{"id":1797161,"date":"2026-02-27T15:20:00","date_gmt":"2026-02-27T12:20:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1797161"},"modified":"2026-02-27T15:20:00","modified_gmt":"2026-02-27T12:20:00","slug":"its-turned-into-something-really-ugly-why-fans-are-boycotting-scream-7","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1797161","title":{"rendered":"\u2018It\u2019s turned into something really ugly\u2019: Why fans are boycotting Scream 7"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/1200\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/9\/1439337.jpg&#8221;]<\/p>\n<article class=\"main-article standard \">\n<div class=\"article-main-content article-wrapper has-media-but-its-an-image\" data-status=\"loaded\" data-primary-article=\"true\" data-url=\"\/film-tv\/article\/69771\/1\/inside-the-fan-led-boycott-of-scream-7-melissa-barrera-palestine\" data-article-id=\"69771\">\n<header class=\"article-header has-landscape-image no-media\">\n<div class=\"wrapper dg-max-width\">\n<div class=\"inner\">\n<figure class=\"main-img has-figcaption\" data-img-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\" data-img-aspect-ratio=\"1.5\" data-template=\"Standard Article\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Melissa Barrera scream 7 boycott\" class=\"img\" height=\"2000\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/1400\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/9\/1439337.jpg\" width=\"3000\"><\/span><\/span><figcaption class=\"img-caption\"><span class=\"inner\"><span class=\"credit\">Photo by John <span class=\"nowrap\">Parra\/Getty Images<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<aside class=\"meta\">\n<div class=\"inner\"><time datetime=\"2026-02-27T15:20:00+00:00\" class=\"timestamp\" title=\"27 February 2026\"><span class=\"month\">February<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"day\" data-day=\"27\">27,<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"year\">2026<\/span><\/time><\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<div class=\"titles\">\n<div class=\"tags\">\n<div class=\"sections\"><a class=\"category vertical - film-tv\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/film-tv\">Film &amp; TV<\/a><br \/>\n\/<br \/>\n<a class=\"series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/opinion\">Opinion<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"standard-tag-container\"><a class=\"standard-category\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/film-tv\">Film &amp; TV<\/a> \/<br \/>\n<a class=\"standard-series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/opinion\">Opinion<\/a><\/div>\n<h1 class=\"title\"><span>\u2018It\u2019s turned into something really ugly\u2019: Why fans are boycotting <span class=\"nowrap\">Scream 7<\/span><\/span><\/h1>\n<div class=\"standfirst\">\n<h2>\u2018We felt like our story had been taken from us\u2019: We speak with the fans sticking up for Melissa Barrera and fighting the censorship <span class=\"nowrap\">of Palestine<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<p><time datetime=\"2026-02-27T15:20:00+00:00\" class=\"timestamp\" title=\"27 February 2026\"><span class=\"month\">February<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"day\" data-day=\"27\">27,<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"year\">2026<\/span><\/time><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><time datetime=\"2026-02-27T15:20:00+00:00\" class=\"timestamp\" title=\"27 February 2026\"><span class=\"month\">February<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"day\" data-day=\"27\">27,<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"year\">2026<\/span><\/time><\/p>\n<div class=\"providers\">\n<div class=\"contributors\"><span class=\"contributor\" data-contributor-role=\"Text\"><span class=\"contributor-role\">Text<\/span><a class=\"contributor-name\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/user\/JamesGreig\">James Greig<\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"article-body-container\">\n<div class=\"article-body wrapper\">\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>Every <\/span><em><span>Scream <\/span><\/em><span>film ends with the killers (almost always plural) being unmasked, but the true villains of the franchise\u2019s seventh installment were revealed over a year ago: the executives at Spyglass Media Group, who <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/entertainment-arts-67494374\">fired Melissa Barrera<\/a> over pro-Palestine social media posts, pausing their production of a fictional killing spree to defend a real one being carried out at a far greater scale (say what you want about Ghostface but, unless <\/span><em><span>Scream 7 <\/span><\/em><span>has some big surprises in store, he\u2019s yet to bomb a hospital.)