Film Review – Scream 7

March 2nd, 2026 | POSTED BY Allen Almachar

In my review of Scream VI (2023) I wrote:

“It would appear we have come full circle, to the point where the series has become the very thing it made fun of over twenty years ago. The more things change, the more they stay the same.”

That sentiment is even more pronounced in the latest entry of the slasher franchise, Scream 7 (2026). Not only is this a kind of “back to basics” installment into the Scream saga, it very much wants to remind us of that fact over, and over, and over again. Kevin Williamson, screenwriter of three of the previous films (including the original) has returned, taking the director’s chair for the first time. We also get the return of Sidney (Neve Campbell) in the lead role, following the departures of Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega. We travel from the mean streets of New York City back to small town suburbia, where the killer Ghostface once again terrorizes citizens with creepy phone calls. It’s one thing for a series to heavily rely on nostalgia, but in this case it is the only thing.

The first Scream (1996) was a success partly because of its novelty. We never saw a slasher film break the rules of the genre in such a clever way. It felt like anything could happen, anyone could be a victim, and everyone was a suspect. Six sequels later, and the novelty has completely worn off. The franchise no longer exists as satire, but as a paint-by-numbers, same old song and dance. We find Sidney living in Indiana, married to local cop Mark (Joel McHale), and mother to teenage daughter Tatum (Isabel May) – named after Rose McGowan’s character from the original. A lifetime of death and trauma has worn on poor Sidney, making her overprotective of Tatum and taking extreme precautions to ensure her family’s safety. Unfortunately, those measures are gone to waste, as the masked killer Ghostface once again calls Sidney to face her violent past. Bodies pile up, causing Sidney to choose between running away again or taking a stand and fighting back.

If we examine Scream 7 purely from a horror perspective, there are some decent scare and kill scenes. Williamson’s direction (along with Ramsey Nickell’s cinematography and Jim Page’s editing) constructs good set pieces. The production design, makeup, and special effects deliver exactly as needed when it comes to the gore and bloodshed. There are also instances of well-made suspense, such as when the killer’s face is constantly shown in the background hiding in the shadows, ready to pounce. We get a handful of standout moments, including the sequence where Sidney and Tatum try to escape from Ghostface by sneaking through the space within the walls of their home. Seeing them try to avoid Ghostface’s attacks through the wall made for some of the film’s biggest thrills. Another example features a rehearsal for a high school play that becomes a macabre spectacle of death after Ghostface’s barges his way through it. One moment involving a character being swung back and forth on a wire harness was hilariously absurd – one of the few times the narrative actually gets to have a little fun.

But what fun there maybe is few and far between. For most of the running time, the narrative lumbers its way forward. There are simply too many characters and not enough story to justify their inclusion. Along with the aforementioned Sidney, Mark, and Tatum, we also meet Tatum’s boyfriend Ben (Sam Rechner), Sidney’s neighbor Jessica (Anna Camp) and her son Lucas (Asa Germann), the latter of which has an unhealthy obsession with the Woodsboro murders. There are twins Mindy and Chad (Jasmin Savoy Brown, Mason Gooding), the only returning characters from the last two entries. And of course, we can’t forget the reporter Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox) who appears but has very little to contribute. In fact, for the only character who has appeared in every Scream film to date, her role here is very minor – almost to the point of a cameo. She is absent through large chunks of time, as though she is simply pushed to the sidelines because the writing (Williamson, Guy Busick) can’t find anything for her to do.

So often, horror movies – much like any other genre – try to reflect our current times. In the case of Scream 7, one central theme involves the use of Artificial Intelligence. It seems our Ghostface has a knack for A.I., using it to hide their identity, change their voice, and create misinformation to confuse and torment Sidney. It’s not enough that her whole life has been taken and commodified into Stab, the movie franchise within the movie franchise. Now she must deal with a killer that uses technology to constantly remind her of the friends and loved ones she’s lost along the way. The film isn’t smart enough to deliver any clear insight into A.I. and the dangers it poses. Rather, it’s used as an excuse to insert a barrage of Easter Egg references to the previous films. It’s nostalgia turned to eleven.

All movie franchises grow stale after a while, whether it is A Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday the 13^th, or The Fast and the Furious. Scream is no exception. I’m just waiting for the powers that be to finally take things to its natural destination and make an entry set in space, ala Jason X (2001). How many times can a Scream film go through the same routine? How many times must we see a character face off against a masked killer, only to discover they are related in some weird, arbitrary way? With each passing installment, the identity (or identities) of Ghostface have gotten increasingly ridiculous. Scream 7 is probably the worst one yet – where those responsible are so random that the narrative twists itself into nots to explain how everyone is connected. It’s a lot of build up to an anticlimactic reveal. 

Scream 7 is a low point for the franchise. Despite the efforts of Williamson and a committed performance from Neve Campbell, there just isn’t enough here to make this a worthy installment. We’ve seen all of this done much better before.  This felt like a lukewarm cover song rather than a legitimate sequel. As of this writing, the film currently sits at number one at the box office, setting a new franchise opening weekend record. I would not be surprised if another sequel is soon greenlit. My only hope is that the next time we meet Ghostface, it’s in a film that isn’t afraid to steer away from the blueprint and try something new.  

A Nightmare on Elm Street, Anna Camp, Asa Germann, Courteney Cox, Featured, Friday The 13th, Guy Busick, Isabel May, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Jason X, Jenna Ortega, Jim Page, Joel McHale, kevin williamson, Mason Gooding, Melissa Barrera, Neve Campbell, Ramsey Nickell, Rose McGowan, Sam Rechner, Scream, Scream 7, Scream VI, The Fast and the Furious