Dir: Kevin Williamson
Cast: Neve Campbell, Isabel May, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Mason Gooding, Anna Camp, Michelle Randolph, Jimmy Tatro, Mckenna Grace, Asa Germann, Celeste O’Connor, Matthew Lillard, Joel McHale, Cortney Cox
Watching Neve Campbell and Matthew Lillard return to the franchise is great fun, but even with its inventive and grisly kills, “Scream 7” misses the sharp wit, nail-biting tension, and clever twists that made the series a genre-defining classic
We are undeniably blessed with the current horror landscape, which is a real treasure trove of both big-budget and independent gems, often shaped by visionary filmmakers who have transformed the genre into one of the most exciting in the modern day. But this wasn’t always true. In the early to mid-nineties, horror was fading, weighed down by the endless, heartless sequels to once-iconic slashers like “A Nightmare on Elm Street” and “Friday the 13th”. This all changed, however, in 1996 with the arrival of the wildly successful and self-aware slasher “Scream”, helmed by the legendary Wes Craven. The franchise cracked open a new era of clever, self-referential horror, thanks to Kevin Williamson’s sharp deconstruction of classic tropes—both mocking and honouring the slasher tradition. The film’s instant success sparked a rush to produce two sequels, with the first outshining the second.
Following a ten-year hiatus, the series returned in 2011 with Craven directing the fourth chapter, a film that split the fanbase but brought Ghostface into the present day. Another decade later or so, in 2022, “Scream” reinvented itself yet again with a razor-sharp fifth entry that playfully skewered Hollywood’s obsession with legacy sequels. This clever reboot introduced a fresh core cast—Melissa Barrera, Jenna Ortega, Mason Gooding, and Jasmin Savoy Brown—who took up the mantle from original stars Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, and David Arquette.
Paired with a sixth film that relocated the action to the vibrant chaos of New York City, the last two entries were crafted by Radio Silence duo Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett. They unleashed a new ferocity on the franchise, pushing the brutality further than ever before. Even when the gore edged into cruelty, the Radio Silence team managed to revive the wit and suspense that made the original unforgettable.
Three years on from “Scream VI” (2023), the latest chapter arrives shrouded in production turmoil. In 2023, Melissa Barrera—the new face of the franchise—was abruptly dismissed after sharing pro-Palestinian posts about the war in Gaza. Her exit, combined with the directors’ departure due to scheduling conflicts, prompted Jenna Ortega to step away as well, leaving only half of the core cast. Stepping into the chaos, Kevin Williamson took the reins, reshaping the film and bringing Neve Campbell back to centre stage as Sidney Prescott.
Sidney’s comeback is a gift for long-time fans like me, and it is her fraught relationship with her increasingly distant teenage daughter, Tatum (Isabel May), that gives “Scream 7” some emotional punch and investment. After surviving countless Ghostface attacks, Sidney has finally found peace in Pine Grove, Indiana, with her police officer husband, Mark (Joel McHale). That fragile calm shatters when she receives a chilling video call from a battered, older Stu Macher (Matthew Lillard), who claims he survived the bloodbath of the first film three decades ago, when he and Sidney’s then-boyfriend, Billy Loomis, were unmasked as the original killers.
Sidney scrambles to shield her family as a new Ghostface emerges, hell-bent on destroying her life once more. Meanwhile, the ever-resourceful Gale Weathers (Courtney Cox) returns, teaming up with her assistants—and the last of the core four—Mindy (Jasmin Savoy Brown) and Chad (Mason Gooding), to unravel the mystery behind the killer’s identity and track down the elusive Stu.
From the moment the trailer dropped months ago, it was obvious this sequel was hurried to the screen, tripped up by the issues behind the scenes. Neve Campbell’s return shines brightest; she brings Sidney to life with a new layer of vulnerability as both mother and wife, whilst remaining a force to be reckoned with. Yet, Matthew Lillard’s comeback feels more like a nod to nostalgia than a genuine story choice. His fun and lively performance undeniably steals the show, but it chips away at the franchise’s reputation for clever, fresh, and relevant takes on horror. The film’s brief flirtation with AI and deepfakes lands flat, treading ground already thoroughly explored and leaving the movie’s perspective feeling stale.
What “Scream 7” does manage to do, and what the franchise’s more recent films do as well, is maintain its sheer brutality in its kills. While the films have always been fairly brutal, with countless characters hacked and slashed over the years, the unnecessary excess of these modern kills takes the franchise to a new level of sick. However, while I found they struck a good balance between gore and dark humour in “Scream V” and “Scream VI”, it felt unnecessarily sadistic here. I am all for seeing someone getting their head impaled on a spiky beer tap or having their guts spill out onto a stage, but these characters are not deserving of their fates. They have very little about them to start with, unlike the fleshed-out members of the friendship group in the original, but they do not deserve to be callously butchered without offering anything in advance. Those who love a good kill will get some fun out of the inventiveness of the murders in “Scream 7”, but they offer very little in terms of tension or scares, or even the twisted humour the franchise has built itself on.
With so little character development beyond Sidney and her family, the murder-mystery fizzles instead of thrilling. The pool of suspects is already shallow, the attacks feel more secluded than ever, and characters are dispatched so quickly that by the time the mask comes off, only a couple of suspects remain. The twist is not just the most obvious in the franchise, but also the least memorable, robbing the story of the wild guessing game that made previous films so entertaining.
The Verdict:
Welcoming back Campbell, Lillard, and Cox is fun, but it is hardly a triumph, as their return drags the once daring and progressive horror franchise into tired territory. Despite the blood and guts, the film is drained of excitement and mystery, leaving it the most lacklustre entry in the series so far.
Scream 7 is now showing in UK Cinemas
Dan Loves Film 
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