Matthew Lillard Should Return To Scream 7 In This Way

Matthew Lillard’s confirmed return to the Scream franchise for the upcoming Scream 7 movie has fans extremely excited. His character, Stu Macher, is beloved by fans of the franchise due to his impact on the original movie as one of the Ghostfaces, but it’s currently unknown how or why he will be part of Scream 7.

The movie is set to feature plenty of legacy characters from previous films, and throwing Lillard back into the mix certainly gets people talking. However, with his upcoming return, there is a chance to do something more unique and different that would allow him to stand out again.

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Stu Macher’s Status Is Unknown

Audiences haven’t seen Macher since the 1996 original, but fans of the franchise have been discussing him ever since. His eccentric personality and hilarious reactions ensured that he would go down in horror history, which is a credit to the work Lillard put in at the time. However, unlike many characters from the world of Scream, it is unclear whether or not Macher is dead or alive.

The ending of Scream didn’t tie things up when it came to Macher’s character. While his partner in crime, Billy Loomis, is very much dead at the end of the movie after being shot in the head, the same cannot be said for Macher. He does take a physical beating in the climactic final scenes of the movie, as Sidney Prescott throws a television at his head. Over the years, people have presumed that killed him, which is why Macher hasn’t returned, and the fact he’s returning has only pushed that belief even further. However, there is a storyline that is just as plausible and interesting to pull off if Macher is dead.

Stu Macher Should Return As A Figment Of Sidney Prescott’s Imagination

If Macher died in the original movie, bringing him back presents limited options. Fortunately, one of them has the potential to be very entertaining as he could prove to be a figment of Sidney’s imagination. She’s often been presented as resilient and strong, the ideal final girl of horror who can fight the odds, but after so many years of dealing with this situation, it would only be natural for it to start playing on her. Having her deal with nightmares, sleepless nights, and paranoia would only enhance her character and the overall story progression.

It could help explain why she’s set to have a new husband in this movie, with her issues potentially leading to her divorce. Having her see multiple Ghostfaces at all times would present a new type of thrill and scare within this franchise. Having former characters pop up while Sidney sleeps, or she thinks they’re standing on the street, but they’re not really there. Lillard could make his return to the franchise to fulfill this role, possibly doing so throughout the entire movie. He could play into his eccentric behavior and be shown as a damaged, older Ghostface, with the mask worn to showcase that he’s been dead for many years.

With so many characters confirmed to be part of this movie, things could quickly get confusing for audiences. This is particularly true for those who haven’t watched all of the previous Scream movies and are opting to jump in at this stage, and bringing Macher back in at that point would only drive that issue even further. That’s why having him only exist within Sidney’s mind would benefit the entire movie because he would be around, but it could be made clear that he’s not an existing character within the story that is being told.

Sidney Prescott Could End Up Dealing With Multiple Ghostfaces

There’s going to be at least one main villain wearing the iconic mask in Scream 7, giving audiences plenty to fear. The franchise has even had multiple people in the role before at the same time to keep people guessing. However, adding threats from within the mind with imaginary people who aren’t real would ensure that the scares can continue even when Sidney is sleeping, or people think that there is no element of threat.

The Scream franchise has always thrived on keeping people on their toes, bringing in surprises to shock and scare people at all times. That’s something that this idea could provide while also adding a new element to the movie to ensure that things remain fresh. After six films, it’s going to be tough for Scream 7 to provide something unique and interesting, but bringing Lillard’s iconic character back in a fresh way would allow that to happen. Because he is only going to be a figment of Sidney’s imagination, it will open up the possibility of doing things that typical human characters cannot achieve, and that could create some thrilling and entertaining moments throughout Scream 7.

Scream 7

Release Date

February 27, 2026

Director

Kevin Williamson

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  Neve Campbell

  Sidney Prescott

• 

  Courteney Cox

  Gale Weathers

• 

  Mason Gooding

  Chad Meeks-Martin

• 

  Jasmin Savoy Brown

  Mindy Meeks-Martin