AlthoughScream 7’s story will struggle to live up to the rest of theScreamfranchise’s many mysteries, a few intriguing theories prove that the sequel has a lot of options for clever twists.TheScreammovies and TV showsare a mixed bag. Setting the bar high, director Wes Craven’s original 1996 hitScreamis a legitimate horror masterpiece.
Craven returned for the movie’s first three sequels, althoughRobert Rodriguez almost directedScream 2before theA Nightmare On Elm Streetdirector decided to come back to the franchise.Scream 2’s suspense sequences were arguably even more technically impressive than those seen inScream, but the sequel featured the first of the franchise’s numerous disappointing endings and killer reveals.
Scream 3doubled down on this issue with a far fetched plot, too many characters, and a messy, over-ambitious twist ending. 2011’s rebootScream 4was a return to form, and the franchise then lay dormant until 2022’s rebootScream. WhileScream 2022’s Wes Craven tribute was sweet, the legacy sequel was mercifully unafraid of changing the franchise’s familiar story.
Scream 2022introduced Sam and Tara Carpenter, two sisters who were the franchise’s new heroines. Neve Campbell’s original heroine, Sidney Prescott, had a supporting role inScream 2022but didn’t return forScream VI. However,Sam and Tara’sScreamfranchise story was left unfinishedwhen Sam’s actor Melissa Barrera was fired and her co-star Jenna Ortega swiftly left the series.
7The Previous Ghostface Killers Will Return As AI Likenesses
The Unseen Villain Could Use This Emerging Technology To Haunt Sidney
Now, the upcomingScream 7hopes to reignite interest in the franchise by bringing back Sidney’s story after passing the reins of the series to a new generation. Scream 7’s plot will introduce Sidney’s family, including a daughter played by Isobel May and her husband, Joel McHale’s Mark Evans. Intriguingly, the cast list also includes David Arquette, Matthew Lillard, and Scott Foley.
Eagle-eyed fans of the slasher franchise will notice that something might seem strange about that lineup.Scream 7is bringing back numerous actors to play seemingly dead characters, from David Arquette’s heroic deputy Dewey to Lillard’s infamous Ghostface Stu Macher. It is hard to see how the series will justify their comebacks, but one unsubstantiatedXpost theorized that AI will be involved.
Per this theory, Ghostface could use AI to mimic characters who died in earlier movies. This might be used to taunt Sidney, but it could also be used more subtly to convince her she is losing her mind. In either case, this would fit with the franchise’s recurring satirical digs at emerging entertainment industry fads, from reboots to CGI.
6Heather Matarazzo’s Martha Meeks Will Be Scream 7’s Opening Kill
OneReddituser argued thatScream 7will need to justify the return of Chad and Mindy Meeks-Martin, since Mason Gooding and Jasmin Savoy Brown’s characters were closely associated with Sam and Tara inScream 2022andScream VI. While they also know Sidney and Courtney Cox’s Gale Weathers, it is hard to deny that they were far closer with the sisters.
Martha’s murder would mirror the opening kill ofScream 3, wherein fellow fan-favorite Cotton Weary was killed off before he could even play a meaningful role.
As such,Scream 7’s opening killing off Martha Meeks would make a lot of sensefor numerous reasons. For one thing, it would explain why Chad and Mindy are back in Woodsboro. For another, Martha’s murder would mirror the opening kill ofScream 3, wherein fellow fan-favorite Cotton Weary was killed off before he could even play a meaningful role.
This Twist Would Clear Up Scream 2022 and Scream VI’s Loose Ends
Killing off Randy’s sister would be a brutal way to startScream 7, but it wouldn’t require the creators to get rid of a major character. As such, it would be a perfect one-two punch, much likeScream 3’s opening felt vicious but didn’t deprive the movie of a main character. However, there is another, darker theory for Chad and Mindy’s return.
Since Chad and Mindy are the last lingering connection toSam and Tara’sScreamseries story, the franchise’s latest outing could tie up loose ends by killing them off immediately.Killing off Chad and Mindy would be a truly shockingScream 7openingsince both characters survived serious injuries in earlier movies and played heroic roles inScream 2022andScream VI.
The characters were almost explicitly aware of the fact that they were too important to be killed off inScream 2022andScream VI, so theirScream 7deaths would prove no one was safe.
However, like Martha’s early exit, this would also make a lot of sense. After all, Chad and Mindy were so closely associated with Sam and Tara that their tight-knit unit called themselves the “Core Four.” The characters were almost explicitly aware of the fact that they were too important to be killed off inScream 2022andScream VI, so theirScream 7deaths would prove no one was safe.
