{"id":1163879,"date":"2025-11-11T17:46:32","date_gmt":"2025-11-11T22:46:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thoughtcatalog.com\/?p=1163879"},"modified":"2025-11-11T17:46:33","modified_gmt":"2025-11-11T22:46:33","slug":"i-bet-i-know-who-the-killer-in-scream-7-is-going-to-be","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thoughtcatalog.com\/chrissy-stockton\/2025\/11\/i-bet-i-know-who-the-killer-in-scream-7-is-going-to-be\/","title":{"rendered":"I Bet I Know Who The Killer in &#8216;Scream 7&#8217; Is Going to Be"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>The <em>Scream 7<\/em> trailer is out and <a href=\"https:\/\/creepycatalog.com\/ghostface-targets-sidney-prescott-and-her-daughter-in-the-scream-7-trailer\/\">it shows a Ghostface with ties to Sidney Prescott&#8217;s coming-of-age in Woodsboro<\/a>. The killer attacks a couple at Stu Macher&#8217;s house, now an AirBnb, and then sets his (or her) sights on terrorizing Sidney and her daughter. As a superfan of the franchise, I couldn&#8217;t help but noticed a few clues that may reveal the identity of the Ghostface killer in <em>Scream 7<\/em>. I don&#8217;t have any inside information, so there are no spoilers ahead &#8212; just wild speculation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here is the trailer if you missed it:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Scream 7 | Official Trailer (2026 Movie) \u2013 Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox\" width=\"850\" height=\"478\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/UJrghaPJ0RY?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"theory-the-killer-in-scream-7-is-stu-macher-matthew-lillard\">Theory: The killer in Scream 7 is Stu Macher (Matthew Lillard)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The trailer shows that Stu Macher&#8217;s home has been turned into an AirBnb. Ghostface arrives and terrorizes a couple of guests before saying &#8220;I&#8217;m gonna burn it all down&#8221; and setting fire to the home. Who would be that triggered by Stu&#8217;s home being turned into a tourist destination for obnoxious fans and looky-loos? Stu Macher would. His voice can even be heard at the end of the trailer saying \u201cThis is gonna be fun.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/creepycatalog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/10\/ghostface-stu-macher-scream-7-trailer-fire-burn-it-down-copy.jpg?w=768\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-60044\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Would Stu Macher want his childhood home and the place where <a href=\"https:\/\/creepycatalog.com\/its-canon-that-billy-and-stu-are-queer-coded-in-scream-1996\/\">his love interest Billy Loomis<\/a> died to be turned into a tourist destination? I don&#8217;t think so.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>A funny bit of foreshadowing for this could be that in <em>Scream<\/em> (2022) Matthew Lillard has a cameo as Ghostface wielding a flamethrower in <em>Stab 8.<\/em> This scene also shows a YouTube video on the sidebar that is titled \u201cDid the real-life Stu Macher survive?\u201d This in-movie theory is later referenced by Jasmin Savoy Brown&#8217;s Mindy Meeks-Martin character, who says some believe Stu is alive and living in hiding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/creepycatalog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/10\/Screen-Shot-2022-03-02-at-3.45.54-PM-copy-1-copy.jpg?w=768\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-60045\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A scene in <em>Scream<\/em> (2022) shows Matthew Lillard&#8217;s cameo, as Ghostface with a flamethrower in a <em>Stab 8<\/em> clip on YouTube.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>We do know that Matthew Lillard is officially part of the <em>Scream 7 <\/em>cast. This doesn&#8217;t necessarily mean Stu is alive as David Arquette and Scott Foley are also returning and their characters, Dewey Riley and Roman Bridger, are deceased. All three deceased characters could return as part of a flashback &#8212; OR &#8212; <strong>the casting of Arquette and Foley could be a red herring<\/strong> to distract from the casting of Lillard. If Lillard was the only &#8220;deceased&#8221; character to be cast, it would more obviously create fan speculation that his character may have survived and might be behind the Ghostface mask again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/creepycatalog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/10\/3Y1L07a9-copy-copy.jpg?w=768\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-60048\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A brief shot in&nbsp;<em>Scream<\/em>&nbsp;(2022) shows a YouTube video titled \u201cDid the real-life Stu Macher survive?\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"a-brief-history-of-the-stu-is-alive-theory\">A brief history of the &#8220;Stu is alive&#8221; theory<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/creepycatalog.com\/why-fans-are-boycotting-scream-7\/\">After <em>Scream VI<\/em>, the<em> <\/em>franchise was completely upended by the firing of its star Melissa Barrera for voicing support for Palestine on social media.<\/a> <em>Scream VI<\/em> ended with a cliffhanger hinting at the possibility of Barrera&#8217;s character Sam Carpenter turning into the series villain. Skeet Ulrich had even returned to encourage Sam, his character\u2019s daughter, to follow in his psycho killer footsteps. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/creepycatalog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/10\/Screen-Shot-2022-02-03-at-4.32.18-PM-copy-copy.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-60046\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Stu is already passionate about sequels in the original <em>Scream<\/em> (1996).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Scream 7<\/em> writer Guy Busick said Barrera&#8217;s firing made the concept they&#8217;d been working on completely unusable and they had to create a new story from scratch. At that point, franchise creator Kevin Williamson was brought on to direct and write the <em>Scream 7<\/em> screenplay with Busick. <strong><mark>What do we know about what Williamson wants to see in the <em>Scream <\/em>movies?<\/mark><\/strong> His original treatment for a <em>Scream<\/em> trilogy included Matthew Lillard&#8217;s return in <em>Scream 3<\/em> as Ghostface.