Several notable characters from the franchise’s past will return from the ᴅᴇᴀᴅ in Scream 7. By primarily following sisters Sam and Tara Carpenter, the last two Scream movies were kind of part of a new, more modern, era of the iconic horror franchise. However, since Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega won’t be in the series’ next movie, Neve Campbell will lead Scream 7.

Since the upcoming Scream 7 will focus on Campbell’s Sidney Prescott, the franchise’s original final girl, it may end up being quite a nostalgic entry in the series. In addition to Campbell, the seventh movie will also feature longtime Scream star Courteney Cox, which makes sense since her character survived the events of the sixth movie.

However, it has also been revealed that ᴅᴇᴀᴅ characters like Dewey Riley, Stu Macher, and Roman Bridger will return in Scream 7. This is very surprising since, compared to some other popular horror franchises, the Scream series has never been known to bring characters back from the ᴅᴇᴀᴅ. Therefore, here are five theories that could explain how these three ᴅᴇᴀᴅ characters will return in Scream 7:

5

Scream 7’s Returning Characters Never Actually Died

These Characters Not Being ᴅᴇᴀᴅ Would Mᴀssively Change The Franchise

Obviously, after it was revealed that these three characters would all return in Scream 7, fans started questioning whether they ever actually died. Ever since the series’ first movie, Dewey was always a heroic character that audiences rooted for. However, in 2022’s Scream, which rebooted the movie franchise, Dewey is stabbed by Ghostface and tragically died.

Stu and Roman, on the other hand, were both Ghostface killers in previous movies. Stu was one of the Ghostfaces in the first movie, and was stabbed multiple times and had a TV dropped on his head, which electrocuted him. Meanwhile, Roman was the sole Ghostface killer in Scream 3 and was sH๏τ in the head by Dewey at the end of the film.

While these deaths all seemed definite, it’s possible that Scream 7 will simply reveal that they all somehow survived. Many fans have been theorizing for years that Stu is still alive, so this would not be completely out of left field. A popular fan theory suggests Stu has formed a Ghostface cult, which could potentially be a fun storyline to explore in Scream 7. However, revealing that all these characters survived their apparent deaths may retroactively make the previous movies worse.

4

Scream 7 Will Include Flashbacks To Include Characters Who Have Died

Will Scream 7 Revisit The Past?

If these characters do indeed stay ᴅᴇᴀᴅ in the franchise, then perhaps Scream 7 is just bringing the actors back for flashback scenes. Since Dewey died in the 2022 film, which likely took place just a few years before the upcoming seventh movie, it would be easy to bring actor David Arquette back since he still looks the same age.

However, Matthew Lillard and Scott Foley, who played Stu and Roman, respectively, have both aged a lot since their last appearances in the franchise. Of course, Scream 7 could utilize de-aging technology to make Lillard and Foley look much younger than they actually are, but this could be very distracting.

Therefore, while it could be interesting to revisit Sidney’s past in Scream 7, relying on flashbacks may not be the best idea. On the other hand, fans have wanted to see the death of Sidney’s mother depicted onscreen for years. It’s known that Stu and Roman were involved in Maureen’s death, so this kind of scene would make a lot of fans happy. Additionally, people would love to see a flashback which features Dewey and Gale.

3

Scream 7’s Returning Characters Will Appear In Dream Sequences

Sidney Could Be Haunted By Past Ghostfaces In Scream 7

Obviously, flashbacks would be difficult to pull off since Dewey, Stu, and Roman would have to convincingly look the age they are meant to be in the scene. Additionally, revealing that all three of these characters are still alive may not be received well by some fans. Therefore, only bringing these characters back for dream sequences would perhaps be the safest way to include the actors in Scream 7.

The 2022 movie sees Sidney return to Woodsboro to help a new generation of teenagers who are being hunted by Ghostface killers. In this movie, Sidney proves that she is no longer as scared of Ghostface, especially compared to the earlier films in the series. However, there’s still a chance that previous Ghostface killers will haunt her in Scream 7.

Perhaps her Ghostface nightmares will return in the upcoming movie when her family is threatened. It has been confirmed that Sidney’s husband and kids will appear in Scream 7, which means that the stakes will be higher than ever for her. Because of this, it’s possible she will be mentally unwell and visited by previous killers like Stu and Roman in her dreams. Dewey, meanwhile, could potentially be a guardian angel for her.

2

Ghostface Will Use AI To Create Deepfakes Of ᴅᴇᴀᴅ Characters

AI Is A Controversial Topic In Hollywood

On the surface, Scream 7’s Ghostface killer learning how to create convincing deepfakes may sound absurd. However, Scream 7 tackling AI and deepfakes has become a popular fan theory ever since it was revealed that multiple ᴅᴇᴀᴅ characters will return in the movie.

Ever since the first movie, the Scream franchise has poked fun at the film industry. The rise of AI and how it could potentially impact the industry has been a major concern in recent years. In fact, this is one of the primary reasons actors and writers went on strike in 2023. Therefore, it would make sense for the next Scream movie to address AI in some way.

This theory suggests that previous Ghostface killers like Stu and Roman will be brought back as deepfakes through the use of AI. Seeing her old tormentors could mess with Sidney in Scream 7, which will make it harder for her to fight against the next movie’s Ghostface. Therefore, this could be a clever way to bring these characters back without retconning the events of previous movies.

1

Scream 7 Bringing Back ᴅᴇᴀᴅ Characters Will Be A Meta Commentary On Hollywood

Plenty Of Franchises Include Retcons

Based on all the previous movies in the franchise, it’s obvious that Scream 7 will have some meta element to it. As mentioned, every film in the series has been a commentary on the movie industry. For example, the first film pointed out common horror tropes and Scream VI examined what it means to be part of a franchise. Therefore, one theory suggests Scream 7 will directly address retcons.

Many major movie franchises include plenty of retcons, so this is an issue that would be worth exploring in Scream 7. If the movie does go this route, it would make complete sense for the next movie to undo the deaths of Stu, Roman, and Dewey. This could be a unique way to bring ᴅᴇᴀᴅ characters back to life without making longtime fans mad.

It’s also possible that Scream 7 may ignore certain movies in the franchise and basically pretend they don’t exist. This is something that has been done by several popular horror franchises, such as Halloween and Texas Chainsaw Mᴀssacre. Therefore, Scream 7 could simply decide that certain deaths in the franchise are no longer canon, which could be an interesting commentary on the genre.