Ice Nine Kills Welcome Ghostface With Twisting The Knife
Massachusetts horror-metal auteurs Ice Nine Kills have officially stepped into one of cinema’s most iconic bloodlines. Their new single ‘Twisting The Knife’ features actor and singer Mckenna Grace and appears on the official soundtrack for Scream 7, landing in theatres 27 February 2026.
It’s a crossover that feels inevitable. Few modern bands have fused metal and horror with as much theatrical precision as Ice Nine Kills — and few franchises have shaped horror fandom like Scream.
A Tribute Written In Blood
Frontman Spencer Charnas calls the track a love letter to the late Wes Craven and the wider Scream universe.
“Twisting the Knife is our tribute to Wes Craven and the Scream franchise, which means so much to us. Scream is baked into the DNA of who I am and of ICE NINE KILLS—my love of horror, comedy, and the collision between the two.”
Charnas cites the razor-sharp pop culture commentary of writer Kevin Williamson as a formative influence, alongside the chilling, atmospheric scores of Marco Beltrami, whose musical fingerprints subtly echo throughout the track.
Grace, a self-confessed INK fan, brings a striking melodic counterpoint to the carnage.
“I am such a big INK fan and it was such an amazing opportunity to be able to play with a different style of music. I am so inspired by Amy Lee’s vocals and we all wanted to channel Scream and Sidney’s story as best as we could.”
The result is dramatic, hook-laden and steeped in menace — a track that feels equally at home on a festival stage or under Ghostface’s shadow.
Expanding The INKverse
The accompanying video pushes Ice Nine Kills’ cinematic ambitions further still. Horror icon Ghostface returns, voiced once again by Roger L. Jackson, while David Arquette appears as himself in a meta-horror narrative that continues the ever-expanding INKverse storyline.
The single was first teased during the band’s headline performance at London’s OVO Arena Wembley, where they staged an onstage “death” involving Rose McGowan, followed by a video call from Ghostface — a moment that blurred concert spectacle and slasher cinema.
It caps a career-defining period for the band, following 2.5 years supporting Metallica on their global stadium tour and a string of sold-out headline runs worldwide.
A Franchise Fit For INK
Two decades on from their debut, Ice Nine Kills have carved out a singular lane in heavy music. Breakthrough albums The Silver Scream and The Silver Scream 2: Welcome to Horrorwood transformed cult devotion into mainstream momentum, while standalone singles like ‘A Work of Art’ (from Terrifier 3) and ‘The Laugh Track’ have kept them at the centre of horror-metal’s Venn diagram.
‘Twisting The Knife’ feels like the logical next escalation — a band built on slasher worship now embedded directly within one of the genre’s crown jewels.
UK fans can catch Ice Nine Kills at Download Festival this June, where no doubt Ghostface may lurk somewhere in the wings.
More Ice Nine Kills on Punkinfocus: Live review: Welcome to the Horror Show – Ice Nine Kills transform Wembley Arena into a blood-soaked spectacle (December 2025) · Ice Nine Kills join Dead by Daylight with Play Dead and O2 show (June 2026) · Ice Nine Kills announce huge London O2 Arena show (June 2026) · Ice Nine Kills Dig Up Grave Diggler for Ready or Not 2 (March 2026) · Ice Nine Kills Announce Horror-Fuelled Convention Following Wembley Show (August 2025)
More Download Festival on Punkinfocus: Download Festival 2027: Line-up, Dates and Tickets · Download Festival 2026 closes its sold-out 23rd edition (June 2026) · South Arcade drop DEADMEAT before Download Festival main stage set (June 2026) · Download and Kerrang! Bring Heavy Sounds to The Great Escape 2026 (April 2026) · Download Festival expands District X with chaotic and star-studded 2026 line-up (March 2026)
