If there was one way to celebrate 30 years of Scream… this isn’t it. Scream 7 is the result of studio heads hitting the panic button and ruining their own franchise with inhumane firings that backed them into an inescapable creative corner. This sequel ditches everything set up in the previous two films and backtracks to Sidney Prescott and her daughter being terrorised by a new threat.
I hate to sound sour off the bat but while this movie isn’t necessarily bad, I think it’s just such a step backwards for a franchise that delivered its best and most inventive entry (since the original) with Scream VI. That film had a creative story with a natural progression from Scream (2022) and continued developing the new characters that we had come to love. It even featured some of the best slasher kills in the franchise. Now, without the two most important characters of that story present, this sequel is forced to bring back Sidney with a narrative that’s lazily written and unfulfilling, which leads to a whole host of issues. Despite those issues, some of which I can’t go into too much detail due to spoilers, there are some things it does well… or well enough at least.
When it comes to suspense during kill sequences, there’s nothing more fun than trying to see how victims are going to succumb to Ghostface’s blade. While there’s nothing quite as brutal as the kills in Scream VI, there’s plenty of fun murder sequences that are as fun and hilarious as they are intense. The opening is especially brilliant (and maybe the film’s best sequence). I also must say that while I despise the narrative backtracking, it’s always great to see Sidney go up against Ghostface as she’s such a strong character and has 30 years of development behind her. She has some great moments that lean into nostalgia and make for an overall fun experience. While the narrative lacks inherent originality, which is understandably harder to come by after seven movies, I was appropriately thrilled by and invested in elements of the “who is the killer” hunt. There’s issues with how predictable and/or rewarding that mystery ends up being, but the journey to get there has some great moments.
One issue with the narrative of this entry is that outside of relying on nostalgia, it doesn’t really offer much in the way of intrigue or longevity. For example, I can’t see this film being anywhere near as fun on rewatches even knowing who the Ghostface is… and given it’s not incredibly fun to begin with, that’s a problem. Every other Scream film is a fun, rewarding watch even when the climax is known. This one however has nothing in the story that’s elevated by knowing who our Ghostface is, so it’s already presenting itself as quite forgettable. Couple that with the fact that the climax is confusing and underwhelming, and you have yourself (potentially) the worst franchise entry.
Performance-wise, I have no qualms with this cast. Neve Campbell is one of the all-time scream queens and she’s as good as she’s always been as Sidney, only this time taking on a more motherly role and executing it really well. It’s a neat direction for her character and she fits the bill, executing some convincingly emotional beats. Isabel May is introduced as Tatum Evans, and while her character is a little cliche and one-note, she’s a solid addition to the slasher and convincing in selling the fear. This film also brings back Mason Gooding and Jasmin Savoy Brown as twins Chad and Mindy, and they’re both fantastic in their roles despite being blatantly forced into the story. They’re one of the film’s shining lights, but while they’re gleefully entertaining, it makes no sense for them to be here whatsoever.
In the end, Scream 7 is a disappointing step in the wrong direction, fuelled by a studio’s own incompetence and politically misguided decision-making getting in the way of creativity. It has some good kills and neat thrills, including a fantastic cold open, and as a slasher film it’s a decently fun ride. It’s just that as a Scream film it lacks the creativity and continuity to stand up to the rest of the franchise. Thinking on the franchise as a whole, I can see how every entry would warrant being watched in a marathon, while this film at the moment seems a little redundant.
5.9/10
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