Scream is a beloved slasher horror franchise that has been around since the late 90s. There have been so many movies, each with a new, suspenseful mystery that keeps audiences guessing who is behind the Ghost Face mask.
With Scream 7 being a hot topic and the return of beloved actors like Mathew Lillard, you would expect fans to be excited. However, it seems to be quite the opposite.
Melissa Barrera is an actress who appeared as the character Samantha Carpenter in both Scream (2022) and Scream VI. Barrera was very bold about her opinions on Israel and accused Israel of “genocide and ethnic cleansing.”
She is very passionate about her stance against Israel, and as a result, Spyglass Media Group dropped her from Scream 7.
After dropping Barrera from the project, a spokesperson from Spyglass spoke out about the situation.
“We have zero tolerance for antisemitism or the incitement of hate in any form, including false references to genocide, ethnic cleansing, Holocaust distortion, or anything that flagrantly crosses the line into hate speech,” a representative from Spyglass Media Group said.
In response to the controversy, many others would also leave the project, including actress Jenna Ortega and writer/director Christopher Landon.
Now, many fans are opting out of seeing the film and boycotting the production, urging others to do the same as a defiant stance against Spyglass.
On Wednesday in Los Angeles, during the premiere of Scream 7, pro-Palestinian protestors gathered and called for a boycott of the film. They were waving Palestinian flags and playing the drums while chanting things like, “Boycott Scream 7,” “Free, free, free Palestine,” and “Paramount, Paramount, what do you say?”
Barrera was especially pleased with this response to the film and posted on her Instagram story. “I see you” with a heart.
With Scream 7 releasing in theaters, many feel it’s best to skip the film due to political beliefs and the injustice displayed to Melissa Barrera. Others are choosing to separate corporate politics from the movie and are seeing it anyway.
Whatever the majority conscience is will show in the box office, but for now, time will only tell.
Will you see Scream 7, or are you opting out?
