Neve Campbell is back as the iconic final girl, Sidney Prescott in Scream 7, and she will once again face off against Ghostface in the quest for survival. The upcoming sequel will be directed by the original creator of the series, Kevin Williamson. Plot details remain under wraps, but fans have been speculating over where the events of Scream 7 might take place, with the return to the sleepy town of Woodsboro being mooted as a possible location for Ghostface's next murder spree.

The original Scream took place in Woodsboro, California, where Sidney Prescott lived during the original murder spree involving the Ghostface killer. Scream 2 relocated to Windsor College in Ohio, while Scream 3 took place in Hollywood before Scream 4 returned to the iconic Woodsboro location, with Sidney visiting to promote her new book, Out of Darkness, when the murders start up again. Scream (2022) also took place in the best setting of Woodsboro, but Scream 6 once again moved away from the franchise's original setting, when a new Ghostface killer stalked the survivors of the previous movie in New York City. But will Ghostface return to the original hunting ground of Woodsboro for another stab at Sidney in Scream 7?

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Should Sidney return to Woodsboro in Scream 7?

After the events of Scream, Sidney Prescott leaves Woodsboro, California to study at Windsor College, before going into hiding in Scream 3, living in an undisclosed location, before heading to Hollywood to help Dewey and Gale defeat the latest Ghostface. Leading up to the events of Scream 4, it is not made clear where Sidney has been living, but it certainly isn't Woodsboro, as she returns to her hometown for a short stop on her book tour.

Due to the appearance of another Ghostface killer, Sidney is forced to stick around for a while longer, and during the events of Scream (2022), she makes it clear to her old friend, Dewey Riley, that she won't be returning to Woodsboro during this latest string of killings.

Sidney clearly has no intention of returning to the scene of her trauma, but when Dewey is brutally murdered, she breaks that promise and returns to track down the latest Ghostface killers. If Sidney was to return to Woodsboro in Scream 7, it would have to be under extreme circumstances, making it unlikely the upcoming sequel will be set in her hometown. The only logical scenario for Sidney's return to Woodsboro is if Gale Weathers storyline led her back to the small town, and she got herself killed and Sidney felt compelled to avenge her murder.

It is unlikely Gale would be in Woodsboro during the events of Scream 7, as she was very vocal about her own dislike of the sleepy town. Having said that, if the murder spree was to take place in Woodsboro, this would probably bring her back to cover the story. But if rumors are believed to be true, Scream 7 is set to follow Sidney and her husband, Mark Kincaid, and their two children in a new location, as they fight off a new Ghostface killer targeting them.

If Scream 7 does return to Woodsboro, they should return to the locations where the original movie was shot.

Scream 7 looks set to have high stakes for Sidney, but she is unlikely to return to Woodsboro for the fourth time in the franchise, and the movie will probably be set in a brand-new location. But if Scream 7 was to return to Woodsboro, they should only do so under one condition: The picturesque Californian locations that doubled for Woodsboro in Scream should be revisited during filming of the new movie, rather than using less than authentic shooting locations for the small town.

Scream's filming locations played a huge part in the success of the movie, with the quintessential Californian vibe being key to the story. Scream was shot all over the famous Californian 'wine country' in places like Sonoma, Healdsburg, Santa Rosa and the idyllic small town of Tomales, where the iconic final sequence was shot. However, it wasn't straightforward getting the go ahead to shoot in California, with producers Harvey and Bob Weinstein insisting on a cheaper shooting location. But Wes Craven insisted on filming in California, or he would walk away from the project. The ultimatum worked and Craven got to shoot in the locations he originally had in mind.

When it was revealed Scream 4 would once again be set in Woodsboro, production moved to locations in and around Michigan, and the tax breaks afforded to productions in this area proved to be a cost-effective measure. But Woodsboro didn't quite look the same, and they failed to recapture the vibe of the original. Scream (2022) followed suit, and chose to cut costs by filming away from California. The movie was filmed in Wilmington, and it was awarded $7 million in rebates by the North Carolina Film Office.

If Scream 7 was to be set in Woodsboro, they must shoot it in California, in the same locations as the original Scream movie, in order to fully recapture the vibe of the original setting. California is an expensive state to shoot a movie in, but this shouldn't deter the filmmakers if they really want to get close to the feel of the 90s classic.

As much as it was great to see Sidney return to Stu's house in Scream (2022), the house was recreated on a set, and it just didn't feel authentic. The original house used to film Scream's legendary final sequence is exactly the same as it was in 1996, and it would've been much more impactful if they actually returned to this house to shoot Scream (2022). A lot of the promotional material for the movie was filmed at the original house, with Dewey RIley returning to shoot a promo for an Airbnb event where lucky winners could stay in the Scream house overnight, as well as Dylan Minnette doing an MTV Cribs style tour of the house. So why not just film Scream (2022) at the original house?

Spyglass are known for trying to cut costs since they took over the Scream IP, after refusing to pay Neve Campbell her worth to return in Scream 6, as well as a rumored pay dispute with Jenna Ortega which led to her dropping out of Scream 7, alongside scheduling conflicts. It is likely the decision not to shoot in California for Scream (2022) was solely down to money as well, but if Woodsboro is to be captured on screen again in the Scream franchise, it needs to return to the locations the fans fell in love with during the first Scream back in the 90s.

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