Review: Scream 7

In Scream 7, we meet Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) again. She lives with her husband, the police officer Mark (Joel McHale), and their daughter Tatum (Isabel May). The events in New York have shaken the small family, and Sidney does everything she can to protect her daughter from the dangers that threaten them. One day, it appears as though someone from Sidney’s past has returned, but he’s dead, right? Soon it becomes clear that the dangers are mounting, and Sidney must once again engage in the fight against new Ghostface killers. This time, the stakes are sky-high.

Three Decades of Scream

Almost exactly 30 years ago, the first Scream film premiered. I remember stumbling out of the theater, completely blown away by how good that movie was. It synced perfectly with the audience. It subverted the clichés, utilized them, and was simultaneously terrifying. It was something entirely new compared to what I had seen before.

The film became popular, and the sequel arrived just a year later. The disappointment wasn’t total, but it was close. It lacked the nerve and humor of the first film and also contained one of the silliest sequences I’ve ever seen, where they have to crawl over the killer in a stationary car. The twist was a major ”meh”, but the film still had a few bright spots.

Scream 3 premiered in 2000, and it became painfully clear that the film series wasn’t quite what it should be. There were bright spots here too, but they were few and far between. After the third film, the series took a break for over a decade, and in 2011, Scream 4 arrived—the last film Wes Craven directed. It partially managed to find its way back to what made the original so good, but it was still far from reaching that same level.

Another eleven years later, the fifth installment arrived, confusingly titled Scream (2022). A legacy reboot where new characters are introduced while the old ones tag along. It had several good elements but still lacked that little something extra.

Scream VI and the Confusion Around the Numbers

Just a year later, Scream VI was released, and to add to the confusion, the filmmakers switched from Arabic to Roman numerals. The biggest difference was that this became the first film without Neve Campbell in the lead role. She declined the part after an insultingly low salary offer.

Scream VI focuses instead on the new characters from Scream (2022) and is set in New York. The film has some fairly cool sequences but soon collapses under its own stupidity. When characters are stabbed hundreds of times and survive, it’s clear the franchise has moved from horror movie to cartoon.

Scream 7 – What Works

Now, in 2026, we have reached Scream 7 (back to Arabic numerals). I actually want to start with what works. Firstly, it’s great that the original crew (the few who remain) are in focus. It’s about Sidney again, not side characters.

Secondly, the screenwriter and creator Kevin Williamson has finally been allowed to direct a Scream film. There are also several well-crafted sequences, but more on that below.

Scream 7 – What Doesn’t Work

Unfortunately, that’s where it ends. Scream 7 is not a good film. It could have been, if not for the fact that the ending is so abysmally bad that it beggars belief. When the killer is revealed, I just sat there agape. It is so far-fetched and poorly constructed that it feels like someone’s first screenplay—and it isn’t, because Kevin Williamson both wrote and directed it.

As I mentioned above, there are good sequences, but they are just that: sequences. They don’t connect with the rest of the film. It’s the same setup every time: silence, sneaking, the killer appears. Rinse and repeat.

What previously made the series so good was that it subverted clichés. Now, the film is instead nothing but tired clichés. There were every opportunity here to update the series for a modern world and do something new—to make the audience feel the same euphoria I did three decades ago. Instead, it’s a complete dud.

The Blu-ray Edition

Speaking of duds: the Blu-ray edition. When I reviewed Scream (2022), I criticized the UHD edition, which was anything but impressive. This time, there isn’t even a UHD edition, so you have to settle for Blu-ray.

The picture is relatively nice, with good black levels and colors, but I always miss HDR when I watch movies on BD. The image is fine as far as the technology allows.

What is a real shame is that they didn’t include a Dolby Atmos track. Instead, we get a rather thin and low-resolution DTS 5.1 track.

False Advertising

Then we come to the most annoying and frustrating thing I’ve ever experienced with a physical release. Swedish editions are notoriously bad at including bonus features that have been produced and are available on all international editions, but for some reason are removed here.

I was therefore surprised when I read the back of the case – see the image below.

But imagine my surprise when I insert the disc and there are no bonus features at all!? How can such a mistake be made? It is false advertising. Total madness!

Summary

In summary, Scream 7 is unfortunately a massive disappointment. I haven’t gone into details because I don’t want to spoil too much, but it’s incredibly fun to see Matthew Lillard again, and that raises the score slightly. However, the poor Blu-ray edition significantly drags down the overall experience. The rating isn’t quite at the very bottom, but it’s close.

SF Studios provided a review copy for this test. The provider of the material has no editorial influence on our tests; we always write independently with you, the readers and consumers, in focus.