Stu Macher is one of the most memorable Ghostfaces, and there are questions about whether Matthew Lillard appeared in Scream 4. Stu appears in the original 1996 movie and kills Woodsboro, California, residents under the direction of his friend Billy Loomis (Skeet Ulrich). Final girl Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) is shocked by the identity of both Ghostface killers, and Stu says one of the most notable quotes from the entire film when he cries that his parents will be angry at him for these murders. Unlike future Ghostfaces, Stu doesn’t have a problem with Sidney or a desire for revenge.
After playing Billy’s accomplice, Stu, in Scream, Lillard appeared in comedies and horror movies such as The Perfect Score, Wicker Park, and He’s All That, along with portraying Shaggy Rogers in two Scooby-Doo movies. He also turned to drama, playing a man having an affair with a married woman in The Descendants in 2011 and starring as Dean Boland in the TV series Good Girls. Still, his turn as Stu Macher is one of his most popular roles, and although the character appears to die after Sidney shoots him at the end of Scream, there is some uncertainty about whether he appears in any other movies in the slasher franchise.
Matthew Lillard doesn’t appear in Scream 4, but his voice can be heard in the fifth installment, Scream (2022), in two scenes. Since Kevin Williamson said Stu is definitely dead at the end of Scream, it would be odd for him to appear in another movie, but it makes sense for his voice to be included in this way. Lillard said one line during the party scene. Scream (2022) co-director Matt Bettinelli-Olpin told Bloody Disgusting, “There’s a line when Amber’s walking through the party… Matthew Lillard’s ADR is ‘Cool house, Freeman,’ which we thought was funny because it’s his [Stu’s] house.”
Lillard’s voice can also be heard in the trailer for Stab 8, seen on YouTube briefly in Scream (2022). Co-director Tyler Gillett revealed, “Matthew Lillard does the voice of flamethrower Ghostface, ‘This sh*t is lit.'” This additional line is a more humorous and entertaining way to include the actor than if Lillard actually made a Scream 4 appearance as Stu.
The Scream 6 trailer features several Easter eggs, including one involving Matthew Lillard, as there is a YouTube video called “Did Stu Survive?” This is a clever detail given the questions that have been asked over the decades since the original movie’s release. The actor told Us Weekly that he wasn’t cast in the new Scream movie, yet he added, “Unless of course I’m totally in it, and I’m lying to your face.”
Just like Matthew Lillard wasn’t included in Scream 4, it seems unlikely that he would appear in Scream 6, given the violent conclusion to his character’s arc in the first movie. However, it makes sense that there is still a desire to see this actor reprise his well-known role, as despite being a killer, Stu is an otherwise friendly and funny character.
