Scream 7’s Credits Scene Continues a New Franchise Trend (& Quietly Sets Up Scream 8)

Scream 7 doesn’t have a post-credits stinger, but it does have a mid-credits scene that could be important for Scream 8. Historically, the Scream franchise hasn’t used any kind of after credits tease. The franchise is from an era before that was so widely popularized by the MCU, and it’s rarely been one for very directly setting up sequels anyway. However, that’s shifted in the last couple of installments, including the seventh and most recent movie.

The mid-credits scene continues on from near the end of Scream 7, after the latest Ghostface killers have been revealed and killed. It finds Mindy Meeks-Martin giving a news report from the crime scene (filmed by her brother, Chad), with the joke being that she keeps on messing up. The moment pays off a running thread from throughout the movie, which saw her hoping to fill the role of Gale Weathers, and continues a trend from Scream VI, which also had a post-credits scene gag with Mindy (where she said not all horror movies need such scenes).

Mindy Should Take On An Even Bigger Role In Scream 8

Mindy and Chad are the only two of the new Core Four from the Scream reboot to return in the seventh movie, following the firing of Melissa Barrera (who played Sam Carpenter) over social media posts about Israel and Palestine, and subsequently the departure of Jenna Ortega (her sister, Tara), reportedly due to scheduling conflicts. Their absence is keenly felt, and in an ideal world we’d be talking about a movie that continues the stories of the Carpenter sisters, but here we are.

Nonetheless, the twins are a highlight of Scream 7, bringing much of the movie’s humor and meta-commentary on horror films, but they could’ve been used more. They’re two of the best new characters since the franchise returned earlier this decade, and it should be looking to capitalize on them as much as possible, especially for a longer-term future. It needs to find a way of eventually being about more than just Sidney Prescott (something it had with Sam), and giving Mindy and Chad bigger roles would help.

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The credits scene, in particular, could be a launchpad for Mindy taking over from Gale. While Courteney Cox will always be welcomed back to the franchise, the character has been through, and done, a lot, so there’s not much more for her in terms of a clear arc (and Scream 7 addresses the loss of Dewey in quite poignant fashion). Having her take a little more of a backseat, and Mindy (and Chad) taking the reigns from her more, could be a great way of integrating them further into Scream 8 and keeping things feeling fresh.

Whether that happens remains to be seen, but it does seem certain that Scream 8 is going to happen. It’s already reported to be in the early stages of development, but even if it wasn’t, Scream 7‘s box office would make it likely. It has, at the time of writing, already grossed $100 million worldwide (on a reported budget of $45m), and had the largest opening weekend of the entire franchise (unadjusted for inflation). Paramount needs all the hit franchises it can get, so, despite the negative reviews, don’t expect Scream to die anytime soon.

Scream 7 is now playing in theaters worldwide.

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