Scream 7 has had a tumultuous time in pre-production, but as of today, there is an official trailer and a release date, so it looks like the film has survived everything and is on track to come out. The series has been around since the 1990s and has had some ups and downs, but the reinvention in the 2020s seemed to work wonders for its vitality. Then, the new characters mostly all left the seventh movie, putting it in jeopardy. Now, after the new trailer, we know what direction the series is heading in: backward.
Scream 7 Brings Back Several Stars
Scream 7 will hit theaters on February 27, 2026. Given the interesting backstory behind how the movie got into its current shape, it will be interesting how the meta narrative explains some of what we’re seeing in this exciting, violent new trailer.
In this film, several new characters stay at an Airbnb which appears to be the Stu Macher’s house, the iconic locale from the first (and best) Scream movie. There’s even an animatronic Ghost Face in the house. If that sounds like a bad idea, you might be new to this franchise. And as it turns out, a real Ghost Face is also in the house and wants to kill them.
As rumored, Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) is back. She’d been the main character and the final girl in all but the most recent movie, as it seemed like Prescott was finally away and out of danger. Because the movie lost its two leads, they had to scramble to try and get Campbell back, and so the return of Prescott was born out of major need.
This happened because Melissa Barrerra was fired due to a pro-Palestinian sentiment expressed on social media, and then Jenna Ortega followed by dropping out. They were the lifeblood of the new run of movies, and in a desperate effort to save the seventh movie, they brought back Sidney, a fan favorite who might help them survive the loss of both Barrerra and Ortega.
Of course, Ghost Face can’t just leave Prescott alone, so he calls her up and taunts her again. Ghost Face is also looking for Sidney’s daughter and finds them in the new small town they live in. Gail Weathers, played by Courtney Cox once again, is also back for a nostalgia-filled trip. The other half of the main cast from the previous two movies, Jasmin Savoy Brown’s Mindy and Mason Gooding’s Chad, are back as well.
There were tons of Easter eggs for longtime fans of the franchise (like myself. The original is one of my favorite movies of all time). There were rumors that Matthew Lillard’s Stu Macher would be back for this installment, but there’s no official confirmation. There is a voice line at the very end of the trailer that sounds an awful lot like Lillard, so it’s possible. Ghost Face also wipes his knife off the same way Macher used to, but that also happened in Scream (2022), so who’s to say?
Either way, it’s clear that Scream 7 is trying to go back to its roots, although it’s probably because they had no other choice with the exodus of Ortega and Barrerra, mostly thanks to the movie’s own stupidity. Had they not fired Barrerra for a social media post, this movie would likely look very different. However, if it gets the return of Lillard, that might help make up for some of the loss.
Final Girl
Pound for pound, the Scream franchise is the best one in horror. The original is an all-time classic, and they’ve managed to mostly avoid any egregious duds (looking at you, Nightmare on Elm Street and Halloween) heading into the seventh outing. Scream 7 promises to be bloody, confusing, violent, nostalgic, and thrilling.
