Scream 2022, the fifth installment in the franchise, sees the return of Ghostface & familiar characters. But does Scream 5 have a post-credits scene.

It isn’t uncommon for a movie to have a post-credits scene these days, but does Scream (aka, Scream 5) have an after-credits scene, too? The Scream franchise released its first film in 1996, followed by several sequels that continued its meta commentary and self-referential aspects. 2022’s Scream marks the fifth outing in the film series that has spanned three decades to become one of the most influential horror franchises in history.

Twenty-five years following the original Woodsboro murders committed by Billy Loomis (Skeet Ulrich) and Stu Macher (Matthew Lillard), the Ghostface killer returns with eyes on a host of new victims — namely, Sam Carpenter (Melissa Barrera) and her younger sister Tara (Jenna Ortega). Sam is called back to her hometown following an attack on her sister, only to discover the killer knows a dark secret from her past, one that is also connected to the first wave of Woodsboro killings. To bring down the killer, Sam enlists the help of Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell), Dewey Riley (David Arquette), and Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox), who have managed to survive every confrontation with the various versions of Ghostface thus far.

While moviegoing fans have come to expect there will be at least one scene following the conclusion of the film’s finale — either at the mid-credits or the post-credits point, and sometimes after both — Scream 5 does not have an after-credits scene at all. The fact that 2022’s Scream doesn’t have a post-credits tag is in line with the four previous films in the franchise, none of which included any additional scenes following the ending. The choice to just roll the credits is the traditional route and it would have arguably been weird if the filmmakers suddenly decided Scream 5 would be the first to include something that has served no purpose in the franchise at large.

However, a lack of a post-credits scene hasn’t stopped studios from greenlighting more sequels set in the Scream universe. Scream 6 could still get made in the future. Most franchises have come to rely on post-credits scenes to set up the next film in the series. They’ve changed over the decades, shifting from the simple inclusion of bloopers at the mid-credits point (or to play alongside the rolling credits) to the insertion of after-credit scenes that tease a potential sequel. The latter tactic, used quite often in films set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, has its pros and cons.

But with 2022’s Scream, the decision not to include a post-credits scene makes sense and suggests the filmmakers wanted the story to end with the final shot rather than hint at another story emerging from the debris of the last. And with Scream 4 and Scream 5 releasing over a decade after their respective predecessors, throwing in a post-credits scene teasing more to come wouldn’t have fit.

Next: Scream 2022 Needs To End The Franchise (For Real This Time)