The release of Scream 7 is being met with great fanfare, but it also comes with a tumultuous road to the big screen that has seen the franchise’s fanbase being divided into two factions. On one side are the fans who have been there since the beginning, who are celebrating another installment with Ghostface and the return of the IP’s final girl, Sidney Prescott, portrayed by Neve Campbell since the first film’s release in 1996. On the other side are those reasonably upset by the unjust firing of Melissa Barrera, who was let go by Spyglass Media Group in late 2023 after appearing in 2022’s Scream and its follow-up, Scream VI, over social media posts that were Pro-Palestine that Spyglass called “antisemitic”.

In the wake of all of this, the fanbase has been fractured, and a lot of it has gotten downright ugly, with fans getting extreme keyboard courage, sending death threats, and drawing a line between those who support Barrera and her right to free speech and those who still want to celebrate one of the genre’s most resilient franchises. While there are many who believe Barrera being let go was the wrong choice, and yet still want to show support to Scream 7, others have made it clear with their assessments that began in late 2023 that showing support left them open to unrelenting negativity.

When Scream was released in early 2022, the film revived a franchise that was considered all but dead after 2011’s Scream 4 underperformed at the box office. New castmembers were brought in, including Barrera’s Sam Carpenter, the new lead of the film, as well as Jenna Ortega as her sister Tara, an actress who was on the cusp of breaking out in a big way. In addition, legacy castmembers such as Campbell, Courteney Cox as Gale Weathers, David Arquette as Dewey Riley, and Skeet Ulrich as Billy Loomis, were brought back in varying capacities as a bridge between the original films and the new guard brought in to introduce the franchise to a new generation. With Radio Silence duo Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett at the helm, along with a screenplay written by James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick, Scream was a hit with critics and audiences, registering a 76 percent on Rotten Tomatoes and grossing $138.9 million globally on a $24 million budget, resulting in a reported profit of $56.7 million when all revenues were factored in. This made a sixth installment a no-brainer for Spyglass Media Group, who hold the Scream rights, and Paramount Pictures, which distributed the film.

Scream VI hit an early snag when it was reported that Campbell would be sitting out due to a pay dispute, resulting in the film being the first Scream movie in which she would not be participating. The pay disparity issues garnered Campbell a lot of result and she was respected for not joining the film if she felt she would not be paid her worth considering her involvement across the previous five films. While there my have been concerns if a Scream film could be successful without, those fears were squashed Scream VI debuted to equal critical reviews (77 percent on Rotten Tomatoes) and even more robust box office, scoring the biggest opening of the franchise ($44.4 million) and a worldwide final gross of $169.1 million, making it the most successful entry since the second movie ($172.4 million). All signs pointed to the glow continuing when Scream 7 was announced to be in development, but things ultimately took a turn for the worse.

What happened with Melissa Barrera?

In late 2023, it was announced that Barrera was fired from the seventh installment after sharing what Spyglass believed to be antisemitic messages on her social media after war broke out in Gaza. One post that Barrera shared accused Israel of “genocide and ethnic cleansing,” while another article she reshared alleged that the Israeli government was distorting “the Holocaust to boost the Israeli arms industry.” After Barrera’s firing was announced, the actress received a groundswell of support, especially once it was clear that the posts she shared were not antisemitic and that Spyglass severely jumped the gun in firing her. Even with Barrera receiving such support and the fanbase being up in arms, Spyglass stuck by their decision. Soon after, Ortega was announced not to be returning, citing scheduling conflicts with Season 2 of Netflix’s Wednesday, although many fans believed this was a sign of solidarity with Barrera. It was around this time that the division between fans of Barrera and, by extension, the new guard started with Scream (2022) and Scream VI, and those perceived to be against them and Barrera’s right to speak out against genocide began to show. At first, this was directed to Spyglass Media Group and Paramount Pictures, with many saying that they would boycott their future films in protest unless they righted this wrong, but soon it would be turned on the franchise itself. Especially after a new, yet familiar, direction was announced for Scream 7.

