‘Scream 7’ Will Be More Grounded in Wes Craven’s Less Gory Style

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Neve Campbell’s return isn’t the only change coming in the next Scream movie. While she came back for the 2022 revival after a pay dispute kept her out of Scream VI, the new sequel has undergone a major overhaul. After several cast and crew members—including the director—left the project, original writer Kevin Williamson is now directing, and Campbell is back, almost three decades after first becoming a star in the franchise.

Neve Campbell feels the upcoming Scream 7 is addressing a major issue she had with the last two films and is bringing the series back in line with what original director Wes Craven intended for the Scream story. She recently told Evolution of Horror, quite directly:

As a fan, I really felt the last couple of installments strayed from what made Wes Anderson’s style of horror – particularly the gore and killings – so unique. For me, they just went a bit too over the top. I think if the violence feels realistic and connected to the story, it’s much more impactful and scary.

When Wes Craven passed away in 2015, many thought it meant the end for the Scream movies. After four films, it seemed like Ghostface’s story had run its course. However, over ten years later, directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett took on the challenge of reviving the franchise, bringing back familiar characters alongside new ones. Their approach to horror was notably more graphic than Craven’s, giving the new films a different tone – a shift similar to what happened with the Nightmare on Elm Street series when other directors took over after Craven’s involvement.

Both Scream (2022) and Scream VI were very profitable, largely because they were made on relatively low budgets and earned much more at the box office than Scream 4. This suggests audiences were eager for the franchise to deliver more intense thrills with a fresh style. Scream VI was particularly significant as the first film without Neve Campbell as Sidney Prescott, and it notably shifted the setting from the familiar town of Woodsboro to the urban environment of New York City.

The next Scream movie will offer a fresh take while also revisiting the series’ roots. The story moves away from New York City and won’t feature Melissa Barrera or Jenna Ortega as the Carpenter sisters. Instead, the focus returns to Sidney Prescott, who has been living a peaceful life in Pine Grove, Indiana – a town reminiscent of the original Scream‘s Woodsboro. That peace is broken when a new Ghostface emerges and targets Sidney’s daughter, Tatum, prompting Sidney to potentially end the cycle of violence for good.

The upcoming Scream 7 is bringing back some familiar faces, including Neve Campbell alongside Courteney Cox as Gale Weathers and, surprisingly, David Arquette as Dewey Riley, despite his character’s death in the last film. Even bigger news is Matthew Lillard’s return as Stu Macher, the killer from the original Scream, after a long absence. Originally, Skeet Ulrich was also slated to reprise his role as Billy Loomis, but he won’t be returning now that actor José Barrera has left the project.

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The next Scream movie, Scream 7, is scheduled to hit theaters in the U.S. on February 27, 2026. It will be the first film in the series shown in IMAX. While estimates are still coming in, experts currently predict it will open with around $30-35 million domestically, which is a bit lower than the last movie’s opening weekend.

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2026-02-24 17:06