The Scream franchisehas proven to be one of the horror genre’s most enduring properties. In the nearly 30 years since it began, the series has produced six films and a spinoff TV show that lasted three seasons on MTV. Across its various sequels and spinoffs, the franchise hasn’t deviated all that much from its original formula of meta jokes, third-act twists, and gruesome kills, either. It has instead tried to consistently elevate the stakes of its stories and the violence of its set pieces.

One of the franchise’s original stars, however, seems to think that it went a little too far in its most recent outing. Stu Macher actor Matthew Lillard said as much in an interview withGamesRadar, in which he shared his opinion on the franchise’s recent Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett-directed sequels (2022’sScreamand 2023’sScream VI) and the news thatScreamscreenwriter Kevin Williamson will be returning to direct the franchise’s forthcoming seventh film installment.

“I think it’s in a good place. I think that [the movie being] back in the hands of Kevin Williamson is great. I love what [Tyler Gillett and Matt Bettinelli-Olpin] were doing before. Nothing against them,” Lillard told the outlet. “I thought the movie got too violent. I think [Scream VI] was, like … I don’t think Ghostface ever needs a shotgun.”

Lillard is, of course, referring to the moment inScream VIwhen one of the film’s Ghostface killers hunts sisters Sam (Melissa Barrera) and Tara Carpenter (Jenna Ortega) in a New York City bodega with a shotgun. The scene in question has remained acontroversial point of debateamong the franchise’s fans ever since it was featured in one of the first trailers forScream VI. Lillard, in other words, isn’t alone in his dislike of the franchise’s recent deviation from Ghostface’s usual, knife-wielding ways, though both 2022’sScreamand 2023’sScream VIreceivedlargely positive reviewsfrom both casual viewers and critics alike when they were released.

In the same interview with GamesRadar, Lillard went on to express some hope for the franchise’s future and, specifically, Williamson’s ability to reinvent the franchise that he helped create. “I think that the movies are – everything is trying to repeat what we did in the first movie in a lot of ways. Like, a maniacal monologue at the end. It’s really hard to do,” Lillard noted. “I hope that Kevin takes it in a brand new, brave, and exciting direction.”

Scream 7is currently set to hit theaters on July 01, 2025.