"Scream 7" REVIEW

Published on 3/2/2026 

Written by: Braylon Mitchell 

Directed by: Kevin Williamson 

Cast: Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox, Isabel May, Jasmin Savory Brown, Mason Gooding, etc. 

Plot: When a new Ghostface killer emerges in the town where Sidney Prescott has built a new life, her darkest fears are realized as her daughter becomes the next target.

REVIEW 

I feel like I need to address the behind the scenes mess that occurred before the release of this film, most notably the ridiculous firing of Melisa Barrera from the leading role- which triggered key creative forces of the film to leave, an entirely new film having to be shaped around the last ditch scapecoat of bringing Neve Campbell back after she refused to be in the last film, and a whole storm of backlash online. The circumstances going into this film were about as shitty as they can get, and I wasn't sure whether or not I wanted to see this film- and I'm a big fan of this franchise, 1996's "Scream" standing as one of my all time favorite horror films and I feel postively about most of the sequels that followed it. Ultimately I saw this film, and I can't say I'm disapointed because I never had good expectations. Since the film series had been brought back in 2022, characters and a certain tone of purpose in this modern era of the horror genre had been set up- and this film throws that all away, squishing the momentum and instead regressing back to a much simpler slasher story. Those films were leagcy sequels but very much served as a way to build up a new crowd of characters to pass the series on to, something some might argue this film attempts with Sidney's daughter Tatum- but my counterargument would be, unlike the Carpenter Sisters from the previous films Sidney's daughter isn't interesting. Some might like the relative simplicty of this film compared to past entries of the franchise, but for those of us that know why the film is the way it is I found it hard to appreciate that. I can't deny that I had quite a bit of fun with the film though. Even with the plot and characters are predictable, I always love how well "Scream" films for the most part manage to keep their plot twists/killer reveals a surprise. The actual killer reveal is poorly done, but up until then it's fun as usual. The discussion of AI/Deepfake technology was a key aspect of this plot, and while at first I was weary- by the end of the film I found it to be an okay way of bringing back a certain character fans wanted to see, if you're going to do blatant fanfare make it somewhat relevant I guess. That's a great phrase to fit my feelings on this film. "I guess". It's a fun time in theaters, a fun horror film- but the existence of the version of this film that we got is unfortunate, and to me it's an evident sign that this franchise should've ended by now. 

THREE BEST ELEMENTS

• Neve Campbell's performance. She always nails her performances in these films, she knows she's a scream queen (THE scream queen, besides Jamie Lee Curtis) and owns that. 

• The kills. There are some really good slasher kills in this film, something horror fans are always on the lookout for. The opening sequence, the dangling stage wires kill, and bar dispenser kill are all creative & well done. 

• Jasmin Savory Brown and Mason Gooding's performances. They're standouts of these films since their introduction, and carry several moments throughout this film. 

WORST ELEMENT 

• It's regressiveness. Mainly due to the unfair change in creative direction/cast, this film regresses on most everything that was set up in 2022's "Scream" and 2023's "Scream VI" resulting in a creative halt that makes this entire film feel weak. 

RATING

5/10

Wait until it comes to streaming or skip it, buddy!