When Scream 7 was announced, director Christopher Landon was announced to take over for the Radio Silence helmers on the seventh installment, but that all fell apart with the firing of Barrera and Ortega exiting the project. Landon soon departed, indicating that his dream directing a Scream film turned into a nightmare (more on that in a bit) so after some time to think of a new creative direction, it was revealed that franchise architect Kevin Williamson, who wrote the first, second and fourth film, would be stepping to direct and that Campbell would be returning as Sidney Prescott for a Sidney-centric seventh installment. It has recently been reported that the powers that be came back to Campbell this time around with an offer that made much more sense to her (a $7 million payday and an executive producer credit), resulting in her return. This is something that should’ve been seen as triumphant, given how she was treated during her offer for Scream VI, but the ugliness behind Barrera’s firing and why it happened has only widened the gap between the fanbase, and it continued throughout the film’s production and continues to spark flames as the film’s nationwide release happens this weekend.

Let it be known that, as a fan of the franchise since it began in 1996, I found Barrera’s firing to be completely out of line, and I initially supported the vocal groundswell of fans who had her back because there was some positivity within it. The fact that the fans were sticking up for an actress in this way, especially since nothing about how this went down felt right, was great to see. What changed my perception of this was how the reactions changed once the new direction for Scream 7 was announced. The energy turned from standing up for what’s right to something incredibly vile and downright dangerous.

Backlash from fans

Consider what happened with Landon. The reason why his dream became a nightmare because not only did his movie fall apart after signing on for Scream 7, but he himself was targeted with some of the blame by those claiming to support Barrera, free speech, and the #FreePalestine movement. During an interview with Vanity Fair around the time his movie Drop was released last year, he revealed that fans got so relentless with him that the FBI got involved.

“People were threatening to kill me and my family, to the point where the FBI was getting involved. I got messages saying, ‘I’m going to find your kids, and I’m going to kill them because you support child murder. The head of security at various studios and the FBI had to examine the threats. It was highly aggressive and really scary.”

Landon became a target because he was the new film’s director, even though it was not his choice to let Barrera go. They came after him with their daggers, clearly showing, and even though Spyglass wanted him to continue and rework the film, he was so beaten down by the unwarranted threats and abuse that he received that he decided to depart the project. For those so against violence and genocide, it feels awfully hypocritical of these individuals to send death threats his way and, upon closer inspection, these threats extended to creatives and fans alike who showed any support for the newly retooled Scream 7.

The core four, reworked

The Core Four, consisting of Barrera, Ortega, Mason Gooding’s Chad Meeks-Martin, and Jasmin Savoy Brown’s Mindy Meeks-Martin, were dubbed this during the sixth film, and fans of the fired actress frequently posted pictures of the four of them from the movie that indicated to them that this is what solidarity looks like. That image of solidarity was fractured for this section of the fanbase when Gooding and Savoy Brown were ultimately announced to be returning for Scream 7, and soon, across social media, you would see that same image of the four floating around, but with their faces crossed out as if they were traitors. If you explored the comments underneath the stories that announced their return, the once-happy approval they received for standing their ground was now replaced by vile comments that ranged from simple name-calling to much more pointed and scary comments that shouldn’t be reserved for any conversation, let alone surrounding the casting of a movie. By this point, it was clear that the boycotters had lost the message, and this had escalated beyond supporting what was right. This was now something ugly and completely unrecognizable.

The tide even turned on Campbell, who fans supported in solidarity when she went through the pay dispute that kept her out of Scream VI. Once Campbell joined Scream 7, it was quickly seen as a betrayal against Barrera, and fans began through attacks against her on social media. It can be seen by some that Campbell should’ve stayed away because of how things were handled with Barrera, but we don’t know all the ins and outs of how these things went down. Campbell may have very well been upset by their decision, but for fans to expect Campbell to fully exit a franchise she has been a part of for now six movies when Barrera was involved for two out of solidarity, it’s just not fully realistic in any industry. Especially when none of us were in any of the rooms when certain discussions were happening or when new deals were made.

It is clear that Barrera’s character was meant to complete a new trilogy of Scream movies, but she even admitted in 2024, while promoting Abigail, that she was contracted for two films and she fulfilled that obligation. The actress said, “I feel like the ending of 6 was a very good ending, and so I don’t feel like, ‘Aw, I got left in the middle of a— no. I think people, the fans, were wanting a third movie to kind of continue that arc — and apparently, the plan was a trilogy, even though I was only contracted for two movies.”

