Get those Edvard Munch masks on, people – Scream is back. It’s been a couple of years since Scream VI arrived, and much has happened in the intervening time, leading to this particular iteration of Scream 7. Rather than continuing the story of Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega’s sisters, Sam and Tara, from the previous two films, this new entry picks back up with OG Scream icon Sidney Prescott – played, once again, by Neve Campbell – as she and her daughter Tatum (Isabel May) are menaced by another Ghostface killer. In the director’s chair this time is Kevin Williamson – the legendary screenwriter of the original Scream (plus 2 and 4), in his first film as director since 1999’s Teaching Mrs. Tingle. Watch the trailer here:
The headline news here seems to be: this is a personal Scream story for Sidney, closely tied to Campbell’s character, with high stakes for her family. And there are plenty of tense-looking sequences of Prescott and her daughter evading this Ghostface, who, notably, says they’re “not hiding” this time. Could we find out early in the film who this Ghostface killer is, rather than in the final reel? Or do they simply have a different plan of attack? In the trailer, we see the return, too, of Courteney Cox’s Gale Weathers, and two of the ‘core four’ from Scream 5 and 6 in Mason Gooding and Jasmin Savoy Brown’s Chad and Mindy Meeks-Martin.
It is, however, notable that the two appear without Sam and Tara, the other ‘core four’ members. Notably, Freaky’s Christopher Landon was due to direct Scream 7 as a more direct continuation of Scream VI, with Barrera and Ortega in the cast; the circumstances around Barrera’s removal from the project in November 2023 (following social posts regarding the conflict in Gaza) proved controversial, causing a social media storm. Shortly after Barrera’s exit, Ortega also left the project, and Landon stepped down as director. Campbell’s return as Sidney here comes after she declined to star in Scream VI, having not received an offer she felt was right considering her stature in the franchise. It remains to be seen whether Sam or Tara will be referenced at all in the latest film; Barrera reunited with her Scream directors for vampire film Abigail.
As well as Williamson’s return to the franchise, Scream 7 is set to bring back David Arquette, Matthew Lillard, and Scott Foley too – though, since all three died in previous instalments, it remains to be seen how each will make their comeback. The script comes from Guy Busick, who co-wrote Scream and Scream VI.
Fans can find out how Scream 7 fares – and how it connects to the prior entries – when it hits cinemas on 27 February 2026.