Scream star Matthew Lillard thinks Scream 6 got 'too violent'

Should Ghostface ever be allowed to wield a shotgun? Not according to original Scream star Matthew Lillard. Recently, while chatting with GamesRadar+, the actor shared his thoughts on Scream 6, saying that he felt the movie had gotten "too violent."

It's a little funny to hear Lillard, who played one of the actual killers, Stu Macher, in the 1996 film, criticize a Scream movie for becoming "too violent" when the first movie opened with Drew Barrymore's character getting disemboweled. Scream has always been more comedic and less dark than some of its counterparts, but the movies have always been violent.

"I thought the movie got too violent. I think 6 was, like... I don't think Ghostface ever needs a shotgun. "

To Lillard's credit, he does praise Radio Silence directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett—who did both Scream (2022) and Scream 6— for the direction they took the films, noting that while he is excited for the franchise to be "back in the hands of Kevin Williamson," he thinks Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett were doing something "exciting" with the movies.

Expanding on his thoughts about the sixth slasher movie, Lillard says he feels that the later Scream films are trying to replicate the magic that was the original Scream and now that Williamson is set to direct the seventh installment, the actor is hopeful that he can find a "brand new, brave, and exciting direction."

Matthew Lillard thinks Stu Macher is still alive

The 54-year-old star hasn't returned to the Scream franchise since his character got a television set dropped on his head and (supposedly) died. But he's kept busy in the horror genre, most notably by playing William Afton in Blumhouse's live-action Five Nights at Freddy's film. And yes, he's set to return for the 2025 sequel.

However, during a recent appearance on The Drew Barrymore Show, Lillard said that Stu was "definitely alive." It's hard to believe that could be true, but the star does say he'd be open to reprising the role if Williamson was interested and if it made sense for the overall storyline. Does that mean Dewey could still be alive, too?

I might be in the minority on this one, but I thought Scream was going in a great direction under Gillett and Bettinelli-Olpin. I was invested in the story of Sam and Tara Carpenter, played by Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega, and I'm not as enthused about the film returning to the basics with Neve Campbell back as Sidney Prescott.

This is a franchise that really benefitted from moving forward and not languishing in nostalgia, especially since that was kind of already done in Scream (2022). Scream 7 has a lot of work to do to differentiate itself.