Scream 7 Already Has An Opening Kill Problem

Although Scream 7 has two obvious options when it comes to a perfect opening kill, the slasher sequel can’t avail of either twist without ruining its own story. The upcoming Scream 7 is stuck in an unenviable position. The slasher sequel will bring Neve Campbell’s iconic Sidney Prescott back to the series. Ordinarily, this would be great news. However, Melissa Barrera’s firing and Jenna Ortega’s exit have soured interest in the sequel. Even Scream 7 bringing back Sidney may not be enough to salvage the sequel, despite original Scream screenwriter Kevin Williamson also returning to direct Scream 7.

What makes Barrera and Ortega’s absence so problematic is the fact that both Scream 2022 and Scream VI centered their characters, Sam and Tara. Sam and Tara were the new heroines of the Scream franchise, with Sidney only appearing in a supporting role in Scream 2022. Campbell’s franchise heroine wasn’t even present in Scream VI, leaving viewers with the impression that the rebooted trilogy had moved on from the story of the original series star. Now, Scream 7 needs to go back to earlier entries in the Scream franchise to revive supporting characters and existing plot lines for the sequel.

Scream 7’s Perfect Opening Kill Would Be Mark or Gale

Killing Courteney Cox’s heroine or Sidney’s love interest proves the sequel means business

Scream 7’s opening kill must be an all-time great scene since the sequel is trying to distract viewers from its messy production and complicated behind-the-scenes reshuffles. To justify dropping Sam and Tara’s story and picking up Sidney’s plot again, Scream 7 would need a shocking opening sequence. The best way to achieve this would be for Scream 7 to kill off a major returning character with a close personal connection to Sidney. This would clarify that, even though Scream 2022’s storyline only tangentially involved Sidney and Scream VI didn’t feature her at all, Scream 7 was her comeback.

However, it would be impossible for Scream 7 to pull off this approach. Mark Kincaid and Gale Weathers are the only people Scream 7’s opening could kill off, since they are the only returning characters with a close personal connection to Sidney. While 1996’s original slasher classic Scream could simply kill off a supporting character played by an A-list star, Scream 7 can’t replicate that approach. For the sequel to justify its existence, Scream 7 must foreground Sidney’s arc, her pain, and her endurance. This means killing off her love interest Mark or her oldest friend Gale.

Scream 7’s Opening Scene Can’t Kill Patrick Dempsey’s Mark Kincaid

Sidney’s grief over losing her children’s father would overshadow the sequel’s story

The problem is that both Gale and Mark are too important to kill off in Scream 7’s opening scene. Although Mark hasn’t been seen onscreen since Scream 3, dialogue in Scream 2022 implies that he is the father of Sidney’s children and her long-term love interest. The pair may even be married, and viewers have no reason to think that their relationship is unhappy. Scream 7’s opening sequence can’t kill off Mark because his death would be too bleak for the slasher series. Sidney has faced many deaths throughout the series, but this one would leave her children without a father.

At their core, the Scream movies are fun even at their darkest. As such, once Scream 2022 confirmed Patrick Dempsey’s Mark Kincaid was still Sidney’s love interest, the franchise essentially ensured that Dempsey’s character couldn’t be killed off. Sidney losing the love of her life after losing her mother, her Scream 2 love interest, and her friend Dewey would be way too sad and hopeless. This is arguably even truer for Gale’s death as she has stood by Sidney’s side since the original movie. Scream 7’s opening scene can’t kill off Courteney Cox’s character solely to establish the movie’s stakes.

Scream 7 Can’t Kill Gale In Its Opening Scene

Courteney Cox’s character is the last link between the original movie and Sidney

Ever since Scream 2 killed off Randy, the slasher series has been playing a tricky game. The lesser Scream sequels kept Dewey, Gale, and Sidney alive, which kept the franchise’s atmosphere feeling fun but also limited the stakes of these outings. Scream 2022 killed Dewey off brutally, thus upping the stakes of the sequel but making its mood much more downbeat and somber in the process. Scream 2022’s wild finale tried to take the goofy, gory mayhem up to 11 to counter this, but Dewey’s death ensured that the reboot still remains the franchise’s saddest sequel.

Now, Scream 7 can’t kill off Gale without making Sidney’s story a tragedy, and this is something viewers don’t necessarily want from the Scream series. There’s a fine line between pathos and emotional devastation and the best moments of the Scream series carefully dance around this distinction. There are some fans who still haven’t forgiven the series for killing off Randy in broad daylight back in Scream 2. However, the reason Gale’s death wouldn’t work in Scream 7 isn’t because it would simply be too sad. It is because her exit would leave Sidney without any original Scream characters to work alongside.

Scream 7 Can’t Feature Another Starry Cameo

Samara Weaving’s Scream VI roles make an A-list opening too predictable

Although Hayden Panettiere’s returning Scream 4 heroine Kirby Reed had a solid supporting role in Scream VI, she and Sidney barely crossed paths in her first movie. As such, the pair teaming up in Scream 7 wouldn’t be particularly compelling or nostalgic. Kirby’s death could be the first kill in Scream 7, but this would fall into yet another trap that the series now needs to avoid. The formula of featuring a major star at the beginning of each sequel has been done to death, so Scream 7 can’t simply kill off a famous actor or supporting star in its opening.

Scream shocked audiences by killing off Drew Barrymore, but Scream 2 killing off Jada Pinkett-Smith and Omar Epps was already much more predictable. Scream 3 killed off Cotton Weary, but dropping a returning supporting star in the opening scene wasn’t a big surprise. This means Kirby’s potential Scream 7 death would no longer be a big twist. Meanwhile, Scream VI brought back the tradition of casting a big name as the first kill with Samara Weaving’s cameo. Since all these subversive opening sequences already exist, Scream 7 picking an A-list star or supporting character as its first kill feels old hat.

Scream 7’s Dearth of Opening Kills Proves The Sequel Will Struggle

It will be tough for Scream 7 to justify Sidney’s return

Scream 7’s lack of options when it comes to the movie’s opening kill proves just how much the movie will struggle to justify its existence. The sequel needs to make the franchise feel relevant, but this will be incredibly hard now that Scream 7 no longer features Sam or Tara. The earlier movies in the reboot trilogy worked hard to end Sidney’s story and move on, so Scream 7 moving backward by bringing back Sidney will be a major storytelling challenge for the long-running slasher series.