Scream 7
TheScreamfranchisestarted in 1996 with a meta take on the horror genre and a killer opening sequence that had everyone asking , “ What ’s your favored scarey movie ? ” Nearly 30 years later , the franchise has expanded to include five sequels , a spinoff telly series , and a seventh motion-picture show set up to be a “ legacy sequel ” on the way .
Much of the franchise has centered on the character of Sidney Prescott ( Neve Campbell ) and the people in a Ghostface masquerade who have judge to kill her . One of the original killers in the very first moving-picture show is Stu Macher ( Matthew Lillard ) , who seemingly meets his close after Sidney drops a TV on his capitulum . Fan theories have persisted since the original trilogy conclude that Stu might have actually survived his encounter with Sidney . With Lillard confirmed to appear inScream 7 , there are a lot of lover theories about just how the movie will bring him back .
Despite a slew of behind - the - scene issue , Scream 7 is on the way with Neve Campbell render to her familiar role as Sydney Prescott .
8Stu Is Alive And Leading Kills From Prison
This Theory Recycles A Scrapped Scream 3 Plot
Your Rating
Your gossip has not been write
Cast
The least exciting of the buff theories calls back to one of the original musical theme forScream 3.A scrappedScream 3planwould have sport the reveal that Stu Macher had actually survived his injuries from Billy ’s stabbings and Sidney ’s television receiver throwing and that he was serving his fourth dimension in prison . While there , Stu would have still had a spate of influence .
The idea was that Stu would have been keeping up with the attempts on Sidney ’s life after his incarceration and would have been able-bodied to give advice to other would - be murderers who were impressed with the plan he and Billy had . While this would have made a great plot in an early movie , and could still work for a dissimilar villain in theScreamfranchise down the line of descent , it ’s not quite as exciting as a prospect or one to obsess over .
7Stu Is A Hallucination
Stu Could Be Someone Else’s Psychological Torture
One of the more interesting ways to make for a asleep eccentric back in a movie like those in theScreamfranchise is as a manifestation of a point - of - view quality ’s subconscious . We see this with Sam when she is grappling with the fact that Billy Loomis is her father . With Melissa Barrera ’s exit from the franchise , however , we will not see her being metaphorically torment by Billy or moving on from him .
The possibility exists that Stu could be this for a different character . While the idea is exciting only because it could give Matthew Lillard a really fun way to play the character , it ’s already been done with Sam and Billy , so the estimate would not feel clean for the franchise . As much as the franchise likes to remould old ground with melodic theme about family and revenge , it does not toy out the exact same storylines again . It finds ways to reinvent them .
That pull in this the least likely choice unless the team behind the movie can find a way to make this workplace . What could cultivate is Stu popping up in Sidney ’s nightmares . Other stamp penis are returning for the movie whose character are dead as well , so a nightmare scenario for Sidney , whose past times keeps coming back for her , seems potential .
Custom image by Amanda Bruce
6Stu Is Alive And Hidden By His Family
His Family Has Been Mentioned But Not Seen
There are a few things we screw about Stu Macher ’s family from the franchise so far : his parent were well - off by Woodsboro criterion , he was apprehensive about let down them when they find out about his kills , he has a baby , and his sister ’s Logos was a dupe of another Ghostface . That , however , is all we really make love about his folk . There is no indicant of whether they would have tried to protect Stu from the consequences of his action or whether they would have try out to help him .
If his family is as wealthy as fans believe , it ’s entirely possible that they could have set Stu up somewhere far off from the blooming natural process he took in high school . He would have time to heal , physically and psychologically . BecauseScream5 , 6 , and 7 are all “ legacy continuation , ” taking a look at a new generation of quality who have connections to the pilot , it would not be out of the realm of possibility for the Macher fellowship to appear , or for it to be discover that they have been obliterate Stu from the authorities .