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The film opens today (February 27), and many of the horror franchise\u2019s biggest fans will not be lining up. \u201cIt&#8217;s my favourite film franchise. I\u2019ve seen every film on opening night since <\/span><em><span>Scream 2<\/span><\/em><span>,\u201d says Nino, one of the organisers of a boycott campaign in response to Barrera\u2019s firing. When the news was first announced, he got together with other fans, who, like him, were upset that \u201cthis thing that we love was going to be turned into something really ugly: a defence of genocide.\u201d They started a grassroots campaign, creating infographics and organising teach-ins about what had happened and the importance of cultural boycotts. The campaign grew organically and won the support of over 30 advocacy and arts organisations, including the Palestinian-led BDS and PACBI; Entertainment Labour for Palestine, Film Workers for Palestine, and Jewish Voice for Peace. Following a protest outside the film\u2019s premiere, Barrera seemed to acknowledge the campaign, <a href=\"https:\/\/deadline.com\/2026\/02\/melissa-barrera-react-scream-7-premiere-protest-1236737007\/\">posting \u201cI see you\u201d on Instagram<\/a> alongside a love heart emoji.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"instagram-container embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"media-instagram\" data-script-depends=\"instagram-embeds\">\n<script async src=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>Barrera, the star of the previous two instalments, was fired from her role in November 2023 for multiple social media posts which criticised Israel, but three in particular seemed to seal her fate: one in which she referred to \u201cethnic cleansing\u201d, a second in which she described Gaza as a \u201cconcentration camp\u201d, and a third in which she shared an article titled \u2018<\/span>A Textbook Case of Genocide\u2019<span> (its author, Raz Segal, as well being a historian of genocide and the Holocaust, happens to be Israeli).<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>In a statement explaining its decision, Spyglass <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/02\/27\/movies\/scream-7-melissa-barrera-neve-campbell.html\">said:<\/a> \u201cWe <\/span><span>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.\u201d Someone should tell South Africa it can drop its <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/world-middle-east-67922346\">ongoing genocide case<\/a> against Israel at the International Court of Justice \u2013 the experts at Spyglass Pictures, in between producing a straight-to-Netflix <\/span><em><span>Spy Kids <\/span><\/em><span>sequel, have already made a definitive legal ruling.\u00a0<\/span><span>These allegedly \u201cfalse\u201d references to genocide and ethnic cleansing have, in fact, now been made by leading human rights groups and international bodies, including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, the International Association of Genocide scholars, various United Nations experts and several Democrat politicians. While the genocidal nature of Israel\u2019s actions in Gaza remains contested, particularly in the US, Barrera\u2019s posts of 2024 are increasingly in line with international consensus.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<blockquote>\n<p><span>\u201cOur first and primary concern has always been the injustice of a person getting fired for speaking out against a genocide&#8230; But there was a fan component there too, where we felt like our story had been taken from us\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>While she now has a series of projects lined up, including a current stint on Broadway show <\/span><em><span>Titanique<\/span><\/em><span>,\u00a0 Barrera <a href=\"https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/arts-entertainment\/films\/features\/melissa-barrera-palestine-your-monster-interview-b2653157.html\">told <\/a><\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/arts-entertainment\/films\/features\/melissa-barrera-palestine-your-monster-interview-b2653157.html\"><em><span>The Independent<\/span><\/em><\/a><span> last year that her career took a serious hit. But the effect on <\/span><em><span>Scream 7<\/span><\/em><span>\u2019s production was arguably even more disastrous. Director Christopher Landon quit the project immediately after, followed by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/tag\/jenna-ortega\">Jenna Ortega<\/a>, who initially stated that she was leaving due to scheduling conflicts. Coming just days after Barrera\u2019s firing, this explanation didn\u2019t seem plausible and, sure enough, Ortega <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thecut.com\/article\/jenna-ortega-wednesday-season-2-death-of-a-unicorn-interview.html\">later told <\/a><\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thecut.com\/article\/jenna-ortega-wednesday-season-2-death-of-a-unicorn-interview.html\"><em><span>The Cut<\/span><\/em><\/a><span> that it had \u201cnothing to do with pay or scheduling\u201d and that she left because she didn\u2019t want to do the film without Barrera. Now missing the two young protagonists of what was supposed to be the final instalment of a trilogy, SpyGlass was forced into a hasty, half-a-million-dollar rewrite. It was then announced that Neve Campbell, the star of the original trilogy and its ongoing \u2018final girl\u2019, returned to her role as Sydney Prescott, after sitting out the previous instalment over a pay dispute.