Melissa Barrera addresses Scream 7 exit: ‘I felt so lonely and scared’

Melissa Barrera has spoken about her exit from Scream 7 last year.

Barrera starred as new character Sam Carpenter in 2022’s “soft-reboot” of the series, simply titled Scream, as well as in 2023’s similarly well-received follow-up, Scream VI.

However, Barrera made a shock departure in late 2023 after reportedly being dropped by Scream production company Spyglass over comments she made on social media concerning the ongoing Israel/Hamas conflict.

The character of Sam – along with younger sister Tara, played by Jenna Ortega, who left because of scheduling issues shortly after Barrera – was the new “face” of the franchise, and a successor to original figures such as Neve Campbell’s Sidney Prescott, who has since been confirmed to be returning for Scream 7.

Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Barrera has opened up about the exit, and thanked Scream fans for their support.

“You attract the kind of people [with] the energy that you put out,” she said while discussing new horror flick Abigail, which is directed by Scream VI duo Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett.

“There’s something that just draws you to them. To see the support from the [Scream] fans, I felt very validated. It was beautiful in that moment, where I felt so lonely and scared and in a dark place, to feel them lifting me.

“Obviously, I didn’t know what the reaction was going to be. Seeing the love and the support from the fans, the people [who] understand that it’s bigger than a movie – what’s happening is not just about a movie, it’s something deeper – I’m very grateful.”

The status of Scream 7 was thrown into question after Barrera and Ortega’s exits – followed not long after by director Christopher Landon.

However, as Campbell revealed, the next instalment will now be directed by Dawson’s Creek creator Kevin Williamson, who wrote the first Scream film in 1996 as well as, more recently, The Vampire Diaries.

Campbell, who shot to fame in the hit TV series Party of Five in 1994, previously left the film series ahead of Scream VI, following a breakdown in pay negotiations.

In a statement at the time, she said that the salary offered failed to “equate to the value [she] brought to the franchise”.