Scream 7 (2026)
Director: Kevin Williamson
Starring: Neve Campbell, Isabel May, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Mason Gooding
Primary genre: Slasher
Despite his disappointing reboot(ish) in 2021 and 2023, Ghostface is still keen to terrorize Sidney and this time around, her family because money talks and bullshit walks. Falling almost a victim to its own metaness, Scream 7 benefits nonetheless from the return of several veterans. Creator Kevin Williamson (who penned the most successful entries) is on double duty as director/writer and although he is no match for Wes Craven’s precise direction, he is nonetheless a step up from the Radio Silence duo who were unable to make the series thrilling.
This does not mean Scream 7 is particularly smart. The infamous slasher’s pop culture place is undeniably cemented but 30 years later its efforts to comment on the genre are lackluster at best, irrelevant at worst; slashers are in steep decline with audiences seeking more rounded thrills and bleaker outputs in the likes of The Conjuring (2013) or Hereditary (2018). Girls with big breasts running up the stairs instead of going out the front door have not been in fashion since the 90s. Thus, this septquel clings to the past as it keeps reminding us.
As such, the movie suffers from an identity crisis. The two screenwriting styles are so obvious that you can sense where Williamson’s input starts and ends. The better elements are definitely his (the clever nostalgia throwbacks, the fiery dynamic between Sidney and her daughter, flipping some of the franchise’s trademarks). However, the absence of new and compelling characters, and the superficial commentary on the genre and the use of technology are too hard to ignore (Guy Busick). Especially in the latter, individuals come and go due to script demands as opposed to a more natural evolution of character development which the original film nailed. As far as the killer reveals go, well, this one is not a killer but a clunky attempt that has nothing left to say. The element of technology is a nice touch, though it has hardly been taken into broader consideration.
“Hello Sidney. Did you miss me?”
So it is up for Neve Campbell to shine once more. A badass survivor, a terrific scream queen and a talented actress, her Sidney remains an icon of cinema; resourceful, kind, and highly relatable. Unlike before, Scream 7 offers her the chance to cut deep into dramatic territory demonstrating why she was needed in the New York based predecessor. Along with Isabel May, they form a strong mother-daughter bond which is the story’s emotional core around all the slicing and dicing. Any newcomers are leftover material while returning characters from previous entries have even fewer things to do now including Courtney Cox.
Williamson understands what makes Ghostface a compelling antagonist, framing him as a more visceral presence here. When characters run for their lives, there is a sense of urgency that has been long missing in the later sequels. The kills are less flashy but effectively more brutal amid his ability to stage a few cat-and-mouse games with an amped up stalking factor. A home invasion is creepy and appropriately tense (including a nod to Gareth Evans’ The Raid (2011)), the opening sequence is more sinister full of easter eggs, and the over-extended climax spreading throughout multiple locations is surprisingly well-handled with Marco Beltrami providing the series’ trademark panic-inducing score.
Overall, Scream 7 is a return to the basics unlike the travesties that the Halloween legacy sequels (2018-2022) were. While there is a hearty dose of nostalgia permeating the proceedings, it still manages nonetheless to introduce admirably new dynamics between characters and reinvent some of the franchise’s key aspects. It is a step in the right direction and perhaps if there is a next time, Scream needs to ditch the movie commentary altogether and give Sidney’s scream queen the happy ending she deserves.
Solid return to form
+Campbell’s Sidney is still a top notch character
+Campbell remains compelling
+More visceral than part six
+Solid running and killing
+Beltrami’s score
-Feels like two films merged into one
-Superficial metaness
-A bit too nostalgia leaning