March 12 brought huge news to the horror worldwhen scream queenNeve Campbelltook to Instagramto announce that she is returning to theScreamfranchise forScream 7. Campbell wrote, in part:
“I’m very happy and proud to say I’ve been asked, in the most respectful way, to bring Sidney back to the screen and I couldn’t be more thrilled!!! Well actually I could. While I’ve been so incredibly lucky to make these films with both the master of horror Wes Craven and the wonderfully talented Matt and Tyler team, I’ve dreamt for many years of how amazing it would be to make one of these movies with Kevin Williamson at the helm. And now it’s happening, Kevin Williamson is going to direct Scream7!”
Campbell showed a picture of the title page for the “Untitled Scream 7” script, which is being written byGuy Busick(who also wrote 2021’sScreamandScream VI), based on a story by Busick andJames Vanderbilt. The addition of originalScreamscribeKevin Williamsonas director is honestly just as a huge a deal, as he is the one who developed the franchise’s core idea and wrote the first, second, and fourth films that were directed byWes Craven. At the bottom of Campbell’s script were the words “Property of Spyglass Media Group.” As fans will recall, it was Spyglass that brought controversy on itself last Novemberafter the firing ofMelissa Barrera. The studio also canceled the scheduledScream 7,which would have been directed byHappy Death Day’sChristopher Landon. Now, with Campbell and Williamson both returning,Scream 7is back on, but with the stakes higher than ever.
A year after the murder of her mother, a teenage girl is terrorized by a masked killer who targets her and her friends by using scary movies as part of a deadly game.
Neve Campbell and Melissa Barrera Controversies Hurt The Scream Franchise
When it wasrevealed in 2021 that the Scream franchise was returning with a fifth movie, it becamethe first that wouldn’t be directed by Craven, as the legendary director had passed away in 2015. Still, there was optimism about the return of Ghostface, for not only were original stars Neve Campbell,Courteney Cox, andDavid Arquettesigned on, but so were rising talents Melissa Barrera andJenna Ortega. To top it off, while no one could ever replace Craven,Tyler GillettandMatt Bettinelli-Olpinof Radio Silence,the duo behind the brilliantReady or Not, were tapped to helm the new film. 2022’sScreamwas a success, both critically and financially,making $137 million worldwide, and a quick follow-up, 2023’sScream VI, did even better,making $169 million; even though, for the first time in the franchise, Neve Campbell wasn’t part of it. The actress behind legendary Final Girl Sidney Prescott haddecided to sit out due to, as she claims, Spyglass not wanting to pay herwhat she thought she was worth. It was frustrating, but fans swallowed the bad news and made the best of it. It was time for Sidney to take a break anyway, right?
Scream 7was announced in 2023, not with Radio Silence directing this time, but Christopher Landon. Although there was no news on whether Neve Campbell would return,Melissa Barrea was back as the lead, Sam Carpenter,the daughter of killer Billy Loomis (Skeet Ulrich). Then came the shocker, when, on November 21,Varietyrevealedthat Spyglass had fired Barrea from the project over her social media posts in support of Palestinians.Spyglass said Barrera’s comments “flagrantly crosses the line into hate speech,“a fairly radical reading of her rather anodyne statements. Just a day later came the news thatJenna Ortega was out as well, though sources insisted that this was because of her schedule. With both Barrera and Ortega out,Landon quit too, effectively killing the planned version ofScream 7and possibly the franchise as well.
Desperate Horror Franchises Often Try To Recreate the Magic of the Past
Neve Campbell felt like she’d been disrespected by the pay offered to her, so if Spyglass respected her worth and is finally giving her what she deserved, there is at least that bit of good news to hold onto. The fact that Campbell is being brought back isn’t a shocker, though the return ofKevin Williamsonis not something that had been speculated about.Williamson is a talented writer, buthe’s only directed one film, 1999’sTeaching Mrs. Tingle. No matter, it’s fitting that Spyglass is turning to Campbell and Williamson, for horror always goes back to the past when it’s in trouble.
