The Best Modern Scream Replacement Sequel Confirms 2028 Release Date

Published Sep 19, 2026, 9:20 AM EDT

Hannah Gearan (she/her) is has been writing for ScreenRant for over three years. Her deep cinema love traces back to age 11, when she equipped herself with a spiral-bound notebook, rated all the films she watched, and declared herself a critic. About a decade later, she received a BA from Wesleyan University, where she studied Film, Environmental Studies, and Writing. Hannah’s short film, Toxic Faucets, has screened at numerous film festivals, including the Independent Film Festival of Boston (IFFBoston). As a Movie News writer now, she draws upon her vast experience studying, making, and analyzing film as she approaches dynamic breaking stories. 

Sign in to your ScreenRant account

A promising budding horror franchise has gotten the official release date for its sequel.

Horror has always been a mainstay genre in cinema, but there are certain franchises that stand out as genre staples. Whether its Halloween's seasonal thrills or the supernatural intrigue of Paranormal Activity, some series quickly become evergreen in the canon. Scream, for instance, has asserted itself as a mainstay of the slasher genre, originally releasing in 1996 to success and sequels before getting rebooted in 2022. It is hard, but possible, for newer horror franchises to reach the clout of their predecessors.

Scream has one extremely promising successor in the mix, however, and its sequel release date has been confirmed (per Variety). Heart Eyes is getting a follow-up film, and it is now confirmed to be releasing under 2 years from now. The horror film is now set for release on February 4, 2028. This represents a change from the original release date, which set the Heart Eyes Killer's return for February 11.

The February release date is thematic for the Heart Eyes franchise because the titular antagonist strikes on Valentine's Day. This aligned with the first film's release strategy in 2025, as it came out on February 7 in the United States. Interestingly, the original release date for Heart Eyes 2 was closer to the lovey-dovey holiday itself, but now has been moved a week up to be closer to the Heart Eyes date that kicked things all off.

For Heart Eyes' first installment, the February strategy paid off. Audiences gravitated towards this rom-com alternative, as the horror slasher made $33 million worldwide. This was a respectable total given the film's $18 million budget and situation during a typically slow month at the movies.

By releasing the movie earlier in February, the Heart Eyes team may end up avoiding some of the competition from movies outside the genre that they may not typically face. This title is far from inherently romantic, but may still attract some couples who want to see a thematic movie but are not genre-bound. This way, Heart Eyes can pick up steam during the season of love but is not completely tied to it.

The most important aspect of this announcement overall is that it proves Heart Eyes 2 is in active development and this series has momentum. This splatter and slasher horror film already had an instantly iconic antagonist, introducing an unnerving villain with glowing heart-shaped eyes. That is, Heart Eyes has its Ghostface, making it an excellent candidate to be the modern-day original Scream replacement that horror audiences crave.

Heart Eyes