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>While Nino was moved to take action out of solidarity with Palestine, there was also the sense that they had been let down as fans of <\/span><em><span>Scream<\/span><\/em><span>. \u201cOur first and primary concern has always been the injustice of a person getting fired for speaking out against a genocide&#8230; But there was a fan component there too, where we felt like our story had been taken from us,\u201d says Nino. While also stressing that Palestine is the priority, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@moviegoodormoviebad?_r=1&amp;_t=ZT-94GwJc8TOfd\">James<\/a> \u2013 a content creator who has backed the boycott from its inception \u2013 was also disappointed. \u201cI&#8217;ve always been a huge defender of [<em>Scream<\/em>] 5 and 6, how they reinvented the series and brought it to the modern day,\u201d he tells Dazed. \u201cSo I was devastated [when Barrera was fired]. I\u2019ve always really appreciated her as a performer, and I loved her and Jenna Ortega\u2019s characters in the movies.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"instagram-container embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"media-instagram\" data-script-depends=\"instagram-embeds\">\n<script async src=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>Not everyone in the<em> Scream <\/em>fandom is on board with the boycott, to say the least. \u201cThere\u2019s a bit of a generational divide between the younger fans and the older fans. The older fans tend to be less interested in relation to the political stuff and just want to support Neve, and the younger fans are more supportive,\u201d says Nino. While some fans are only indifferent, others are actively hostile. James has experienced vicious online harassment for supporting the boycott, with some people creating multiple accounts to send him abuse. There\u2019s also been a concerted effort to counterbalance the effects of the boycott, which Nino finds \u201cweird and disturbing.\u201d Some fans are so invested in the film\u2019s success that they\u2019re pledging to buy extra tickets they won\u2019t even use, for example, or committing to seeing it at the cinema ten times. This is sometimes motivated by loyalty to the franchise \u2013 because they want to support Neve Campbell and would like to see a sequel \u2013 but others want the film to succeed for the same reasons that fans like Nino and James want to see it fail \u2013 they want to establish the precedent that production companies don\u2019t have to worry about firing actors for supporting Palestine.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Unfortunately, the anti-boycott backlash also contains a strain of racism towards Berrera, who is Mexican. As Nino notes, this was already in play before she was fired (the abuse she received on social media following Scream 5 is incorporated into the plot of its sequel), but it\u2019s got more pronounced in the build-up to the film\u2019s release, and particularly at a time of ICE violence and resurgent anti-migrant sentiment in the US. It might not be representative of the Scream fandom as a whole, or even those who reject the boycott, but in online arguments, you will see some fans saying \u201chorrible and racist things\u201d, says Nino, like suggesting Berrera should be deported or reported to ICE.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The film\u2019s torturous production process seems to have had a serious impact on its quality: while I haven\u2019t seen it, it has the franchise\u2019s lowest rating on both Rotten Tomatoes (45 per cent), and Metacritic (38 per cent). A friend of mine who made the screen declared, simply, \u201cit was crap.\u201d Asked to elaborate on that, he added, \u201cEven if I hadn\u2019t had prior knowledge of the rewrites and restructures, it really does reek of something that had to be hastily rewritten. It\u2019s also extremely derivative, and the other Scream films did that in a winky self-referential way, but here it just feels lazy.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<blockquote>\n<p><span>\u201cIf someone like Melissa Barrera can be fired for taking a stance, that\u2019s a really slippery slope \u2013 it\u2019s a situation where, if people don\u2019t respond with their wallets, I\u2019m genuinely very scared. What will happen to other actors who speak out?