SCREAM 7
US, 2026, 114 minutes, Colour.
Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox, Isabel May, Jasmine Savoy Brown, Lisa Gooding, Anna Camp, Joel McHale, Celeste O'Connor, Sam Recher, Acer Germann, Mackenna Grace, Matthew Lillard, David Arquette, Laurie Metcalf, Ethan Embury, Michelle Randolph, Jimmy Tatro.
Directed by Kevin Williamson.
Firstly, back to the origins. As for the others in the series, there is a dangerous prologue, this time a young couple (he rather intolerable and his over-eager enthusiasm for pressuring the audience to be on side with Ghostface to get rid of him). This is the house of Scream, a Memorial Museum, a whole range of mementos, body outlines on the floor, posters for the movie series Stanb, and a threatening mechanical replica of ghost face. Lots of references to the past and to other horror films, open fans in the audience eager to check off their knowledge of the franchise. Needless to say, the couple will have to go hyper- gruesomely.
Then, back to middle America, family life, school students, putting on a musical play, teenage shenanigans. With a focus on Tatum, Isabel May, who is the eldest daughter of the key character in the series, Sydney Prescott, the return to the screen by the initial star, Neve Campbell, now married to a police officer, Joel McHale. Tatum is rebellious, her mother trying to protect her, having written a book, the film series, Stab.
It doesn’t take too long before Ghostface appears again, and, not just the one, the sinister figure, the sad face with the drawn-out mouth and the black cloak.
One of the features of the film (an opportunity for past stars to make cameo appearances) is that the new menacing killers use AI, creating messages using the faces of those who have died (and chance to see Matthew Lillard again as well as David Arquette and Laurie Metcalf). (So, is the film in favour of a a all during photos and film clips?) And, trying to track down whether Stuart, Matthew Lillard’s character, could still be alive, includes a visit to a mental institution which is significant for the solution.
And, of course, with her tempestuously-evocative climate name, Gail Weathers, turns up again, Courtney Cox continually re-visiting, wanting the scoop, bonding with Sydney, getting her to the television station to lure the mysterious Ghostface to a meeting. And, her two interns, highly ambitious to make media success – but, becoming victims, almost.
In the meantime, plenty of appearances, a bit of a shock to find so many of the students, the next generation, dispatched, attacks on Sydney, the stabbing of her husband, and the continually menaced Tatum. This leads to a dramatic confrontation, the benefit of mobile phones and screens with Sydney able to give tactical advice to her daughter. But, of course, final physical confrontation.
Some of the fans, prepared to give Scream 7 a chance, comment on how they felt let down by the solution and revelation. This reviewer, but with no high-stakes success for the franchise, was surprised, disappointed, with all the final explanations.
This version was cowritten and directed by the initial creator of the series and first director, Kevin Williamson. He has had a very successful career over the 30 years but he might have created a better solution to the series and been able to improve on rather pedestrian dialogue, lots of crass exclamations and added overdoing of every character coming to someone wounded and having defied death repeating “you okay!”.
Scream 7 did very well at the box office on its opening weekend so, one presumes, there will be Scream 8 (with better plotlines and dialogue, hopefully).
