Scream 7

I regret that the film has ended up at this level. I am a long-time fan of the franchise, but after the third installment, this is easily its weakest entry. Following a strong prologue, a noticeable fatigue settles in among the characters themselves — “Is this happening again?”, “I’m sorry”, “How many times now?”. The film feels exhausted, and so do the people in it.

Isabelle May is a capable actress, but she doesn't feelike Sidney Prescott’s daughter. The film arrives far too soon after the previous installment and fails to engage with contemporary horror or current cinematic trends. Instead, it stalls completely on the subject of deepfakes, without developing the idea in any meaningful or provocative way.

What is most disappointing, however, is that Kevin Williamson seems to realize my greatest fear for Scream: a Scream film stripped of its meta-commentary — about itself, about horror, and about cinema as a whole.

The handling of legacy elements is particularly poor. Stu Macher’s involvement is appalling, while David Arquette’s cameo feels genuinely pathetic. Joel McHale is badly underused, and his character is flat and uninteresting. The third act simply does not work, with an unsatisfying reveal and an unconvincing choice of killers. Even Ghostface lacks his usual sharp, self-aware sarcasm. Courteney Cox, meanwhile, has unfortunately become somewhat unsettling to watch.

Overall, this is a 6/10 at best, especially disappointing given that I rate most entries in the series above 8/10. The franchise would be better served by being handed over to more adventurous, arthouse-leaning directors — as was the case with Radio Silence — rather than replaying the same worn-out record on repeat. If there is a next time, and therr will be, I am not sure I will even pick up the phone.