How does Matthew Lillard return in Scream 7? Original Ghostface role explained

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In Scream 7, Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) is back to protect her daughter as a new Ghostface emerges. The big question is: how will Matthew Lillard reprise his role as one of the original Ghostface killers?

The latest Scream movie, Scream 7, is getting mixed reactions. Critics haven’t been impressed, giving it a 34% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, while audiences seem to enjoy it much more, with a 70% rating. A lot of the criticism focuses on a surprising reveal involving the Ghostface killer.

When Damian Lillard rejoined the team, fans immediately began revisiting a long-standing question from the first Scream movie: how Stu Macher could have possibly lived after Sidney hit him with a television. The movie even acknowledged this plot point in Scream 6, displaying the same TV as part of Richie’s Ghostface collection.

It was clear the studio wouldn’t keep Matthew Lillard’s return a secret if it was meant to be a surprise. So, here’s how he’s coming back in Scream 7. Be warned – spoilers follow!

How does Matthew Lillard return in Scream 7?

Matthew Lillard is back in Scream 7 as Stu Macher, thanks to the use of deepfake AI technology. Early in the movie, Sidney receives a video call from Ghostface while he’s pursuing her daughter, Tatum. To Sidney’s shock, the call reveals an aged version of Stu, bearing scars, who proceeds to taunt her. The video call format cleverly suggests Stu is somehow still alive.

In one exciting scene, Courteney Cox’s character, Gale Weathers, accidentally runs over Ghostface, revealing him to be Karl Gibbs, a patient who escaped from a local psychiatric hospital. While looking into the hospital, they learn from a supervisor named Marco (Ethan Embry) that Stu was also a patient there, suffering from amnesia and known only as John Doe.

Surprisingly, all of that turns out to be false. Marco is actually one of the Ghostface killers in Scream 7. He’s teamed up with Sidney’s neighbor, Jessica Bowden, to target Sidney, hoping to establish Tatum as the new ‘final girl’ and continue the series’ tradition.

The filmmakers brought back some past Ghostface killers using deepfake technology, allowing Justin Lillard to reprise his role. The scene also features appearances by previous villains Roman Bridger, played by Scott Foley, and Mrs. Loomis, played by Laurie Metcalf.

It seems Stu Macher is back to terrorize Sidney, this time through artificial intelligence – despite the fact that he was famously killed when a television fell on him.

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2026-02-27 19:52