Scream has been an ongoing movie franchise which started in the 90’s, with a fanbase of millions. Since the beginning of the franchise there has been lots of commotion towards slasher films, with the start of the franchise being its most popular to this day.
Since the beginning when the first movie was released in 1996, Ghostface has become one of the most notorious villains in slasher movies, while having new characters as Ghostface as the movies progress. What creates the suspense for these movies is that the killer is different throughout every movie. The mystery of who will be behind the mask will always have you on the edge of your seat.
Ghostface has become the standard for slasher serial killers, making the core four Jason Voorhees, Freddy Krueger, and Micheal Myers. When thinking of slasher films, Ghostface will come to mind as the iconic franchise continues growing with the seventh film releasing February 27th of this year.
The franchise’s first film follows Sidney Prescott’s high school journey as she finds out someone very close to her is the Ghostface killer. Following that point, Ghostface always seems to follow her wherever she moves and whoever she gets close to. Whether it’s her boyfriend or someone that she has recently befriended, she is always left with the dilemma of who to trust and who not to.
The most recent film, Scream 6, shocked most of its audience with someone so close to the lead (Sam) being the killer. In the movie her sister was naive and quick to trust others and wouldn’t pay any mind to the past Woodsboro murders.
With Tara’s sister being the daughter of one of the original characters from the first Scream, Billy Loomis, they would need to be very wary of the situation. In each movie suspense is created and draws the audience in, knowing that there will be lots of questions coming to mind on who the killer will really be.
Leslie Ledezma says “the saying ‘it’s always who you never expect’ was spot on in the movie! I had my sights set on someone that seemed very suspicious.”
With the new release of the 7th movie, we are affronted with new characters based on the last movie, seemingly continuing this plot. The previous Scream film, starring Sam Carpenter as the daughter of the original killer who started it all, was cut from the franchise completely.
Melissa Barrera who played Sam was fired before the creation of Scream 7 based on her standpoint on the Israel war. She had the intention of raising awareness and letting her voice be heard but it ultimately led to her termination. The studio behind Scream 6, Spyglass, had a strict policy against antisemitism which led to Barrera being removed from the seventh film and co-star Jenna Ortega following her leave.
Following the fiasco concerning the leave of the two stars, the director Christopher Langdon decided to leave the crew as well. He had claimed “it was a dream job that turned into a nightmare.”
After the incident, it was stated that Nev Campbell would be returning to the set, after not returning to the 6th film concerning a salary dispute. Some fans are excited that the original will be returning to set, while others believe that it will be a mess in the making.
Reddit user Banesmuffledvoice says, “Jenna Ortega’s absence is really going to hurt 7 I think. Her star power really went up after Scream 5.”
With Sidney Prescott returning to the cast, it really showed fans a view behind the curtain. We were able to take notice that the Scream crew is struggling and likely begged Nev Campbell to return. Losing their director as well as their two stars has led them to avoid marketing or promoting their movie as much as the previous ones.
Reddit user Bartowskiii says, “a lot of people I’ve spoken to didn’t even know it’s coming out. Honestly, apart from the trailer we got, has it been advertised anywhere?”
With the directors “stretching this film thin” there has been lots of repetitiveness to the point where fans can predict what will happen next. As well as the backbone of the franchise being removed, fans are beginning to question whether the seventh film will be worth watching. With that idea out the window, where will that leave the story?
Written by Allison Ramirez, staff writer