Although Scream 7’s story will struggle to live up to the rest of the Scream franchise’s many mysteries, a few intriguing theories prove that the sequel has a lot of options for clever twists. The Scream movies and TV shows are a mixed bag. Setting the bar high, director Wes Craven’s original 1996 hit Scream is a legitimate horror masterpiece.

Craven returned for the movie’s first three sequels, although Robert Rodriguez almost directed Scream 2 before the A Nightmare On Elm Street director decided to come back to the franchise. Scream 2’s suspense sequences were arguably even more technically impressive than those seen in Scream, but the sequel featured the first of the franchise’s numerous disappointing endings and killer reveals.

Scream 3 doubled down on this issue with a far fetched plot, too many characters, and a messy, over-ambitious twist ending. 2011’s reboot Scream 4 was a return to form, and the franchise then lay dormant until 2022’s reboot Scream. While Scream 2022’s Wes Craven tribute was sweet, the legacy sequel was mercifully unafraid of changing the franchise’s familiar story.

Scream 2022 introduced Sam and Tara Carpenter, two sisters who were the franchise’s new heroines. Neve Campbell’s original heroine, Sidney Prescott, had a supporting role in Scream 2022 but didn’t return for Scream VI. However, Sam and Tara’s Scream franchise story was left unfinished when Sam’s actor Melissa Barrera was fired and her co-star Jenna Ortega swiftly left the series.

7

The Previous Ghostface Killers Will Return As AI Likenesses

The Unseen Villain Could Use This Emerging Technology To Haunt Sidney

Now, the upcoming Scream 7 hopes to reignite interest in the franchise by bringing back Sidney’s story after pᴀssing 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 7 is bringing back numerous actors to play seemingly ᴅᴇᴀᴅ 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 unsubstantiated X post 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.

6

Heather Matarazzo’s Martha Meeks Will Be Scream 7’s Opening Kill

This Twist Would Justify Chad and Mindy Meeks-Martin’s Comebacks

One Reddit user argued that Scream 7 will need to justify the return of Chad and Mindy Meeks-Martin, since Mason Gooding and Jasmin Savoy Brown’s characters were closely ᴀssociated with Sam and Tara in Scream 2022 and Scream 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.

As such, Scream 7’s opening killing off Martha Meeks would make a lot of sense for 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 of Scream 3, wherein fellow fan-favorite Cotton Weary was killed off before he could even play a meaningful role.

5

Chad and Mindy Meeks-Martin Will Be Scream 7’s Opening Kills

This Twist Would Clear Up Scream 2022 and Scream VI’s Loose Ends

Killing off Randy’s sister would be a brutal way to start Scream 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 like Scream 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 to Sam and Tara’s Scream series 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 shocking Scream 7 opening since both characters survived serious injuries in earlier movies and played heroic roles in Scream 2022 and Scream VI.

However, like Martha’s early exit, this would also make a lot of sense. After all, Chad and Mindy were so closely ᴀssociated with Sam and Tara that their тιԍнт-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 in Scream 2022 and Scream VI, so their Scream 7 deaths would prove no one was safe.

4

Gale 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 in Scream 7, one fan theory suggests that Gale Weathers could be Scream 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 in Scream VI was almost entirely superfluous.

Furthermore, Scream 2022 killed off Dewey specifically to prove the franchise was taking no prisoners. In comparison, Scream VI left all its major characters alive and felt toothless as a result. Without Sam and Tara to anchor the action, Scream 7 could offer viewers the biggest immediate shock since Scream’s infamous opening scene by killing off this beloved series star.

3

Chad Will Be Scream 7’s Surprise Ghostface Killer

The Scream Hero’s Trauma Could Turn Him Into A Killer

One Reddit user pointed out that Chad could be Scream 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 in Scream 2022 and Scream VI.

The absence of Ortega’s Tara from Scream 7 also 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 to bring back the Scream franchise’s ᴅᴇᴀᴅ characters via AI tech, and this far-fetched theory starts to seem scarily believable.

2

Stu 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 that Scream 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 of Scream.

This was hinted at, albeit more subtly, in Scream 2022 with a YouTube thumbnail that suggested Stu might have survived the ending of Scream. Stu somehow still being alive in Scream 7 seems 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 in Scream 2022.

Kyle Gallner’s Vince Schneider died early on in Scream 2022, but not before viewers discovered this young criminal was the nephew of Lillard’s Stu. Some Reddit users theorized that Anna Camp’s unnamed Scream 7 character 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 that Scream 2 attempted something similar earlier in the series when Laurie Metcalf’s minor character was revealed to be Billy’s grieving mother. That said, Lillard’s Scream 7 comeback is a huge draw for fans of the franchise, whereas Scream 2 couldn’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.

1

Sidney’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 of Scream 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 in Scream 3, and Scream 2022 seemingly confirmed this when viewers saw her pushing a double stroller and talking about her relationship with an off-screen “Mark.”

However, the revelation that Sidney has a previously unseen husband named Mark in Scream 7, as well as a daughter in her 20s, is a striking surprise. As such, it would make perfect sense for Scream 7’s opening scene to kill off Mark as this would return Sidney to her pre-existing setup while also providing her with a devastating character motivation.

McHale is one of numerous major stars who have been added to Scream 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 joining Scream 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 in Scream 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 for Scream 7 to re-establish the high stakes of the Scream franchise with this killer opening twist.

Sources: X

Reddit

Reddit

Reddit