VideoGames - Scream 7: Ghostface is back in Fortnite, and it's going to be bloody

By Mulder, 27 february 2026

The return of Ghostface has never felt more omnipresent. As Kevin Williamson’s Scream 7 slashes its way through theaters worldwide, the iconic masked killer is also stepping back onto the island of Fortnite, blurring once again the line between cinematic terror and pop culture spectacle. To mark the film’s theatrical release, Epic Games has reintroduced the Ghostface skin to the in-game item shop, allowing players to embody one of horror’s most enduring figures. It’s a marketing synergy that feels almost inevitable: a franchise born in 1996 as a razor-sharp commentary on horror tropes now thrives in a digital ecosystem where icons migrate fluidly between mediums. Ghostface stalking players across a battle royale map is more than a cosmetic update; it’s proof that three decades later, the character remains instantly recognizable, commercially potent, and culturally elastic.

The timing is strategic and celebratory. Released in France on February 25, 2026, Scream 7 stormed the box office with 94,345 admissions on its first day, including 15,231 from midnight screenings,  the strongest launch for the franchise in 25 years, surpassing every entry since Scream 3 in 2000. For a horror film in the French market, that figure signals not just brand recognition but genuine anticipation. In the United States, early projections reported by industry trades placed the film’s opening weekend between $35 million and $40 million, with some forecasts climbing toward the $60 million mark, suggesting that Paramount Pictures’ confidence may be well placed. Clocking in at 1 hour and 54 minutes and rated R for strong bloody violence, gore, and language, the film positions itself as both an event release and a reaffirmation of its uncompromising roots.

What makes Scream 7 particularly significant, however, is not just its commercial momentum but its creative realignment. For the first time in the saga’s thirty-year history, Kevin Williamson directs an installment of the franchise he originally conceived alongside Wes Craven. After a development process marked by the departures of Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, followed by a brief attachment and exit from Christopher Landon, the production ultimately circled back to its narrative architect. The film also underwent a recalibration following the widely reported exits of Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega, paving the way for the highly anticipated return of Neve Campbell as Sidney Prescott. That homecoming feels less like nostalgia and more like structural restoration. Williamson has framed his approach as a tribute to Craven’s philosophy: horror resonates most deeply when anchored in character and emotional truth, not simply spectacle.

In this seventh chapter, Sidney Prescott (now Sidney Evans) is no longer defined solely as the archetypal “final girl.” She is a mother and a wife attempting to protect a fragile domestic stability in Pine Grove. Opposite her, Joel McHale portrays Mark Evans, Sidney’s husband and the town’s Chief of Police, a character described in production notes as bringing warmth and levity while embodying the ambiguity that has always fueled the franchise’s paranoia. The emotional axis of the film pivots on Sidney’s relationship with her daughter Tatum Evans, played by Isabel May, whose casting followed Williamson’s admiration for her performance in 1883. Named after Sidney’s best friend from the original 1996 film, Tatum becomes both narrative catalyst and generational echo. Costume designer Leigh Leverett even recreated Sidney’s Scream 2 leather jacket as a symbolic “vintage inheritance” for Tatum, while makeup department head Amber Crowe subtly contrasted eras through aesthetic details, including the revival of the iconic Rouge Noir nail color.

Franchise continuity is further reinforced through the return of Courteney Cox as Gale Weathers, whose evolution from sensationalist reporter to emotionally layered survivor mirrors the saga’s own maturation. Meanwhile, Jasmin Savoy Brown and Mason Gooding reprise their roles as Mindy and Chad Meeks-Martin, now working as interns under Gale, a narrative move that integrates them into the investigative backbone of the story while preserving their self-aware commentary on horror conventions. Kevin Williamson’s insistence that everyone is a suspect shapes a cast that blends legacy figures with newcomers such as Anna Camp, Asa Germann, Celeste O’Connor, Sam Rechner, Michelle Randolph, Jimmy Tatro, Ethan Embry, Mark Consuelos, and Tim Simons, each positioned within the franchise’s tradition of archetypal misdirection. Overseeing it all is the unmistakable voice of Ghostface, once again performed by Roger L. Jackson, whose chilling cadence remains one of horror cinema’s most recognizable auditory signatures.

Behind the camera, the creative team reflects a balance between reverence and reinvention. The screenplay is credited to Guy Busick and Kevin Williamson, from a story by James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick, based on characters created by Williamson. Produced by William Sherak, James Vanderbilt, and Paul Neinstein, with music once again composed by Marco Beltrami, the film unites Spyglass Media Group, Project X Entertainment, and Outerbanks Entertainment under the distribution of Paramount Pictures. Stunt coordinator Jennifer Badger, a veteran of the earlier installments, collaborated closely with Williamson on visceral set pieces that reportedly blend practical effects and digital enhancements under the supervision of special effects makeup designer Matt Silva, promising chase sequences that are both brutal and intricately staged.

Yet beyond box office figures, franchise logistics, and digital crossovers, Scream 7 seems most invested in the notion of endurance. Thirty years after Sidney Prescott first answered a phone call that would redefine the slasher genre, the saga circles back to its emotional core: survival, legacy, and the haunting persistence of trauma across generations. The simultaneous return of Ghostface to Fortnite underscores how deeply the character has embedded himself into contemporary culture, transcending cinema to inhabit interactive spaces. In 2026, nostalgia and reinvention are not opposing forces but complementary engines. As Ghostface stalks both movie screens and virtual battlegrounds, the message is clear: the mask still fits, the voice still chills, and the game is far from over.

Synopsis:
When a new Ghostface killer appears in the quiet town where Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) has built a new life, her worst fears come true when her daughter (Isabel May) becomes the next target. Determined to protect her family, Sidney must confront the horrors of her past to end the carnage once and for all.

Scream 7
Directed by Kevin Williamson
Screenplay by Guy Busick and Kevin Williamson
Story by James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick
Based on characters by Kevin Williamson
Produced by William Sherak, James Vanderbilt, Paul Neinstein
Starring Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, Isabel May, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Mason Gooding, Anna Camp, Joel McHale, Mckenna Grace, Michelle Randolph, Jimmy Tatro, Asa Germann, Celeste O'Connor, Sam Rechner, Ethan Embry, Tim Simons, Mark Consuelos
Music by Marco Beltrami
Production companies: Spyglass Media Group, Project X Entertainment, Outerbanks Entertainment
Distributed by Paramount Pictures
Release date: February 25, 2026 (France), February 27, 2026 (United States)