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/creepycatalog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/10\/Simple-Minimalist-Fashion-Collection-Photo-Collage-Instagram-Post-copy.jpg?w=768\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-60051\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Matthew Lillard promises to come back in <em>Scream<\/em> (1996) and <em>Five Nights at Freddy&#8217;s<\/em> (2023).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>In Williamson&#8217;s idea for <em>Scream 3<\/em>, the cold open would have been Sidney and a friend being attacked in her house. Sidney outsmarts the killer and ends up killing him. When he is unmasked, \u201cGhostface\u201d is a complete stranger, a random \u201cfan\u201d of her life story. The movie would later reveal that&nbsp;Stu Macher was alive and in prison. From there, he influenced a group of high school students to follow in his footsteps. <strong>Lillard was even under contract to return.<\/strong> However, after the Columbine High School massacre in 1999, the studio wanted to steer the franchise away from a school setting and <em>Scream 3<\/em> was reworked to take place in Hollywood. This unused idea could have been recycled when <em>Scream 7<\/em> suddenly needed a plot that centered around Sidney Prescott again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/creepycatalog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/10\/FMwCZJdXoAERwuT-copy-copy.jpg?w=768\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-60047\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A crime scene photo that was created but not used for&nbsp;<em>Scream<\/em>&nbsp;(2022) does make it hard to believe Stu Macher could be in jail or in hiding.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Matthew Lillard has been one of the most vocal proponants of the &#8220;Stu is alive&#8221; theory. In an interview with <em>Us Weekly<\/em>, he argued that because his character was 17-years-old at the time of&nbsp;<em>Scream<\/em>&nbsp;(1996), he could have served 25 years in prison and be released in time for&nbsp;<em>Scream 7<\/em> (2026). In the interview, he even offers to \u201cthrow a TV on my face right now\u201d to prove that it is possible to survive such an event.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/creepycatalog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/10\/Screenshot-2025-10-30-at-12.17.41-PM-copy.jpg?w=768\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-60049\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Matthew Lillard and Skeet Ulrich in an <a href=\"https:\/\/creepycatalog.com\/matthew-lillard-insists-stu-is-alive\/\"><em>Us Weekly<\/em> interview<\/a>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Is Stu alive and will he be revealed as Ghostface in <em>Scream 7<\/em>? We&#8217;ll find out together when <em>Scream 7<\/em> hits theaters on 2.27.26. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Further reading:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/creepycatalog.com\/matthew-lillard-insists-stu-is-alive\/\">Matthew Lillard Insists \u201cStu is Alive\u201d<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/creepycatalog.com\/matthew-lillard-was-hired-to-return-as-stu-macher-in-scream-3-heres-what-went-wrong-2\/\">Matthew Lillard Was Hired to Return as Stu Macher in \u2018Scream 3\u2019, Here\u2019s What Went Wrong<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/creepycatalog.com\/ghostfaces-in-the-scream-franchise-ranked\/\">Ghostfaces in the \u2018Scream\u2019 Franchise, Ranked<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Scream 7 trailer is out and it shows a Ghostface with ties to Sidney Prescott&#8217;s coming-of-age in Woodsboro.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":186664098,"featured_media":1163883,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"thoughtcatalog_call_to_action":"","tc_post_redirect":"","thoughtcatalog_is_sponsored_content":"0","footnotes":""},"categories":[433445945,603203627],"tags":[],"anchortext":[],"posttemplate":[],"adcampaign":[],"coauthors":[433445638],"class_list":["post-1163879","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-spooky","category-tv-movies"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/thoughtcatalog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Scream7.jpg","author_meta":null,"photo_credit":null,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thoughtcatalog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1163879","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thoughtcatalog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thoughtcatalog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thoughtcatalog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/186664098"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thoughtcatalog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1163879"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/thoughtcatalog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1163879\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1163884,"href":"https:\/\/thoughtcatalog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1163879\/revisions\/1163884"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thoughtcatalog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1163883"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thoughtcatalog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1163879"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thoughtcatalog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1163879"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thoughtcatalog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1163879"},{"taxonomy":"anchortext","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thoughtcatalog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/anchortext?post=1163879"},{"taxonomy":"posttemplate","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thoughtcatalog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posttemplate?post=1163879"},{"taxonomy":"adcampaign","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thoughtcatalog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/adcampaign?post=1163879"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thoughtcatalog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=1163879"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}