Thirty years ago the landscape of horror was forever changed with the arrival of Scream. Written by Kevin Williamson and directed by horror maestro Wes Craven, the film reignited the then stagnant slasher movie, making it relevant again, whilst at the same time poking fun at genre movie conventions. Now three decades later, comes Scream 7, the seventh movie in the series.
After Wes Craven’s passing in 2015, the Scream torch passed to directing duo Radio Silence who helmed both the fifth and sixth chapters. Having already made two Scream films, they passed on a third, with Happy Death Day’s Christopher Landon initially replacing them. However, following Spyglass controversy, which saw the production sever ties with the requel’s final girl, Melissa Barrera, due to her stance on the events in Palestine, Landon also exited the project. At this juncture many thought the movie was dead, but then the series’ original scribe, Kevin Williamson, agreed to take on directing duties.
For a lot of people, in light of the politics behind its creation, watching Scream 7 has become an undesirable option. Just like when Scream 6 released without the inclusion of Neve Campbell (who has been denied the salary she requested), many Scream fans have opted to sit this one out. It is an admirable move, but for those willing to venture out for Scream 7, how does this seventh movie stack up?
The short answer is that Scream 7 is a very mixed bag. Though not quite as wobbly as Scream 6, which really wasted its New York environment, Scream 7 never feels fully cohesive. Sidney Prescott – now Evans – is once more back in the spotlight, with her family now under threat. Ghostface has tracked her down to her sleepy, almost identical to Woodsboro, town. Opting to get to Sidney through her daughter, Tatum, Ghostface is in full torment mode. Coming after two films that either barely included her, or did not include her at all, having Sidney back in the lead role feels odd. It is great to see Campbell back in the role, but the story that is presented feels like it would have worked better had it been film five.
Having Kevin Williamson in charge brings some authenticity to proceedings, but from a directorial point of view, he hasn’t done anything especially intriguing. Williamson’s greatest moves are to continually bait the audience about their fan theories. Much of the plot revolves around whether or not Stu could have survived that television to the head ‘death’ in Scream. This is explored and discussed right from the opening moments when the victims of the, now expected, opening kill are not only listening to a podcast theorising Stu’s survival, but are also staying in his old home.
Another key point of fun that Williamson has poking at the audience, revolves around the blue check shirt. Fans have noticed that historically there has been a trend that Ghostface will, at some point, don a blue check print, primarily in shirt form. This has led to audiences claiming to know who Ghostface is ever since the trailer thanks to the clothing of some of the characters. However, almost half the characters are seen in the print at one point or another here, Williamson taking glee in teasing the devout Scream fan, trying to keep them guessing. As fun as this is, in reality, the Ghostface identity is still fairly easy to predict, especially for those familiar with the series, but this predictability has been an issue in all of the sequels thus far.
Although the incident in New York is mentioned at several points, Scream 7 skirts any details. Rather than opt to try and explain the elephant in the room, all mention of Sam and Tara is missing. This feels exceptionally odd given how much Chad went on about being one of the Core Four in the previous movie. The inclusion of Chad and Mindy also feels far too forced; they are present as legacy characters only and have zero to offer to the narrative. The iconic Gale Weathers suffers a similar fate. Her arrival is brilliant, but quickly after, she is unceremoniously dropped from the story and becomes an afterthought.
Even Sidney, although back, doesn’t feel quite like the Sidney that fans have come to know. Some of her feistiness is subdued, her status as a mother almost crippling her rather than empower her further, a la Sarah Connor and Ellen Ripley. The speed at which the story unfolds, seemingly only over a day or two, means that there is no time to breathe with the character. This extends out further to franchise newcomer Tatum. Played by Isabel May, all Tatum really gets to do is look doe-eyed and scared, a massive shame in a series that has given some strong female characters.
For many, it is not character progression that brings them out for a Scream movie, but rather the kills. As with any good slasher, it is watching Ghostface dispatch their victims that draws in the crowd, and the attacks on display here are fairly brutal. Scream 7 is by no means on a par with the original in terms of the kills, but, when compared to some of its siblings, manages to have a couple of death sequences worthy of praise. Of all present in Scream 7, it is the opening scene that is most compelling, but there’s at least one other death later in the film that will have the crowd baying.
Despite some issues, Scream 7 is overall a solid entry, especially considering it is the seventh entry into a mammoth franchise. As with its predecessors, Scream 7 is not a bad film, the series having worked hard to go against the diminishing returns trend that mires so many other horror franchises, but the sparkle is definitely starting to wane. Bringing Sidney back, in light of the controversy, feels too much like cheap fan service rather than a vital plot component. If Scream 7 were the fifth film, it would likely play better, however, with the loose thread of Sam and her Billy Loomis visions hanging in the air, it fails to connect in a meaningful way. For those wanting bloody slasher deaths, Scream 7 has you covered, but for those wanting character development and justification for its existence, Scream 7 falls short.
The mean Ghostface kills return alongside the franchise’s original final girl, but despite everyone’s best efforts, Scream 7 is stuck in cruise control and doesn’t offer anything new or remarkable.
Scream is released in UK cinemas from Friday 27th February 2026.
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