Whether or not you’re a fan of the slasher series Scream, one can’t deny how impactful the franchise has been not only to the sub-genre itself, but to horror in general. Much like Micheal Myers, Freddy Krueger, and Jason Vorhees, Ghostface has become a signature horror icon. Much like the horror icons in their respective films, the films featuring Ghostface feature a gimmick that makes them unique. For the Halloween franchise (Michael Myers), it’s the iconic John Carpender theme and Halloween holiday; with the Friday the 13^th movies (Jason Vorhees), it’s the campsite/Camp Crystal Lake setting; as for Nightmare on Elm Street (Freddy Krueger), it’s the nightmares where, if you get killed by Freddy in the dream, you die in real life. Getting back to Scream, it’s the self-awareness of horror films and how it imitates real life within their world. While not my favorite franchise, let alone horror one I do respect Scream films given it’s a set of whodunit scenarios but with a slasher. Who doesn’t love a good whodunit film? In 2026, Scream is celebrating its 30^th anniversary, and what better way to commemorate this occasion than with a new iteration, which is simply titled Scream 7.

While I did say that did respect the Scream series quite a bit, my overall thoughts of the films themselves range from positive to average. The first one is probably my overall favorite given its originality. The rest of the films pretty much are the same in quality. Honestly, given how horror sequels have a reputation for, let’s just say, sucking, I’m surprised that there hasn’t been a bad Scream movie. Sure, there hasn’t been a better on since the first, but you can say that for any film franchise, with a few exceptions, of course.

Also, I should mention Scream 7 is the first since Scream 4 (2011) to have actress Neve Campbell as the lead protagonist. She was a supporting character in Scream (2022) and completely absent in Scream 4 due to contract negotiations. Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega, the two actresses who played sisters in both Scream (2022) and Scream VI (2023), are absent in this film but for completely different reasons from Neve Campbell’s. Melissa Barrera had been fired due to her pro-Palestine social media posts, and Jenna Ortega is absent due to “scheduling conflicts.” To be honest, I’m a bit disappointed with Melissa Barrera’s departure because when looking up information for this film, it turns out the actress is Catholic and uses her Catholic morals stay clear of any horror films involving demonic elements that might corrupt her faith. With that being said, was their departure a good or bad thing in terms of the quality of the seventh film? Further, where does Scream 7 rank amongst the other Scream sequels, or might it be better than the first film? As usual, let’s find out.     

In this seventh entry of the Scream series, we first follow Scott (Jimmy Tatro) and Madison (Michelle Randolph), who arrive at Stu Macher’s house (portrayed by Matthew Lillard, whose character was one of the Ghostface killers from the first Scream). It has been made into an Airbnb, though retaining the theme of the killings from the first film. While inside, Scott, who is a huge fan of the story and the fictional Stab series based on the murders, totally geeks out looking at the history within the house. Madison tries to be the supportive girlfriend and puts up with it. Moments later, the couple are then ambushed by a Ghostface killer who kills them and ends up burning the house down leaving no trace behind. Some time later, we catch up with Sidney Prescott-Evans (Neve Campbell) who, after surviving many Ghostface attacks in the past, has settled into a peaceful life in Pine Grove, Indiana, with her husband Mark Evans (Joel McHale) and her daughter Tatum (Isabel May). Tatum doesn’t know much about her mom’s history as Sidney refuses about it. Whenever Tatum asks, her mom’s response is just to look it up online or watch one of the Stab movies. One morning during work, Sidney receives a call from an unknown caller who claims to be a Ghostface killer, though she is not amused nor frightened. Then, they request a video call and the person on the other side of the screen appears to be Stu Macher (Matthew Lillard), one of the accomplices of from the first Scream film. Stu mentions that he is outside Tatum’s high school and is going to pay her a visit. Now in a panicked state, Sidney races towards while also calling Mark (who happens to be a cop) to go to the high school, where he sends other officers as well. At the school, Sidney and her friends start wrapping up rehearsals for a school play, though two students, Hannah (Mckenna Grace) and Aaron (Cyle Winters), are ambushed and killed by Ghostface before Sidney and the police could arrive. That night, police sweep the Evans house for any appearance of Ghostface. While they think the area is clear, Ghostface later appears from the attic and starts to attack the family. They managed to escape to the front yard where Gale Weathers (Courtney Cox), a reporter and another Ghostface survivor, runs the killer over resulting in the attacker’s death. She is joined by her new interns Mindy (Jasmin Savoy Brown) and Chad (Mason Gooding), two twins who also lived through Ghostface events. When they unmask this Ghostface, it turns out to be a complete nobody. After a brief police investigation, the killer is identified as Karl Gibbs (Kraig Dane), who happened to recently escape from a mental institution and was a customer in Sidney’s coffee shop earlier that day. Thinking the mystery has been solved too easily and the real killer is out there, Sidney and Gale decide to go to the mental institution for more answers while Tatum and her friends try to figure out who the killer might be. With a lot on her mind, Sidney is trying to figure out why these killings are happening again and also if Stu is really alive, or is someone is messing with her using artificial intelligence (AI).

