If you miss Ghostface, you’re in luck, because the Scream franchise is very much alive. A few characters previously assumed to be deceased may also still be with us…but we’ll get into that later. The big question is: who’s under the mask this time?
Unlike some of its famous counterparts like Halloween and Friday the 13th, Scream is in what might be termed its adolescence. For one thing, it’s not quite 30 years old, the first installment coming out in 1996. For another, we’ve only had 6 films. While Jason, Leatherface, and other slasher icons have often been through more than ten sprawling incarnations, prequels, reboots, and remakes, Ghostface has (so far) followed a pretty simple plot trajectory. He’s never been to space, and while he did “take Manhattan” last time around, Scream fans haven’t been subjected to the 90s and 00s weirdness other slasher fans had to endure before their various 2010s and 2020s remakes that typically tidied things up a little.
But seven films is nothing to sneeze at! Scream continues to be a cornerstone of the genre, each film begging the question: does Scream imitate horror, or does horror imitate Scream?
Let’s get into it: Scream VII is coming - what do we know, and what can we guess?
- Dewey isn’t dead
This is the obvious one, because of some major news! While David Arquette’s return is allegedly an unplanned leak, it’s confirmed that he’ll play Dewey again, despite the character’s death in Scream VI.
The franchise has been pretty sparing about who gets a “surprise! I’m not dead!” moment, but we have seen it before with Kirby in the last film. (Speaking of Kirby, Hayden Panettiere’s name is sadly absent from the cast list…so far.) And some of these characters seem pretty resilient to stab wounds. Besides, Scream rules dictate that the OG three (Sidney, Dewey, and Gale) always live.
However, there’s another possibility, which is that…
2. The plot will dip into the supernatural for the first time
It happens to the best of horror franchises: a great slasher villain gets complicated by giving him supernatural powers. The low point of the Friday the 13th franchise occurs when (SPOILER ALERT!) Jason’s spirit hops from his dead body into the pathologist by shoving his still-beating heart down the guy’s throat.
If Dewey really is/was dead, then maybe this film will dabble in communication with the other side. Other evidence for this theory comes from the fact that both Matthew Lillard and Scott Foley are on board, perhaps reaching back from beyond the grave. However, we have no knowledge of whether they’re playing Stu and Roman again, and there’s always the possibility of flashbacks (although the actors are getting a little old for that). Speaking of flashbacks, perhaps…
3. The story will reach into the past – and maybe tease a prequel
Sidney Prescott wasn’t the first woman to be viciously stalked in Woodsboro (nor, unfortunately, was she last). It’s possible this time around we’ll get some more information about her mother and the murders that preceded the first film. The film’s working title (Scar Tissue) hints at this sort of exploration of the past, as does Lillard and Foley’s presence.
And if we’re going back to the beginning, it won’t be for nothing. Maybe…
4. Something that connects the Ghostfaces will be revealed
Aside from their canonical connections to Sidney, most versions of Ghostface (whether singly or in a pair) have operated independently. This is part of the characters mystique, of course – that Ghostface travels like a virus and can inhabit anyone. But if there were to be an overarching authority, it might be revealed in Scream VII. Ghostface Mafia would be a tough sell, but could work.
Regardless of what’s going on with Ghostface, the slasher is only one side of the coin. For every villain, there’s a Final Girl, and Scream VII opens the door for a new one. Potentially…
5. Sidney’s daughter will become a Final Girl in her own right
Isabel May will play Sidney Prescott’s as-yet unnamed daughter. She’s the right age to fight slashers in between her high school courseload. Perhaps we’ll get a dynasty of Prescott women, each targeted by various versions of Ghostface.
While it might be tempting to assume Sidney will finally be killed and pass the torch down to her daughter, director Kevin Williamson went on the record to say: ““I have made it very clear, I think publicly too, that Sidney has been through so much torment, and she has been through so much trauma, that to give her anything less than a happy ending is mean. It’s just sacrilegious.”
Unless he’s lulling us into a false sense of security, Sidney is probably safe. But not everyone can be so lucky…
6. The Carpenter Sisters will get iced offscreen
Tradionally, the Final Girl of the previous film dies early on in the sequel, paving the way for her successor (repeat ad nauseum). Scream has never worked this way, Sidney returning until Scream VI, and even in that film, being canonically alive offscreen.
However, neither Melissa Barrera nor Jenna Ortega are returning, so it’s possible their deaths will be worked into the plot via exposition. The franchise loves a nod to tropes, and Sam and Tara’s deaths would tie in the Final-Girl-doesn’t-make-it-through-the-sequel nicely.
Ditching the Carpenters, moving back to Woodsboro, the trio…things are getting pretty nostalgic. Fans are comfortable – maybe too comfortable. Despite Kevin Williamson’s claim that he’s going to “reset” the franchise, there’s one big twist that would stop us all in our tracks. What if…
7. One of the OG three picks up the mask?
Always twisty, self-aware, and a little tongue-in-cheek, Scream does what other franchises won’t (or it does what they always do, and does it better). Bringing the trio back only to set the stage for a betrayal would be exactly the kind of wicked backhand the series is known for. But as to who it would be…well, your guess is as good as mine.