Ray "Ray" Wilkins isn't just a character. He’s a chaotic, leather-vest-wearing fever dream that basically changed how we look at slasher tropes forever. If you grew up in the early 2000s, you know the vibe. You remember the high-pitched voice. You definitely remember the "vaguely" closeted jokes that somehow became the centerpiece of the entire Scary Movie franchise. It’s wild to think that twenty-five years later, people are still searching for Ray Ray Scary Movie clips on TikTok and YouTube like they just came out yesterday.
Marlon Wayans played Ray with a level of physical commitment that most "serious" actors wouldn't touch. He wasn't just playing a parody of the jock from I Know What You Did Last Summer. He was deconstructing the very idea of the "token" horror movie character while simultaneously being the funniest person on screen.
Honestly, the brilliance of Ray is in the subversion. In the original Scream or I Know What You Did Last Summer, the athletic guy is usually the hero or the first one to get gutted. Ray Wilkins? He was too busy questioning his own sexuality and worrying about his "finishing moves" to care about a masked killer.
The Origin of Ray Ray Wilkins and the 2000s Slasher Boom
To understand why Ray Ray Scary Movie references still hit, you have to look at what was happening in 1996 and 1997. Horror was undergoing a massive "meta" shift. Scream had just shattered the fourth wall. Kevin Williamson was the king of teen angst and bloodletting. The Wayans brothers—specifically Shawn and Marlon—saw a massive opening. They didn't just want to spoof the movies; they wanted to roast the culture surrounding them.
Ray was originally a direct riff on Barry Cox, the character played by Ryan Phillippe in I Know What You Did Last Summer. Barry was the quintessential jerk jock. Ray took that template and cranked the absurdity to 11.
The first Scary Movie (2000) was a lightning strike. It cost about $19 million to make and raked in $278 million. That kind of ROI is unheard of today for an R-rated comedy. A huge chunk of that success came from the chemistry between Marlon’s Ray and Shawn’s Rayneheer (Ray’s best friend and Brenda’s boyfriend). Their interactions were fast-paced, improvised, and deeply weird.
Why the Humor Works (And Why It’s Controversial Now)
Let’s be real for a second. If you watch Scary Movie today, some of the jokes about Ray’s sexuality feel dated. It was the year 2000. The "closeted guy who doesn't realize he's out" trope was a staple of the era's comedy. But here is the thing: Marlon Wayans didn't play Ray as a victim. He played him as a confused, hyper-masculine jock who was obsessed with things that were decidedly not "jock-ish."
The humor wasn't necessarily punching down at the LGBTQ+ community; it was punching at the performative masculinity of the late 90s. Ray wanted to be the alpha, but he was also wearing crop tops and getting a little too excited about "locker room talk."
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Iconic Moments: From the Football Field to the Bedroom
When people talk about Ray Ray Scary Movie, they usually bring up two or three specific scenes. First, there's the "Wassup" sequence. While it started as a Budweiser commercial parody, the way Ray and the Killer (Ghostface) interacted turned it into a cultural reset. It humanized the villain and made Ray the ultimate "bro."
Then, of course, there’s the death scene. Or the "non-death" scene.
In the first film, Ray is stabbed in the back through a bathroom stall. It’s a parody of the classic slasher trope where the victim thinks they’re safe. But in true Wayans fashion, Ray’s reaction isn't fear. It's confusion. He basically "survives" because the movie is too ridiculous to let its best character die. This led to his return in Scary Movie 2, which doubled down on the absurdity.
The Evolution in Scary Movie 2
By the time the sequel rolled around in 2001, the writers knew they had a goldmine with Ray. The "Scary Movie 2" version of Ray Wilkins is even more detached from reality. This is the film that gave us the "clown" scene.
If you haven't seen it, Ray is being stalked by a possessed clown doll under his bed. Instead of a traditional horror struggle, the scene turns into a bizarre, physical comedy routine where Ray ends up... well, "dominating" the clown. It is one of the most uncomfortable yet hilarious sequences in parody history. Marlon Wayans has since stated in interviews that his goal was always to take the joke further than anyone expected.
He succeeded.
The Marlon Wayans Factor: Why Nobody Else Could Have Played Ray
Parody is hard. People think it’s just making faces and referencing other movies, but it requires insane timing. Marlon Wayans is a trained actor. He attended the High School of Music & Art and Howard University. He understands the "beats" of a performance.
