One of my most anticipated movies on the 2025 schedule has finally arrived — the new horror filmTogether, starring real-life couple Alison Brie and Dave Franco. It’s not their first time in spooky cinema; horror fans will remember Brie’s turn as Rebecca Walters in the first franchise revival and one of the best entries, Scream 4. The Scream series has always sparked debates about who should survive Ghostface’s rampages, and the Mad Men alum just offered one of the spicier takes yet. And honestly… she might be onto something.
While the pair was promoting their new spooky flick on the Shut Up Evan podcast, the conversation turned to Wes Craven’s beloved horror series. Brie, whose character met a brutal end in the 2011 installment, didn’t hold back when asked about the franchise’s modern era and why so many of the core characters make it to the end. As the Community actress sees it:
Can I tell you my problem with the current era of the Scream franchise? Too many people live. The core four needs to die…. We should be down to two of the core four by Scream 7.
She’s referring, of course, to the “Core Four,” characters from the 2022 reboot Scream and its sequel Scream VI. It consists of Melissa Barrera’s Sam, Jenna Ortega’s Tara, Mason Gooding’s Chad, and Jasmin Savoy Brown’s Mindy, all of whom survived both movies.
Franco joked that maybe his wife’s character could return, after all, Scream has brought back supposedly dead characters before, remember the hallucinations of Billy Loomis? Not to mention, there are plenty of rumors about several dead characters returning for the next installment. The GLOW veteran quipped, “Yeah, where’s my role in Scream 7?”
But when her husband reminded her that Scream (2022) already took out David Arquette’s Dewey Riley, a legacy character, the Hollywood-born A-lister wasn’t having it. She added:
I know [they killed Dewey] , and that was very sad. That was a mistake. Yeah, keep the main three. [Laughs]
It’s a slightly contradictory stance — trim down the new blood, but preserve the original trio, though fans of the classic Scream era will undoubtedly understand exactly where she’s coming from.
Here’s the thing: the early Scream movies made you feel like anyone could die. Randy in Scream 2. Cotton in Scream 3. Even side characters with cult followings weren’t safe. But in the current era, the “Core Four” have walked away from two back-to-back Ghostface massacres without losing a member.
Brie’s larger point seems to be that keeping the main survivors too safe risks losing one of the franchise’s best weapons: unpredictability. And in a series built on meta commentary about horror rules, predictability can be lethal, just not in the fun way.
As for what we know about Scream 7, we know Neve Campbell will return as Sidney Prescott after sitting out the last film, with original Scream writer Kevin Williamson directing. Due to behind-the-scenes disputes, we also know that the Core Four’s Jenna Ortega and Melissa Barrera will not be in the movie. However, it has been confirmed (via ET) that Jasmin Savoy Brown and Mason Gooding will be back.
So, for at least one more installment, Ghostface could spare half of the Core Four by omission. Meanwhile, I’ll be curious to see what happens to the other two in Scream 7.
The film, slated for the 2026 movie schedule on February 27, will also bring back Matthew Lillard’s Stu Macher and Scott Foley’s Roman Bridger despite their on-screen deaths.
Brie and Franco’s horror movie Together is in theaters now, so be sure to check your local listings for show times.