While this is an exciting theory , and one that has beenbounced around extensively on Reddit , it ’s intemperate to know what direction the storey would take . Would Stu be ineffective to work as a Ghostface due to the injuries he nurture ? Would he be keep up with Sidney ’s life and the lore ? There are a raft of possibilities here .
fan have also been theorizing since the cast of Anna Camp and McKenna Grace that their characters are relatives of Stu ’s , and it ’s easy to make that connection .
Lillard has actually had forcible cameos ( inScream 2at a party ) and voice cameos ( inScream 5at a party ) in theScreamfranchise outside of his initial appearance as Stu .
5Stu Is Alive And Becomes An Ally For Sidney
Could Scream 7 Take A Hannibal Lecter Approach?
A popular trope in crime dramas in late years involve a killer being moderately reformed by acting as a consultant for the very citizenry who put him behind bars . There survive a possibility that the same could be done with Stu inScream 7and beyond . He has been a Ghostface , so if he is alive and moderate in prison house or a mental wellness installation , why not allow the Italian sandwich to use his experience to their advantage ?
Of naturally , a 1996 Ghostface and a 2020s Ghostface might have very dissimilar concerns and motivation , so Stu being able-bodied to get inside the head of a new killer 30 age later may ferment , or it may lead to Stu realizing he wants to be the one behind the masquerade . While it would give Matthew Lillard the chance to really jaw some scenery , it might not work for the slasher genre as well as it does in a crime procedural on telecasting .
Of course , for all these theories about the possibility of Stu being alive , there is a downside . Kevin Williamson has already promulgate in interviewsthat Stu is all in . While the movie have hinted at conspiracy theory that Stu is still alive , it seems unlikely that Williamson would go back on that theme , even in a moving picture franchise roll in the hay for its third - act kink .
Scream 7 has a big Sam and Tara family mystery to speak , and a theory suggests a godforsaken way to do so with a surprising but meet twist to the saga .
4Matthew Lillard Is Not Playing Stu
Think Wes Craven’s New Nightmare
Because the secret plan of theScreammovies is keep under wraps while filming - in the past somecast members have even filmed fake scenesto keep multitude guessing about the existent identity of Ghostface(s ) in the movie - it ’s entirely potential that we are all simply bear Matthew Lillard is back inScream 7to play Stu . He does not have to play Stu . He very well could be play Matthew Lillard toy Stu Macher in an even more meta take thanScreamtypically run for .
This theme has been done in theNightmare on Elm Streetfranchise with Wes Craven’sNew Nightmareas the actors who played the character were stalked by Freddy Krueger in real life . More recently , it ’s been done in theChuckyfranchise with Jennifer Tilly playing both herself and her character Tiffany .
One Redditor notesthat if theScreamfranchise opted to go that itinerary , “ It would be hilarious to have Matthew Lillard be the opening putting to death … ” It would be one way to honor Wes Craven ’s legacy and keep fans on their toes after all of the meditation .
3Stu Returns Only Briefly
The Opening Kill Could Still Be Stu
TheScreammovies are known for theiriconic opening sequences . The first movie changed the horror opening plot by casting a big name - Drew Barrymore - and then giving her a brutal decease just a few minute into the movie . The 2d motion picture upped the ante by belt down off characters in a movie theater while theStabfranchise debuted a movie within the movie . Every movie has take what the audience think they know about a repulsion picture show and twists it , even in the chess opening successiveness .
One RedditorthinksScream 7could do it again by bringing Matthew Lillard back only to have Stu Macher be the first kill of the junket :
screaming 7 open with the reveal that Stu did in fact survive Scream 1 . He now lives under a new identity and has really turned his life around . We ’re left with the effect that thing are looking up for him , but then we remember this is the opening to a Scream motion picture . He scram a call from a mysterious stranger asking(well more like demanding ) him to " play a plot " . One thing leads to another , Stu gets killed for real this time , and we cut to the Scream 7 title card . This has the potency to be the most controversial things the Scream movies have ever done which is exactly why they should do it . Would the fans palpate like they ’ve been bait ? perfectly and that should be the compass point . I do nt know how that would tie to to a larger theme in Scream 7 but it should in some style .