<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>As James says, some fans are rejecting the boycott not because they don\u2019t care about Palestine (or at least not actively), but because they see it as futile: \u201cA lot of the backlash is centred around a sense of \u2018Well, this won\u2019t do anything. This won\u2019t change people&#8217;s lives in Gaza\u2019,\u201d he says. It\u2019s true that, like any individual action, boycotting a film is not enough to end a genocide, but that line of thinking misses what\u2019s actually at stake: if production companies can fire public figures for sticking up for Palestine and not experience any consequences, this sets a terrible precedent. \u201cMelissa Barrera might not be an A-lister, but she\u2019s very well-known in the horror community,\u201d says James. \u201cIf someone like that can be fired for taking a stance, that\u2019s a really scary, slippery slope \u2013 it\u2019s a situation where, if people don\u2019t respond with their wallets, I\u2019m genuinely very scared. What will happen to other actors who speak out?\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Despite the franchise\u2019s somewhat patchy quality, the <em>Scream <\/em>films are cult classics for a reason. But that is less important than trying, even in a small way, to oppose the powerful and entrenched campaign to censor to pro-Palestine speech, which really does have tangible consequences for people in Gaza. Selling that out for a film that looks, at best, incredibly mid just isn\u2019t worth it. <em>Scream 7<\/em> is predicted to do well enough at the box office, unfortunately, but the less money it makes, the better. Still, if you really must see it, the above reasons are <em>not <\/em>an excuse to torrent it instead.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"newsletter-inline-last\">\n<div class=\"newsletter-small\">\n<div class=\"inner\">\n<h1 class=\"newsletter-title\">Escape the algorithm! 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film<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"swiper-slide list-element\">\n<div class=\"scard-latest__section\">\n<div class=\"card-latest__wrapper\"><a class=\"card-latest\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/film-tv\/article\/69606\/1\/dazed-x-mubi-clubs-next-film-is-the-secret-agent\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"card-latest__img-wrapper\"><span class=\"image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"DazedxMUBI_CC_TSA_Landscape\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/480\/0-0-1624-1080\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/6\/1436962.png\"><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"card-latest__content\">\n<h3 class=\"card-latest__title\">Dazed x MUBI Club\u2019s next film is The Secret Agent<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><a class=\"card-latest\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/film-tv\/article\/69651\/1\/wuthering-heights-round-table-review-dazed-team-emerald-fennell-jacob-elordi\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"card-latest__img-wrapper\"><span class=\"image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"&quot;Wuthering Heights&quot;, 2026 (Film Still)\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/480\/25-0-658-438\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/7\/1437436.jpg\"><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"card-latest__content\">\n<h3 class=\"card-latest__title\">\u201cWuthering Heights\u201d united the Dazed team \u2013 because it was so bad<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><a class=\"card-latest\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/film-tv\/article\/69644\/1\/wuthering-heights-valentines-day-recommendations-toxic-couples\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"card-latest__img-wrapper\"><span class=\"image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Toxic on-screen The Piano TEache\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/480\/140-0-945-629\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/7\/1437355.jpeg\"><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"card-latest__content\">\n<h3 class=\"card-latest__title\">Obsessive, doomed and self-destructive: The most toxic on-screen romances<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"newsletter-inline\" data-newsletter hidden>\n<div class=\"newsletter-small\">\n<div class=\"inner\">\n<h1 class=\"newsletter-title\">Escape the algorithm! Get The Drop<\/h1>\n<div class=\"meta-row\">\n<p class=\"meta\">Get must-see stories direct to your inbox every weekday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/privacy-policy\" class=\"meta-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\nPrivacy policy<br \/>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"confirmation\" aria-live=\"polite\">\n<p class=\"confirmation-title\">Thank you. You have been