This week on Friday Night Frightfest, we are pushing the boundaries of reality and the silver screen. We’re comparing the highly anticipated, full-circle return of the Ghostface saga, Scream 7 (2026), with the ultimate “meta” love letter to 80s slashers, The Final Girls (2015). It’s an episode dedicated to the women who survive, the rules they break, and the generational impact of slasher trauma.
Scream 7 (2026)
Directed by the franchise’s original creator, Kevin Williamson, Scream 7 is a massive cinematic event that brings the story back to its roots. After the chaos in New York, we return to a more intimate but no less deadly focus on Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell), who is now fighting to protect her own family—specifically her daughter, Tatum (Isabel May). The film leans heavily into the 30-year legacy of the franchise, examining the trauma of being the world’s most famous “Final Girl” while introducing a Ghostface that seems to know Sidney better than she knows herself. It’s a sophisticated, brutal, and emotional homecoming that asks: can you ever truly leave the horror behind?
The Final Girls (2015)
Directed by Todd Strauss-Schulson, this cult favorite is a brilliant, neon-soaked blend of horror-comedy and emotional drama. Max (Taissa Farmiga) is a teenager mourning the death of her mother, Amanda (Malin Åkerman), a former “Scream Queen.” When Max and her friends attend a tribute screening of her mother’s most famous film, Camp Bloodbath, they are mysteriously sucked into the movie itself. To survive, they must navigate 80s slasher tropes, avoid the machete-wielding Billy Murphy, and—most importantly—Max must find a way to save her mother’s character from her scripted death. It’s a rare horror film that will make you cry as much as it makes you jump.
Join us as we discuss the “Final Girl” trope and generational trauma. We’ll look at how Scream 7 uses three decades of history to raise the stakes for Sidney, versus how The Final Girls uses a high-concept “movie-within-a-movie” structure to explore grief and maternal bonds.
Spoilers start around 8:38.