Summary
- Scream 7 must introduce a compelling motive for Ghostface to avoid repetitive storytelling.
- A fan theory for Scream 7 suggests a copycat Ghostface inspired by previous killers Stu and Roman.
- The return of Stu and Roman in Scream 7 would add depth to the story, focusing on Sidney and Gale’s trauma.
As a horror fan for many years, I think Scream 7 needs to achieve one major accomplishment: figure out a motive for Ghostface that works well. In the past, the wise, funny, and meta horror franchise has been criticized for featuring the same motives over and over again. For the first three movies, Ghostface sought revenge on final girl Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell). Then, from Scream 4 to Scream 6, the various Ghostface killers looked for celebrity. I was on board with all of these storylines because I love a lot about this franchise, including Sidney’s continued strength.
However, when Scream 7 comes out, I hope Ghostface has an engaging motive. There is a fan theory that suggest why Ghostface could be killing again, and I think it could be cool.
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This Scream 7 Fan Theory Suggests Ghostface’s Motive
Redditor @LunarTules thinks that the new Ghostface will be inspired by original Ghostfaces Stu Macher (Matthew Lillard) and Roman Bridger (Scott Foley). They wrote:
“the Ghostface we’re seeing in this movie will be constantly teased to be Stu and Roman. Like, full on having characters treat it like they’re being attacked by a ghost Ghostface and the movie will keep you double-guessing.”
The fan continued that Ghostface could be:
“a copycat or copycats of the original murderers who loved the MO of emulating slasher movies and wanted to try it out on the original survivor because the final girl always dies as a slasher series goes on, usually well before the shark jump.”
I like the idea of Scream 7 suggesting that Stu and Roman have come back from the dead (or perhaps never died in the first place) and then revealing that the new Ghostface wanted to act just like Stu and Roman. It’s always fun when mysteries have red herrings since then audiences can try to guess what’s going on. This idea also works since it would explain why Stu and Roman are coming back for the seventh movie. I’d like to see a few flashbacks of these two previous Ghostface killers. This fan theory would raise the stakes a lot because both Sidney and Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox) would have to face their past trauma.
This is also a cool idea because it keeps the focus on the ultimate final girl, Sidney Prescott. Scream 7 could also include a meta analysis of the history of horror movie final girls. Since six previous Scream movies satirized the horror genre, I’ve been curious about what commentary Scream 7 could have. Is anything even left? It would be fun to hear the main characters comparing and contrasting various final girls, from Nancy Thompson (Heather Langenkamp) in A Nightmare On Elm Street to more recent characters such as Grace (Samara Weaving) in Ready Or Not, which is getting a sequel.
What Were Stu Macher And Roman Bridger’s Motives In The Scream Franchise?
Both Stu Macher and Roman Bridger were motivated by their hatred for Sidney Prescott in the original Scream movie that was released in 1996. Stu goes along with his best friend Billy Loomis’s (Skeet Ulrich) plan. While Stu is just as violent and dangerous as his friend, Billy is definitely the mastermind here, and it’s clear that Stu is just going along for the ride. Then, in Scream 3, Sidney’s secret half-sibling Roman wants to cause her pain after he had to hide his whole life. Scream 3 has just one Ghostface killer, which sets it apart.
Scream 3 was released 25 years ago, and Scott Foley told People that being cast as Roman was thrilling. Foley said he didn’t know he was Ghostface until he was filming the movie. He said:
“I don’t know if I was happy or taken aback, but it was such a specific moment for me. And I think partially because having that sort of information as an actor can help you, and I understand why they kept it from me initially. But it was exciting, yeah. And to this day, to this day, I’m still [like], ‘Hey, you were the killer in Scream 3.’ I had no idea. It’s so cool.”
Scream 7
- Release Date
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February 27, 2026
- Director
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Kevin Williamson
- Writers
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Kevin Williamson, Guy Busick, James Vanderbilt
- Producers
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Cathy Konrad, Gary Barber, Marianne Maddalena, Peter Oillataguerre, William Sherak, Chad Villella, Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett, Ron Lynch
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Neve Campbell
Sidney Prescott
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Courteney Cox
Gale Weathers
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Mason Gooding
Chad Meeks-Martin
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Jasmin Savoy Brown
Mindy Meeks-Martin
More
This Smart Scream 7 Fan Theory Suggests The Horror Franchise Will Go Back To The Beginning
Scream fans have more than a few questions about Scream 7, and one fan theory takes a logical approach to the upcoming slasher sequel.