In 2022, the fifth Scream movie did two impossible tasks: proved that there was still gas in the tank for the slasher franchise without the original creators involved, but also that the main cast could be somewhat replaced by new actors. Even though original stars David Arquette and Neve Campbell appeared, the film largely fell on the shoulders of Melissa Barrera and her fellow franchise newcomers Jenna Ortega, Jasmin Savoy Brown, and Mason Gooding. Christened the “core four,” they clearly became the new face of the franchise and were the bedrock for Scream VI immediately after.
Following the success of the sixth film, the Scream series was primed to keep the story of Sam and Tara Carpenter going, but it all fell apart when Melissa Barrera was fired from the production, and Ortega elected to depart the series for greener pastures. As a result, plans for Scream 7 were completely rewritten and reworked. Now that the new film has arrived, fans who were hesitant to see how the new film will handle the absence of these two major characters. Spoiler alert, we have the answer for what Scream 7 does to acknowledge Sam and Tara Carpenter, and the answer is: it doesn’t, not really.
Scream 7 Ignores the Carpenter Sisters (Except for One Moment)
Set largely against the backdrop of an entirely new town, “Pine Grove,” and the new life that Sidney Prescott (now Evans) has made for herself with her family, Scream 7 does not acknowledge Sam or Tara Carpenter in any real way. Only the opening scene of the film is even set in Woodsboro, the site of the original film and the 2022 sequel, and after that largely goes to the new location.
That said, there is one part of Scream 7 that makes a passing reference to Sam Carpenter, but doens’t actually address her current status in the series at all. In the film, Jasmin Savoy Brown and Mason Gooding return as Mindy and Chad Meeks-Martin, marking the only characters from the new films to return. As they’re engaged in a discussion about the suspects for the latest slew of Ghostface killings, and the idea that Matthew Lillard’s Stu Macher may actually be alive and carrying them out, Mindy makes a keen observation.
According to Mindy, it would be ridiculous for a character thought dead for 30 years to simply have been alive this time and now return to the series. In an attempt to not totally discredit the theory, though, and keep the audience glued to the red herrings, Mindy recalls that the series has also given us a “Billy Loomis love child,” meaning nothing is off the table. As fans may recall, the “Billy Loomis love child” she’s referring to is, of course, Sam Carpenter, revealed in Scream (2022) to be the secret daughter of Skeet Ulrich’s killer from the first film, and one who is haunted by the spectre of her father’s influence around her own destiny.
In the end, this is the only real reference to Sam Carpenter found in Scream 7. It’s worth noting that the film does not go out of its way to mention anything about Sam or Tara’s status, meaning we can assume that they’re still alive and could very well return in another movie down the road. Will they, considering the firestorm that resulted from their departures from the series? Time heals all wounds, but for now, that road seems closed, and the series only vaguely acknowledges it.