Standing up for Melissa Barrera

Barrera, who seemed to have closure on this long before some of the fans did, went on to say, “So, I did my two movies and I’m fine. You know? I’m good with that. I got two! That’s more than most people get, and it’s like… it’s like when you’re on a TV show, and it gets canceled. You can’t harp on things, you’ve got to move on. That’s the nature… that’s the nature of this industry, too. I get excited for the new job.” In all sincerity, this is the level of maturity that some of the fans can learn a thing or two from. She may feel some kinf of way about why and how thins went down but she’s certainly not spewing hate and negativity in a public forum because of it.

The interesting thing is that a lot of this is being done by the same fans in the name of Barrera, but it’s highly doubtful she would support those fans sending death threats to anyone. There was a sane and practical way to support the actress over what happened to her, but that has since been thrown out the window for what feels like their own motivations. Barrera hasn’t lost her convictions and has continued to be vocal about what she stands up for, but what she hasn’t done is show support for the reckless behavior that has been done by the fans on her behalf. They could easily support her and the movement more peacefully, but this is a direction they have opted not to choose, even if it’s abundantly clear, given her beliefs, that Barrera herself wouldn’t support any of these methods.

As Scream 7 is set to open, it’s tracking to break box office records for the franchise during its opening weekend, something that has caused issues on both sides of these fanbases. Those opting to support Scream 7 no matter what anyone says may not be the subject of headlines where they’re throwing around insults and death threats, but they’re also engaging in this line drawn in the sand attitude that doesn’t do anything to make any of these issues subside. Bragging that Scream doesn’t need Barrera and that Campbell is the franchise’s real queen and f**k Barrera in equal measure is also ugly behavior. From this side, I’ve personally seen some pretty awful racist rhetoric thrown her way by so-called fans of the franhcise and this is no better than what the other side is doing. This behavior only escalates the situation and leads to more social media slinging between both sides when, in all honesty, both sides could stand their ground in a way that’s far more positive.

If you’re of the idea of boycotting Scream 7 because of what happened with Barrera, that is your right. No one is making anyone see the film. They say it’s best to show your stance with your wallet and what you’re not willing to throw your money at. That’s a proper way to stand one’s ground about this. Another way is peaceful protest, something that was done outside the studio during the LA premiere of Scream 7 by 30 or so protesters who showed their support for Barrera without any reported incident.

So…should you see Scream 7?

If you’re of the idea that you’re going to see Scream 7 no matter what, you can do that, and it should be no problem. If you’re someone like me who thinks two things can be true at once, and I can think it was wrong what happened to Barrera, but it’s still my right to support a franchise I’ve loved for close to 30 years, that’s also my right and one that doesn’t infringe on anyone. The great thing about this country that we live in is that we have these rights. Something like this shouldn’t lead to something this ridiculous over, at the end of the day, a movie. This is not to diminish anyone’s cause or their rights. These issues should be tackled in a more adult fashion on both sides without some of the things being seen slung around on social media.

This issue is likely to persist, at least during the early part of the film’s run. Fans against Scream 7 have gone out of their way to leak the movie online and ruin it for those who want to see it, while Letterboxd, rightfully, shut off reviews on the film at least until it opens more to the public because clear review bombing was beginning to take place following the film rolling out the other day in certain international markets. The reviews don’t mention the quality of the film and immediately segway to Barrera and #FreePalestine. This is even true of some professional reviews that have been posted by accredited critics on Rotten Tomatoes. Again, everyone is entitled to their opinion, but it becomes hard to respect the viability of a review when it comes along with a clear agenda that has nothing to do with the movie itself. If one can’t review the film objectively, why simply see it to waste your time bashing it? What’s gained from that? The interesting thing from both sides of this is that no matter how anyone is talking about Scream 7, it’s only increasing its presence and making it appear more via the algorithm. It’s built-in marketing that only serves to build interest for the movie.

As a horror fan, though, and a fan of this franchise, it’s hard not to think about what Wes Craven would think about all of this. He loved the franchise, and he certainly loved the fans who embraced him, along with a new IP that reignited his career and introduced him to a brand new generation of horror fans. Right now, that fanbase seems split, and even though there are many fans who aren’t engaging in this behavior, so many people are, and their voices seem to only be getting louder. Because of Craven and, by extension, Williamson’s creativity, horror fans were once united by what the franchise meant to them, and now it’s sadly fractured with no signs of being repaired anytime soon.

Scream 7 opens in theaters nationwide this Friday.