Matthew Lillard, actor who played Stu in the horror franchise ‘Scream’ reaffirms his theory about the character’s survival. Following the premiere of ‘Scream (2022)’, Lillard ensures more vehemently than Stu not only did not die but is waiting to exact his own revenge.
Spoiler alert for the entire ‘Scream’ saga
Cameos in other installments
One of the tests that the actor highlights most often are his cameos in other installments of ‘Scream’. In ‘Scream 2’Lillard shows up background in a scene. It is a very subtle appearance but it has curious connotations since it embraces the character of Mickey, who later turns out to be Ghostface.
Lillard’s voice appears in ‘Scream (2022)’: in the party scene where a tribute is paid to the deceased character of Wes; also in another scene where an unseen guest says “Cool house, Freeman!” (another nod, since this is Stu’s old house) and in the movie ‘Stab 8’, where he voices the flamethrower killer.
The real villain of ‘Scream 3’
Other factors that could reinforce this theory about Stu’s survival are all those related to the third installment. First of all, as explained in Vulture, originally Stu was planned to be the real villain of ‘Scream 3’, the thinking head that would have remained in the shadows manipulating the students to fulfill his plans. This plot was modified before the tragic events of Columbine and Roman Bridger, Sidney’s illegitimate brother, became the new villain.
However, even removing his role from the final script for that third installment, Roman’s presence doesn’t contradict Lillard’s theory either, on the contrary. Yes, as explained in ‘Scream 3’, Roman He was the one who orchestrated everything from the beginning, it could be he who took advantage of the confusion at the end of ‘Scream (1996)’ and help him escape.
Easter Eggs and fan theories
If we were talking about cameos in this fifth part before, there is another funny wink related to this topic: in a shot in which Richie is watching YouTube, several recommended videos appear and one of them is titled: “Did the real Stu Macher survive?”.
There are also several fans who defend the presence of a third killer in ‘Scream (2022)’ since, supposedly, the one who Dewey shoots up to three times in the chest was Amber, who even wearing a bulletproof vest should have had some kind of injury or bruise from the impact and, however, when she reappears at the party she seems in perfect condition . Could it be, again, Stu?
According to Distractify, at the time Kevin Williamson, screenwriter of the saga, stated that Stu “would only live on in our hearts.” However, Lillard has been insisting for some time now that he would be happy to reprise the role. The confirmation of ‘Scream 6’ for 2023 leads us to ask ourselves: does Stu have a place in the near future of the saga started by Wes Craven? Of course, crazier things have been seen in this franchise.