Scream: Kevin Williamson confirms that Matthew Lillard’s character Stu Macher is dead

Some fans of the Scream franchise have long held on to the theory that the character of Stu Macher – who was played by Matthew Lillard in the 1996 original Scream (watch it HERE) and turned out to be one of the killers who was running around in the Ghostface costume throughout the movie – was not killed at the end of that film. Despite getting stabbed a couple times, losing a lot of blood, and getting a TV dropped on his head. They keep expecting him to show up in one of the new sequels – and when it was revealed last week that Ghostface will be wearing a weathered mask in the upcoming Scream 6 (which is set to reach theatres on March 10, 2023, watch the teaser trailer HERE), many quickly jumped to the conclusion that the killer must be Stu, still holding on to the mask he wore in 1996. Here to kill that theory is Scream screenwriter Kevin Williamson, who serves as an executive producer on Scream 6.

Speaking to Collider, Williamson said, “No, he’s dead.” He went on to say that he thinks this fan theory began because Lillard dropped by the set of Scream 2 and director Wes Craven let him appear in a crowd scene as a joke. “I think that started because of the college scene, the frat party scene because he’s standing in the background. He just came to visit set that night.

Of course, if Stu Macher really is alive and back to kill in Scream 6, “No, he’s dead” is exactly what Williamson would say to throw us off…

Set in New York City, Scream 6 was actually filmed in Montreal. Directed by Scream 2022 directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett from a screenplay by Scream 2022 writers James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick, this one will show us what happens when

the four survivors of the Ghostface killings leave Woodsboro behind and start a fresh chapter.

Those four survivors are the Scream 2022 characters played by returning stars Melissa Barrera (as Samantha Carpenter), Jenna Ortega (as Samantha’s sister Tara Carpenter), Jasmin Savoy Brown (as Mindy Meeks-Martin), and Mason Gooding (as Mindy’s brother Chad Meeks-Martin). Courteney Cox is reprising the role of Gale Weathers. Jack Champion, Liana Liberato, Devyn Nekoda, Josh Segarra, Samara Weaving, Tony Revolori, Dermot Mulroney, and Henry Czerny have also been cast in unspecified roles. And Scream 4‘s Hayden Panettiere is back as Kirby Reed. According to YouTuber Critical Overlord, it looks like Thomas Cadrot might be in the cast as well.

Vanderbilt is producing Scream 6 with Paul Neinstein and William Sherak for Project X Entertainment. Willamson serves as executive producer alongside Chad Villella, Ron Lynch, Cathy Konrad, Marianne Maddalena, and Spyglass’s Gary Barber and Peter Oillataguerre.

Do you think Stu Macher is alive, and do you expect to see him in Scream 6? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

Scream 6
Source: Collider

About the Author

Cody is a news editor and film critic, focused on the horror arm of JoBlo.com, and writes scripts for videos that are released through the JoBlo Originals and JoBlo Horror Originals YouTube channels. In his spare time, he's a globe-trotting digital nomad, runs a personal blog called Life Between Frames, and writes novels and screenplays.