They point out that this would be a controversial option and the hearing would likely find like they would have been tease into thinking Lillard would be a prominent part of the motion-picture show , but that could make in the moving-picture show ’s favor . It would be a meta wink to the audience to explain that Stu really is endure for good , and a way of life to honor Williamson having say that Stu is really dead .
Scream ’s reference to itself and other famous slasher films make it one of the most meta franchise in Hollywood . Here are its most meta moment .
2Stu Will Be Seen In A Flashback To The Inciting Incident
Scream 7 Could Take Us Back To Maureen
One of the best and most logical of fan hypothesis for Lillard appearing inScream 7takes us all the way back to the outset . Billy and Stu originally team up up for execution when they toss off Sidney ’s mother . Billy has insider information about Sidney ’s mother from Sidney ’s half - buddy Roman , as uncover in the third movie . One Redditor positsthatwe could really see the original preparation or carrying out of Maureen ’s slaying , with the idea that they were not the only three people necessitate :
Billy , Stu and Roman flashback before Scream 1996 where they design Maureen ’s murder …
And I ’d count that we see the flashback from the position of a fourth soul who was in the room with them . That fourth person is the killer in Scream 7 ?
Using a flashback with an actor who is no longer in high schooling is not impossible . The visual result technology exists to make it work out , particularly if there is exist footage of the actor at that sentence . With Lillard and the other originalScreamactors , there definitely is , make it easier on the gist team to create a scene with a Lillard in 2025 who look to be Lillard of 1996 .
This brings up some interesting questions , though . Who else would have wanted Maureen Prescott dead ? Stu bonded with Billy and allow his sinister side have fun . Billy and Roman had a grievance . Who would be expose in the flashback to be involve , who could potentially have a reason to go after Sidney 30 years later ? It ’s fun to consider .
1A.I. Will Be Used To Make It Appear Stu Is Alive
A.I. Is Becoming A Popular Modern Horror Fixture
TheScreamfranchise has always had its finger on the pulse of horror at the time each movie is being made .
Of course , the most popular hypothesis about the return of Matthew Lillard to theScreamfranchise is variations on how unreal intelligence might be used in conjunction with his rejoinder . TheScreamfranchise has always had its fingerbreadth on the pulse of revulsion at the clock time each movie is being made . The original movie offer commentary on the slasher subgenre as we screw it up to that point , but each movie addresses the way the genre change , most notably withScream5 and 6 as legacy continuation , or the combination of reboot and subsequence ( requel as the character reference call it ) .
A.I. is becoming a regular in mod horror movies . The success ofM3GANis trial impression of that with a chick that learns and thinks for itself , becoming a terrific killer . A.I. , however , is not just used in object that can con , but also in programming and ocular liberal arts . Whether or not A.I. should even be used in movies has become a hot - clit subject . It makes sensory faculty , then , forScream 7to come up a way to employ that concept .
Whether that have in mind using A.I. to quicken the likenesses or voices of past killers and victims for anotherStabmovie or infotainment within the film , or something more sinister stay to be examine . Scream 7is expected to call back toScream 3 , asScream 5called back to the original andScream 6called back to its sequel . InScream 3 , Sidney and Gale were on hand as aStabmovie was being made about the events in the late movie .
Of of course , if A.I. was go to be employed for the movie within the movie , but the killer whale got their hand on it , that could be more interesting . The Modern Ghostface could utilize deepfake picture or calls with the voices of previous Ghostfaces to really get under Sidney ’s skin . Using the actors who act the part instead of actually faking those video would give them an air of authenticity and make it harder for Sidney to tell they were fake within the movie .
The new Ghostface using the likeness of Stu Macher or getting their hand on the programming to produce Stu Macher ’s voice could really torment survivors like Sidney and Gale , who roll in the hay him personally . It could be one of the most interesting ways to provide commentary on modern movie - devising and utilize legacy charactersinScream 7 .
