Scream 7 is sharpening its knife for a theatrical release on February 25, 2026, and this time, the franchise circles back to where it all began: Sidney Prescott.
Whether you are a long-time fan or someone who has never answered a suspicious phone call from Woodsboro, we’ve compiled some of what we know so far to walk you through everything you need to know before stepping into the cinema.
Sidney Prescott returns
Neve Campbell reprises her iconic role as Sidney Prescott, the original final girl who has outwitted multiple Ghostface killers since 1996. The seventh installment marks her return after being absent in Scream 6 due to a payment dispute. In the new film, Sidney lives a quiet life alongside her husband, Mark, and daughter, Tatum, who becomes the primary target of the new killer(s).
Legacy characters are also making a comeback
Courteney Cox, who plays TV reporter Gale Weathers, is back again. She’s the only OG character so far to be present in all the movies. David Arquette, who played Dewey, has also been reported to appear in the movie, which brings up some fan theories that he wasn’t really killed in the 2022 Scream film. Matthew Lillard, who played Stu Macher, one of the original Ghostface killers in the first movie, was also reported to be part of the new film. But he’s not the only dead Ghostface to make a comeback. Roman Bridger, the killer in Scream 3 and Sidney’s half-brother, will also be making a comeback.
Two characters from the 2022 film and Scream 6 will be returning as well: Jasmin Savoy Brown and Mason Gooding who play the Martin twins, niece and nephew of Randy Meeks, one of the victims in the first movie.
Kevin Williamson finally takes the director’s chair
The franchise creator and screenwriter for the first movie, Kevin Williamson, is now captain of the ship. He also serves as writer and producer.
For viewers new to the series, this installment centers on legacy, trauma, and generational survival. You do not need to memorize every prior kill to understand the stakes, but knowing Sidney’s history enriches the emotional weight.
The mix of returning characters and fresh faces signals a classic Scream formula: legacy meets new blood.
A quick refresher on Scream
It doesn’t matter if you’ve just been introduced to the Scream universe. You can still appreciate and enjoy the upcoming movie even if you haven’t watched all the movies in the entire franchise. But, obviously, it would make for a more enjoyable experience if you have some knowledge on the lore and its characters.
So if you’re a new fan or just a casual viewer curious about all the fuzz around this slasher film, here is a quick refresher for you.
Scream is a slasher-horror movie directed by the late Wes Craven in 1996. It was created and written by Kevin Williamson, who is the director of the upcoming movie. It was not the first iconic slasher film of the 90s but it was definitely a gamechanger in the horror genre. Scream had a unique quality that appealed to its market. It had a young, likable cast.
The film’s lead is Neve Campbell, who played Sidney Prescott. Neve is already a bonafide TV star during that time. And so was Courteney Cox, who played Gale Weathers. They were supported by a promising ensemble who became big stars in the coming years: Matthew Lillard (Stu Macher), Skeet Ulrich (Billy Loomis), Rose McGowan (Tatum Riley), Liev Schreiber (Cotton Weary) and Jamie Kennedy (Randy Meeks). It also had cameos from Linda Blair and Henry Winkler.
Scream was instantly iconic when its first opening scene killed the biggest star in the movie: Drew Barrymore. That scene became a classic and is still referenced as one of the best horror clips today.
Sidney, whose mother has been brutally murdered almost a year ago, starts receiving threatening calls. Soon, the police gets involve as they chase a serial killer who is intent on murdering Sidney. As her friends are killed one by one, Sidney gets dangerously close to being murdered until she uncovers the real identity of the killer. It turns out that there are two killers: her boyfriend Billy and friend Stu.
She also discovers a shocking secret that is tied to her mother’s murder. Sidney’s mother had an affair with Billy’s dad, which forced his mom to abandon them. Billy sought revenge for his family, which is why he and Stu killed Maureen. Now, they want to finish the job and kill Sidney as well. But Sidney managed to kill them both.
