How I would bring back Stu Macher in Scream 7

In case you didn’t already know, I am extremely excited about the new Scream movie. I haven’t been this genuinely excited about a movie in a very long time.  I’m partially excited because of Neve Campbell’s return to the franchise after an absence from Scream 6 because of a pay dispute. Basically Neve Campbell felt that after almost three decades as lead character, Sidney Prescott, she deserved to be paid more money given that she had carried the franchise. She felt as though if she had been a man she would have been paid more and that’s why she wasn’t in Scream 6. Fortunately for us Paramount agreed to pay her what she is worth and so we’ll see her return in Scream 7, which is out in cinemas in less than two weeks.

The other big news is that Matthew Lillard who played Stu Macher in the very first Scream movie will reprise his role and there are many theories online about exactly how he’ll return. In today’s podcast I’ll explore those theories and then offer my own opinions on how I would like to see him return before ending on how Randy, who was killed in the second Scream movie could return in Scream 8, which based on what I’ve seen, is in the works.

The most popular theory I’ve read about Stu’s return is that he comes back as AI. The basic gist is that the actual killer in Scream 7 is using AI to replicate Stu’s voice. I’m not sure how I feel about this option being how he returns. The Scream franchise has always been meta and offered some kind of commentary on the real world so in many ways this would support that, but at the same time, AI is everywhere and it doesn’t explain some of the dialogue that we’ve seen so far in the movie trailer. The dialogue I’m referring to is the line, “I’ve been waiting a long time for this” and “this town reminds me of where we grew up”. That could just be Ghostface trying to mess with Sidney though so I’m not entirely opposed to this being the way he’s brought back.

Another theory doing the rounds is that he’ll just be a vision like how the writers brought back Skeet Ulrich as Billy Loomis. It’s not an entirely awful way to bring him back but my issue with this is that it’s a repeat of a previous storyline and I’d rather have something new than that. A lot of other fans are saying the same thing.

The next theory is that Stu Macher is alive and that he’s actually been in a mental asylum the last 30 years. The theory goes that his family is wealthy and so they could afford to pay to keep him in hiding for the last 30 years. I like this theory because it’s reminiscent of other horror movies like Nightmare on Elm Street, Halloween and Friday the 13th because it plays into the revenge plot.

My only issue with that is that the revenge thing has been done several times before, and while it’s a given that the motive behind the latest killing spree is revenge, it’s been done before.

My favourite theory that I’ve read online so far and the one that I’m hoping for is Stu’s redemption. The theory goes that Stu was just peer pressured into the killings in the original Scream movie and that he’s been in a mental institution the last 30 years. Basically the way I see this is that he is also a target and he’s been forced out of hiding. Sidney Prescott would be forced to work with him and Gale Weathers to overthrow Ghostface. I like this theory because it’s new and original. It would also provide a new point of conflict where Sidney has to fight her demons, literally and metaphorically to reach the resolution.

The other great thing about this theory is that it opens up the door for Matthew Lillard who is such a great actor to return to future Scream movies.

Whatever the case is, the latest installment in the Scream franchise is, in Stu Macher’s own words, “going to be fun”.