What’s your favorite scary movie? An underwhelming seventh installment of a long running horror movie franchise. I beg to differ. After “Scream VI” came out in 2024 earning praise from critics and fans, Paramount green-lits a seventh entry. Unfortunately, Jenna Ortega dropped out due to a busy scheduling filming Wednesday’s second season. Melissa Barrera was kicked out when she described Gaza as a concentration camp and protesting against genocide in Palestine at the 2024 Sundance Festival. With both girls outta the picture, Paramount comprised a higher salary for Neve Campbell to reprise her role as Sidney Prescott after refusing to return for the sixth entry as well as crediting her as an executive producer.
“Scream 7” is out in theaters. Unlike its predecessor, the seventh installment earned negative reviews. Despite bad reception, it’s making some money at the box office. Recently, Ms. Campbell confirms she’s interested in reprising her role in an eight film. To paraphrase Deadpool, “Paramount’s gonna make her to this ‘til she’s 90.” As a huge fan of the Scream franchise, I’d like to share my thoughts on the latest installment.
This review contains crucial SPOILERS. If you’re somewhat interested in Scream 7, read at your own risk.
Sharp & Rusty Qualities
Sharp: Neve Campbell reprises her role as Sidney Prescott and she did a superb job for her performance.
Courteney Cox, Jasmine Savoy Brown & Mason Gooding reprise their roles and they all did a decent job for their respective performances.
Newcomers to the franchise such as Isabel May, McKenna Grace, Anna Camp & Ethan Embry all did a decent job for their respective performances.
Death Scenes are brutal and creative.
Some callbacks from previous entries.
Marco Beltrami (Logan, A Quiet Place, 3:10 to Yuma) orchestrated the soundtrack.
Cinematography’s shot in stable condition.
Initially, I was very worried Sidney’s daughter, Tatum would be portrayed as an annoying brat who rebels against her mother’s rules. Thankfully, she’s a well-written character. Plus, she’s named after Sidney’s late friend from the first movie.
Matthew Lillard, Laurie Metcalf & David Arquette reprise their roles as AI versions of their dead characters.
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds’ “Red Right Hand” is played once again. Ghostface’s theme song was also used in “Peaky Blinders” as the opening theme. By the way, Cillian Murphy will reprise his role as Thomas Shelby in a Peaky Blinders movie, “The Immortal Man” in March 20th, on Netflix.
Rusty: Kevin Williamson didn’t do so well directing a solid follow-up. He and writers, James Vanderbilt & Guy Busick didn’t craft a cohesive script.
Remember Patrick Dempsey’s character, Mark Kincaid from “Scream 3?” Initially, Sidney mentioned he’s married to him in the fourth and fifth entires. Unfortunately, she’s married to another Mark. Felt like a slap in the face to fans.
Turns out, Marco and Jessica are the real culprits. They weren’t as interesting as previous ones from other installments. Not Anna & Ethan’s fault, blame the writing.
The film never mentioned Samantha & Tara’s absence. As a result of Melissa Barrera, Jenna Ortega and the sixth film’s director, Matt Bettinelli-Olpin dropped out of the seventh film, you can tell some story elements are messy.
Somehow, Mark survives a few stab wounds.
Unlike previous entries, the seventh film lacks meta commentary the series is known for.
Prior to being getting shot in the head multiple times, Jessica manages to survive gunshot wounds in the abdomen. She’s not even wearing body armor. This ain’t Alex Murphy’s over-the-top death scene from “RoboCop.” Unlike the latter, I couldn’t take Jessica seriously.
The Final Verdict: D, FOR DEMOTION!
This one hurts me, the seventh installment of my favorite horror movie franchise didn’t meet my expectations as a worthy sequel to a long-running franchise. Not every series is perfect. I have to give my favorite ones like the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Star Wars & X-Men tough love. Not a good time to celebrate the 30th anniversary. Hopefully, an eighth entry might do the justice. I’d like to have my pic with Matthew Lillard & Jamie Kennedy at Fan Expo Dallas 2026. It would be awesome if they show up to honor Scream’s 30th anniversary. If you wanna see a worthy installment of a horror movie franchise, check out “28 Years Later: The Bone Temple.”
Nickthemoviecritic.com 