Sidney goes to college in Scream 2. Thinking that the horrors are now part of her past, a new killer starts another killing spree. This time, the killer is targeting people with the same names as the Woodsboro victims. Sidney discovers that there are, once again, two killers. The reporter who’s been tailing her turns out to be Billy’s mother who is out for revenge and her current boyfriend’s pal, Mickey.
In Scream 3, Sidney has been put into a witness protection program and now works as a counselor for an abused women’s hotline. But when the new Ghostface tracked her location, she was forced to go out of hiding and reunite with Gale and Dewey, and a new set of would-be victims who are part of a production of Stab 3. Sidney discovers that her dead mother used to be an actress in the 70s and was assaulted and gave birth to a boy: Roman Bridger, the director of Stab 3.
Four years prior, Roman tracked Maureen in hopes of connecting with her, only to be turned away. Devastated and furious, he tracked down the man she was having an affair with. He showed the videos to Billy, which set off the string of murders. Angered also by the fame Sidney received after surviving two bouts with the killings, he plans to frame her for the new murders. But Sidney fought hard and managed to shoot Roman in the head.
Fifteen years later, Sidney is a published author and is promoting her new book right about the same time as the anniversary of the Woodsboro murders. New bodies turned up dead and her niece, Jill Roberts, becomes the new target. The new Ghostface was unlike the ones she’s faced before. Sidney was so badly hurt she wasn’t expected to survive. At the hospital, it was revealed that Jill masterminded the killings and wanted to get the same fame Sidney got from years ago. In her quest to get massive fans, she needed to be the new final girl. And that meant killing the original final girl.
But Sidney’s quick thinking and Gale’s sharp tongue helped them put an end to Jill’s madness.
Ten years later, Sidney is a wife and mom. Gale and Dewey are divorced. A new Ghostface just tried to kill a teenager named Tara, half-sister of Sam, who happens to be the daughter of Billy Loomis. Sam goes back to Woodsboro to care for her sister but she soon discovers it was the killer’s plot to get to her. The sisters and their friends are hunted by the new killer(s). Dewey was killed after trying to protect the sisters.
Sidney and Gale try to help catch the killer(s). At a party, they discover that Sam’s boyfriend, Richie, is the new Ghostface. His accomplish is Tara’s best friend, Amber. They are hardcore fans of the Stab movies who grew disappointed with how the movies turned out. They hope their killing spree will inspire a fresh installment based on the latest events. They plan to frame Billy’s daughter for the murders.
But Sam and Tara, with the help of Sidney and Gale, managed to kill both in the end.
A year later, Tara and Sam move to New York, hoping for a fresh start. But terror followed as they are hunted by the killers again. Sam is undergoing therapy while Tara goes to college. The new killings prompted the return of Kirby, Jill Roberts’ friend and a survivor in Scream 4. She is now an FBI agent working with Detective Wayne Bailey, who happens to be the father of one of the recent victims, Tara’s friend, Quinn.
Sidney has gone into hiding, according to Gale. After several more people are dead, the Carpenter sisters, Gale and the rest of the survivors are lured into a warehouse where relics of all past Ghostface killers are stored. They discover that this time, there are three killers: Detective Bailey and his children Quinn and Ethan. Their motive for killing was revenge for Richie, who was Bailey’s first-born son.
What makes Scream 7 different?
Unlike recent installments that focused heavily on a new generation, this film brings the story directly back to Sidney and her family. The emotional stakes feel intimate rather than purely franchise-expanding. While we’ve been told that the new Ghostface is a lot more brutal, director Williamson said in an earlier interview that they (Campbell) wants to take it back to the first film where the focus is more on the suspense rather than the blood and gore.
The movie will follow Sidney in the new phase of her life. And with her daughter being the newest target, expect the movie to show themes of generational trauma, revenge, and unresolved history. It’s exciting to see how Sidney is going to handle the more excruciating fear of knowing someone is out to murder your child.
It’s also exciting how the return of characters who are supposed to be dead would pan out. The franchise has gone full circle, with these OG characters back and the story focused once again on Sidney.
Scream 7 opens only in cinemas on February 25, 2026. It is produced by Paramount Pictures and Spyglass Media Group.
