A crushing disappointment after the heights of the recent Scream films, Scream 7 is an average slasher movie that seems to have forgotten the two key elements that normally elevate these movies above the rest of the genre. At best, this is the second-worst film in the series.

Premise: Now settled into a peaceful life in a quiet, small-town community and married to the local police chief Mark Evans (Joel McHale), Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) is struggling to connect with her teenage daughter Tatum (Isabel May), mainly because of her inability to open up to Tatum about her previous experiences with the Ghostface killers. But then a new Ghostface surfaces, and begins to target Tatum and her high school friends.

Review:

For context, I need to explain that I am a huge fan of the Scream series. I've been a fan since I saw the original Scream in the cinema 30 years ago, and I’ve pretty much loved them all since then (with the exception of Scream 3, which to date had been the only lacklustre entry in the series). I particularly enjoyed the invention and creativity that was shown in the two most recent instalments, the 2022 Scream “re-quel” and 2023’s Scream VI, which were great continuations of the spirit of the earlier films while also injecting fresh ideas and characters into the series. All of which makes the mediocrity of Scream 7 all the more disappointing.

From the outset, the Scream films have always been more than just another slasher movie for two key reasons. Firstly, they have always been an engaging whodunit thriller, where the identity of the killer (or killers) behind the Ghostface mask has been a really satisfying mystery. Secondly, they have always included a strong and witty meta-commentary on the horror movie genre, or on movie sequels, trilogies, reboots, legacy sequels, and movie franchises generally. Sadly, Scream 7 is missing both of these essential elements of a good Scream movie.

“…by far the weakest reveal in the entire series…”

Without wanting to get into spoilers, I will say that the reveal of the Ghostface killer (or killers) in Scream 7 is by far the weakest reveal in the entire series. Not only is the reveal of the identity of the killer (or killers) incredibly underwhelming, but the alleged motive that’s finally revealed for the killing spree is so flimsy that it almost feels like a spoof of the previous reveals.

Similarly, the film doesn't really include any meta-commentary on anything. It is, for all intents and purposes, just a straight-up slasher movie that doesn't have anything to say about the genre. Most recently, Scream 5 provided a meta-commentary on the horror genre, legacy sequels and toxic fandom generally, and Scream VI played with the “rules” of an extended franchise – but in Scream 7, when returning character Mindy Meeks-Martin (Jasmin Savoy Brown) starts to talk about "the rules" in one scene, she's shut down before she's even begun – and that's the entirety of the film's meta-commentary offering.

“…scrapes the bottom of the barrel to find a contrived way to force Sidney back into another movie…”

On top of missing out these two key elements of the Scream franchise, Scream 7 also doesn't even really provide any particularly standout or memorable moments of tension. Scream 5 had moments like the attack at the sheriff's house and the wheelchair scene in the hospital, and Scream VI gave us moments like the bodega attack and the ladder scene, all of which stuck with me long after seeing those films. In comparison, Scream 7 doesn't have any set-pieces that match those scenes' creativity, invention or suspense.

All of which contributed to my feeling of disappointment after seeing Scream 7. I don't want to dwell too much on real life events outside of this movie, but I can't help but wonder what we could have had if Scream 7 had proceeded as originally intended, by continuing the story of the new cast from Scream 5 and Scream VI. I want to make it absolutely clear that I love Neve Campbell’s performance as Sidney Prescott in the series, and I thought Scream 5 did a great job of finding a way to incorporate her character into the movie's plot in a believable way. But I was also glad when Sidney Prescott didn't return for Scream VI, because I thought that it would feel unrealistic to shoehorn her into another movie, in circumstances where it really felt that her storyline had already been taken full circle. I feared that the writers would need to scrape the bottom of the barrel to find a contrived way to force Sidney back into another Scream movie – and sadly, Scream 7 has really proved to me that those fears were well-founded (as shown by the ridiculously unconvincing motive for the killing spree in this movie).

“…the relationship between Sidney & her daughter is a highlight of the movie…”

So having dealt with all of those negatives, I guess the question is, why have I still given this movie a three-star rating? Well, in terms of the positives, despite the issues I have with the plot, Neve Campbell’s performance is nevertheless fantastic, and the relationship between Sidney and her daughter, Tatum (Isabel May), is a character-driven highlight of the movie. As a long-term fan of the series, I thought that Sidney having named her daughter Tatum after her childhood friend (and Dewey’s sister) from the first film was a lovely touch. Isabel May is clearly a great up-and-coming actress who did very well with the material she was given in this film (and she thankfully gets a lot more to do than Joel McHale does as Sidney’s husband).

The return of Courteney Cox as Gale Weathers felt a bit more organic than Sidney’s return (given that Gail is a report who follows the story, and she has no family to worry about protecting), and her entrance is one of the highlights of the movie. It also felt that the return of Jasmin Savoy Brown and Mason Gooding as Mindy and Chad Meeks-Martin was a bit forced – but I could forgive that because those characters are so much fun. In fact, although they are little more than extended cameos in Scream 7, Jasmin Savoy Brown and Mason Gooding are so entertaining whenever they’re onscreen that they really highlight just how bland and unmemorable the rest of Tatum’s group of high school friends are. Even good actors like Mckenna Grace and Celeste O'Connor aren’t really given enough material to do much with.

“…feels like it’s going through the motions…”

All in all, there’s just about enough nostalgia, character moments and affection for the series to keep this entertaining – but just like Scream 3 before it, Scream 7 feels like it’s going through the motions because the studio execs wanted to make another Scream movie, rather than it being made by passionate filmmakers who really felt they had a good story that they wanted to tell.

Here's hoping we get a Scream 8 to restore the series back to its former glory...