After years away, Matthew Lillard stepping back into Woodsboro is "...A SCREAM BABY!"
Matthew Lillard’s journey in Hollywood feels like a slow burn that’s finally catching fire again. In the ’90s and early 2000s, he wasn’t just a heartthrob — he was the kind of actor you’d circle in magazines. From his charismatic turn in SLC Punk to his twisty work in Thirteen Ghosts and his iconic role in Scooby-Doo, he proved he could carry both charm and darkness. Still, no role has resonated quite like Stu Macher in the original Scream.
Over time, Lillard drifted from box office headlines into a quieter corner of the industry, becoming best known for voicing Shaggy in the Scooby-Doo universe. His name stayed relevant, but fewer people talked about his chops as a dramatic or horror actor. Then came the Five Nights at Freddy’s adaptation — and suddenly, a new generation was reminded: this guy can scare you, not just make you laugh.
That comeback momentum is perfectly timed. The Scream franchise itself has been in flux lately — fresh entries have done okay, but haven’t always had stable star power backing them. Studios tried leaning into nostalgia, which fizzled sometimes. But bringing back legacy cast always held the potential to reignite interest. Now, with word that Scream 7 is bringing Lillard back as Stu, horror fans are buzzing with possibility.
I’m slightly terrified to be back — all I can do is really screw up a legacy that we have. - Matthew Lillard
Lillard wasn’t immediately sure he would take that leap again. But speaking at conventions and in interviews, he’s expressed both eagerness and hesitation about returning to one of his most defining roles. He’s said he’s “slightly terrified” of messing with the legacy they built — a humility you don’t always see from veteran actors.
He’s also described how surreal it felt to get the call inviting him back, recalling that moment as if time stood still. To him, it wasn’t just another job — it was a full-circle moment decades in the making. And while he jokes about not wanting to “ruin the franchise,” it’s clear he’s taking this return seriously, eager to give fans something that feels earned.
Behind the scenes, the new Scream 7 is shaping up to be both a nostalgic revival and a fresh chapter. Kevin Williamson, one of the original creative voices behind the series, is reportedly taking the director’s chair for the first time, with familiar cast members returning to lend continuity. The film aims to bridge generations — a meeting point between longtime fans and a younger audience raised on reboots and remakes.
Still, the biggest question haunting fans is how Stu could possibly return when his death in the original Scream seemed, well, pretty final — crushed by a television after a spree of mayhem doesn’t exactly leave much room for recovery. But in the age of AI and deepfakes, nothing in Hollywood (or horror) truly stays dead. Some fans speculate that Stu might reappear as a digital reconstruction — an AI-generated echo of his former self — or as a mastermind pulling strings from the shadows through technology. Others imagine a cult of Ghostface devotees resurrecting his image online, turning him into a mythic figure in the digital age. Whatever the twist, one thing is certain: Scream 7 has the perfect opportunity to blend modern fears about artificial intelligence with old-school horror paranoia, creating a killer twist that feels both timely and terrifying.
It’s also refreshing to see an actor wrestle with the weight of legacy in a way that feels genuine. So many reboots today seem powered by algorithms instead of affection. Lillard’s concern about honoring what came before is something that reminds fans why the original Scream mattered — it was clever, self-aware, and oddly emotional beneath the satire.
The broader question extends beyond one movie: what does it mean to revisit something so rooted in a specific cultural moment? Can a film born from ’90s irony still feel relevant in an age of constant meta-commentary? If any actor can make that work, it’s Lillard — someone who’s always balanced sincerity with tongue-in-cheek energy.
Ultimately, his return to Scream feels like both a comeback and a tribute. It’s a reminder that some stories — and some actors — never really fade, they just wait for the right moment to reappear. And if Matthew Lillard can channel even a fraction of the energy that made Stu unforgettable, Scream 7 might just pull off the rarest of horror feats: a resurrection that actually feels alive.
Sci-Fi 3D Team
Jason Messer | Editor-in-Chief
Luna Gray | Contributing Writer