subscribed<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/privacy-policy\" class=\"meta-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\nPrivacy policy<br \/>\n<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<div class=\"article-body wrapper\">\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>Every <\/span><em><span>Scream <\/span><\/em><span>film ends with the killers (almost always plural) being unmasked, but the true villains of the franchise\u2019s seventh installment were revealed over a year ago: the executives at Spyglass Media Group, who <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/entertainment-arts-67494374\">fired Melissa Barrera<\/a> over pro-Palestine social media posts, pausing their production of a fictional killing spree to defend a real one being carried out at a far greater scale (say what you want about Ghostface but, unless <\/span><em><span>Scream 7 <\/span><\/em><span>has some big surprises in store, he\u2019s yet to bomb a hospital.)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The film opens today (February 27), and many of the horror franchise\u2019s biggest fans will not be lining up. \u201cIt&#8217;s my favourite film franchise. I\u2019ve seen every film on opening night since <\/span><em><span>Scream 2<\/span><\/em><span>,\u201d says Nino, one of the organisers of a boycott campaign in response to Barrera\u2019s firing. When the news was first announced, he got together with other fans, who, like him, were upset that \u201cthis thing that we love was going to be turned into something really ugly: a defence of genocide.\u201d They started a grassroots campaign, creating infographics and organising teach-ins about what had happened and the importance of cultural boycotts. The campaign grew organically and won the support of over 30 advocacy and arts organisations, including the Palestinian-led BDS and PACBI; Entertainment Labour for Palestine, Film Workers for Palestine, and Jewish Voice for Peace. Following a protest outside the film\u2019s premiere, Barrera seemed to acknowledge the campaign, <a href=\"https:\/\/deadline.com\/2026\/02\/melissa-barrera-react-scream-7-premiere-protest-1236737007\/\">posting \u201cI see you\u201d on Instagram<\/a> alongside a love heart emoji.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"instagram-container embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"media-instagram\" data-script-depends=\"instagram-embeds\">\n<script async src=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>Barrera, the star of the previous two instalments, was fired from her role in November 2023 for multiple social media posts which criticised Israel, but three in particular seemed to seal her fate: one in which she referred to \u201cethnic cleansing\u201d, a second in which she described Gaza as a \u201cconcentration camp\u201d, and a third in which she shared an article titled \u2018<\/span>A Textbook Case of Genocide\u2019<span> (its author, Raz Segal, as well being a historian of genocide and the Holocaust, happens to be Israeli).<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>In a statement explaining its decision, Spyglass <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/02\/27\/movies\/scream-7-melissa-barrera-neve-campbell.html\">said:<\/a> \u201cWe <\/span><span>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.\u201d Someone should tell South Africa it can drop its <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/world-middle-east-67922346\">ongoing genocide case<\/a> against Israel at the International Court of Justice \u2013 the experts at Spyglass Pictures, in between producing a straight-to-Netflix <\/span><em><span>Spy Kids <\/span><\/em><span>sequel, have already made a definitive legal ruling.\u00a0<\/span><span>These allegedly \u201cfalse\u201d references to genocide and ethnic cleansing have, in fact, now been made by leading human rights groups and international bodies, including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, the International Association of Genocide scholars, various United Nations experts and several Democrat politicians. While the genocidal nature of Israel\u2019s actions in Gaza remains contested, particularly in the US, Barrera\u2019s posts of 2024 are increasingly in line with international consensus.