Summary
- 30 years since original Scream in 1996
- Scream 7 should aim for low-budget charm
- Return to original’s meta, smart, funny tone
When Scream 7 is released on February 27th, 2026, it will be almost 30 years since the original movie came out in 1996. The horror genre has never been the same since. The movie that introduced final girl Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) has inspired and influenced many other slashers, from comedic stories to more serious films. Every time a new movie winks at itself or features meta commentary on the genre, they owe a lot to the story of Ghostface terrorizing teenagers in Woodsboro, California.
It’s amazing to think that when Scream was released in December 1996, no one knew the actors, and it was unclear that it would become such a popular horror franchise. Scream 7 is, of course, the latest entry in a popular franchise and it’s not a low-budget horror film. However, there are a few ways the upcoming sequel can capture the spirit and tone of the original 1996 movie.
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Here’s How Scream 7 Can Match The First Scream Movie’s Low-Budget Feeling And Tone
In an oral history of Scream published by The Hollywood Reporter in 2021, several crew members talked about the movie’s low budget, and it’s fascinating to hear what they had to say. Scream had a low budget of $14 million and grossed $173 million, which was impressive. As producer Cathy Konrad said:
“What’s always fun about these kinds of gems is that some of the best work gets done when nobody’s looking. This was little. The budget was low. A lot of the actors in it were not really known. You could fly under the radar a little bit because the stakes weren’t that high.”
Although Scream isn’t an independent movie with one setting and only a handful of actors, the low budget makes it feel charming. Most importantly, Scream takes place in Woodsboro, California, which is a memorable and nice small town (besides the shocking murders taking place, that is). Most of the scenes happen in one of three places: Sidney’s house, Stu Macher’s (Matthew Lillard) house, Sidney’s high school, and the Woodsboro Police Department. Of course, Casey Becker’s (Drew Barrymore) home is also the setting for the franchise’s most famous opening kill.
Scream 7 should only have a few locations, which will help it capture the original’s low-budget vibe. No matter who is featured in Scream 7‘s opening kill, it could take place at Sidney’s house or Sidney’s daughter’s high school. There shouldn’t be a lot of different settings. With the focus on Sidney’s family, Scream 7 can narrow its focus instead of getting too wide and complicated. If Sidney has a job, some scenes can take place at her office, and of course, fans also want to see Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox) hard at work as a reporter. Not a lot of fans enjoyed the Hollywood setting of Scream 3, even though the film has some great characters, like Parker Posey’s ditzy actress Jennifer Jolie.
It would be great if the sequel went back to basics and felt like a new, more contemporary version of Scream. There’s so much to love and appreciate about the original movie, from Sidney’s close friendship with Tatum Riley (Rose McGowan) to Dewey Riley’s (David Arquette) silly, naive, and innocent personality. At its core, Scream is silly, goofy, smart, and meta. Since it’s hard to know what meta commentary Scream 7 can have, it seems more important than ever that the main characters get in at least a few smart jokes about the horror genre. Otherwise, audiences are going to wonder if the franchise has lost its spark, and it’s going to feel like a missed opportunity.
What Was The Budget Of Every Scream Movie?
The first Scream movie had the lowest budget of the entire franchise. According to Box Office Mojo, Scream 2 had a budget of $24 million, which was $10 million more than the 1996 movie. Also according to Box Office Mojo, both Scream 3 and Scream 4 had larger budgets of $40 million. Then, according to Forbes, Scream (2022) had a budget of $24 million.
Scream 6 had a budget of $35 million, and while Scream is a successful franchise, the sixth entry’s box office numbers are particularly impressive. In April 2023, Variety reported that the movie had made $100 million, which was a big deal since it had been several years since Scream 2 made $101 million when it was in theaters. According to Box Office Mojo, Scream 6 grossed $166,577,232 worldwide.
Scream 7
- Release Date
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February 27, 2026
- Director
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Kevin Williamson
- Writers
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Kevin Williamson, Guy Busick, James Vanderbilt
- Producers
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Cathy Konrad, Gary Barber, Marianne Maddalena, Peter Oillataguerre, William Sherak, Chad Villella, Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett, Ron Lynch
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Neve Campbell
Sidney Prescott
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Courteney Cox
Gale Weathers
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Mason Gooding
Chad Meeks-Martin
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Jasmin Savoy Brown
Mindy Meeks-Martin
More
Scream 7 Needs To Avoid This Scream 4 Plot Hole
Scream 4 told a great story about Sidney Prescott’s Woodsboro homecoming, but a fan noticed one plot hole, and it shouldn’t happen again in Scream 7.