Another year, another Scream movie. Not that I’m complaining. While certain entries are undeniably better than others, I will plant my ass in a movie seat every time there’s a new Scream movie as long as it has Sidney Prescott and/or Ghostface. For me, cinema is supposed to be a fun distraction from reality. So, I’m going to ignore all the bullshit – politics, payment disputes, rewrites, etc – and just focus on the product that was delivered to audiences yesterday. And speaking of audiences, it’s cool to see that Scream is becoming a series that transcends generations. I’m in my 30s, and during my screening yesterday the majority of patrons were in their teens with a fine sprinkling of 40s and 50-year-olds. It was almost endearing to see people who would never interact during the light of day laughing, screaming and cheering together in a dark movie theater while blood painted the screen.
Scream 7 was written & directed by one of the series’ masterminds, Kevin Williamson, and co-written by Guy Busick. Williamson & Busick also produced the film alongside others including Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, Cathy Konrad and Marianne Maddalena – the latter two having worked on every Scream to date. It features cinematography by Ramsey Nickell and editing by Jim Page. Starring actors include Neve Campbell, Isabel May, Joel McHale, Courteney Cox, Mason Gooding, Jasmin Savoy Brown and Roger Jackson as the voice of Ghostface. In Scream 7, Ghostface finally tracks Sidney down and lays waste to the cozy, isolated town she calls home. The stakes are even higher now as she’s forced to defend herself and protect the family she tried to shield from the madness. As the bodies start piling up, we’re once again asked – who’s the man (or woman) behind the mask?
Given that Scream 7 features Sidney’s daughter, Tatum (named after Rose McGowan’s iconic character in the original Scream), in such a high capacity, it’s my understanding that she would be the central focus if there’s ever a Scream 8. The problem here is – I couldn’t stand her. Maybe because I’m not filled with teenage longing and angst and actually appreciate my parents, there was nothing about Tatum I found to be endearing in the slightest bit. More importantly, I can never stand the characters in scary movies who are “too scared” to fight back. Get over it. Have some balls. I’d run someone over with my car for a cheeseburger, bro. Because of this, I couldn’t invest my energy in her transformation from meek school girl to final girl. I cared more about her father/Sidney’s husband, played by Joel McHale, than I did her.
Speaking of characters, it was absolutely awesome to see returning participants Matthew Lillard as Stu, David Arquette as Dewey, Scott Foley as Roman Bridger and Laurie Metcalf as Ms. Loomis. I knew it was going to be achieved via AI or a dream sequence, and I was thrilled to see that Matthew Lillard was utilized so frequently throughout the film. Can you say fan service? Whoever said “you can never go home again” was truly full of shit. Now, I have seen several people complain that Scream 7 never mentions Sam, Tara or Kirby outside of one comment about Sam being Billy Loomis’ daughter. This didn’t really bother me as Sidney and Gale have always been the heart of Scream no matter what anyone’s opinion is. Did I enjoy Sam? Yes. Did I despite Tara? God, yes. Do I think Kirby is overrated? Also yes. But Scream has always been Sidney, Gale and Dewey, so I’m okay not seeing the entire roster from 6 previous films return for this installment.
Now, being that this is a scary movie, we need to talk about Ghostface and the on-screen kills. In my opinion, Scream 7 has by far the weakest killer motive(s) out of the entire series – and that says a lot because the motives behind Scream 5 were pretty bad. It was almost laughable and not creative at all. At least the uninspiring Ghostface killer(s) were brutal, cunning and very to the point. Literally. A total of 10 people die in Scream 7, and although it’s easy to spot the cannon fodder from a mile away, 4 of the death sequences are talking points. I can’t spoil them, because what’s the point in that, but I’ll say I’m talking about chandelier, fairy princess, bar tab and face. Do you understand what I mean by those clues, if you’ve seen the movie already? While all of the deaths were pretty meaningless, it was invigorating to see Kevin Williamson and Guy Busick work some creativity into their blood and guts.
The rest of my thoughts are all kind of bullet points. Another great performance by Neve Campbell and Courteney Cox. Does anyone else feel like they look younger in Scream 7 than in Scream 5? I’m a bit sad we can never to back to Stu’s house ever again. Working AI, true crime and smart homes into the plot was the type of social commentary Scream is known for. And Jimmy Tatro was a wasted opportunity. It would have been hysterical to see him bounce back and forth with Mindy. Look, when it comes to Scream 7, it’s safe to say the magic is gone. There will never be anything that can measure up to the lightning in a bottle that was Scream, Scream 2 and Scream 3. This is evidence of the true genius that was the late Wes Craven. But that doesn’t mean you can’t go into future sequels with an open mind.
A little bit wash, rinse, repeat… yeah, of course. It’s been 30 years and 7 movies. But that doesn’t mean this one is terrible by any means. That doesn’t mean this one wasn’t effortless and fun. That doesn’t mean Ghostface isn’t one of the most badass serial killers of all time. It just means that the party is starting to wind down. People post their rankings of series often, so here’s how I’ll do mine so you can see where I’d place Scream 7 in the list. Scream, Scream 2, Scream 4, Scream 3, Scream 7, Scream 5 and Scream 6. I would watch Scream 7 any day over Scream 6 because the writing in the last sequel barely made any sense half the time. Scream 7 is clearly a launching pad for what will eventually become Scream 8, whether that happens in 2028 or beyond. It’s dark, daring, dastardly and diabolical, even though it’s a far cry from a number of its predecessors.
Final Score: 6.5 out of 10.
