Somehow, Stu Macher returned. This isn't a spoiler — it's arguably the biggest selling point for Scream 7, which brings back much of the original slasher-comedy's cast, including Neve Campbell as Sydney Prescott, Courteney Cox as Gale Summers, and most confusingly, Matthew Lillard as Stu.

Stu's return in Scream 7 makes about as much sense as Emperor Palpatine's return in Star Wars: Episode IX — The Rise of Skywalker. In both cases, a flailing franchise promises to resurrect a fan-favorite villain who famously died on-screen in a movie several decades earlier. And in both cases, the marketing played up that return, while the movie itself failed to do anything interesting with the opportunity.

But the comparisons don’t end there. The most recent three Scream movies, beginning with the 2022 requel, Scream, and followed by Scream VI and Scream 7 (this naming scheme is as evil as the Sith), have some surprising parallels to the last three Star Wars movies (aka, the sequel trilogy). In both cases, what began as an earnest attempt to reboot a beloved franchise ultimately devolved into nostalgia slop, leading to the (apparent) resurrection of an iconic movie villain who probably should have stayed dead and buried.

Tracing those similarities may help reveal why Scream went wrong — and where the franchise could be headed next. But first, we need to answer one pivotal question… Is Stu Macher actually back from the dead?

[Ed. note: Spoilers ahead for the ending of Scream........

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