Summary
The plot ofScream 7has been confirmed to be centered on Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell), and though this was expected, it’s only making one change in the reboot trilogy worse. The trend of legacy sequels has brought back to life some of the most popular horror franchises, among themtheScreamfranchise. Over a decade after the release of the supposedly closing chapter of the saga,Scream 4,Screamcame back to life with a fifth movie, which brought together the three survivors of the franchise – Sidney, Gale (Courteney Cox), and Dewey (David Arquette) – and a new generation of characters.
Scream(2022) saw Sidney, Gale, and Dewey helping new Final Girls Sam (Melissa Barrera) and Tara Carpenter (Jenna Ortega), who, along with their friends, were targeted by a new Ghostface killer. The saga continued the story of Sam and Tara inScream 6, but Neve Campbell skipped it due to salary disputes. Now, after Barrera’s firing, Ortega’s exit, and director Christopher Landon also dropping out,Scream 7has gone through a whole change, and it’s bringing Campbell back as Sidney – and though the movie was expected to focus on her, this only makes one change in the reboot timeline a lot worse.
What Neve Campbell’s Return Means For Scream 7: Can It Save The $913M Horror Franchise?
Neve Campbell is officially coming back for Scream 7, and though this can open many doors for the franchise, its survival might not be guaranteed.
Scream 7 Centering On Sidney Makes The Undoing Of Her Happy Ending Worse
Sidney’s absence inScream 6was explained by Gale, saying she, her husband Mark, and their kids moved to a safe place.
After the above-mentioned obstacles during pre-production ofScream 7, the project has now moved forward with franchise creator Kevin Williamson as director and Campbell back as Sidney. At the time of writing, Campbell is the only confirmed actor inScream 7, and no official plot details have been revealed – but, of course, there are already many rumors about what it will be about. The latest confirmation aboutScream 7’s plotcame from Campbell herself, and though she didn’t reveal what the story will be about, sheconfirmed thatScream 7will be Sidney-centered, just like the first four movies.
Campbell said the concept was pitched to her and that’s the reason she agreed to return to the franchise. As exciting as having Sidney back as the main character and in her Final Girl role, the confirmation ofScream 7focusing on her makes the undoing of her happy ending a lot worse. Sidney’s absence inScream 6was explained by Gale, saying she, her husband Mark, and their kids moved to a safe place, and thatshe deserved her happy ending.
Sidney marriedScream 3’s Mark Kincaid, played by Patrick Dempsey, who hasn’t been confirmed to return inScream 7.
Sidney’s happy ending was already undone by Campbell’s return inScream 7, but it would not have been as bad had she been a supporting character again (like inScream2022) and not the main target of Ghostface one more time – and the focus on her is not putting only her at great risk.
Scream 7’s Rumored Plot Could Give Sidney A Tragic Ending
Ghostface Might Be Targeting Sidney’s Family
Another rumor claimed thatScream 7will have a time jump, which would allow Ghostface to go after Sidney’s family.
Among therumors aboutScream 7’s plotis that Ghostface will not just be targeting Sidney but her family, as well. The big problem with that is that Sidney and Mark’s kids are still very young (their oldest would be 12 years old or younger ifScream 7is set in 2025) and it would be potentially controversial to have Ghostface wanting to kill children. Not long after that rumored plot started floating around, another one claimed thatScream 7will have a time jump, which would allow Ghostface to go after Sidney’s family without much controversy.
There’s nothing that can assure that Mark and the kids will surviveScream 7if Ghostface targets the whole family.
TheScreamsaga has killed Sidney’s family members before. The whole franchise began with the murder of Sidney’s mother, Maureen, and inScream 4, her aunt was killed (by Sidney’s cousin). There’s nothing that can assure that Mark and the kids will surviveScream 7if Ghostface targets the whole family, and so it could give Sidney a tragic ending:either Mark or one of their kids dies, or the new Ghostface finally kills Sidney. Of course,Scream 7could have a different Sidney-centered plot and surprise the audience, but what’s true is that Sidney still deserves her happy ending.
Scream
Created by Kevin Williamson and originally helmed by Wes Craven, the Scream franchise takes a meta approach to the slasher horror franchise, centering on teenagers well-versed in the genre who find themselves hunted and killed by figures donning the Ghostface mask. The first four movies revolved around Neve Campbell’s Sydney Prescott as she frequently found herself the target of different Ghostface killers, while the fifth and sixth installments introduced new protagonists, sisters Tara and Sam, with their own dark past connected to the original Ghostface killer.
