Here’s a great example of how expectations for franchises have evolved. When 1996’s Scream first arrived, mainstream horror was in a bit of a slump, as the 80s slasher craze led to increasingly high-numbered series entries and overly familiar territory that wasn’t as well-received. Scream couldn’t help but find clever ways to comment on this and other tropes, breaking the mold in the process and inspiring a new generation of horror. Now we have Scream 7, a movie coming at a time when audiences are far more accustomed to appreciating the expected lore of ongoing series, with the potential to do record-breaking box-office numbers. So, what’s the problem? Well, regardless of the studio drama that led to who is involved in this sequel, the execution feels lackluster. Some areas find ways to shine, whereas the overall construction relies on tired ideas to make up for an odd decision to lean away from the metacommentary that kept these films from functioning as just a generic slasher. Sure, taking a stab in a different direction can work when you’re this far into a series, but it doesn’t make up for a script that hardly feels all that fleshed out.
Following a customary cold open that’s rooted in tension and delivers some of our first kills (and this was a pretty fun sequence), we are then transported to Pine Grove, Indiana, where series hero Sidney Evans (née Prescott) (Neve Campbell) resides with her husband Mark (a stilted Joel McHale), and their teenage daughter, Tatum (Isabel May). Tatum is in a very curious phase regarding both how far to take her relationship with her boyfriend, Suspect #1 Ben (Sam Rechner), as well as what went on in her mom’s past that isn’t covered in the silly Stab franchise that is loosely based on some of those events. Of course, those concerns will have to wait because a new Ghostface is in town, with plenty of knowledge about Sidney and her family, and they intend to cause a lot of pain for everyone in their proximity.
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Much of the buildup to this film has relied on explaining that the central hook is how much more personal this story is going to be for Sidney (I think that’s basically gaslighting the audience, but let’s go with it for a second). Without getting into just how personal the killer’s motivations may be, it is clear that much of what’s driving this film and the screenplay by director Kevin Williamson and co-writer Guy Busick is the relationship between Sidney and her daughter. Outside of the horror elements, Scream 7 shines brightest here, as it allows us to see Campbell truly act and not feel left on the sidelines, unlike the last few entries featuring her character. The younger Isabel May rises to the occasion as well, doing enough to make it clear that these Scream productions are given higher regard not only because of their clever scripting, but thanks to strong casting and effort to deepen the characters beyond just slasher fodder.
However, with the best Scream films, the writing suggests that an audience can appreciate seeing a hip cast allow their talents to build a decent relationship between the characters and the story, while also providing a fun whodunit to play along with, and its real X-factor – the deconstruction of the very movies it is taking tropes from. For whatever reason, that meta element has been reduced dramatically. It takes the literal insertion of series survivor Gale Weathers (Courtney Cox) and the other only returning characters from the last two films, Mindy and Chad Meeks-Martin (a winning Jasmin Savoy Brown and Mason Gooding), to allow the film to step close to having fun with commenting on the nature of horror movies. This comes at a cost of knowing these characters have next to no other reason to really be in this movie. However, they also help to make up for the curious lack of energy found in much of the movie’s non-Ghostface stalking/killing set pieces.
In addition to being a Scream sequel that’s not particularly interested in examining its role in the wider horror landscape (the word “trauma” is evoked unironically), there’s also a distracting amount of poor writing and a mixed bag of performances. Williamson was once renowned for the fun way he wrote for teens in both the Scream films and shows like Dawson’s Creek. Perhaps overly written, but with a modern energy that was fun to watch. This time around, as much as I like this ensemble cast, the writing rarely does any of them favors, as forced exposition constantly takes the place of stronger dialogue. Themes and arc directions are blatantly spelled out through obvious conversations. Given a clear, smaller-scale setup (rarely are more than about 10 people seen on screen at a time), it only emphasizes how deliberate the information being forced upon the audience actually is.
Fortunately, Scream 7 comes to life in its scare sequences. For one thing, this is one of the goriest entries in the series, and that’s thanks to some inspired ideas for how Ghostface manages to kill their victims using the environment around them. Don’t worry, this remains a series where Ghostface also spends a lot of time stumbling around, getting hit by stray objects to slow them down, and making the most threatening presence out of a black gown covered in glitter. Still, the suspense created during a few major moments, the threat of violence, and the various payoffs are enough to elicit a reaction from those who are in it for the horror of it all. And why shouldn’t they be?
Personally, I found too many issues with this movie regarding the handling of many of its characters, a rather annoying use of a specific modern concept to push things further, and a very lackluster finale. However, it’s also contending with feeling smaller in scale by relying on unique setting choices to keep the horror dynamics interesting. Scream 7 may feature one of the most complicated garages I’ve seen on film, and yet the cinematography by Ramsey Nickell speaks to a talented crew that could find stellar visual arrangements to maximize the tension and the artfulness of the shots presented within this milieu.
Overlong yet shot decently enough, swimming in an excess of fun cast members who have little of interest to really say, and coming to us with plenty of reverence for the prime players of the original films (as well as the films themselves given the amount of easter eggs I spotted), Scream 7’s issue is a lack of ambition to truly push things to either new extremes or engage in a way that makes this entry feel as though it’s doing more than just capitalizing off the success of the more recent entries (recasting for questionable reasons in the process). I’ve been disappointed by Scream sequels in the past, but, all the same, while not a franchise killer, I would hope a possible future entry can stop the bleeding caused by this one.
Scream 7 opens in theaters and IMAX on February 27, 2026.
