Throughout the Scream franchise, there have been many characters that have come and gone. Whether they were brutally murdered by Ghostface or they simply made it out alive and left the town altogether, there are so many memorable characters that make up these movies. One of the most beloved characters is Randy Meeks, the film nerd who essentially was killed off way too soon in the franchise and provided a lot of help when it came to figuring out who the killer was. While Scream has had some heavy-hitter characters that you either love or hate, there are a handful of other characters that aren’t nearly as talked about or appreciated. They’re pushed to the sidelines or hated on because of their actions, but genuinely, these characters deserve more love. That being said, here’s a list of 10 characters that are the most underrated in the horror franchise.

Related: Scream: The Best Characters in the Franchise, Ranked

10 Rebecca Walters - Scream 4 (2011)

Scream 4
Dimension Films

Although Rebecca’s morals were a bit skewed since she was hungry for fame and money (like almost every Ghostface), she was a great side character nonetheless. In Scream 4, she’s introduced as Sidney’s publicist and was accompanying her on her highly anticipated book tour. Her death is so great because it opens the door to getting Sidney’s attention. Ghostface targeted someone close to her but not enough to make her devastated, confirming that the killings were happening again and at a higher level.

9 Kenny - Scream (1996)

Scream
Dimension Films

Kenny was Gale’s first cameraman, and he was often bullied by Ms. Weathers. He’d be moving too slowly or not have the camera ready, but still, his character was great and deserves to be on this list. Kenny proved that he had a heart when he helped Sidney and tried to protect her in the van, but it did in fact end up terribly bad for him as he was slit across the throat by Ghostface. He doesn’t stand a chance as he watches the delayed footage of Ghostface appearing behind Randy on the couch, only to discover that it was right behind him. It would have been interesting to see how his character would have developed if he had continued to be Gale’s cameraman through the other movies, but the introduction of Joel was solid.

8 Martha Meeks - Scream 3 (2000), Scream (2022)

martha meeks
Dimension films

Martha Meeks had a lot of potential to be a useful character after her brother Randy died. She first appeared in Scream 3 to supply some useful information to Sidney and Kincaid. Then she came back in Scream (2022) as the mother of Chad and Mindy and was mostly in the background, bringing in snacks and whatnot. It would have been more characterization for Martha, since she came back twice and survived each time. Is there a significance to that since she’s Randy’s sister? If they were to bring her back a third time, there would have to be some type of development.

7 Joel - Scream 2 (1997)

joel scream
Dimension Films

Joel, Gale’s cameraman in Scream 2, proved to be the most realistic character in the franchise. He was acting as if a real person outside the Scream universe was involved in this mess, reacting properly as he stated he wasn’t going to wait around and become the next target. Of course, that would make him a suspect, especially after Randy died in his van. What really sealed the deal on him being a great character is how he came back at the end of the movie. Even though he originally left because he was scared to die, he managed to pull it together at the end and be there for Gale.

6 Hallie - Scream 2 (1997)

Scream 2
Dimension Films

Hallie makes this list because of what a great friend she was to Sidney in college. As her roommate, she clearly knew what went down with Billy and Stu and all the baggage that came with Sidney, and Hallie accepted it. She constantly went out of her way to make sure Sidney wasn’t holding herself back when it came to the college experience, but she also immediately believed Sid when things started to go wrong. She shows her dedication when she goes with Sidney to a remote location, but then has to crawl over a knocked-out Ghostface by the end of the trip. Her death was expected and made sense, but still, it would have been nice to see her in Scream (2022) as an ally for Sidney, like Gale.

5 Jennifer Jolie - Scream 3 (2000)

jennifer jolie scream
Dimension Films

Through some parts of Scream 3, it felt like a spoof because of the involvement of Stab 3, and Jennifer Jolie nails her role as Gale in the third installment of the film revolving around the Woodsboro murders. Jolie is so funny as she goes head-to-head with Gale and helps solve the murders, claiming that she is a better Gale Weathers than the original. She did a lot of things right and helped the team a lot, and at some pivotal moments, she was the comedic relief. When she was killed by Roman, you could tell it was personal for him, and she should be more appreciated in the franchise.

4 Charlie Walker - Scream 4 (2011)

Charlie-walker-scream-4
Dimension Films

Similar to Roman, Charlie Walker doesn’t get much credit for portraying Ghostface. Charlie is a perfect stereotype of the character he’s playing: the "nice guy" who ends up being not at all nice and entirely gross. When he goes after Kirby and stabs her, his reasoning is that she never gave him attention or thought about him in a way that was more than a friend. Even though Jill Roberts did almost all the legwork when it came to being Ghostface and ultimately betrayed Charlie in the end, his character still deserves more recognition.

3 Mark Kincaid - Scream 3 (2000)

Patrick Dempsey as Kincaid in Scream 3
Dimension Films

Mark Kincaid is a fascinating character because of how they label him as the suspected killer in Scream 3. Mark is a detective that becomes overly dedicated to Sidney’s case, and we become a bit suspicious of him as he acts more strangely throughout the movie. Mark would have made a great Ghostface if Roman wasn’t doing a solo job, and if the plot was different, it seems like his character would have been more appreciated. Also, it’s assumed that Sidney ended up marrying Mark in the end because, in Scream (2022), Sid mentions that the kids and "Mark" are safe somewhere. There’s only one Mark that signifies someone important in the franchise.

Related: Why Scream 2 Is the Best Horror Sequel Ever

2 Cotton Weary - Scream (1996), Scream 2 (1997), Scream 3 (2000)

Scream 2
Dimension Films

People have their antennas up about Cotton Weary because of how he became addicted to fame and held Sidney’s life in balance because of it. However, simply put, without Cotton, Sidney would be dead. He pulled himself together by the end of Scream 2 and shot Billy’s mother instead of Sidney. It was almost like the audience breathed a collective sigh of relief when Cotton did the right thing because it was strongly assumed he was going to let his need for fame take over his decision. His death in Scream 3 felt very rushed, and it would have been interesting to see where his character arc could have gone if he had survived.

1 Roman - Scream 3 (2000)

Scott Foley as Roman Bridger in Scream 3
Dimension Films

Roman is extremely underrated, mostly because Scream 3 gets a bad rap for being the worst entry in the franchise. As a ghost, he’s clearly the smartest — and, dare we say, the craziest. Roman is so well-planned and precise, reaching out to Billy Loomis and Stu Macher and planting the seed for them to commit the murder of Maureen Prescott. People complain that he wasn’t a good Ghostface because Sidney didn’t even know him before the reveal. However, that’s what makes him so great because Sidney had no idea who he was, whereas before, all Ghostfaces have been someone close to her. Roman created his own vendetta because of Maureen’s actions, and when it’s revealed that Sidney and his first interaction is when he reveals himself as Ghostface, you understand how in his head he was. Roman is super underrated simply because of the movie he was in.