The horror gene has been thriving for years, and is showing no signs of slowing down. Some of the best horror movies returned with new sequels, including Wes Craven‘s Scream franchise. The upcoming seventh movie is one of the most highly anticipated upcoming horror movies, especially with Neve Campbell returning as Sidney Prescott. As a hardcore fan, I’m loving how she confirmed a special way that the movie is paying tribute to Rose McGowan.
What we know about Scream 7 is limited, but the inclusion of dead legacy characters like Dewey, Stu, and Roman seem to hint that it’ll explore Sidney’s history. The Scream 7 trailer showed us that Sidney’s daughter Tatum will be a big part of the story, and in a recent BTS clip from ET, Campbell spoke about why that new character was named after Rose McGowan’s from the original. In her words:
Well, isn’t that beautiful? Rose did such a beautiful job in this movie, and that character is beloved and missed. And it makes sense that Sidney would name her daughter Tatum. It makes a lot of sense, and I think it’s a lovely idea.
I mean, same. This is a great nod to Wes Craven’s 1996 original movie, where Tatum was an instant scene-stealer and had one of the most iconic death scenes in the franchise’s history. After the seventh movie’s trailer was released, Rose McGowan broke her silence on Sidney’s daughter being named Tatum, with the Charmed alum appreciating this nod to her legendary performance. And it’s nice hearing how much Campbell loves this choice as well.
Neve Campbell is one of the most iconic scream queens ever, and she obviously understands the Scream franchise more than almost anyone. So her pride in Tatum being honored is pretty contagious. As a reminder, you can re-watch the first trailer for Scream 7 below:
Of course, this isn’ the only time that Tatum has been referenced in the Scream franchise after her iconic death. In the fifth movie, her ashes can actually be seen in Dewey’s trailer, further showing how much her death has continued to haunt the survivors she left behind. And I have to assume that Ghostface will be taunting Sidney about her best friend’s death during their confrontations in the seventh film.
I can’t wait to see what’s going to go down with Scream 7. The franchise has been guarding spoilers since the beginning, and the marketing for Kevin Williamson‘s upcoming sequel has definitely been keeping its cards close to the chest. Luckily the wait is nearly over.
All will be revealed when Scream 7 hits theaters on February 27th as part of the 2026 movie release list. We’ll just have to wait and see how Rose McGowan’s Tatum is referenced throughout its mysterious runtime.