‘Scream 7’ Review: A Bloody Seventh Installment that Still Cuts Deep

This is a spoiler-free review.

Three decades after Ghostface rewrote the slasher playbook and Sidney Prescott cemented herself as one of horror’s most enduring final girls, Scream returns with its seventh installment. The latest chapter leans heavily into its legacy while continuing to evolve within the modern slasher landscape it helped shape.

Few traditions define the franchise more clearly than its iconic opening kill—the moment that signals Ghostface’s return and marks the beginning of another killing spree. At its best, the sequence establishes the film’s tone while setting the stage for the central whodunnit and how it ultimately ties back to Sidney herself. This time, the action unfolds at the former home of Stu Macher, now transformed into a horror-themed attraction reminiscent of an Airbnb built around Woodsboro’s infamous past. While the concept cleverly taps into the franchise’s mythology, its connection to the film’s eventual motive proves lighter than the setup initially suggests.

At the center of it all remains Sidney Prescott Evans (Neve Campbell), now living in the fictional town of Pine Grove with her husband Mark Evans (Joel McHale) and the family they’ve built together—proof that her trauma has never defined her and that she has stepped out of the darkness to build a life of her own. Campbell continues to remind audiences why Sidney Prescott sits firmly within scream queen royalty, delivering a performance that reflects the character’s evolution without losing the resilience that made her iconic in the first place. There’s a quiet assurance to this version of Sidney, and it’s compelling to watch Campbell explore new dimensions of a character who has grown alongside the franchise itself.

That world comes into sharper focus through Sidney’s relationship with her eldest daughter Tatum (Isabel May). Stepping into the role of Sidney’s daughter is no small feat, yet May more than meets the moment, confidently carving out her place within the franchise’s legacy. She captures the emotional volatility of a teenager craving independence while longing to understand the woman who raised her. Now the same age Sidney was when the events of Woodsboro first unfolded, Tatum becomes both a reflection of Sidney’s past and a young woman determined to define herself. Through May’s performance, that tension introduces a compelling emotional dynamic as Sidney faces a challenge she cannot easily resolve: protecting her daughter while learning to let her stand on her own.

Returning alongside Sidney are several familiar faces from across the franchise. Courteney Cox reprises her role as Gale Weathers, and the long arc of Gale and Sidney’s relationship—from distrust to genuine friendship—arrives at one of its most meaningful moments here, a development that feels fully earned given everything the two have endured together over the years. Mason Gooding and Jasmin Savoy Brown return as Chad and Mindy Meeks-Martin, characters who brought a refreshing new energy to the series upon their arrival in Scream (2022). Gooding lends Chad an easy charisma, while Brown continues to deliver Mindy’s signature humor, making it all the more noticeable that both characters feel somewhat underutilized here.

That interplay between familiarity and reinvention carries over to the film’s newest additions. Sam Rechner’s Ben appears to be the charming boyfriend, though an unease lingers beneath the surface—raising the question of whether history might be repeating itself, à la Billy Loomis. Asa Germann’s Lucas leans into the true-crime obsessive archetype, while Mckenna Grace brings a playful theatrical flair to Hannah, the group’s resident theater nerd. Celeste O’Connor’s Chloe serves as one of Tatum’s closest confidantes, and Anna Camp’s Jessica Bowden fits neatly into Pine Grove’s watchful neighbor role. In true Scream fashion, each character arrives with the recognizable DNA of a classic slasher archetype, and the ensemble clearly understands the assignment. Yet it’s difficult not to wish the screenplay offered them more to explore. With a group of performers this strong, several characters only scratch the surface of what they could have been, leaving some of Pine Grove’s newest suspects feeling more like sketches than fully realized additions to the franchise’s ever-growing roster.

Few storytellers understand the Scream universe quite like Kevin Williamson. Returning to the franchise as director while co-writing the screenplay alongside Guy Busick and James Vanderbilt, Williamson brings a deep familiarity with the characters and mythology he helped establish nearly three decades ago. That perspective is felt throughout the film, particularly in the way it centers Sidney Prescott Evans and the legacy surrounding her. While the narrative occasionally struggles to give every new thread the attention it warrants, Williamson’s voice keeps the film anchored in the wit, tension, and self-awareness that have defined Scream since the beginning.

One element that initially raises skepticism is the film’s use of A.I., which on paper feels like it could easily veer into gimmick territory. Instead, it’s deployed in a surprisingly clever way, tying into one of the franchise’s longest-running debates: whether Stu Macher ever truly died. The approach allows the film to revisit figures who helped shape the mythology of Scream without tipping into hollow nostalgia. Even more impressive is how the film continues to deliver inventive kill sequences. More than fifty deaths into the franchise, you might expect the formula to feel exhausted, yet several moments still provoke the kind of visceral audience reaction that has long defined Ghostface’s reign of terror. If the film ultimately stumbles anywhere, it’s in a final act that feels somewhat rushed as it races toward its conclusion. Still, even with a few missteps, Scream proves there’s plenty of life left in the franchise—and for a series built on the rules of horror, it continues to find new ways to break them.

★ ★ ★ ★ of 5

Photo Credit: 2025 Paramount Pictures