Scream 7 (2026)

 

We have now come to this. Spyglass Media Group has finally released the long-awaited Scream 7. Good thing I'm writing this around Halloween. But before I give my full breakdown, let's talk about the behind-the-scenes drama that's been plaguing the film. 

It all started when actress Melissa Barrera, who played Sam Carpenter in Part 5 and Part 6, raised concerns on Twitter about the corruption of Palestine. One of the studio execs at Spyglass Media caught wind of it and fired her from the project. This caused a major uproar, and the directing duo Radio Silence also left the project. They left to direct another film, Abigail, but part of me thinks it was in protest of Melissa Barrera because they cast her as the lead in that same film. Then, soon after, Jenna Ortega left the project. At first, people speculated she left the film because of scheduling conflicts with her new hit show, Wednesday, but that wasn't the case. She also quit in protest of Melissa's firing, and to drive the point home, she said that without the creative team she came to love, there's really no point in working on the project. So Spyglass is back at square one. 

Now let me put my thoughts on this. I tend to not wrap my head around politics, but I will say that I am a staunch liberal and I believe that EVERYBODY should be equal. I heard a lot of horror stories connected to Palestine, and it struck a nerve in me, too. Melissa only expressed empathy, and I don't think she should've been fired for that. This also conflicts with Sam's story arc in the film series. To be honest, I don't really care for Sam's story arc. I've elaborated on it more in the Scream 5 and Scream 6 reviews, but this has nothing to do with Melissa's performance per se; I do feel that the scripts for those movies kind of stifled her range as an actress. Yet, I was still intrigued by what they were going to do with her in the next film. Either way, I'm good. As for Jenna Ortega, there is no Tara without Sam. One of the highlights of Parts 5 and 6 was the sisterly bond between Sam and Tara, and Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega's chemistry was spot on despite my issues with the writing. The filmmakers might have included a subplot where Sam voluntarily admits herself to a mental institution to cope with the events of the last two films and restrain her own murderous impulses. This prompts Tara to join Chad, Mindy, and Gale on their misadventures. The sixth film also introduced a romantic subplot between Chad and Tara. But in the end, Jenna Ortega stayed loyal to the film crew she knew and loved and backed out of the project.

Then we have the anticipated return of Neve Campbell, who was absent from the sixth film. Now, some may argue that Neve Campbell shouldn't have joined the project because it would betray Melissa, who looked up to her. But in my opinion, Sidney is the heart and soul of the series, so I feel like it was Neve's due diligence to give the inner strength the character needs. Courtney Cox, Mason Gooding, and Jasmin Savoy Brown remain on board as supporting characters alongside the up-and-coming young cast, but no director was attached to helm the project. 

First, director Chris Landon, known for horror comedies like Happy Death Day and Freaky, backed out as soon as he came in, likely because of scheduling conflicts or, more likely, creative differences. So Kevin Williamson himself took the director's chair while also serving as the project's main writer. And I have to say, I was actually on board with it. This was all happening during the writers' strike, which delayed the film by almost a year, but as they say, the show must go on. 

Was it all worth it? It was better than I expected. Don't get me wrong. I get why people call this the worst in the franchise, and most of my issues with the film pretty much ruined my enjoyment, but overall, it was okay, if not below average.

As always, let's do a thorough analysis of the opening scene:

It starts with Scott, a huge Stab fan, and his girlfriend, Madison, visiting Stu Macher's home, now a tourist attraction. I will admit that the scene plays out cleverly. 

It keeps pulling these tricks and false scares, like a motion-sensor robot under a Ghostface costume and phone calls where the "killer" asks Scott and Madison trivia questions. 

The false scares get a little old until the actual killer comes in and brutally slaughters Scott.

He/She plays a little cat-and-mouse game with Madison, chasing up the staircase. Madison seems to have the upper hand, knocking the killer off the banister, but she finds herself stuck, hanging from a chandelier. When she loses her grip and falls, the killer suddenly turns around on the floor, pointing his knife upward for Madison to land on. 

