While one iconic Scream villain can’t return in Scream 6, this doesn’t mean that the slasher franchise’s next installment can’t incorporate the character into the sequel’s killer reveal. It is never easy to work out who the killer is in a Scream movie. The slasher franchise is as famous for its whodunit mystery plotting as the Scream movies are for their gory kills and meta-humor. However, looking closely at promotional materials, posters, and the trailer for the upcoming Scream 6 might give away a few of the sequel’s surprises early.
While the poster for Scream 6 makes it look like all roads point toward Scream 2022 heroine Sam playing the role of Ghostface this time around, this isn’t the meanest twist Scream 6 might pull off. The Scream 6 trailer makes it look more like Sam’s little sister Tara is the killer, which would be truly shocking considering how much star Jenna Ortega’s profile has increased in the year since Scream 2022 was released. However, the poster for Scream 6 also appears to imply that another franchise favorite, in the form of Stu Macher, could be back and involved in the killings. This would be the perfect twist for Scream 6.
Why Matthew Lillard’s Scream Villain Stu Can’t Come Back In Scream 6
Matthew Lillard’s Stu (theoretically) can’t return in Scream 6, since the character is canonically dead according to Scream screenwriter Kevin Williamson. While promoting the underrated Peacock slasher movie Sick, Williamson clarified that Lillard’s Stu died during the climax of Scream when a television set was dropped on his head. Furthermore, there would be no point bringing back Stu without Sidney, since it was Lillard and star Neve Campbell’s hilarious chemistry that made the prospect of Stu’s comeback so promising. Since Sidney won’t be appearing in Scream 6, Lillard’s return as Stu would be pointless (as well as betraying Williamson’s claims).
However, this does not mean that Stu can’t influence the events of Scream 6. Even if the character is canonically dead, he can still affect the story of the slasher sequel and potentially inspire its villains. The poster for Scream 6 colored Stu’s dot differently from the rest of the franchise’s killers and victims, implying he might play a role that doesn’t fit either of these tidy categorizations. This would be a fitting continuation of Stu’s legacy since the thing that made Lillard’s character so unforgettable in the original Scream was his shocking motive (or rather, his lack thereof).
How Stu Can Still Shape Scream 6’s Killer
The Scream 6 trailer makes it look like there are various Ghostfaces this time around. This group of killers could—and should—be inspired by Stu, who always wanted to kill for the thrill of it rather than Billy’s more meaningful, personal motives. One theory that Scream 6’s trailer popularized was the idea that this time, Ghostface would turn out to be a group of killers working together to terrorize Sam, Tara, and company, which is effectively the role that Stu played in Billy’s killings. While Billy wanted revenge on Sidney, Stu killed for the sake of it, a motive he could have in common with Scream 6’s killers.
Why Scream 6’s Setting Makes This Twist Perfect
A whole coterie of like-minded killers operating in Woodsboro, under the noses of police who have dealt with three massacres in the last three decades, is pretty tough to imagine. However, Scream 6’s NYC setting makes this twist a lot more believable since the killers would be operating in the anonymity of a massive urban metropolis. Already, the Scream 6 trailer has depicted a masked killer entering a bodega and killing numerous bystanders, something that would be much too risky if they were one of only two killers and they needed to maintain a low profile in Woodsboro.
However, if the killer seen in the trailer is one of many Ghostfaces and none of them are individually afraid of getting caught or killed—since, like Stu, they don’t have a personal connection to the victims—then this sequence would make sense. Thus, Scream 6 can justify killings in busy bodegas and packed subway cars because its killers might not be afraid of getting unmasked. Like Scream’s Stu, these Ghostface killers could be slaying without a motive. This makes Ghostface’s job easier and could give the Scream series a killer reveal that does justice to Stu’s legacy in Scream 6.