It’s been nearly thirty years since the first Scream was released in December of 1996. In that time, there have been five sequels following its success, but it’s been a long while since Sidney Prescott, played by Neve Campbell, has been the main protagonist of the franchise. Scream 7 is set to release on February 27.

The first trailer for the upcoming film was recently released in late October, filled with Easter eggs and clues for the fans. The most anticipated clue that has been teased since the announcement of its creation has been the return of Matthew Lillard as Stu Macher.

Now, it has not been officially confirmed or denied whether his return is true. However, the trailer includes many hints at his character’s return.

First of all, there are two lines spoken by this ‘new’ Ghostface that hint at Stu. When Ghostface calls Sidney in the trailer, he confirms that he has found the new town where she lives. When doing so, he says, “Nice little town- reminds me of where we grew up.” The striking use of the word “we” is what raises suspicion about the return of an original character. The second quote that possibly confirms this theory is the very last line in the trailer, “This is gonna be fun.” Now, what is special about this quote is that it is not spoken with the iconic Ghostface voice but a high-energy and elastic tone that is distinctive and expressive- and unmistakably the iconic voice of Matthew Lillard.

Fans have theorized that Stu Macher never truly died in the first film, despite having a television fall on his head. Now, whether the electricity and weight of the television could have killed him is up to the medics and physicists- but one thing that the Scream franchise has declared time after time is that if the death is not seen on screen and with a shot to the head, then the rules can’t confirm that as a death.

When analyzing the trailer, the fans are shown a great amount of details. Breaking it down piece by piece, starting with the opening scene, is crucial. The trailer opens with the iconic Macher house from the original Scream and its requel (relaunch + sequel) Scream 5. The house has been turned into an Airbnb, where horror fans and geeks can stay for a hefty price. A couple is seen staying in the house, geeking over the decor and Easter eggs, when Ghostface attacks. The killer is shown tall and big (which could indeed be Stu), brutally murdering the two individuals. The targeting of the original house feels very intentional; perhaps Stu is protecting his old home out of possessiveness.

Afterwards, the audience is shown that the final girl, Sidney Prescott, receives the iconic phone call. Waving it off as another prank call, Sidney doesn’t panic until he brings up her town and her daughter. Sidney’s daughter is a teenager going to high school with a tight group of friends, as always in these movies, and best of all, her name is Tatum. The sweet nod to her best friend, Tatum Riley, escalates this nostalgic feel to the movie. It also introduces the killer’s motive to kill Sidney’s daughter.

This news is also interesting considering that in the last two films, which starred Jenna Ortega and Melissa Barrera as the Carpenter sisters, Sidney was said to be married to “Mark” and to have two daughters. Did something happen to the other daughter, or is this a classic rewrite as seen in the Halloween franchise?

The intense action and chase scenes shown in the trailer are all primarily set in Sidney’s house, with Ghostface even jumping out of her attic. This reinforces the more personal attack the film is approaching with.

Returning characters that have been confirmed for this film are Sidney, Gale Weathers played by Courteney Cox, and the sibling duo from the last two films, Chad and Mindy Meeks-Martin played by Mason Gooding and Jasmin Savoy Brown. The siblings were fan favorites in the sequels, but it’s interesting that they will be returning for this film. There is a long list of questions that the trailer leaves the audience with, including the siblings’ return and especially concerning any franchise rewrites.

Some of the main questions are as follows: Who is Tatum’s (Sidney’s daughter) father? Is it love interest Detective Mark Kincaid, portrayed by Patrick Dempsey, from the third film? Scream 5 and 6 seemingly confirmed their marriage and kids when Sidney told Dewey she was “taking Mark and the kids to safety,” but there are no hints or clips of Mark in the trailer.

What happened to Sam and Tara Carpenter? They were the main protagonists of movies five and six, with Sam being the daughter of Billy Loomis. If Stu indeed is returning as the killer in this movie, he would probably want to meet the daughter of his deceased best friend and partner in crime. Also, the storyline of 5 and 6 must not be erased if Chad and Mindy are returning, so why not bring back Tara and Sam?

Does Sidney still live in New York? The last movie was set in the Big Apple, where Sidney was to have fled in order to protect her family. Is the small town she lives in now still in the state of New York or somewhere closer to her hometown of Woodsboro?

If Stu Macher is indeed returning, why has it taken so long? Where has he been all this time, and why now? Why not try to get revenge on Sidney all the times before? Was he in a hospital, a mental facility, or in hiding?

Despite these questions that no doubt won’t be answered until the film’s release, the trailer has not failed to confirm its main theme.

“Burn it all down.”

The theme of burning and fire symbolize a new beginning through the destruction of the past. The trailer shows Ghostface, not Sidney, burning down the Macher house. The poster even has embers and ashes floating around Ghostface’s mask and knife. In the reflection of the knife, the burning of the house further reinforces this central idea. However, this symbolism makes more sense for Sidney than it does for Ghostface. Why would Ghostface want to burn down symbols of what makes him popular and where the legacy was morbidly born?

No matter what, Scream 7 is highly anticipated, and its trailer has fueled fans who have been awaiting the return of Sidney and potentially Stu for nearly thirty years.