The horror genre has been thriving for years now, to the delight of fans like me. Some of the best horror movies have gotten new entries as a result of this renaissance, including Wes Craven's Scream. The last two movies (which are streaming with a Paramount+ subscription) were successful, and a seventh film is currently in production. Moviegoers were shocked when it was revealed that Matthew Lillard was returning as Stu, and now he's gotten honest about his feelings over the gig.
What we know about Scream 7 is limited, so there are countless questions about the upcoming horror movie. This is specially true since a number of dead characters are expected to return, such as Lillard's OG Ghostface Stu Macher. While appearing at 90s Con (via People), the 55 year-old actor spoke about the pressure involved in finally returning, saying:
I will say, I can't say anything about it, obviously. But I am very excited and slightly terrified to be back because all I can do is really screw up a legacy that we have.
Honestly, I totally get this. Wes Craven's 1996 original Scream movie is a truly outstanding piece of film, and inspired the entire franchise that would follow. Not only that, but his performance is universally acclaimed, so much so that fans theorized Stu was alive all this time.
Exactly how Scream 7 is going to utilize this dead legacy characters remains unclear for the moment. But there are multiple Ghostface actors signed on to return, as well as David Arquette's Dewey. Later in the same panel appearance, Lillard spoke more about his fears, offering:
I could really suck, and so that's my fear. My fear is that I come back and sort of punish something that I could never have touched and been just fine. I hope I don't f it up for everyone.
Of course, it's hard to imagine the actor somehow not crushing it as Stu Macher in Scream 7. Lillard has continued to put out wildly charismatic performances in the decades that have followed, including a recent return to horror with Five Nights at Freddy's (streaming with a Peacock subscription). But I'm feeling the pressure of sticking the landing and I'm just a fan.
While we don't know much about its contents, it certainly seems like the seventh Scream movie will lean into the franchise's history. Neve Campbell's return as Sidney Prescott thrilled moviegoers, as did the news that OG writer Kevin Williamson would be behind the camera as the film's director. Add in dead characters from the franchise's tenure in theaters, and it certainly seems like the seventh movie will have tons of payoff for longtime fans.
All will be revealed when Scream 7 is released on February 27th, 2026. But since it's not part of the 2025 movie release list, we might have to wait a while before we get some juicy details.
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