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<blockquote>\n<p><span>\u201cOur first and primary concern has always been the injustice of a person getting fired for speaking out against a genocide&#8230; But there was a fan component there too, where we felt like our story had been taken from us\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>While she now has a series of projects lined up, including a current stint on Broadway show <\/span><em><span>Titanique<\/span><\/em><span>,\u00a0 Barrera <a href=\"https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/arts-entertainment\/films\/features\/melissa-barrera-palestine-your-monster-interview-b2653157.html\">told <\/a><\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/arts-entertainment\/films\/features\/melissa-barrera-palestine-your-monster-interview-b2653157.html\"><em><span>The Independent<\/span><\/em><\/a><span> last year that her career took a serious hit. But the effect on <\/span><em><span>Scream 7<\/span><\/em><span>\u2019s production was arguably even more disastrous. Director Christopher Landon quit the project immediately after, followed by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/tag\/jenna-ortega\">Jenna Ortega<\/a>, who initially stated that she was leaving due to scheduling conflicts. Coming just days after Barrera\u2019s firing, this explanation didn\u2019t seem plausible and, sure enough, Ortega <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thecut.com\/article\/jenna-ortega-wednesday-season-2-death-of-a-unicorn-interview.html\">later told <\/a><\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thecut.com\/article\/jenna-ortega-wednesday-season-2-death-of-a-unicorn-interview.html\"><em><span>The Cut<\/span><\/em><\/a><span> that it had \u201cnothing to do with pay or scheduling\u201d and that she left because she didn\u2019t want to do the film without Barrera. Now missing the two young protagonists of what was supposed to be the final instalment of a trilogy, SpyGlass was forced into a hasty, half-a-million-dollar rewrite. It was then announced that Neve Campbell, the star of the original trilogy and its ongoing \u2018final girl\u2019, returned to her role as Sydney Prescott, after sitting out the previous instalment over a pay dispute.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>While Nino was moved to take action out of solidarity with Palestine, there was also the sense that they had been let down as fans of <\/span><em><span>Scream<\/span><\/em><span>. \u201cOur first and primary concern has always been the injustice of a person getting fired for speaking out against a genocide&#8230; But there was a fan component there too, where we felt like our story had been taken from us,\u201d says Nino. While also stressing that Palestine is the priority, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@moviegoodormoviebad?_r=1&amp;_t=ZT-94GwJc8TOfd\">James<\/a> \u2013 a content creator who has backed the boycott from its inception \u2013 was also disappointed. \u201cI&#8217;ve always been a huge defender of [<em>Scream<\/em>] 5 and 6, how they reinvented the series and brought it to the modern day,\u201d he tells Dazed. \u201cSo I was devastated [when Barrera was fired]. I\u2019ve always really appreciated her as a performer, and I loved her and Jenna Ortega\u2019s characters in the movies.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"instagram-container embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"media-instagram\" data-script-depends=\"instagram-embeds\">\n<script async src=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>Not everyone in the<em> Scream <\/em>fandom is on board with the boycott, to say the least. \u201cThere\u2019s a bit of a generational divide between the younger fans and the older fans. The older fans tend to be less interested in relation to the political stuff and just want to support Neve, and the younger fans are more supportive,\u201d says Nino. While some fans are only indifferent, others are actively hostile. James has experienced vicious online harassment for supporting the boycott, with some people creating multiple accounts to send him abuse. There\u2019s also been a concerted effort to counterbalance the effects of the boycott, which Nino finds \u201cweird and disturbing.\u201d Some fans are so invested in the film\u2019s success that they\u2019re pledging to buy extra tickets they won\u2019t even use, for example, or committing to seeing it at the cinema ten times. This is sometimes motivated by loyalty to the franchise \u2013 because they want to support Neve Campbell and would like to see a sequel \u2013 but others want the film to succeed for the same reasons that fans like Nino and James want to see it fail \u2013 they want to establish the precedent that production companies don\u2019t have to worry about firing actors for supporting Palestine.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Unfortunately, the anti-boycott backlash also contains a strain of racism towards Berrera, who is Mexican. As Nino notes, this was already in play before she was fired (the abuse she received on social media following Scream 5 is incorporated into the plot of its sequel), but it\u2019s got more pronounced in the build-up to the film\u2019s release, and particularly at a time of ICE violence and resurgent anti-migrant sentiment in the US. It might not be representative of the Scream fandom as a whole, or even those who reject the boycott, but in online arguments, you will see some fans saying \u201chorrible and racist things\u201d, says Nino, like suggesting Berrera should be deported or reported to ICE.