mother’s death) fucked you up…it made you have sex with a psychopath.’
Stu jokes: ‘You gave it up, now you’re no longer a virgin, oooh!’ but turns serious: ‘You gotta die, those are the rules.’ Billy and Sidney’s sex plays into his and Billy’s plan to literally rid themselves of anyone outside themselves: ‘Everybody dies but us’.
Hints that appear on first watch as Billy reprimanding his friend for a lack of tact are actually creepier when watched in retrospect, with Stu’s barely concealing his amusement: ‘Billy, hmm, what are you doing here?’ when Billy arrives to sleep with Sidney. Billy licks his lips before turning to Stu, and raising his brows, a silent communication that Tatum is dead.
As the duo’s plan reveals itself, we can begin to view the characters differences as well as similarities.
Stu tends towards faking emotional responses (‘my Tatum!’) but it’s all surface level. He’s usually joking and laughing, and rarely demonstrates serious or negative emotions unless forced. He uses a purposefully humorous melodramatic tone: ‘We were left for dead!’, and in the original script mentions being able to cry on cue.
When we see rage from Stu, it’s always connected to Billy. For example, when Sidney approaches Stu in class to find out how Billy is: ‘What, after you branded him the candyman? His heart’s broken.’ Stu has relaxed body language – looking in a mirror – but actually it’s Sid who begins the conversation in a self-consciously casual tone, which Stu immediately and purposefully punctures. He doesn’t distract with a joke, he stays on the subject with an accusation, and unusually flat delivery, no laugh.
In the film’s denouement, he shows anger twice, first with Billy for stabbing him too deep and then Sidney, for attacking Billy.
Billy, on the other hand, generally doesn’t show emotions, either positive or negative. However, as he and Stu reveal their plan, he does begin to refer to his actions jokily, talking about ‘the game’ as well as using humour (‘get it right…you die!’ ‘This is Gale Weathers, signing off.’)
Language here also pairs them as a double-act (as opposed to paired killers such as Mickey and Debbie in Scream 2, or Charlie and Jill in Scream 4) as they set each other up for jokes and ask each other rhetorical questions (‘you hear that, Stu?’)
Body language is equally reflective - Stu is standing, chin on Billy’s shoulder, eying his face and neck. When Sidney spits: ‘You’re crazy, both of you!’ Stu smirks: ‘Actually, we prefer the term psychotic’ (playing on the at that point relatively recent concept of political correctness.)
Billy goes on to reveal his motive (Sidney’s mother was sleeping with his father, causing his parents to divorce and his mom to move away), to which Stu looks shocked at, suggesting that he was unaware of this.
His own motives, despite those that can be assumed (psychopathy, love of horror movies, misogyny) are only ever stated by him, jokingly, as being related to Billy - ‘peer pressure, I’m far too sensitive.’ When Billy mentions motives, Stu shrugs and pulls a face. This was explored further with the original script:
Billy comes barreling up next to him. BILLY How'd you do?
STU Piece of cake. She'll be there.
BILLY Thanks, butt wart. You did good.
STU So you gonna try and make up with Sid?
BILLY Duh...that's quick.
STU I was just asking. Why are you always at me?
BILLY Because I'm trying to build your self-esteem. You're far too sensitive.
STU Oh....
Billy thumbs Stu's forehead.
BILLY You ready to party hard tonight?
STU You know it.
As the third act continues, Billy and Stu continue to explain their plan to Sidney (‘perfect ending’/’I thought of that’), stabbing each other to look as if they barely escaped from Neil Prescott, Sidney’s father and their scapegoat. The symbolism of the mutual stabbing is fairly obvious, and more so by the dialogue: ‘Don’t go too deep’, ‘yeah baby, get it up, hit it!’, ‘good one, man, my turn.’
However, fractures begin to appear at this point – Stu seems to enjoy being subordinate to Billy (he even presents Billy with the knife, bowing), but not pain in itself, and at his turn, turns oddly serious, stabbing Billy hard: ‘Sorry, Billy, guess I got a little too zealous, huh?’
They clash over the knife, but at Billy’s verbal demand, Stu gives in, and Billy stabs him again, to Stu’s distress: ‘Oh, stop it Billy, would you? Alright? I can’t take it anymore. I’m feeling a little woozy here!’
Stu defers more and more to Billy as the consequences of their actions (pain, his family’s potential reaction to his crimes) begin to realise, and the impetus for his final attack on Sid (which is probably the most vicious fight - punches to the face, biting), is quite subtle, but the scene before, he's at his weakest (crying, worried, thinks he's dying), then Sid knocks Billy down, and Stu goes apeshit.
Sidney at one point refers to Billy as a ‘pansy’, and this inference is furthered in the sequels, as Randy notes that Billy and Stu were ‘much more inventive’, but that Stu was a ‘pussy ass wet rag’ and Billy a ‘homo-repressed momma’s boy.’
Matthew Lillard was originally suggested as the villain for Scream 3, however script leaks lead to rewrites.
However, he and Billy are referred to in each sequel – in Scream 3, it’s revealed that Sidney’s half-brother, Roman, suggested to Billy the concept of working with a partner in order to ‘dump’ them if caught; and in Scream 4, Charlie and Jill, a partnership in terms of dating as well as murder (romance!) mention: ‘We’ll be just like Billy and Stu’, before kissing.
Links
Tumblr link for gif sets, documentary caps etc.
A03 tag for fics and fanvids
Meta on the entire series
Non-A03 fic- site now down, download available on request
Non-A03 fic
Meta on the pairing by leanwellback