Drew Barrymore's Scream opening scene remains the best of the franchise, leaving only one possibility for Scream 7's to be better. The original Scream film came out in 1996, opening with Barrymore, who stepped into the spotlight at only 7 years old in Steven Spielberg's ET. Even though the famous actress didn't make it through the opening scene, she's still one of the most memorable parts of the film. Drew sported a now iconic blonde bob and cream sweater, which has now become a popular Halloween costume, as she became the first character in Scream history to answer the phone for Ghostface.
They went on to play his favorite game, "What's your favorite scary movie?" Then, Ghostface murdered her boyfriend and went after her. Unfortunately, no matter how fast she ran, he caught her and stabbed her to death. The franchise has had other creative ideas, like opening the film with a fake scene from the Stab movies, having one of its characters, Tara Carpenter (Jenna Ortega), actually survive the attack, and in Scream 6, having Ghostface reveal himself immediately after killing someone and then having another Ghostface kill him. However, nothing has compared to Barrymore.
Scream 7 Can Only Beat The Original Opening Kill Scene If Drew Barrymore Returns
In order to top the iconic Scream opening scene, Barrymore would have to return in Scream 7. Obviously, her character Casey Becker was murdered, making it impossible for her to come back and play her again. However, since the Scream events have been turned into the Stab movies, Barrymore could come back and play the character Casey in a Stab movie. However, Scream 2 already opened with a couple going to see the Stab movie that recreated Casey's murder. Since the Scream franchise is known for mocking slasher films and Hollywood, they could instead poke fun at Hollywood's obsession with remaking films and have Barrymore play Casey in a Stab remake.
The actress could also return and play a different character. It's unknown where the Scream 7 story is going, though since it's part of the "requel" series, it seems likely it will take some inspiration from Scream 3. The third film took place in Hollywood and saw Cotton Weary and his girlfriend killed off in the opening. When Ghostface called Cotton, he spoke in a woman's voice. If Scream 7 takes inspiration from the third film, they could have Ghostface disguising their voice as Barrymore or have her play someone's girlfriend. There are also plenty of ways they can reference the first film, like making her have the same haircut.
Drew Barrymore Returning For Scream 7 Would Be The Franchise's Most Meta Opening Kill Yet
Scream has proven itself to be the most meta slasher film, from Ghostface's many horror film references, like Billy Loomis quoting Psycho at the end, to director Wes Craven's cameos. Having Barrymore return would take the film's meta nature to the next level. When Scream returned in 2022 as a "requel," it proved itself even more meta, as it shared many similarities to the first film. Even the opening scene seemed like a modern-day, technologically advanced version of Barrymore's scene.
Scream 4 had a pretty meta opening, too, tricking the audience into thinking they were watching a Scream opening when it was actually two characters watching the opening of Stab 6, which was then revealed as two characters watching the opening of Stab 7 before the real murder occurred. It was also full of complaints about how nonsensical and predictable Slasher films are, despite the opening being very unpredictable. However, if Barrymore, the most iconic Scream character, came back for the Scream 7 opening, it would be the most meta opening the franchise has ever done.