As Madison lies there, gravely wounded, The Killer drenches her and the living room with gasoline and burns the whole house down, hinting that this killer has some sort of personal vendetta. 

Okay, it's a good opening scene; every film has one, but that says nothing about the rest of the film. I mean, is The Killer connected to Stu Macher? Does he/she have a personal vendetta against the stab films and how they mirror the past for profit and entertainment? You might find the answers in the spoiler section.

The story is much more complicated now with A.I. as a plot device, and there are a lot of characters, so I barely remember their names. 

Since I've mentioned that, let's start with the minor characters, shall we?

First up is Lucas Bowden, played by Asa Germann. All we know is that he lives next to Sidney, and he's part of Tatum's friend group. His quirk is an obsession with true crime, particularly The Woodsboro Murders, in which Sidney is a subject. He's seen as a red herring, and he has a crush on one of Tatum's friends. That's pretty much what I have about him. Nothing more, nothing less.

Hannah Thurman, played by up-and-coming starlett McKenna Grace, is Tatum's friend and a co-star in a school play. She is the first to be killed in Tatum's friend group, along with a stagehand. That's it, that's all. 

There's Chloe Parker, played by Celeste O' Connor, who recently starred in the notorious bad film of the new century, Madame Web. She's another friend of Tatum's, Lucas' crush, and her parents own a tavern where most of the teens hang out. Yeah, there's not much character development beyond that. But at least the tavern serves as a set piece for one of the movie's goofier, yet still brutal, deaths. 

Finally, we have Tatum's boyfriend, Ben Brown, played by Sam Rechner. Sidney is suspicious of him because he oddly mirrors her murderous high school boyfriend, Billy Loomis. So, of course, he's a red herring. Well into the movie's third act, it's revealed that he's been using an A.I. model of Stu Macher; however, he's not behind the killings. The film never gives him time to explain, but they kill him anyway. So it doesn't matter, I guess. 

Okay, we're getting a little warmer, so let's jump right into Mark Evans, Pine Grove's police chief and Sidney's somewhat bumbling husband. I was so disappointed to learn that Patrick Dempsey didn't reprise his role as Mark Kincaid for this movie. I had a feeling Sidney settled down and married Mark but apparently, this a different Mark. I'm surprised Joel McHale played completely straight and did a good job with what little he was given. I'm sorry, I just don't have anything more to say about his character. All I know is he has a fakeout kill and survives at the end. 

Now on to the important characters:

It's good to see Mindy, Chad, and Gale again, even though they're introduced in the dumbest way. 

Let me explain...

So, Sidney and Tatum are being chased by one of the Ghostface Killers, and as they hatch a plan to escape, Sidney leads Tatum to a secret panic room where they crawl into a claustrophobic space in the wall. They slowly creep through as the killer stabs into the walls. It's actually quite suspenseful and well done. For this scene alone, Kevin Williamson earns a couple of points for his directing. 

When the killer chases Sidney and Tatum outside...WHAM! He's fatally run over by a van, and out pop Gale, Mindy, and Chad. It's a strange introduction, but who cares; these movies haven't felt real since Scream 5.

Chad Meeks-Martin, played by the smoking hot Mason Gooding, is adorable as ever and, as usual, trades witty banter with Mindy. Chad is now part of Gale's crew, and he's her cameraman. However, unlike the previous cameramen, he survives AND sticks around. 

Mindy Meeks-Martin, played by the very charming Jasmin Savoy-Brown, is working her way up to becoming a true-crime podcaster, and she usually has a habit of one-upping Gale. It would've been interesting if Mindy and Gale had the same dynamic as she did with Jennifer Jolie in Part 3. They have only a few witty comebacks, but if the movie had given them more screen time together, it would've been a lot more entertaining.

  Gale Weathers, played by the always-amazing Courteney Cox, is still the hard-hitting, tough-as-nails reporter we love. Now that the "Pine Cove" murders are happening, Gale wants in on the action. 

