‘Scream 7’ Trailer Sparks Fury Over Melissa Barrera Exit, Fans Push for Boycott

Fans are once again raising their voices after the first trailer for Scream 7 dropped, nearly two years after Melissa Barrera was fired from the franchise.

The horror series, originally created by Wes Craven and Kevin Williamson in 1996, has faced renewed backlash on social media as viewers criticized the studio’s handling of Barrera’s departure.

Barrera, who played Sam Carpenter in Scream (2022) and Scream VI, was reportedly removed from the seventh film due to her comments about the Israel-Hamas conflict and “atrocities being committed against Palestinians.”

Her firing was soon followed by Jenna Ortega’s exit from the series, which she later explained in a 2025 interview. Ortega said, “The Melissa stuff was happening, and it was all kind of falling apart. If Scream VII wasn’t going to be with that team of directors and those people I fell in love with, then it didn’t seem like the right move for me in my career at the time.”

I’m gonna burn it all down. Watch the Official Trailer for Scream 7 – Only in theatres February 27, 2026. pic.twitter.com/jAezh4yn15

— Scream (@ScreamMovies) October 30, 2025

The studio attempted a creative retooling after these departures, planning to bring back veteran actors like Neve Campbell and Patrick Dempsey, who played Mark Kincaid in Scream 3 (2000).

Director Matt Bettinelli-Olpin announced in December 2023 that he had officially left the project, citing that without Barrera, the film he signed on to direct no longer existed. He later revealed he had received harassment and death threats from some Barrera fans, prompting FBI involvement:

“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.”

Now, with the release of the Scream 7 trailer, fans’ frustration appears to be escalating. Social media comments reflect anger not only at Barrera’s firing but also at the creative decisions made without her.

One user wrote, “This could have been cool, if they didn’t majorly sc*** up by firing Melissa Barrera over speaking out against genocide. On a story level, losing Carpenter sisters is a huge L, and while this seems to have some good ideas, it feels trapped in the weak side of the series.”

Others directly called for a boycott of the film. “This movie is the zionist convention. They fired Melissa Barrera for supporting Palestine, smeared her online and she didn’t receive work for 10 months. The producer accused Jonathan Glazer (a jewish director) of antisemitism for supporting Gaza at the Oscars. Boycott Scream 7,” one fan wrote. Another added, “So we are boycotting Scream 7. Spyglass (the studio) fired Melissa Barrera from this franchise for calling out Israel’s genocide in Palestine! BDS supports!”

Even viewers critical of the movie itself linked their disappointment to Barrera’s firing. “Reposting Scream 7 spoilers because the movie is literally horrible even if they didn’t sc*** over Melissa Barrera,” one comment read.

It seems the controversy surrounding Barrera’s removal continues to overshadow the latest installment in the franchise. Fans have made it clear that for many, the casting changes and studio decisions are just as important as the story itself.

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