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When you watch Ray Ray Scary Movie clips, pay attention to his face. Even when he isn't speaking, his expressions are doing the heavy lifting. He plays Ray with this wide-eyed, vacant intensity. It’s the look of a man who has no idea what’s going on but is 100% committed to it.
- Physical Comedy: Marlon's ability to contort his body.
- Vocal Inflection: The way he fluctuates between a deep "jock" voice and a high-pitched squeal.
- Chemistry: His "bromance" with Shawn Wayans felt authentic because they are, obviously, brothers.
Without Marlon’s specific energy, Ray Wilkins would have just been a forgettable side character. Instead, he became the face of the first two films alongside Anna Faris’s Cindy Campbell.
Impact on the Parody Genre
After the first two Scary Movie installments, the Wayans brothers left the franchise. You can feel the shift immediately. Scary Movie 3 and 4 (directed by David Zucker) moved toward a more slapstick, "Airplane!" style of humor. It was funny, but it lost that raw, edgy, character-driven energy that Ray brought to the table.
Ray Wilkins paved the way for characters in movies like Not Another Teen Movie and 21 Jump Street. He showed that you could take a trope—the "Black guy in a horror movie"—and flip it on its head by making him the most complex (and weirdest) person in the room.
Why We Still Care in 2026
Nostalgia is a powerful drug. But more than that, there’s a lack of "fearless" comedy in modern cinema. Everything feels a bit sanitized. Looking back at Ray Ray Scary Movie reminds people of a time when comedy was allowed to be messy, offensive, and utterly ridiculous all at once.
TikTok has given Ray a second life. Gen Z has discovered the "Wassup" scenes and the ridiculous outfits, turning them into memes that bridge the generational gap. It turns out, a guy being hilariously oblivious to his own surroundings is a timeless comedic trope.
Misconceptions About Ray Wilkins
One thing people often get wrong is the idea that Ray was meant to be a "villain" because of his twist in the first movie. (Spoilers for a 25-year-old movie: Ray and Bobby were the killers, parodying Billy and Stu from Scream).
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But here’s the nuance: Ray wasn't a killer because he was evil. He was a killer because he was a follower. He just wanted to be part of the "team." That makes him infinitely more interesting than a standard slasher villain. He’s a guy who literally brought a knife to a gunfight just because his friend told him to.
The Legacy of the Leather Vest
Let’s talk about the wardrobe. The tight leather vests. The headbands. The sheer "look" of Ray Wilkins. It was a perfect satire of 90s boy band culture and urban fashion. It was the "Puff Daddy" era of excess, and Ray was living it to the fullest.
How to Revisit the Character Today
If you’re looking to dive back into the world of Ray Ray Scary Movie, don't just stop at the first film. The real gold is in the behind-the-scenes features of the DVD era. Marlon and Shawn often talk about how many of Ray's lines were total improv.
The "Wassup" scene, for example, had dozens of takes where they just shouted nonsense at each other until they couldn't breathe from laughing. That's the energy that modern parodies often miss—the feeling that the actors are having more fun than the audience.
Actionable Takeaways for Fans and Creators
If you're a fan of the franchise or a creator looking to capture that same "Ray energy," here’s how to process the legacy:
- Study Physicality: Watch Marlon’s movements. Comedy isn't just in the words; it's in the way you hold your shoulders or widen your eyes.
- Subvert the Archetype: If you're writing a character, don't just make them a "spoof." Give them a specific obsession or a blind spot, like Ray’s total lack of self-awareness regarding his masculinity.
- Value Chemistry Over Script: The best Ray moments came from Marlon and Shawn riffing. If you're filming something, leave room for the actors to go off-script.
- Embrace the Absurd: Don't be afraid to make a scene "too weird." The clown scene in Scary Movie 2 shouldn't work on paper, but it's iconic because they committed to the bit.
The rumor mill always swirls about a Wayans brothers return to the franchise. Whether or not we ever see Ray Wilkins on the big screen again, his influence is baked into the DNA of modern internet humor. He’s the original "clueless jock," the king of the "wassup," and the reason we can't watch a serious slasher movie without expecting someone to burst out of a closet wearing a leather gimp suit.
Ray Wilkins didn't just survive the slasher craze; he conquered it.