Scream 7 (2026)    Paramount/Horror    RT: 114 minutes    Rated R (strong bloody violence, gore, language)    Director: Kevin Williamson    Screenplay: Kevin Williamson and Guy Busick    Music: Marco Beltrami    Cinematography: Ramsey Nickell    Release date: February 27, 2026 (US)    Cast: Neve Campbell, Isabel May, Courteney Cox, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Mason Gooding, Anna Camp, Mckenna Grace, Asa Germann, Celeste O’Connor, Sam Rechner, Michelle Randolph, Jimmy Tatro, Matthew Lillard, Mark Consuelos, Tim Simons, Joel McHale, Ethan Embry, Roger L. Jackson.

Rating: ***

 They say horror franchises start to run out of gas by the fifth movie. And by the seventh, they’re running on fumes. As much as I love horror sequels, I have to agree with that assessment. It’s just one of life’s inevitabilities like death and taxes.

 If there’s an exception to this rule, it might be the Scream movies. None of them have been terrible. That includes the latest installment Scream 7. The reviews so far haven’t been kind. There seems to be a lot of hate directed at it on social media. I’ll grant that it’s not one of the better outings, but it’s far from the worst. It’s flawed to be sure, but let me ask you this. Since when have slasher movies been a paragon of cinematic excellence? Uh, NEVER! It’s a big part of their appeal actually.

 I’m sure we’re all aware of the controversy surrounding Scream 7. Melissa Barrera, the star of the previous two films, was fired because of comments she made about the Gaza War. Co-star Jenna Ortega quit the next day in solidarity. Soon after, director Christopher Landon dropped out when the movie underwent creative retooling after the departure of the two leads. He was brought in after Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett (directors of parts V and VI) decided not to return. Landon was replaced by Kevin Williamson, the writer of the first, second and fourth entries. This is his first time in the driver’s seat for this franchise. He doesn’t do too badly.

 So what did the creative retooling for Scream 7 entail? Duh, everybody knows that; the return of Neve Campbell as franchise final girl Sidney Prescott. The actress famous sat out the previous installment due to a pay dispute with the producers. I guess they must have sweetened the deal because she’s back in all her glory. Thirty years in, she’s no longer the fresh-faced teen who took down several incarnations of slasher extraordinaire Ghostface. She’s now the parent of one, a daughter named Tatum (May, 1883) who’s constantly at odds with Mom over her overprotective nature, especially as it pertains to her boyfriend Ben (Rechner, Heartbreak High). Sidney is determined to keep her daughter safe from the world at large and the potential slashers in it. Tatum resents her for it. In other words, it’s a typical mother-daughter relationship within the genre.

 As is tradition, Scream 7 begins with a random killing. This time, the victims are a young couple exploring the infamous Stu Macher house in Woodsboro. Scott (YouTuber Tatro) is a big Ghostface fan; girlfriend Madison (Randolph, 1923) is just along for the ride. After a few false scares, they both get offed gruesomely. He gets a knife rammed through his head; she is stabbed and set on fire. Ghostface walks off as the house burns down.

 The scene then shifts to small town Pine Grove, IN where we find Sidney trying to live the quiet life with her chief of police husband Mark (McHale, Community) and daughter. Her home is a fortress meaning she knows immediately when boyfriend Ben climbs through the bedroom window to pay Tatum an unauthorized late night visit. Needless to say, the teen is pissed when Mom shows him the door. Now the owner of a coffee shop, her world is about to be turned upside down yet again. She gets a call from an unknown number. It’s her old friend Ghostface. He turns the torment up to 11 when he reveals himself via a video call. It appears to be another old friend, Stu to be exact. But wait, he’s supposed to be dead, right? Maybe he is, maybe he isn’t. Either way, he just called to let Sidney know he’s going after her kid. She, of course, springs into action.

 I really shouldn’t say too much more about the plot of Scream 7. Not that it would matter much since it follows the same basic formula of its predecessors. Tatum has a group of friends who basically serve themselves up as near-future victims when they decide to meet up to try and figure out which one of them is the killer. I mean, it can only be one of them, right? Reporter Gale Weathers (Cox, Friends) shows up at the most convenient time possible to help Sidney find out who’s wearing the Ghostface mask this time. She’s joined by twins Chad (Gooding, Heart Eyes) and Mindy (Brown, Missing) from V and VI. The siblings hang out with the teens while Sidney and Gale go looking for answers. At one point, they visit a nearby mental hospital to inquire about a former patient. Yep, Scream 7 goes there. I wondered when they’d resort to that old cliché.

 I don’t always agree with my esteemed colleagues on films and Scream 7 is definitely one of those instances. I enjoyed it. So did the audience at the Thursday night preview I attended. There were a few audible gasps and a scream or two. They, or should I say we, clapped and cheered for a few of the killings. It’s the goriest Scream yet. The highlights include a graphic disembowelment, an impalement on a beer pull and a shooting that guarantees a closed casket viewing for the victim. I’m not exaggerating when I say it sounded like feeding time at the zoo. I had a great time!

 Now I have to play critic for a moment. Hey, it’s my job. Scream 7 suffers from some pacing issues. After the opening, it takes a while for it to get going. Even then, its momentum is inconsistent. It moves it fits and starts until the third act. SPOILER ALERT! There’s a dopey plot twist involving AI and deep-fakes. I won’t be specific, but you will probably catch it right away. The only ones who don’t see it are the characters in the movie. Talk about an Idiot Plot. How do you miss something like that? Then there’s the big reveal. In short, Williamson flubs it. One, at least one of the Ghostface killers is obvious. I picked this person out right away upon their introduction. Two, the motive for the latest rash of killings is so arbitrary. I really expected more.

 The performances in Scream 7 are pretty much what you’d expect. They’re fine for the most part. The only disappointment is May as Tatum. She’s kind of a blank slate as far as Final Girls go. She doesn’t project the same fierce survival instinct as Campbell did in the beginning. Of course, this can be justified by explaining she’s a sheltered teen whose mother actively kept her from anything even remotely resembling danger. On the upside, I expect we’ll see Tatum become more of a fighter if she makes it to Scream 8 (reportedly in development). As for Neve, it’s great to see her back in the saddle again. Same goes for Cox.

 Okay, time to switch back to slasher fan Movie Guy. I liked Scream 7. It’s a fun movie even if the comedic self-aware angle is all but gone. Aside from a few comments from Mindy, it’s straight-up horror. That’s fine by me. It makes sense for the franchise to change its identity now that original creator Wes Craven is gone. It’s still fun if you like scary movies. I just hope the makers of Scream 8 come up with something truly clever. We’ll see.