‘Scream 7’ Review: Paramount Stabs and Misses
Scream 7 was always destined for backlash. The film received criticism when Paramount fired Melissa Barrera for expressing an opinion. An opinion that, unfortunately, was correct. And for the most part, the new generation of Scream fans were ready to hate this film.
A little background. I grew up on Scream and actually saw the original with my older brother in theaters. It’s difficult to explain to younger audiences how much of a phenomenon the film was at the time. The theatrical screenings were sold out for weeks after its initial release, and the shockwaves continued when it hit pay-per-view.
The opening was brilliant, and it was just as thrilling to experience at home as it was in theaters. And for a movie that’s heavily rooted in meta commentary on the horror genre and full of humor, the payoff with Billy Loomis being the killer was emotionally satisfying. We understood how Loomis arrived at that mental state and why he was in pain.
Not to mention, Stu Macher’s final moments are humorous and tragic. It’s believable that he would be peer pressured into the murders, and yet, just like Billy, despite the realistic nature of their motives, we are ready to see the bad guy lose.
Scream 7 had a real chance to bookend the franchise on a strong note. The big buildup in the marketing touches on the potential return of Stu Macher. The possibility of resurrecting one of the best roles by Matthew Lillard is a massive treat to dangle in front of the fanbase. If you don’t deliver on that expectation in the slightest, then you’d better come up with something equally as tasty. Unfortunately, it doesn’t.
What is Scream 7 about?
Directed by Kevin Williamson, who wrote the Wes Craven-directed Scream movies, and written by Guy Busick (Scream 5 and 6), the sequel returns to its iconic main character, Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell), who is now a mother who owns a small coffee shop in a quiet little town in Indiana. She has a daughter, Tatum (Isabel May), who is about the same age as Sidney in the original.
Tatum is exhibiting behaviors similar to her mother’s, such as dating boys who like to sneak in through a window at night. Tatum’s boyfriend, Ben (Sam Rechner), cannot win Sidney’s heart because he reminds her too much of Billy Loomis. Sidney’s cozy life also includes a husband named Mark (Joel McHale). He is the chief of police and maintains a secure routine at home with security and surveillance.
The introduction to Sidney’s struggle as a mother is one of the strongest parts of Scream 7. There is an earnest effort to examine Sidney’s shortcomings as a mother toward Tatum, given her traumatic past. Her daughter wants a normal teenage life, but Sidney’s past makes it difficult not to be protective.
At the same time, Tatum wants to have a real conversation about her mother’s past, but Sidney is unwilling. For this reason, Tatum has to make assumptions about the gruesome events, including why she was named after Sidney’s best friend, who was murdered in a garage.
The sense of peace is disrupted after a brutal killing occurs in the home of Stu Macher. The phone calls begin happening all over again, but this time, Stu (Matthew Lillard) seems to be Facetiming her, making vengeful threats about killing Sidney’s daughter. The question becomes whether this is the real Stu Macher or an AI deepfake.
Guy Busick’s screenplay abandons the heart
When it comes to slashers, Ghostface was always a mean persona. The 1996 original had plenty of gory kills that left viewers gasping, especially the Drew Barrymore opener. But it was the deconstruction of the horror genre that made the brutality more accessible. It was not gore for the sake of gore; it was a movie where all the characters knew they were in a horror film.
Scream 7 is the first in the franchise to have nothing to say about the horror genre. Even worse, it does not seem to be interested in the meta discussion. Steering away from metahumor would be fine if something interesting could replace it. The absence leaves the 7th movie as nothing more than a generic slasher flick.
The kills in Scream 7 are some of the worst in the franchise. The series has always been humorous but never campy in its approach to horror. Here, the sequel almost crosses the threshold of some of the worst Friday the 13th movies. For example, in one sequence, Ghostface murders a victim using a draft beer dispenser. Then the beer starts pouring out of the victim’s mouth. It’s a scene riddled with cheese and feels more at home in a movie like Jason X.
Additionally, there are baffling sequences where teenagers run around in the open and no one is around to hear them screaming or being killed. The movie is set in Pine Grove, Indiana, with possible murderers on the loose, yet no one in the town is patrolling for possible danger. The town is empty for narrative convenience, which feels messier than usual for a Scream sequel.
The worst killer reveal of the entire franchise
Then there is the big moment when the movie finally reveals who has been doing the murders the entire time. It is a common event in every Scream movie that makes or breaks the entire film. Unfortunately, Scream 7 features the worst reveal of all.
It’s hard to talk about without giving it away, but narratively, it adds nothing to the canon of Sidney Prescott. In fact, the entire setup teasing a certain individual, if that ended up being the payoff, would have been way more satisfying, even if predictable. It should have been a different villain—the one we actually wanted. Instead, the one provided genuinely feels like a villain from one of the Scary Movie comedies.
Spoiler warning: I don’t recommend seeing the film, so I’m going to talk about the spoiler for a moment. But if you want to stay in the dark, feel free to skip this section.
It turns out that Stu Macher was actually dead, and an obsessed fan was tormenting Sidney. It is the biggest letdown of any reveal. If the studio is going to tease Stu Macher as the villain, whatever you replace him with needs to be better than the possibility that Stu survived without anyone knowing. Having Stu could have made for an exceptional bookend to the franchise. And the possibility of that happening was completely wasted in this film. End of spoilers.
Scream 7 stabs and misses
There were some enjoyable aspects of this film. The intimate moments between Sidney Prescott and her daughter were among the film’s best scenes. The exploration of motherhood and trauma has been a long-running theme throughout the franchise.
I also appreciated how it gave Rose McGowan’s character, Tatum, a redemption beyond her own tragedy. There are tender moments when Sidney reminisces with her daughter, Tatum, about her best friend and why she meant so much to her.
It is also a delight to see Mason Gooding and Jasmin Savoy Brown reprise their roles as Chad and Mindy Meeks-Martin. However, at this point, it is ludicrous that Chad is still alive.
That said, for the most part, Scream 7 completely misses the point of what made the franchise so unique. The movies thrive on deconstructing the horror genre. Without that, all that is left is a generic slasher. At this point, seven movies deep, reinvention is not a bad idea, but soulless and uninspired was not the correct direction.
Also check out: Scream VI Slays Hard for a Killer Time at the Movies