Many horror franchises start hot with a clever idea, only for studios to keep repeating it over and over in endless sequels until the well runs dry. When money isn’t being made on an IP any longer, they return to the past, hoping to recapture the lost magicandrevenues. We’ve seen it countless times in recent years. TheHalloweenfranchise got so bogged down in outrageous sequels that they had Michael Myers as part of a cult inHalloween: The Curse of Michael Myers. With the series on the verge of going straight to DVD,Jamie Lee Curtiswas brought back forHalloween H20,and all the bad sequels were wiped away.After the dud that was the follow-up,Halloween: Resurrection, the franchise was rebooted withRob Zombie’s remake.
When hisHalloween IIfailed, Curtis was brought back yet again for a newDavid Gordon Green-directed trilogy that once more wiped away theprevioussequels. It was just announced a few days ago thatHalloweenis coming back yet again as a TV series.A Nightmare on Elm Streetdid it 30 years ago whenHeather Langenkamp,Robert Englund, and Craven came back forNew Nightmare. When that didn’t make a lot of money, there was a 2010 remake which, althoughit made $115 million on a $35 million budget, got lousy reviews and didn’t spawn a sequel.A lawsuit has kept fans from seeing aFriday the 13thfilm since 2009(which was a remake), but with that finally settled,Jason Voorhees is set to come back in a prequel TV series for Peacock.
‘Scream’ Was Inspired by a Real-Life Murder Spree
Is Ghostface real?
2022’s Netflix release,Texas Chainsaw Massacre, went back to the beginning by bringing back Sally Hardesty for the first time since the original film, even though the actress who played her,Marilyn Burns, died in 2014. Last year saw the returns ofTobin Bellas Jigsaw inSaw XandEllen Burstynas Chris MacNeil inExorcist: Believer. One of those worked,while the other was a critical and financial failure(you know which is which). This is what horror does so often when a franchise is flagging financially and critically. Instead of growing and telling new stories, the strategy is to often return to the past in the hopes of righting a sinking ship.
It’s now Scream’s turn, but this time is significantly different.The tales of Ghostface and company weren’t creatively tapped outbut at their peak. Nor was issue bad plots or poor box office returns, but real life and the firing of a talented and popular actress. The stakes of the Screamfranchise have never been higher, putting more pressure and expectation onScream 7than any other installment in the franchise.
‘Scream 7’ Is a Make-or-Break Moment for One of Horror’s Biggest Franchises
Scream 5andScream 6might have been hits, but they always kept one foot in the past, bringing back the original creweven though they didn’t add much to the new story. The announcement of Campbell and Williamson’s return may mean that the franchise is going to put both feet in the past, much like other horror franchises. However, for all we know, Sidney Prescott will again be used to promote a new cast rather than be the lead,or she could even die in the opening scene, but you have to think it will revolve around her because Scream needs what her past contributions mean. Horror gets away with going back to the past. It’s accepted, and if it doesn’t work, the next movie will simply just try something else.
Scream 7can’t just be anokayfilmwith lots of callbacks and Easter eggsthat make us feel like it’s 1996 all over again. The franchise is at a true make-or-break moment. The controversy has become almost as big as the movies and some fans have sworn that they’re done with Scream. The only way to get them interested is through word of mouth by creating aScream 7so good and shocking that it will get seasoned, new, and skeptical fans alike in the theater. This could mean shocking deaths (outside of Dewey, every main character always feels safe), an unpredictable outcome, or a plot that goes in a different direction than the usual psycho obsessed with movies.
Going back to the past saved other horror franchises that were in trouble, but can it work this time? This is much bigger than overcoming bad sequels, but the erasure of someone’s character in a popular movie because a studio didn’t agree with their opinion. Will Scream fans stay away because of it, or can Kevin Williamson and Neve Campbell make a movie so good that we relent and give them one last chance? Let’s hope that the answer is yes. Despite the controversy it is mired in, Scream is just a movie franchise, and more than anything, movies are supposed to be fun and bring us together.
