At this point, it’s almost impossible to talk about Scream 7 without talking about the mess that occurred in trying to get it actually made. In August 2023, Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, the directors of 2022’s Scream and 2023’s Scream VI, exited the project. Happy Death Day director Christopher Landon took their place, and soon after, the SAG-AFTRA strike also paused pre-production on the film. Most notably, however, in November 2023, Melissa Barrera, the star of the last two Scream films, was ridiculously fired for pro-Palestinian comments on social media, with co-star Jenna Ortega leaving the project the next day. A month later, Landon would also step down as director.
Since then, it seemed as though Spyglass, the production studio behind the franchise, went into damage control, following criticisms and talk of boycotting further installments, as well as the big creative plan for Barrera and Ortega’s characters now falling apart. Kevin Williamson, the writer of the first two Scream films and Scream 4, was brought back to the franchise as writer and director — his first time behind the camera since 1999’s Teaching Mrs. Tingle. After a pay dispute left series star Neve Campbell out of Scream VI, the actress announced in 2024 that she would be returning for the seventh installment, and since then, many other former cast members — including many who are canonically dead — were revealed to also be coming back.
Scream 7 needs a history lesson before one sees it, because it’s important to know how this mess began and how it led to this film, a desperate attempt to keep fans excited about a franchise that is falling apart in front of their eyes. This was once a series that made its original trilogy, got out on its own terms, and didn’t return for over a decade until it had something to say about the modern state of horror. After that, it didn’t come back for another 11 years with 2022’s Scream, but since that point, this series has been returning without much to say regarding horror films. But as one character says in Scream 7, when they ceremoniously once again state “the rules” of the film, this time, it’s all about nostalgia for the first movie, and disastrously so. After all these years and all the effort in keeping the story afloat, Scream 7 just might be the death blow for this once-meta franchise, as it’s now simply a ghost(face) of what it once was.
Sidney Prescott and Her Daughter Can’t Escape Ghostface in ‘Scream 7’
Scream 7 introduces a Sidney Prescott who is living a small-town life, running a coffee shop — oh, and now, she’s Sidney Evans, having married local cop Mark Evans (Joel McHale, who isn’t Patrick Dempsey’s cop, Mark Kincaid, whom Sidney ended up with in Scream 3), with whom she has three kids. While the two youngest are away with their grandparents, Sidney’s oldest daughter, Tatum (Isabel May), is frustrated about how her mom avoids talking about her past, not to mention her difficulty in trusting Tatum’s boyfriend, Ben (Sam Rechner). Sidney’s reluctance to revisit her life story doesn’t stop everyone in town from essentially still knowing about it, with plenty of streaming documentaries and books available about her time in Woodsboro.
As is always the case, however, Sidney can never get away from her past. When a couple dies at a rental property that’s been built to look like Stu Macher’s (Matthew Lillard) old house in Woodsboro, and a new Ghostface seems to be lurking around Sidney’s new home, this former final girl is forced to once again protect herself, as well as her family, from the killer who has caused her so much pain before. Of course, there are plenty of people in Tatum’s life who could be the killer, while familiar faces show up to help Sidney once again. Obviously, this means the return of Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox), as well as Mindy and Chad Meeks-Martin (Jasmin Savoy Brown and Mason Gooding, the only actors to reprise their roles from the last two sequel films).
‘Scream 7’ Tries and Fails To Remind Viewers Why They Originally Loved This Franchise
The Scream franchise has always been self-referential, from the in-universe Stab movies to the constant recitation of horror movie tropes. But Scream 7’s references to the past feel needier and lacking in the charm they used to have, as though the filmmakers just want to play the hits and hope they still work. There are unnecessary and extremely silly cameos that seem like Williamson and co-writer Guy Busick were reading through Reddit fan posts and trying to predict what their audience might want to see happen. Early on, it’s made clear that the killer must be obsessed with Sidney’s past, and we’ve seen this all before. It’s as though Scream 7 knows this universe has run out of steam, yet still tries to keep chugging along on pure nostalgia alone.
While Scream has always been used as a commentary on the state of horror films, Scream 7 entirely does away with that theme. Beyond a reminder that this story is all about nostalgia (a fact we can easily tell by where the story goes), this sequel has nothing to say about the horror genre itself. At times, it seems like Scream 7 might be making technology or AI part of its larger thesis, yet it only uses deepfakes and image alteration as a tool rather than saying anything interesting about its power in the wrong hands. The first Scream launched as a parody of horror films, but at this point, this franchise is simply no different than the films it once used to poke fun at.
It’s Great to See Sidney and Gale Together Again, but ‘Scream 7’ Proves the Franchise Has Run Out of New Ideas
Even though Scream 7 is fairly hollow from a screenplay standpoint, Williamson does make some clever choices as the film’s director. The framing of certain shots has fun with the idea that Ghostface might be around any corner, and Williamson toys with the idea of different perspectives, especially when Ghostface attacks. Williamson also knows how to draw the eye in one particular direction before he surprises the viewer from another, and that does lead to some decent Ghostface jumpscares.
It’s also just great to see Campbell and Cox back together again. Even though Cox’s Gale has very little to do here, watching their dynamic is always a joy. Scream 7 knows that these two have a conflicted, uneasy friendship that has lasted for decades and understands that they’ll still get under each other’s skin after all this time. As for the rest of the new cast, May’s Tatum is the only real standout, doing a serviceable job as the timid daughter of a woman everyone generally considers to be a badass. Following in the footsteps of one of the greatest “final girls” of all time is a tough role, but May is mostly up to the task.
By and large, however, after all the failed plans for its sequels and complications that it’s brought upon itself, Scream 7 is proof that this once-great horror franchise doesn’t have any fresh ideas to offer. The well is dry, and Ghostface’s games just aren’t as fun as they once were. By the time we get the killer reveal, and the motive is explained, it’s hard not to laugh at how far this universe has fallen from its original heights. Scream used to poke fun at the silliness of horror movies and laugh at the genre’s clichés, but now, it’s indistinguishable from the films it once gleefully lampooned, in what is easily the worst installment so far. The Scream universe can only play to fans’ nostalgia for the first film so many times, and at this point, any remaining goodwill has long been tapped out. After 30 years of kills, it’s time for Ghostface to finally put the knife down.
Scream 7 is now playing in theaters.
- Release Date
-
February 27, 2026
- Runtime
-
114 Minutes
- Director
-
Kevin Williamson
- Writers
-
Kevin Williamson, Guy Busick, James Vanderbilt
- Producers
-
William Sherak, Paul Neinstein
- Kevin Williamson makes some clever choices as a director.
- It’s always great to see Neve Campbell and Courteney Cox together again.
- Scream 7 relies too heavily on nostalgia for the first film and playing the hits.
- The story itself is hollow, with no real commentary on modern horror films.
- It’s clear that this franchise has run out of new ideas.