I'm boycotting 'Scream 7,' and you should, too

TikTok has been feeding me Scream 7 hype videos nonstop this week. I can’t tell you how many creators I’ve blocked and how the app just doubles down on showing me more. It’s probably cause Paramount sucks on Trump’s teat. They’re inescapable! Scream 7 doesn’t hit theaters until February 27, and I’m already exhausted, disgusted, and disappointed that so many people online, some of whom are colleagues and friends, are using their platforms to give that largely whitewashed film positive attention.

I suppose it falls in line with 2026 to support Neve Campbell, a straight white woman, whom Melissa Barerra rallied behind following Campbell’s wage dispute around Scream VI, and later stayed silent when Barerra, a Latina, was unjustly fired by Spyglass after speaking out against genocide. White feminism at its best! That’s partly how we got in this… waves around. I’m honestly surprised that I was surprised, and that’s on me. The Scream franchise has largely been built on whiteness from the very beginning. There have been only a handful of Black characters and other characters of color featured in this entire series (can you name them all?). I’ve loved the Scream universe, always have, but I now find it difficult watching any installments outside of Scream (2022) and Scream VI. As much as Scream means to me (I wrote a deeply personal essay about Scream for Bloody Disgusting upon the 2022 film release), I’m still willing to call it out for the complete reversal it’s taken with the new film.

I’ll be frank: Barrera’s firing reeks of microaggressive racism. A strong Latina woman speaking out about genocide clearly made Spyglass suits uncomfortable, so they panicked and re-embraced white norms. Just because Mason Gooding and Jasmin Savoy Brown will star in Scream 7 (I’ve got my issues with them), with Celeste O’Connor and Anah Diamanty joining the short list of Black actors, doesn’t absolve them for the treatment of Barrera. It actually makes it all the more infuriating. It’s the equivalent of saying “I have Black friends” while doing racist things. Would Spyglass fire Neve Campbell if she spoke up about ICE killing people? Well, I suppose, she’d have to think about non-white people for once…

Barrera shared the career-pummeling posts calling out genocide on her Instagram stories. “Gaza is currently being treated like a concentration camp,” she wrote in October 2023. “This is genocide and ethnic cleansing.” She also blasted Western media for only showing “the other side,” she wrote. “Why they do that, I will let you deduce for yourself. We don’t need more hate. No Islamophobia. No antisemitism.” She’s the kind of celebrity that all celebrities should be. Following Spyglass’ claims that her anti-genocide posts were “antisemitic,” she released a statement, which reads:

“First and foremost, I condemn antisemitism and Islamophobia. I condemn hate and prejudice of any kind against any group of people. As a Latina, a proud Mexicana, I feel the responsibility of having a platform that allows me the privilege of being heard, and therefore, I have tried to use it to raise awareness about issues I care about and to lend my voice to those in need. Every person on this earth … deserves equal human rights, dignity, and, of course, freedom. I believe a group of people are NOT their leadership, and that no governing body should be above criticism. I pray day and night for no more deaths, for no more violence, and for peaceful co-existence. I will continue to speak out for those that need it most and continue to advocate for peace and safety, for human rights and freedom. Silence is not an option for me.”

(via The Guardian)

The most important part here is: “I believe a group of people are NOT their leadership.” Criticizing the Israeli government is not the same thing as making antisemitic remarks against an entire group of people. Spyglass suits failed to see the difference and unceremoniously fired Barrera for using her voice for good. With Scream 7 just over a month until release, it’s safe to say that the ship has sailed. There’s no coming back from this. Scream will go down as one of the most poorly handled franchises in horror history. As far as I’m concerned, the series ended with Sam Carpenter gazing into the bloodied Ghostface with the NYC skylie behind her as Demi Lovato’s “Still Alive” blasted through the speakers. Scream VI is the perfect and rightful end to the Ghostface saga.

I decided to finally watch the Scream 7 trailer, and woof! All creativity has been zapped from the room, and all the whites have been summoned to the front! If you blink, you’ll miss Chad (Gooding) and Mindy (Brown) — they’re likely barely in the movie — and O’Connor, as the Black sidekick. It all comes across as a Temu version of Halloween H20 that’s been completely drained of grisly fun and heartpounding setpieces. Stu Macher’s house as an Airbnb… really?!? We’ve really landed in the gutter. I don’t care how this film celebrates the franchise’s “legacy” by bringing back so many past characters—I’d be shocked if the film even mentions Sam and Tara at all—what it’s so clearly doing is a travesty. What’s even more, Sidney Prescott got her happy ending, as Gale Weathers (Courtney Cox) rightly says in Scream VI. But here we are again, circling the drain.

And I’m glad I’ll never see it. Boycotting Scream 7 is one of the easiest media consumption decisions I’ve ever made. A no-brainer. Instead of seeing Spyglass desecrate The Core Four (Sam, Tara, Chad, and Mindy are the best thing the franchise ever did!) by splitting them apart, you should watch/buy any of Melissa Barrera’s outstanding horror showings. My favorites are Your Monster, Abigail, and Bed Rest (mostly for her soul-crushing performance). I also hear good things about her new show, The Copenhagen Test!

I can’t tell you what to do, dear reader. All I’m saying is that I can sleep at night knowing I am boycotting Scream 7 and everyone involved. You can make up your own mind!