Mason Gooding Said Scream 7 Is Gory & I Think That's The Right Move

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Summary

Gooding describes Scream 7’s Ghostface as brutal with gruesome effects, hinting at gorier kills.
Previous actors have noted Ghostface’s increasing violence, raising expectations for the upcoming sequel.
Anticipation is high for Scream 7 to deliver creative and shocking kills to revitalize the slasher franchise.

For some horror fans, a slasher franchise is only as good as its most shocking kills. For others, there has to be a balance between character development and a truly unsettling villain. I’m more invested in well-drawn characters than blood and gore, but my love of slasher movie tropes keeps me watching this horror subgenre. I appreciate the Scream franchise because it plays with tropes and has also introduced clever, realistic characters like final girl Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell).

Take away Ghostface’s frightening cape and mask and these movies are dramas about a young woman’s grief over losing her mother. But, of course, Scream is so special because the franchise has as many emotional and character-driven moments as it does gory ones. I’ve been thrilled about Scream 7 ever since it was announced, and now that Mason Gooding, who plays Chad Meeks-Martin, has talked about how violent this Ghostface is, I’m even more interested in seeing the next movie.

Split image of Ghostface in Scream and Ethan Embry in Grace and Frankie

Scream 7 Cast Ethan Embry & I Want Him To Play This Kind Of Character

Who could Ethan Embry, beloved for starring in Empire Records and Grace and Frankie, play in the upcoming slasher sequel Scream 7?

Mason Gooding Called Scream 7’s Ghostface “Brutal”

In an interview with Variety, Mason Gooding talked about Ghostface and said:

“I think that Ghostface is absolutely the most brutal he’s been. I don’t want to spoil anything, but there’s some stuff that they do to the human body that I feel like Kevin is breaking new ground with.”

Gooding praised the Scream 7 practical effects team and continued:

“There was a prosthetic that sat in the makeup trailer that actually turned my stomach over. You’ll know what I’m talking about when you see it, but it’s incredible stuff. They really have an incredible effects team over there and they’re working overtime.”

I think it makes sense for Scream 7 to be the goriest entry in the horror franchise. While the other six movies included their fair share of bloody kills, Gooding’s comments suggest that there is at least one truly disgusting scene. It almost sounds like Scream 7 is veering into body horror territory, which would be a first for the slasher franchise. There are only so many types of kills that can be featured in a slasher movie, and I think horror fans will be glad to hear that the next film goes further than the others have.

This opens up a whole new world for the popular meta horror franchise. Whether or not Scream 7 includes references to beloved body horror movies like The Fly remains to be seen. I think that would be a smart move, especially since the franchise has made fun of the way characters behave in slashers, and there aren’t a lot of tropes left to poke fun at. However, even if Scream 7 doesn’t go down that road, I think that Scream 8 could be a humorous take on the body horror genre. With the success of Demi Moore’s hit movie The Substance, I think that could be the right call.

I’m also curious about Gooding’s comments since the most memorable kill in Scream is Tatum Riley (Rose McGowan) getting crushed by a garage door in the first movie. Scream 7 should have more creative kills like that one. Many fans would likely say that there haven’t been any truly shocking kills in a while. Several characters have been killed by Ghostface in more expected ways. It sounds like that will change in the next movie, and I’m sure horror fans are interested in seeing what that looks like.

Jenna Ortega Said Scream 6’s Ghostface Was The Most Violent Yet

Ghostface attacking Tara Carpenter (Jenna Ortega) in Scream (2022)

Although it’s interesting to hear Mason Gooding call Ghostface “brutal,” this isn’t the first time that one of the franchise’s cast members has said something similar about the iconic horror villain. Jenna Ortega also called Scream 6‘s Ghostface “the most aggressive and violent version.” In a 2022 interview with Entertainment Tonight, the actress said:

“Ghostface gets a lot more intimidating. I just read part of the script, and it just gets more and more gory. I think that this is probably the most aggressive and violent version of Ghostface we’ve ever seen, which I think will really be fun to shoot.”

Even though Ghostface used a shotgun and was incredibly violent in Scream 6, not a lot of characters died in the sixth entry in the slasher franchise. This issue should be solved in Scream 7 since the next installment should be scary. If Scream 7 has some particularly bloody kills, as Gooding described, that’s going to make the sequel even more unforgettable.

Scream 7

Release Date: February 27, 2026
Director: Kevin Williamson
Writers: Kevin Williamson, Guy Busick, James Vanderbilt
Producers: Cathy Konrad, Gary Barber, Marianne Maddalena, Peter Oillataguerre, William Sherak, Chad Villella, Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett, Ron Lynch