Scream 7 (2026) Review

Looking at the swirling winds of interest leading up to the release of Scream 7, it feels like the opinions flow into two currents – the diehard followers of the original Craven/Williamson films and those who liked the direction Bettinelli-Olpin, Gillett, Vanderbilt and Busick were headed in.

Though this review will steer clear of the politics surrounding that juncture, the events seem to have had a permanent impact on the franchise – one that will likely determine whether or not you’ll enjoy this instalment… which is a shame.

This is a film very aware that it has been around the block a few times. Thirty years on from Woodsboro, and Ghostface is less a masked intruder than a recurring houseguest who knows where you keep the knives.

What makes this chapter intriguing is that Kevin Williamson, architect of the original’s sly, self-aware blueprint, finally steps into the director’s chair. That fact hangs over the film like a challenge. Can the man who once joyously dismantled slasher rules now breathe fresh life into a franchise that has become one of horror’s most carefully managed brands?

The answer is complicated, which feels apt.

Scream 7 brings Neve Campbell back to centre stage as Sidney Prescott, now living a supposedly quieter life in a small town with a husband and a teenage daughter named Tatum. The name alone tells you what kind of game we are playing. Nostalgia is not subtext here; it is text, underlined and occasionally circled in red ink.

Campbell remains the series’ secret weapon. There is something grounding about her presence: the right amount of grit, a realism to her empathy, and a refusal to wink too hard at the audience. Sidney is older, warier, still capable of ferocity when pushed. Again, the film’s best moments belong to her, particularly when the protective instinct of motherhood collides with the muscle memory of survival. Watching Sidney pick up a weapon again carries a charge that the newer characters, through no fault of the actors, struggle to replicate.

And yes, Courteney Cox returns as Gale Weathers, striding in with the kind of entrance that practically demands applause (and got one in the screening I attended). Her scenes crackle, though she doesn’t get too much of the spotlight. The dynamic between Gale and Sidney has mellowed into something resembling battle-scarred affection, and the film is smart enough to let that play without overexplaining it.

The new crop of teenagers is more mixed. To begin with, there are a lot of them, and they function, banter and bleed, but don’t do much to surprise. For a franchise built on pulling the rug from under genre expectation, Scream 7 often feels content to lay the rug flat and admire its stitching. That said, there was a fair amount of pleasure to be found in trying to guess who may have faked a death or has a hidden motive – which has long been Scream’s special ingredient. Enough is done to keep things interesting and the audience guessing.

Scream 7 is also undeniably energetic. Williamson directs with a briskness very reminiscent of the first two (best?) films. The stalking sequences have real snap, and when the violence ensues, it does so with unapologetic zeal. Some of the kills are genuinely nasty, blithely excessive, and a step up from the usual, tried-and-tested Ghostface practices. At times, the body count racks up at quite a pace, leaving the audience little time to worry about the smaller details, or untangle the constantly changing web of potential suspects.

The film does well to stay current, incorporating new technology and present-day issues. This helps connect it with younger audiences, yes, but makes it equally relatable for older ones. It references its own past without interrogating what that past now means. After the more overtly meta manoeuvres of the previous entries, this feels like a retreat into comfort. Whether that is a flaw or a relief will depend on your appetite.

At times I missed the sharper satirical edge. At others I was just enjoying the ride. The motive reveal, when it comes, has a pleasingly twisted logic that fits the series’ DNA, even if the road to get there is somewhat well signposted.

Is it the bold reinvention some might have hoped for? Not really. Is it a solid, occasionally thrilling reminder of why this franchise endures? Yes, more often than not.

For a fan of the OG films like me, it was enough, and good fun. That said, I hope it’s a while before we revisit Sidney and her entourage, for fear of really pushing the franchise too hard.

Movie Rating:

Scream 7 trailer