After I got home from Scream 7, I went to Letterboxd to log the film as watched and gave it a mediocre but generous rating. While on the app, I went to see what others had said, and one person I follow said it was the Star Wars: Episode IX-The Rise of Skywalker (2019) of the Scream series. I didn’t think much of it at the time, but while walking my dog, I began to ponder that statement a bit more. Eventually, I realized there is a bit of truth to that comparison. To further elaborate, one big problem I had with Star Wars: Episode IX-The Rise of Skywalker is how heavy was the fan service and nostalgia bait and, unfortunately, those same flaws were present in Scream 7. Granted, it wasn’t as amplified given that my exposure to the Scream series compared to the Stars Wars franchise is astronomically smaller, but it was there. Another reason for the comparison is the predecessor itself: Scream VI. Much like how Star Wars: Episode VIII-The Last Jedi (2017) took some creative but controversial liberties with franchise, Scream VI did something different by setting it in New York City rather than a small town. To me, it wasn’t a perfect film, but I did enjoy the new approach and setting. Scream 7, however, basically abandons any buildup from the previous two films and goes back to basics.

Now, there’s nothing wrong with going back to basics when your several films into a film series, it’s what I like to call a soft reboot which is what Scream (2022) was. The problem, though, is that Scream 7 offers little social commentary from modern day horror films, which is a stapple theme of the Scream series, but rather focuses on the killings and maiming. It got to a certain point where it turns into (pardon the expression) torture porn, with certain characters being murdered in gruesome fashions. Even I said to myself “really?” Hannah’s death felt a bit uncomfortable due to the fact that she was a child actress that I’ve seen over a decade. Witnessing her character die violently put me in a unpleasant mood. Keep in my mind, these were major characters, too, though the film gives us little development with them. Thus, when they are murdered, I didn’t feel much for them because of little personality they were given. Scream (2022) and Scream IV did have the right amount of violence compared to Scream 7 (though this one had a bit more gruesome ones), but at least those films gave us new/developed characters with some background. Now that I think about it, Scream 7 feels like direct sequel to Scream 4 given how basic it is and how it almost ignores the events from Scream (2022) and Scream VI.

Recently, Pope Leo XIV advised priests when it comes to writing homilies to not use AI services such as ChatGPT. I’m not saying that Scream 7 was written by AI, but I wouldn’t be surprised if that came to light. The reason I brought up that part of the news is because, as I mentioned earlier in the synopsis, Sidney is skeptical as to whether Stu is still alive, or if it’s really AI that’s messing with her. In general, I’m not the biggest fan of AI unless you use it as a tool such as photo editing or something similar, not for writing reviews or make artwork. I now have another reason why I’m not the biggest fan of AI, which is that it can be used deceitfully, such as impersonating others. In a way, it’s a good reminder that the devil can be deceitful during our vulnerable moments, especially during the Lenten season, and it’s also important to second guess something if our instincts tell us to do so. AI is inevitable, but we must always be alert when it comes to such evolving technology, not only so we can avoid being tricked by how accurate it is, but also how it can stray us away from God’s truth. If you’re a die-hard Scream fan, chances are you’re going to not only see Scream 7, but love it as well. One of my best friends who’ve I’ve known for over two decades really enjoyed it. Now, I wouldn’t say I hated this horror film because there were some things that I did enjoy, such as the pacing, the unpredictability of the killers (though the motives of the killers were pretty dumb), and Neve Campbell as the lead protagonist. Still, this last is more of a silver lining from Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega’s departure if anything. As you can tell, Scream 7 is my least favorite Scream film yet. While I did enjoy the movie-going experience with my friend, and I was able to get a selfie with a theater staff member dressed up as Ghostface (at least I hope it was a theater staff member), it didn’t help with the quality of the film. The last thing I should mention is that this film set the record for the highest opening for any Scream film, which means . . . we’re going to get a sequel. Great. Honestly, I just hope that the filmmakers take note from the critics this time and make Scream 8 a better production. Otherwise, this franchise will devolve into something where I don’t think my friend will enjoy it, and he was pretty happy with this film. Just have to wait and see in a few years.