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The film\u2019s torturous production process seems to have had a serious impact on its quality: while I haven\u2019t seen it, it has the franchise\u2019s lowest rating on both Rotten Tomatoes (45 per cent), and Metacritic (38 per cent). A friend of mine who made the screen declared, simply, \u201cit was crap.\u201d Asked to elaborate on that, he added, \u201cEven if I hadn\u2019t had prior knowledge of the rewrites and restructures, it really does reek of something that had to be hastily rewritten. It\u2019s also extremely derivative, and the other Scream films did that in a winky self-referential way, but here it just feels lazy.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<blockquote>\n<p><span>\u201cIf someone like Melissa Barrera can be fired for taking a stance, that\u2019s a really slippery slope \u2013 it\u2019s a situation where, if people don\u2019t respond with their wallets, I\u2019m genuinely very scared. What will happen to other actors who speak out?<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>As James says, some fans are rejecting the boycott not because they don\u2019t care about Palestine (or at least not actively), but because they see it as futile: \u201cA lot of the backlash is centred around a sense of \u2018Well, this won\u2019t do anything. This won\u2019t change people&#8217;s lives in Gaza\u2019,\u201d he says. It\u2019s true that, like any individual action, boycotting a film is not enough to end a genocide, but that line of thinking misses what\u2019s actually at stake: if production companies can fire public figures for sticking up for Palestine and not experience any consequences, this sets a terrible precedent. \u201cMelissa Barrera might not be an A-lister, but she\u2019s very well-known in the horror community,\u201d says James. \u201cIf someone like that can be fired for taking a stance, that\u2019s a really scary, slippery slope \u2013 it\u2019s a situation where, if people don\u2019t respond with their wallets, I\u2019m genuinely very scared. What will happen to other actors who speak out?\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Despite the franchise\u2019s somewhat patchy quality, the <em>Scream <\/em>films are cult classics for a reason. But that is less important than trying, even in a small way, to oppose the powerful and entrenched campaign to censor to pro-Palestine speech, which really does have tangible consequences for people in Gaza. Selling that out for a film that looks, at best, incredibly mid just isn\u2019t worth it. <em>Scream 7<\/em> is predicted to do well enough at the box office, unfortunately, but the less money it makes, the better. Still, if you really must see it, the above reasons are <em>not <\/em>an excuse to torrent it instead.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"newsletter-inline-last\">\n<div class=\"newsletter-small\">\n<div class=\"inner\">\n<h1 class=\"newsletter-title\">Escape the algorithm! Get The Drop<\/h1>\n<div class=\"meta-row\">\n<p class=\"meta\">Get must-see stories direct to your inbox every weekday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/privacy-policy\" class=\"meta-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\nPrivacy policy<br \/>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"confirmation\" aria-live=\"polite\">\n<p class=\"confirmation-title\">Thank you. You have been subscribed<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/privacy-policy\" class=\"meta-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\nPrivacy policy<br \/>\n<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>[analyse_source url=&#8221;https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/film-tv\/article\/69771\/1\/inside-the-fan-led-boycott-of-scream-7-melissa-barrera-palestine&#8221;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/1200\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/9\/1439337.jpg&#8221;] Photo by John Parra\/Getty Images February\u00a0 27,\u00a0 2026 Film &amp; TV \/ Opinion Film &amp; TV \/ Opinion \u2018It\u2019s turned into something really ugly\u2019: Why fans are boycotting Scream 7 \u2018We felt like our story had been taken from us\u2019: We speak with the fans sticking up for Melissa Barrera and fighting [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[226,76],"class_list":["post-1797161","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-crawlmanager","tag-dazeddigital-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1797161","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1797161"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1797161\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1797161"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1797161"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1797161"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}