- 'Scream 7' attempts to revisit its origins but lacks the original's cleverness.
- The film's humor feels forced and characters lack depth, diminishing emotional impact.
- Despite a surprising twist, its logic falters, leaving a hollow impression on viewers.
The original "Scream" is a classic. Full stop.
When it hit theaters in 1996, it was fresh, self-aware and effortlessly cool. It took the slasher genre, winked at it, dissected it and then stabbed it anyway. It was funny without being a parody. It was scary without taking itself too seriously. And that twist ending? It changed the way we looked at horror movies.
Sure, parts of it feel a little dated now, the fashion, the landlines, the '90s vibe, but the core of it still works. It's clever. It's confident. It knew exactly what it was doing.
Now, 30 years later, we're on installment no. 7.
The "Scream" franchise hasn't been flawless. Parts two through six have had highs and lows. Some entries were sharp and entertaining. Others felt like they were just trying to keep the Ghostface mask relevant for another October. I wouldn't say I was overly excited for "Scream 7," but I was cautiously optimistic. Give me a fun slasher, a few clever jokes, some solid jump scares, and a twist that makes me gasp.
Instead?
"Scream 7" felt forced from the opening scene to the final reveal.
Back to Sidney, but not back to form
This time around, we return to Sidney Prescott, now married with kids and trying to start fresh in a quiet small town. It's a promising setup. There's something interesting about the idea of Sidney trying to live a normal life while Ghostface once again drags her past into the present.
And of course, people start dying, especially teens, and in ways that are "somehow" tied back to Sidney.
It sounds like a return to the franchise's roots. And that's clearly what the filmmakers were going for. The problem is, it never feels earned.
The nostalgia feels manufactured. The callbacks feel obligatory. Instead of organically revisiting what made the original so effective, "Scream 7" feels like it's checking boxes on a whiteboard labeled "What Fans Like."
The result is a movie that tries to feel classic but ends up feeling hollow.
The humor misses the mark
One of the strengths of the "Scream" franchise has always been its ability to blend horror and humor. It's been a strong blend of meta-commentary, playful jabs at horror tropes, and characters who seem just self-aware enough to survive.
This time around, the humor doesn't land.
Jasmin Savoy Brown and Mason Gooding return and are largely positioned as comic relief. On paper, that should work. In execution? I don't think I smirked once.
The jokes feel forced, and the timing is off. The dialogue leans more toward cringe than clever, and instead of the sharp, genre-savvy humor that made the original so memorable, we get lines that feel like they were written to be quoted but never will be.
It's not that the actors aren't trying. It's that the script doesn't give them much to work with.
If you don't care about the characters, the kills don't matter
Here's one of my biggest issues with "Scream 7": I didn't care about a lot of the characters.
The movie introduces a slew of new faces and brings back some old ones, but very few are given enough depth to make us invested. So, when they're in danger, or worse, when they're killed, it doesn't hit.
And in a slasher movie, that's a big problem.
The franchise has always relied on the tension between "I hope they survive" and "I wonder how they'll die." But if you're not emotionally attached to the characters, the suspense evaporates.
There are plenty of kills this time around, and they are graphic. In fact, this entry leans hard into brutality. The filmmakers clearly tried to get creative and push the envelope with several over-the-top, gruesome deaths.
I may need to revisit some of the earlier entries, but this felt more graphic than I remember the others being. The gore is front and center. Be prepared, this is not a subtle slasher. Even the most inventive kill loses impact if you're shrugging when it happens.
The twist doesn't make sense
Let's talk about the twist, and I'll try to do it without spoilers.
The original "Scream" reveal was clever and shocking, but most importantly, it made sense. When the mask came off, everything clicked. The motivations tracked and the earlier scenes gained new meaning.
Some of the other sequels have also delivered fun and surprising reveals.
"Scream 7" goes for surprise, and it gets part of the way there. But the biggest issue? It doesn't really make sense.
The motivations feel thin and inconsistent. Even with the villain's long explanation, the classic "let me tell you why I did it" speech, I found myself more confused than enlightened.
Worse, once you know who the killer is, certain earlier murders become hard to reconcile. A great twist doesn't just shock you, it recontextualizes the entire movie. It makes you want to rewatch it.
This twist feels like it was designed to be unexpected first and logical second. And that's backwards.
What parents should know
"Scream 7" is rated R, and it earns it. There is almost constant graphic violence and gore, along with brutal, prolonged kill scenes. There is also strong language throughout.
If you're familiar with the franchise, you know what you're getting, but this entry does not hold back on the violence. It's not for younger audiences, and even those who enjoy horror should be prepared for some heavy brutality.
Conclusion
I wanted to like "Scream 7." I really did.
The setup had potential. Sidney returning to center stage felt right, and the idea of Ghostface reaching into her "impossible" past sounded intriguing.
But somewhere along the way, the fun disappeared.
The humor didn't work, the characters weren't compelling, the nostalgia felt forced and the twist, while surprising, lacked the logic that made the franchise's best entries so satisfying.
"Scream" works when it's clever. When it's sharp and self-aware in a way that enhances the horror rather than distracting from it.
"Scream 7" tries to get back to its roots but misses the cleverness and playfulness that made those roots strong in the first place.
For a franchise that once reinvented the genre, this felt like going through the motions, and that's the real letdown.
