Slasher fans rejoice! The next installment in the Scream franchise recently wrapped filming and is slated to hit theaters worldwide February 2026.
This sequel follows the series timeline, albeit in a slightly-tweaked fashion. Scream (2022) and Scream 6 directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett stepped down and were temporarily replaced by Happy Death Day helmer Christopher Landon. He then exited the project along with Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega, making way for original screenwriter Kevin Williamson to take residence in the director’s chair.
While the path from Scream 6 to 7 has been tumultuous to say the least, some steadiness is ensured: franchise stalwarts Neve Campbell and Courteney Cox return as Sidney Prescott and Gale Weathers respectively and a swathe of recognisable cast members poised to reprise their roles.
With this fresh stab, ahem, heading to theaters in ten months, that gives us plenty of time to embark on speculation galore amid our own desires for the new movie and the future of the series. Here’s what I want to see:
1. Innovative ways to bring back the returning cast
In an ideal world, Scream 7 would see us finally deliver a New Nightmare-inspired take on the franchise. After initial set photos hit the web from Scream 5, I was convinced that’s what was in store for us back in 2022. (The jock wearing the letterman jacket on the porch at Stu’s house? Could have been a screenshot from the 1996 original!)
Alas, from what we’ve seen of Scream 7 this isn’t the case.
So now we know they’re probably not playing versions of themselves in “the real world”, how does Williamson plan to bring back characters who are very much dead? David Arquette, Matthew Lillard, and Scott Foley are confirmed but Dewey, Stu, and Roman all died on screen.
Roman engineered a voice changer that allowed him to sound like any person, living or dead, so there’s the chance they could all have voice cameos. I wouldn’t be opposed to that brand of twist.
With the Scream series’ continued push into tech, it makes sense that we might even see AI versions of past characters. The idea of AI deepfakes hitting the web to imply that Stu didn’t die or something, to toy with Sidney’s sanity, makes sense.
Matthew Lillard’s elation at being able to return was captured at a recent con event, where he confirmed he’s back and jokingly referenced coming back as ‘a fairy godmother’. He went on to discuss working on set with both Williamson and Campbell– which would suggest he does have scenes with Sidney.
Likewise, Foley appeared on Kelly and Mark Live and confirmed he IS playing Roman.
So this suggests that they are playing their original characters (no sneaky little cameos in the background like Lillard did in Scream 2?) . I wasn’t the biggest fan of the spectre of Billy Loomis appearing to his daughter – for many reasons – so I’d rather not have a de-aged Skeet Ulrich situation again.
What if instead, the ghosts of Sidney’s past are literally haunting her? Speaking of…
2. Let’s get supernatural
Alright, hear me out. Am I the only person who liked Sid’s mom returning from the grave in Scream 3? I get it; it was Sid’s mind playing tricks on her combined with her brother’s shenanigans. So, not exactly a return from the grave. But still, it hinted at the idea of an otherworldly element.
We’re entering the late-stages of a slasher franchise– if there’s ever a time to push the boat out, it’s now. Jason literally pushed the boat out when he went to Manhattan. Freddy’s backstory grew out of control in the latter portions by incorporating dream demons into his whole schtick. Michael Myers turned out to be… well there was a cult and a summoning ritual involved.
I can see why fans would loathe this approach– it’s jumping the shark, it’s doing something none of the other movies have done. But at this point? Why not expand Scream into the last frontier it’s yet to explore? We’ve repeated the same formula over and over for the previous five sequels. If handled right, the idea of a whole slew of Ghostfaces from the past coming to haunt Sidney could really be quite terrifying. Which segues nicely into my next point!
3. More scary set pieces!
Arguably one thing all Scream fans can agree on – because ranking the Scream movies is not one of them – is that the earlier entries knew how to execute truly scary setpieces. Naturally, the opening of the 1996 original is the top shelf example, followed by Cici’s death and Gale in the AV room, both superior moments from Scream 2.
The most recent sequels failed to really crank up the tension, and explored the action and gore over genuine fear-building. Granted, I do like some gore – Scream 4 wins the award for nastiest entry – but not at the expense of a damn good nerve-jangling. I want that hold-your-breath, peek-behind-your-hand sort of feeling. Some of these aspects were hinted at, certainly, but never explored in depth.
To put it plainly – the Scream sequels have a woody for Woodsboro.
Whereas the first film and its immediate successor dealt with eviscerating both innocent teens *and* genre tropes, the subsequent films have careened into the quagmire of their own making. It’s the sort of metatextuality that lacks depth and staying power. Scream thrives when it skewers the horror genre and modern cultural mores as a whole; not simply the Scream in-universe of Woodsboro and Stab.
But here’s the rub: how do we do that when the horror genre barely has time to evolve between sequels? Well, here’s what I’m hoping is in store for Scream 7. What if Williamson and writer Guy Busick dive into the late-stage franchise slashers for inspiration. Yes, sure, Scream 6 kinda did that, with Mindy’s “rules speech”, but it was the weakest part of the film and not particularly memorable. Let’s explore those wacky Chucky, Freddy, Michael and Jason sequels and rip ’em apart. (And yes, this would tie in nicely to my earlier idea to bring in supernatural elements!)
5. Give Sidney a happy ending
Watch On
While the open back door of Scream 3‘s closing shots hinted at a perfect ending for Sidney– she’s been yanked out of peace and back into the mayhem only a Ghostface can bring over and over again. How can we tell a new story?
From the looks of leaked set footage, this sequel takes place in an entirely new location– the fictional Pine Grove, Indiana. Sidney is married (not to Mark Kincaid, alas) to Joel McHale’s character, Mark. We know there’s a time jump; Sidney’s daughter is at an age where she’s played by a 24 year-old, so that suggests she’s portraying a teen. This whole setup would hint that Sid’s had a while out of the spotlight. Presumably we’ve had no more killings between 6 and this one.
Scream 5 alluded to the torch being passed in quite a comical moment and it sort of happened? But with Melissa Barerra and Jenna Ortega unfortunately both leaving the franchise, that shot that idea in the foot. This new cast is absolutely stacked – so why not have someone new anchor the series?
I want Sidney to have a happy ending that doesn’t involve an armoured fortress a la Laurie Strode in Halloween 2018 or a life on the run like The Terminator’s Sarah Connor. She deserves a truly peaceful life, yes, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be interesting or therapeutic for her.
She’s provided counselling services for women experiencing trauma (Scream 3), she wrote a book about her own wranglings (Scream 4), and she flat-out left town (Scream 5 and 6). What if she sticks around and makes peace in a new way?
We’ll find out when Scream 7 opens in theaters on February 27, 2026. In the meantime, you can stream the Scream movies on Max in the US, Paramount+ in the UK and Netflix in Australia.
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