Scream writer Kevin Williamson weighs in on if Matthew Lillard's Stu Macher survived the slasher film's climax, settling years of speculation and debates with his own definitive answer. Williamson wrote the Wes Craven-directed 1996 horror slasher that has since spawned an ongoing franchise across film and television. Lillard starred alongside Neve Campbell, Skeet Ulrich, Drew Barrymore, Rose McGowan, and Jamie Kennedy as teens caught up in the killing spree of a masked serial killer who descends on the town of Woodsboro with a motive that ties into the town's darker secrets.
As reported by debate and speculation by both Scream's cast and viewers that suggest that Stu survived being crushed by a television. Despite Stu gathering a strong fanbase in the years since the film was released, Williamson confirmed that Lillard's villain is killed by Sidney Prescott (Campbell), and later cameos by the actor were not evidence of Stu's survival. Check out Williamson's answer below:
“No, he’s dead. 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.”
Why Fans Have Debated Stu's Scream Fate?
While many killers who donned the mask of Ghostface have come and gone across the Scream franchise's 26-year history, Stu and Skeet Ulrich's Billy Loomis have remained not only many audiences' favorite killers, but some of the franchise's most recognizable characters. Their lasting appeal is a credit to Lillard and Ulrich's energetic and active performances following the reveal that both Stu and Billy are responsible for the Woodsboro murders as part of a movie-influenced revenge scheme. After spending much of Scream's prior runtime being portrayed as somewhat likable suspects with convincing alibis, both Lillard and Ulrich embrace their character's villainous turns with glee, leaving a lasting impression on audiences.
As such, any Scream fans who enjoy both characters had hoped that Stu might have survived, as his fate was less definitive than Billy's, who was shot in the head by Sidney after a final jump scare. In fact, both Lillard and viewers expressed the hope that Stu's wounds may not have been fatal. Furthermore, with 2022's Scream returning to Stu's family home and Ulrich making a surprise return as Billy in Scream (2022) through visions that Melissa Barrera's Sam Carpenter is subjected to, many had hoped that Lillard could make a surprising but brief cameo as Stu. But while the actor did make a cameo as the flamethrower-wielding Ghostface in Rian Johnson's fictional Stab 8 and as a party-goer during a tribute to Craven, Lillard did not reprise the role of Stu.
Stu Macher is undoubtedly one of the Scream franchise's most beloved characters, with Lillard's performance as the film-fanatic-turned-killer being one of the elements that helped the film revitalize the then-tired slasher genre, and allow Scream to become a highly successful franchise that's set to continue in 2023. As such, it is understandable why both dedicated fans of the franchise and Lillard may hope for Stu's return, especially after 2022's Scream saw Ulrich return through a creative twist. However, with Williamson confirming that Stu was killed by Sidney in the original movie, viewers may be disappointed to hear that the other original Ghostface killer's potential return is unlikely.
Source: Collider