She and Gale share a heartfelt reunion, and Gale even offers to give her a live, televised interview to get the killers' attention.

It starts off well at first until Gale grills her about Tatum and asks if the killer is targeting her daughter specifically. Sidney is PISSED and walks off, though she doesn't resent Gale; she's genuinely hurt that her friend would sell her out like that.

Sidney says, "Well, what if I asked you about Dewey?" Gale softens a little and tells Sidney she'll keep moving forward every day, even if the emotional scars are still raw. After she says this, Gale takes a pill for the nerve damage she has on her right shoulder from the many times she got stabbed there. This is probably the only scene where Gale shines, but it's also the only moment we get from her, though it's used well. 

Now we're getting to the key players:

Here's Tatum Evans, played by Isabel May. She is Sidney's offspring and the newly anointed final girl. Her dynamic with Sidney is the heart of the film, and it shows that Tatum is at that age where she's curious about her mother's past, but Sidney refuses to let her in on it. That makes sense because Sidney's past has become a book, a movie franchise, and is forever ingrained in true-crime archives. Yet Tatum always finds reminders of the first three films, like a leather jacket Sidney hasn't worn since college. This spooks her so much that Tatum takes it off in frustration. It shows that, no matter what, the past keeps coming back to haunt Sidney. When the murders start happening, Tatum is flabbergasted when she learns that her mom named her after one of the Woodsboro victims who just happens to be Sidney's best friend. She shouts out, "I'm not a victim; I want to be a fighter like you!" Yeah. The dialogue is not subtle. More on that later. 

The movie pretty much hits you over the head about Tatum gaining her mother's strength and Sidney passing the torch to her or whatever. This finally comes to fruition in the third act where Sidney coaches her daughter to outsmart the killers. 

Isabel May does a fine enough job and has a lot more to do than her co-stars. I'm sorry, nothing against the new cast or anything; they are competent actors; it's just that they're kind of bland and useless. But as for Isabel May's performance as Tatum, she did well with what she was given.

As always, I save the best for last. Now introducing our ultimate final girl of the 20th century, zen survivor...

Sidney fucking Prescott, played by the legendary Neve Campbell.

After all the chaos she endured in the previous films, Sidney has managed to live the quiet life in the suburbs and owns a laid-back coffee shop near town. Her story arc mirrors Laurie Strode's in Halloween: H20. She tries her best to avoid the past, but it somehow catches up to her daughter, just as it does to Laurie's son in H20. When shit goes down, Sidney actually coaches her daughter on how to survive a Ghostface attack when the killers are loose. During the climactic scene, Sidney is on the phone with Tatum as she runs towards Sidney's coffee shop. This is also a well-crafted scene, and the two leads act it well.

Okay, just to squeeze this in here. The script mentions Sidney having three children, with the oldest being Tatum, yet we never see her two youngest. We did see her exercising with a baby stroller in Scream 5, so the child should be at least preschool age by now, and it's definitely not Tatum because she's damn near 18 in this movie! So yeah, there are some continuity errors and plot holes concerning Sidney's family life. 

Anywho, like I said before, even in the worst Scream movie, Neve Campbell will always shine through. Her role as Sidney Prescott has made her one of the most iconic actresses of our time. Here's hoping that one day, one day, she'll get her star on the Walk of Fame because she definitely deserves it. 

Okay, the moment you've been waiting for: the killer reveal. It's obvious that there are two killers in the movie. So it's no surprise there. I mean, there is a third killer, as I've mentioned before, but it turns out that this guy was just a mental patient who just so happens to be an obsessive Stab fan (with photos of Tori Spelling, of course) and was obviously coaxed into the killing spree, but the question is, who let him out of the mental hospital? We're getting closer and closer to the reveal. I must warn you, though, it's a bit underwhelming. 

