Neve Campbell picked up her phone last Tuesday and heard a familiar voice ask “What’s your favorite scary movie?” – except this time it was her assistant playing a prank after the Scream 7 trailer dropped. She wasn’t amused.
Roger Jackson Returns
That voice in the Scream 7 trailer belongs to Roger L. Jackson, who’s voiced Ghostface in every film since 1996. But this time there’s a twist – he’s not calling Sidney Prescott. He’s calling her daughter, played by Jenna Ortega in what Paramount is calling “a generational passing of the knife.”
The trailer’s sneakiest callback happens at the 1:47 mark. Ghostface asks “Do you like scary movies?” using the exact cadence and inflection from Drew Barrymore’s opening scene in the 1996 original. Director Christopher Landon confirmed on Twitter that Jackson studied the original recording for weeks to perfectly recreate that delivery 29 years later.
Campbell returns as Sidney Prescott alongside Courteney Cox’s Gale Weathers for what they’re calling the final chapter of the original trilogy survivors. Melissa Barrera was controversially fired after pro-Palestine social media posts, with Paramount recasting her role entirely rather than rewriting around the absence.
Casting Controversy
The Scream 7 trailer carefully avoids addressing the Barrera situation. Instead, it focuses on Campbell’s daughter discovering she’s being targeted by a new Ghostface killer who’s obsessed with finishing what started in Woodsboro nearly three decades ago.
Jenna Ortega joins as the teen lead after Wednesday made her horror’s hottest property. She plays Sidney’s 17-year-old daughter who’s grown up knowing her mother’s trauma but never experienced it firsthand. The trailer shows their relationship strained by Sidney’s overprotective parenting.
Mason Gooding returns as Chad Meeks-Martin, reprising his role from Scream 5 and 6. Jasmin Savoy Brown also appears briefly, suggesting her character Mindy survived the previous film’s attack. The franchise has killed characters before only to reveal they survived, so nothing’s certain until credits roll.
Original DNA
What makes the Scream 7 trailer effective is how it balances nostalgia with fresh scares. The opening sequence directly mirrors the original – a landline rings, someone answers, and Ghostface begins his deadly game. But modern technology complicates the formula. Caller ID, cell phones, and surveillance cameras make the classic cat-and-mouse harder to sustain.
Landon’s solution? Set major sequences in areas without cell service. The trailer shows Campbell and Ortega trapped in a remote mountain cabin where traditional horror rules still apply. No phones, no help, just survival.
The meta-commentary that defines Scream continues here. Characters discuss how legacy sequels always fail by bringing back original stars who should’ve stayed retired. Then the film proceeds to be exactly that kind of sequel – aware of its commercial cynicism but entertaining anyway.
February Release
Paramount scheduled Scream 7 for February 27, 2026, avoiding summer blockbuster competition while capitalizing on horror’s surprising winter box office strength. Recent hits like M3GAN and Knock at the Cabin proved scary movies can succeed during typically quiet theatrical periods.
The film’s budget reportedly exceeds $40 million, making it the franchise’s most expensive entry. Previous installments cost between $24-33 million, suggesting Paramount wants this final chapter to feel appropriately epic.
Early Scream 7 trailer reactions praise the return to basics after 6 tried expanding the mythology too far. Fans want Sidney Prescott facing Ghostface one last time, and that’s exactly what Landon delivers – with enough twists to keep it interesting.
Whether this truly ends the franchise remains doubtful. Horror properties rarely stay dead when they’re this profitable.
Also Read: The Black Phone 2 Reclaims Box Office Crown on Halloween Weekend