The road to Scream 7 has been so fraught with controversy that it could almost qualify as its own horror story. Following the success of 2023’s Scream VI – itself marked by the absence of franchise cornerstone Neve Campbell amid a pay dispute – the seventh entry endured director departures, cast exits, online backlash, and a very public implosion of its original creative direction. What was once intended to continue the Carpenter sisters’ arc (the characters played by Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega in the two prior sequels) pivoted dramatically, eventually landing back in the hands of original writer Kevin Williamson, who not only co-writes here but steps into the director’s seat.
Given the noise surrounding it, one might expect a compromised or chaotic film. Instead, Scream 7 emerges as something surprisingly cohesive – and, perhaps most unexpectedly, fun.
This instalment re-centres on Sidney Prescott – now Sidney Evans – played by Campbell in one of her strongest turns in years. Sidney is, at last, in a content chapter of her life: happily married to Mark (a charmingly grounded Joel McHale), mother to three children, and owner of a cosy coffee shop named Little Latte. The film wisely narrows its emotional focus to her teenage daughter, Tatum (Isabel May), while the younger siblings are plausibly kept offstage. When Sidney receives the film’s first ominous phone call, she initially brushes it off as another prank – after decades of torment, what’s one more Ghostface imitator?
But this call is different. The voice claims to belong to Stu Macher.
The return – or alleged return – of Stu Macher (Matthew Lillard) plays directly into one of the franchise’s most persistent fan theories: that the original accomplice to Billy Loomis never truly died. The film leans into contemporary anxieties around AI and deepfakes, repeatedly questioning whether what Sidney, and the audience, are seeing can be trusted. It’s a clever narrative device that sustains the whodunnit mechanics longer than usual, with Sidney and returning Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox, a hoot, as always) attempting to untangle whether this is resurrection, impersonation, or something more elaborate.
For those unspoiled by pre-release leaks, there is genuine pleasure in piecing together the mystery. Red herrings are liberally scattered among Tatum’s friend group: her boyfriend, Ben (Sam Rechner), the unsettling true-crime obsessive Lucas (Asa Germann), and best friends Hannah and Chloe (Mckenna Grace and Celeste O’Connor). The film commits to the mystery structure with admirable patience, even as it winks knowingly at its own formula – particularly during the killer’s inevitable motive monologue, which is delivered with an almost gleeful self-awareness.
Where Scream 7 works best, however, is in its intergenerational dynamic. Tatum – named after Rose McGowan’s ill-fated character from the 1996 original – wants to understand her mother’s past, and the film thoughtfully addresses the long-standing critique that the original Tatum has been largely sidelined in franchise memory. The mother-daughter relationship provides emotional grounding amidst the bloodshed, lending weight to the violence rather than simply replaying it for nostalgia’s sake.
And yes, there is plenty of nostalgia. The script by Guy Busick and Williamson doesn’t shy away from referencing past instalments – VI is even acknowledged directly, with Sidney expressing regret at having sat out the previous carnage. At times, the callbacks threaten to overwhelm the narrative, but the affection behind them is palpable rather than cynical.
Tonally, this is one of the campier entries in the franchise. The final act in particular leans boldly into heightened theatrics that may divide audiences. Yet that same sense of playful excess gives the film its energy. The Scream films have rarely been “terrifying” in a traditional sense, and Scream 7 follows suit: tension is amped rather than oppressive, jump scares are efficiently staged, and the gore is deployed with mischievous creativity; an extended set-piece involving a character suspended high above the ground is tightly paced and genuinely nerve-fraying, while a brutal dispatch involving a beer tap stands out as one of the series’ more memorably grisly moments.
Crucially, the film feels far less embattled than its production history might suggest. It is, in many ways, a harmlessly entertaining sequel – self-aware, occasionally indulgent, but undeniably committed to giving audiences a good time. The backlash that preceded its release feels disproportionate to the finished product, which neither desecrates the franchise nor radically reinvents it.
If an eighth chapter is inevitable, Scream 7 subtly positions Tatum as a capable successor, hinting that fresh blood could keep the series alive while finally allowing Sidney to step away in peace. But should this be the last we see of her, it functions as a satisfying, if slightly overstuffed, farewell.
After a journey defined by turmoil, Scream 7 proves sturdier than expected: not the franchise’s sharpest blade, but one that still cuts cleanly enough to justify its existence.
THREE AND A HALF STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Scream 7 is now screening in Australian theatres, before opening in the United States on February 27th.
