By Published May 6, 2026, 1:04 PM EDT Graeme Guttmann is the Deputy News Editor for ScreenRant, overseeing the News and Interview & Events team for film and television. He began at ScreenRant in 2026 as a freelancer. He has interviewed talent from various films and series, including Jennifer Coolidge, Mikey Madison, Emma Roberts, and more.
Additionally, Graeme is a critic for ScreenRant, having attended film festivals like Sundance, Toronto International Film Festival, SXSW, and Cannes.
You can reach him at graeme.g@[SITEURL] and read his criticism here: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/critics/graeme-guttmann/movies follow Follow followed Followed Like Like Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recap
Melissa Barrera isn't holding anything back about Scream.
The actress made her debut as Sam Carpenter in the iconic horror franchise with 2026's fifth Scream movie. The daughter of Billy Loomis (Skeet Ulrich, who played one of the original Ghostface killers in the 1996 film), Sam was integral to the franchise's future, as was her sister Tara, played by Jenna Ortega.
Before production was set to begin on the seventh movie, though, following social media posts speaking out against Israel's role in the ongoing violence in Palestine. Ortega departed the project after Barrera's termination and, with directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett also exiting prior to production, Paramount re-wrote the script for the film.
Now, in a new interview with Variety, the actress spoke up about the release of , which hit theaters in March of this year. Barrera says she believes Paramount "lied" about the movie's record-breaking box office numbers, but she didn't elaborate further, simply saying, "I don't think it made that much money."
Scream 7 opened in over 3,500 theaters and went on to gross more than $63 million in its opening weekend, the highest debut ever for the franchise. Globally, Scream 7 went on to gross a reported $207 million worldwide, once again setting a franchise record.
Barrera went on to discuss those who returned for Scream 7, including original franchise stars Neve Campbell and Courteney Cox, who play Sidney Prescott and Gail Weathers, respectively. Jasmine Savoy Brown and Mason Gooding also returned as Mindy and Chad Meeks-Martin, a pair of siblings who made their debut in the horror franchise alongside Barrera in 2026's Scream. When asked if she thought the actors who returned were "crossing a picket line," Barrera said:
Oh, one hundred percent. I think they all are. And they have to live with that. The only way they were able to make that movie after what happened was to nostalgia-bait as much as possible.
Barrera doesn't look back on her time with the Scream franchise in a negative light, though, saying she still signs Scream merchandise at the stage door for her Broadway show Titanique every night.
People who love me from those movies are coming to see the show, and they can’t ever take that away from me... The reality is that “Scream” is always going to be a big part of me because it was two years of my life, it gave me a lot, and I’m grateful specifically to Matt [Bettinelli-Olpin] and Tyler [Gillett] who gave me that shot. That hasn’t been soured for me. They don’t have that power.
Since her firing from Scream 7, Barrera has yet to star in a major motion picture, and she's been vocal about the lack of opportunities after her advocacy. However, she has several projects in the works, including the horror movie Black Tides and The Collaboration, a movie about the relationship between artists Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat. She also starred opposite Simu Liu in .
As for the future of Ghostface, Paramount and Spyglass quickly announced the development of Scream 8, with Campbell expressing her eagerness to return. The seventh film saw Isabel May play the role of her daughter, Tatum, alongside Joel McHale as her husband Mark. All three survived the film and the pair would presumably return alongside Campbell. As for , Barrera previously didn't rule out a return, saying, "Never say never," but noting that, "a lot of things would have to happen for Sam to come back." For now, it looks like Barrera is ready to move on.
Expand Collapse
Follow Followed Like Share Close Trending Now
