One Scream 7 Scene Is Based On A Special Real-Life Event

Wes Craven's 1996 slasher "Scream" initially functioned as a satire as well as a horror movie. By 1996, the hugely popular wave of 1980s slashers was over, and Craven put the nail in the coffin, making a slasher movie about kids who were fans of slasher movies. It was revolutionary at the time and proved to be terrifically popular. Indeed, it spawned a sequel that, in the spirit of the original, mocked the notion of tired slasher movie sequels.

Of course, in 2026, "Scream" will be 30 years old, and audiences will see the release of Kevin Williamson's "Scream 7." The "Scream" movie series is now so long in the tooth that it outlasted the original slasher trend that it satirized. What will the self-aware commentary be in 2026? It's hard to say. From the likes of 2022's legacy sequel "Scream" and 2023's "Scream VI," the franchise had settled comfortably into the hammock of legacy. Indeed, these films are all about older "Scream" characters continuing to survive attacks from random slashers in a Ghostface mask. "Scream VI" literally features a scene where artifacts from the first "Scream" are kept under glass.

"Scream 7," as seen in its trailer, will extend that legacy preservation with a scene where people rent the original "Scream" house from Airbnb. Yes, it appears that in the "Scream" universe, this house — the setting of the third act of the original "Scream" — has been turned into a party rental. And, in true "Scream" fashion, this all comes with a fun meta-narrative wrinkle. It seems that Airbnb, as described on its website, actually rented the "Scream" house in 2021. Yes, the real-life house in Tomales, California, where Craven shot the movie, was available for one of three nights to any curious takers.

Fans of "Scream" (1996) will know that the film's climax takes place during a horror movie party, attended by all the local teenagers. Stu (Matthew Lillard) is the host and he's ... well, to avoid spoilers, I'll say that Stu is instrumental in the action of the film. His notoriety, it seems, spread throughout the town of Woodsboro, California (the fictional city where "Scream" takes place), in the years that followed, and by the events of "Scream 7," his home has been converted into an Airbnb. This is fitting for the legacy-bent of the latter-day "Scream" sequels.

In real life, Stu's house is a real-life home located at 3871 Tomales Petaluma Road in the town of Tomales, California. Tomales is in Marin County (the seat of Skywalker Ranch) about 30 minutes west of Santa Rosa and about an hour-and-a-half north of San Francisco. The house was rented out for only one of three nights as part of a 25th anniversary "Scream" celebration. The nights in question were October 27, 29, and 31, 2021. And what fan wouldn't want to have a party in the very house where so many fictional murders took place? To add to the experience, actor David Arquette was hired to reprise his role as Dewey Riley, the put-upon deputy/sheriff in multiple "Scream" films. Dewey would walk renters through the house and declare that he was devoted to protecting them from any Ghostface killers. According to the Airbnb site, the house also sported the stab-holes in the walls where the "Scream" attacks tool place. I appreciate that attention to detail.

The house even had a new stained-glass window of Ghostface, and there was ample opportunity to buy "Scream" merch.

The evening would climax with a four-film "Scream" marathon, as 2022's "Scream" hadn't yet been released when this publicity stunt was conceived. The movies were even shown on VHS to replicate the authentic 1996 home-viewing experience. Meanwhile, the house itself was only stocked with snacks that were available in 1996, including some Jiffy-Pop, a confection that's seen in the opening scene of the original "Scream." Perhaps most amusingly of all, guests were given access to a private phone line that allowed them to call Ghostface (who would also call guests and make playful threats).

There was no contest or sweepstakes involved. It was just a fun bit of promotion.

Out here in the real world, this sounds like a blast, and no doubt the Airbnb booked up in seconds. In the world of "Scream," however, this would be imminently insensitive. The characters in "Scream 7" are essentially staying at a crass true-crime Airbnb. The tape outlines of where the characters were murdered remain on the floor, and the renters are encouraged to lay down inside of them and take pictures. It's also worth remembering that, by the time "Scream 7" picks up in the "Scream" universe, the Woodsboro murders have been adapted into a series of crass slasher movies known as the "Stab" franchise. As such, there would be curious cinephiles, even inside of the "Scream" movies, who would want to visit this house as a tourist destination. You can even see "Stab" movie posters on the walls of the house.

"Scream 7" is due in theaters on February 27, 2026.