4Gale Weathers Will Die In Scream 7’s Opening Scene
Killing Off the Franchise Veteran Proves No One Is Safe
Speaking of proving that no one is safe inScream 7, one fan theory suggests thatGale Weathers could beScream 7’s opening kill. This is arguably the least likely fan theory on this list, but it is also one that adds up in terms of the franchise’s overarching story. After all, Gale’s supporting role inScream VIwas almost entirely superfluous.
Furthermore,Scream 2022killed off Dewey specifically to prove the franchise was taking no prisoners. In comparison,Scream VIleft all its major characters aliveand felt toothless as a result. Without Sam and Tara to anchor the action,Scream 7could offer viewers the biggest immediate shock sinceScream’s infamous opening scene by killing off this beloved series star.
The Scream Hero’s Trauma Could Turn Him Into A Killer
OneReddituser pointed out thatChad could beScream 7’s villain, and I can’t get over how much sense this seemingly strange theory makes. For one thing, he has sustained a lot of trauma throughout the last two movies. He endured two stabbings in two years and lost countless friends to Ghostface inScream 2022andScream VI.
1996
81%
1997
82%
2000
41%
2011
60%
2022
76%
2023
The absence of Ortega’s Tara fromScream 7also implies that his romantic relationship with the Final Girl may have broken down off-screen, meaning Chad could be heartbroken by the time viewers meet him again. Combine this with the fact that a younger character is more likely to know how tobring back theScreamfranchise’s dead charactersvia AI tech, and this far-fetched theory starts to seem scarily believable.
2Stu Macher Will Be Scream 7’s Surprise Ghostface Killer (And Alive)
Matthew Lillard’s Return Prompted Some Fan Theorizing
Of course, there is another potential explanation for Stu’s presence in the sequel’s cast list. The AI theory makes a lot of sense, but the reality is thatScream VI’s Kirby already sowed the seeds of Stu’s return when she asked if Mindy was a believer in the theory that Lillard’s character never died during the events ofScream.
This was hinted at, albeit more subtly, inScream 2022with a YouTube thumbnail that suggested Stu might have survived the ending ofScream.Stu somehow still being alive inScream 7seems tough to imagine, but there is no ignoring the fact that the series has consistently hinted at this possibility for years now. Furthermore, a relative of his was killed inScream 2022.
SomeRedditusers theorized that Anna Camp’s unnamedScream 7character is Stu’s previously unseen older sister, Vince’s mother Leslie, and she is working with a living Stu to get revenge for her son’s death.
Kyle Gallner’s Vince Schneider died early on inScream 2022, but not before viewers discovered this young criminal was the nephew of Lillard’s Stu. SomeRedditusers theorized that Anna Camp’s unnamedScream 7character is Stu’s previously unseen older sister, Vince’s mother Leslie, and she is working with a living Stu to get revenge for her son’s death.
The only issue with this theory is thatScream 2attempted something similar earlier in the series when Laurie Metcalf’s minor character was revealed to be Billy’s grieving mother. That said,Lillard’sScream 7comebackis a huge draw for fans of the franchise, whereasScream 2couldn’t bring Skeet Ulrich’s Billy back alongside Metcalf’s crazed killer. As such, this twist could still prove popular despite how outlandish it appears.
1Sidney’s Husband Mark Will Be Scream 7’s Opening Kill
Joel McHale’s Franchise Role Could Be Cut Painfully Short
One of the strangest elements ofScream 7’s story is the sudden revelation of Sidney’s nuclear family. Granted, it was implied that Sidney might have a budding romance with Patrick Dempsey’s detective Mark Kincaid back inScream 3, andScream 2022seemingly confirmed this when viewers saw her pushing a double stroller and talking about her relationship with an off-screen “Mark.”
Jimmy Tatro
Unknown
However, the revelation that Sidney has a previously unseen husband named Mark inScream 7, as well as a daughter in her 20s, is a striking surprise. As such,it would make perfect sense forScream 7’s opening scene to kill off Markas this would return Sidney to her pre-existing setup while also providing her with a devastating character motivation.
As Ethan Embry, May, McKenna Grace, Jimmy Tatro, and Celeste O’Connor are all also joiningScream 7’s lineup, McHale’s character dying early on wouldn’t be a major loss in terms of the late suspect list.
McHale is one of numerous major stars who have been addedtoScream 7’s cast list, meaning the sequel could kill him off early on without losing significant star power. As Ethan Embry, May, McKenna Grace, Jimmy Tatro, and Celeste O’Connor are all also joiningScream 7’s lineup, McHale’s character dying early on wouldn’t be a major loss in terms of the late suspect list.
What killing off Sidney’s husband inScream 7’s opening scene would do, however, is establish a sense that no one is safe without having to kill off a beloved or even well-known character. As such, it would make perfect sense forScream 7to re-establish the high stakes of theScreamfranchise with this killer opening twist.
