Why Scream 7 Must Break the Mold After I Know What You Did Last Summer 2025’s Weak Ending

The disappointing third act of I Know What You Did Last Summer (2025) has made it clear: Scream 7 needs to innovate — and fast. If it follows the same tired tropes, it risks falling into the same trap.

The two franchises — Scream and I Know What You Did Last Summer — share a unique history. After Scream became a massive success, Columbia Pictures rushed to produce I Know What You Did Last Summer the following year. Both films were written by Kevin Williamson, both focused on teenage horror, and both helped revitalize the slasher genre in the 1990s. But that’s where the similarities should have ended.

Unfortunately, I Know What You Did Last Summer (2025) leans too heavily into Scream-style storytelling, especially in its twist-heavy ending — and it fails because of it.

I Know What You Did Last Summer 2025 Pulls a Scream-Style Twist — And It Falls Flat

The latest film reveals Stevie Ward (Sarah Pidgeon) as the new Fisherman killer, seeking revenge for her friend’s death. But then, in typical twist fashion — surprise! — Ray Bronson (Freddie Prinze Jr.) is revealed to be working with her. That’s right, the survivor of the original films has turned murderer.

While some found Ray’s heel-turn out of character, others argue it’s justifiable considering his dark past. But just because something is plausible, doesn’t mean it’s compelling. The twist feels forced, predictable, and ultimately uninspired.

The original film’s simplicity was its strength. A mysterious killer targeting a group of teens over a shared secret — clean, suspenseful, and effective. The 2025 reboot trades that in for excessive twists, red herrings, and meta-references — all of which feel borrowed from Scream rather than earned.

Scream 7 Needs to Abandon the “Friend Killer” Trope

With Kevin Williamson now set to direct Scream 7 and the return of Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox, Matthew Lillard, Scott Foley, and others, the expectations are sky-high. But to reinvigorate the franchise, Scream 7 must resist the urge to repeat the “friend killer” trope that it helped create.

This twist has already been used in:

• Scream

• Scream VI

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• I Know What You Did Last Summer 2025

It’s time to do something different. The original Scream was successful because it satirized the slasher genre of the time. Now, horror has evolved — and Scream should evolve with it.

What Could Scream 7 Do Differently?

Let’s get bold. Instead of another whodunnit, Scream 7 could:

• Embrace the A24-style horror aesthetic, focusing on atmosphere, trauma, and psychological dread

• Comment on the rise of public domain horror (like the viral Mickey Mouse horror movies)

• Abandon the formula entirely and deliver something genre-defying and unpredictable

The franchise doesn’t need another “Ghostface is your friend” reveal. It needs a creative reset that acknowledges how much horror audiences have changed.

Let’s not repeat the mistakes of I Know What You Did Last Summer 2025. Let’s make Scream 7 a reinvention, not a repetition.