It turns out that the main killer is none other than Sidney's next-door neighbor, Jessica. Um, who? Okay, let me just fill this one in for a moment. What made the killer reveals interesting was that it was always a major supporting player, and it was always a surprise. But in this case, I am very, very underwhelmed. Jessica is a minor supporting character. Hell, she's not even important enough to be considered a friend of Sidney's, but she's not the only one doing the killings. Like I said, there are two killers and one decoy.

So the second killer is Marco, a supervisor at the mental institution where the third killer resides. He's even more irrelevant than Jessica, but the kicker is he's the one who's programming A.I. models of the past Ghostface killers and...that's pretty much his purpose in the whole thing. He's just a lackey in Jessica's scheme. Nothing more. 

With Jessica's motivations, it's basically a retread of Jill's motivations in Part 4. Jessica has been in an abusive relationship that obviously triggered her into a mental psychosis to the point where she murdered her, spent some time in the mental institution where she met Marco, and therefore planned out this whole scenario where she's copying the Woodsboro Murders to make Sidney's daughter the new final girl. Ooookay. Jessica also hates the fact that Sidney is the "perfect" victim while she is a victim of her circumstances. As a reverse effect of Jill killing her mom, Jessica gets her own son killed because he reminds her too much of her abusive husband. Well, that may be true, but I think the real reason she had her son killed was that he was simply in the way.

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So the big battle happens, Sidney breaks free and shoots Marco dead. Jessica plays a little hide-and-seek while Sidney and Tatum make their way over. Then the battle of the suburban moms begins. In this corner, we have sociopathic psycho killer Jessica and ultimate Final Girl Sidney. Well, Sidney wins! Then, Tatum gets in on the action, too. When mom and daughter shoot up Jessica, they shoot her so many times that her face falls completely off! Holy cow!

Then, at the end, Sidney and Tatum rekindle, Mark recovers at the hospital, and Gale gives Mindy the chance to shine as a future investigative reporter. 

Welp! That was kind of underwhelming, but as I always do, let's give more context to the writing and directing. 

Like most horror sequels, the kills become more over-the-top, elaborate, goofier, and, in this case, improbable. The most notable one is in the tavern scene, where one of the Ghostface killers slides a victim across a bar table, where she crashes into a display of glass cups and somehow gets a piece of glass impaled on her neck. Then the Ghostface killer grabs the other victim and impales him on a beer tap, where his mouth pours out blood. Just one example of how the deaths are much more cartoonish this time around. 

That's not the only thing that's less subtle. The screenplay is...not good. And I know Kevin Williamson had some hand in the script, but I just don't think he would have this much bad dialogue. Case in point, we have the scene where Tatum has a little trip and fall at her school play rehearsal. Then the drama teacher brings up this whole speech about gaining her mother's strength to give a good performance, even though she's dressed in a freakin' dog costume. The scene was absolutely ridiculous, and let's not forget the "I don't want to be a victim; I want to be a fighter like you" line. There's just no subtlety at all. 

Now, the saving grace of this movie is the directing. It's not perfect, but it has a few solid scenes, like the safe room scene and some of the climax involving Sidney and Tatum, but now we are slowly closing in on this review. 

What do I think of this movie? It's pretty lackluster.  I mean, as a Scream film, it's still entertaining in parts, but it lacks the subtlety and nuance the series really excels at, and with each passing sequel, the quality of these movies is slowly dwindling. 

Now, I've heard that they're making yet ANOTHER Scream film. My god, where will it end?  I don't know; I just feel like it's going to get worse. It's never a good sign when a horror franchise has too many sequels because 9 times out of 10, they turn out real bad. Take the Halloween and The Texas Chain Saw Massacre franchises, for example. I heard the Soka sisters are directing this one. My fingers are somewhat crossed because they actually have a unique vision, and it might bring something new to the table, but who knows? It still won't make it any better, because this series has reached the point of no return and has become a pale imitation of itself. This series needs a finality, and hopefully, by God, the 8th film will be the last fucking film. 

My Last Word: It's watchable yet forgettable. I wouldn't count on it.