SCREAM 7 - - Brutal, But Basic

Review by Steve Barton II

Paramount started their media campaign for Scream 7 on a horrible note when they announced the firing of their lead actress, Melissa Barrera over her outspoken criticism of the genocide being committed by Israel. With that decision, they also lost their new co-lead of the next generation cast with Jenna Ortega and then were forced to pivot completely with the overarching story. After the fallout, the decision was quickly made to revert back to the series’ original final girl Sidney Prescott and why she was (mostly) absent from Scream 6. The other major swing in the “back to basics” direction was getting Kevin Williamson (the original writer of Scream 1, 2 & 4) back into the writer’s chair to revive his story, except this time he’s also got the title of Director.

Did all of these hasty decisions end up producing a solid new entry into the Scream franchise? That’s a complicated question with an even more difficult answer. While there are subtle references to Sam and Tara, the topic of our former main characters is never fully breached which feels especially odd given that two of the surviving friends are in Scream 7. While Sam’s plot does seem purposefully left open in case they strike a deal for her return, more could’ve been done to address the ginormous elephant in the theater. The enticing aspect of the writing for Scream has always been the meta commentary and poking fun at the horror tropes, Scream 7 also falls into the trope trap itself.

Scream 7 had some interesting points to make about the world’s disturbing obsession with true crime, A.I., survivor’s guilt and the over saturation of remakes and sequels. While the script does have strengths, its weaknesses are the overly familiar tropes and references to the original movie that feel heavily recycled by year 30. Williamson made references to the original Scream and I Know What You Did Last Summer, so it was honestly shocking not to see someone from Dawson’s Creek dawn the Ghostface mask! He was able to bring back the fan favorite Stu Macher and it surprisingly worked out well. Matthew Lillard is able to tap into that crazy energy and the look in his eye that makes you believe he’s a true psychopath. The actual reveal of the Ghostface killer is easily one the weakest of the series, next to Roman in Scream 3 and is fairly predictable if you’re even slightly paying attention. 

The biggest compliment to give Scream 7 is that it has some of the most brutal kills in the entire franchise. Between the school auditorium scene and the crescendo death at the bar, these are scenes that I can’t stop thinking about and need to see again ASAP! The visceral nature of Ghostface in Scream 7 stands up next to the original film and might even outshine it in this department. 

In the end, Scream 7 is a decent entry into the Scream franchise that most fans will enjoy. While the script is messy and some character motivations and developments really don’t work, there’s enough Scream DNA for fans to sink their blades into. It does stink that we don’t see where Sam and Tara are after New York, we still get the Meeks-Martin duo and that gives hope that they won’t fully abandon the Carpenter sisters. Fans of the newer films may have to wait a while to see their story finished, but Scream 7 was made purely for the original fans.

Scream 7 is playing in theaters starting February 27th! 

Rating: 3/5