Watch the Scream 7 trailer, and it’s clear within seconds: the franchise’s original Final Girl is home again. The footage unveils Neve Campbell’s return as Sidney Prescott, sets the stage for a fresh Ghostface in a small town where Sidney has built a new life, and teases a deeply personal fight that pulls in legacy faces and a new generation. The trailer lands ahead of Halloween on October 30, 2025, and confirms a theatrical date of February 27, 2026, for Scream 7.
The logline itself sets the stakes: “When a new Ghostface killer emerges in the quiet town where Sidney Prescott has built a new life, her darkest fears are realized as her daughter (Isabel May) becomes the next target. Determined to protect her family, Sidney must face the horrors of her past to put an end to the bloodshed once and for all.”
This is the first film in the series to be directed by franchise creator Kevin Williamson, with a screenplay by Guy Busick and a story by Busick and James Vanderbilt—the pair who also worked on the 2022 relaunch and on Scream VI in 2023. The production carries the legacy of the late Wes Craven, whose death in 2015 still echoes over the series’ evolution.
The trailer doesn’t just show Sidney’s return—it sounds like a greatest-hits lineup colliding with new blood. At one point, Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox) re-enters the fray and snarls, “Let’s unmask this f—er.” Meanwhile, the masked killer promises escalation with the line, “I’m going to burn it all down,” as flames rip through a house. And then the kicker: a familiar voice punctures the end-tag—Matthew Lillard’s Stu Macher drops, “This is gonna be fun!”
Release date, platform, and what the Scream 7 trailer confirms
- Trailer drop: October 30, 2025, ahead of Halloween weekend.
- Theatrical release: February 27, 2026.
- Key plot hook: Sidney’s daughter becomes the next target as Ghostface invades the quiet town where Sidney has tried to start over.
- Tone & imagery: A house set ablaze; phone taunts; legacy characters colliding with fresh faces; a meta-tinged tease of a once-presumed-dead figure.
Cast & characters: every name the trailer and first-look pieces confirm
Between the trailer and studio materials, the cast combines franchise fixtures and new players. Here’s the full roll call that appears across the first-look coverage and trailer breakdowns:
- Neve Campbell as Sidney Prescott (returning).
- Courteney Cox as Gale Weathers (returning).
- Isabel May as Tatum, Sidney’s daughter (new).
- Joel McHale as Mark Evans, Sidney’s husband (new to Scream, character previously tied to Sidney).
- Mason Gooding as Chad Meeks-Martin (returning from 2022 and Scream VI).
- Jasmin Savoy Brown as Mindy Meeks-Martin (returning).
- Matthew Lillard as Stu Macher (voice heard; long-rumored return).
- David Arquette as Dewey Riley (listed among returning franchise alums).
- Scott Foley as Roman Bridger (from Scream 3), included among returning faces.
- Anna Camp (new).
- Mark Consuelos (new).
- Ethan Embry (new).
- Asa Germann (new).
- Mckenna Grace (new).
- Celeste O’Connor (new).
- Sam Rechner (new).
- Michelle Randolph (new).
- Jimmy Tatro (new).
Behind the camera: creators, writers, and the franchise lineage
Kevin Williamson makes his franchise-directing debut with Scream 7. The script comes from Guy Busick, with a story by Busick and James Vanderbilt, who penned the last two entries. The trailer coverage situates this milestone alongside the legacy of Wes Craven, who died in 2015 and defined the series’ original voice.
What the Scream 7 trailer shows: plot teases and key moments
The trailer presents Sidney living quietly until Ghostface pries into her new life. The phone taunts are back. The danger now centers on her daughter, Tatum, as the killer fixates on family as leverage. Shots include a house set ablaze, which pairs with the killer’s threat—“I’m going to burn it all down.” The end-tag voice cameo—“This is gonna be fun!”—all but shouts a fan theory into existence.
We also glimpse returning survivors Chad and Mindy Meeks-Martin, and the reemergence of Gale Weathers, who makes her agenda plain with, “Let’s unmask this f—er.” New faces—including Michelle Randolph and Jimmy Tatro—appear to be guests at an eerie tourist stop: the former site of the Woodsboro Massacre, now turned into an Airbnb. Meanwhile, Celeste O’Connor and McKenna Grace look to be part of Tatum’s school circle, hinting at how the story will braid teenage peril into Sidney’s adult fears.
Legacy resurrections, meta games, and the rules of returning from the dead
The trailer and first-look materials also stoke questions about franchise logic. Matthew Lillard’s vocal tag, plus the inclusion of long-gone figures like David Arquette’s Dewey Riley and Scott Foley’s Roman Bridger in press materials, suggests Scream 7 may play with memory, myth, or survival in bolder ways than recent entries. A studio synopsis directly frames Sidney’s mission as confronting “the horrors of her past,” which leaves the door open to concrete resurrections, unreliable memory, or meta devices that match the franchise’s DNA.
The creative shift matters, too. With Kevin Williamson at the helm and Busick/Vanderbilt carrying story continuity, the film positions itself to fuse the self-referential wit of the originals with the modern ensemble dynamics of the 2022 and 2023 entries. The February slot—February 27, 2026—is now part of the franchise’s post-holiday corridor strategy, a window that’s been kind to horror since audience appetites spike again after prestige season.
Full timeline & confirmations so far
- October 30, 2025: Trailer and first-look images drop, confirming Neve Campbell’s return and revealing Isabel May’s role as Sidney’s daughter, Tatum.
- February 27, 2026: Theatrical release date set for Scream 7.
- Story team: Written by Guy Busick; story by Busick and James Vanderbilt; directed by Kevin Williamson.
- Legacy echoes: Voice tag from Stu Macher; quotable returns for Gale Weathers and Ghostface.
What’s next for fans looking beyond the Scream 7 trailer
Expect official confirmation about character fates and the precise mechanics behind any “back from the dead” surprises to stay locked until closer to release. For now, the combination of Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, a new Ghostface, and a Kevin Williamson-led creative handoff gives Scream 7 a clear identity: a legacy-driven showdown where Sidney must fight for family and, perhaps, finally close the loop on Woodsboro’s longest-running nightmare. When the film slashes into theaters on February 27, 2026, the only rule that matters might be Gale’s: “Let’s unmask this f—er.”
Credits & distributors
Written by: Guy Busick;
Story by: Guy Busick and James Vanderbilt.
Directed by: Kevin Williamson.
Legacy honor: Wes Craven (d. 2015).
BuddyTV will update this page with any new confirmations that expand on what’s in the trailer and first-look materials.
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