Carl Roberts 
“While it’s not the weakest of the franchise, Scream 7 looks and feels tired. Ghostface has finally lost his cutting edge in a sadly predictable way.”
Can you believe that it’s been 30 years since the original Scream was released? This year marks the anniversary of the very first time we encountered Ghostface. He and she have sliced and diced their way through six movies. They have also killed off some famous actors and actresses along the way. Now, we have been given Scream 7. The film features the return of Neve Campbell in her possibly most famous role as Sidney Prescott. Also reprising their roles in this new sequel are Jasmin Savoy Brown, Mason Gooding, David Arquette, Matthew Lillard, and Courteney Cox.
In addition, the cast introduces some newcomers. The new cast members include Isabel May, Anna Camp, Michelle Randolph, Jimmy Tatro, McKenna Grace, Asa Germann, Celeste O’Connor, Sam Rechner, Mark Consuelos, Tim Simons, and Joel McHale. As a result, can Ghostface still cut it after 30 years, or has the franchise lost its cutting edge?
THE PREMISE
Sidney Prescott has built a new life for herself in the quiet town of Pine Grove, Indiana, until a new Ghostface killer begins to target her daughter, Tatum, forcing her to face her past to end the killings once and for all.
THOUGHTS
Ghostface’s edge has been blunted. From what started out as a terrific, iconic and knowing horror movie with the original film, Scream 7 is anything but. It isn’t bad, it’s just too predictable. Many people who I saw the film with guessed who the killer was almost immediately. That is never a good sign for a staple of horror cinema. Despite some inventive, nasty, gory and bloodthirsty kills, the film feels devoid of suspense. It does have some great knowing winks at what’s gone before, along with throwbacks to the first few movies. However, it relies on these too much. And despite some jump scares, it simply isn’t scary.
While the cast tries hard, this fits into Scream 3 and Scream 4 territory. While it isn’t as weak as those two entries, it joins them as disposable films, ones that aim to add to the mythology but fall far short. To be quite honest and fair to the film, it is a middling affair. Not even a spirited cast can elevate the film beyond an above-average slasher movie. And that is a shame, as there is plenty to like here, an epic horror movie just trying to force its way out of what’s holding it back. The kills try and help, and to a certain extent, they do. But almost every one is telegraphed in advanced. Some deaths will have the audience gasping at how they are killed off. But the film runs out of steam, and the franchise runs out of road long before the end.
NEVE CAMPBELL
The cast gives it their all in trying to make the film better than it deserves. The main selling point of the film is the return of Neve Campbell as Sidney. In that respect, we can breathe easily. The actress returns to her role like she’s never been away, tapping into Sidney’s energy and strength as never before. This comes with her now being a mother, one who frets over her eldest child, Tatum. Her daughter is now the same age Sidney was when the events of the first film unfolded.
Neve Campbell plays the worried-mother aspect of her character well, adding another layer to Sidney’s personality. If only she had more to do than running around, scared for her daughter, and trying to discover who the new Ghostface is. Even her scenes with Courtney Cox as Gale Weathers (wasted in a thankless extended cameo) can’t make up for the flaws the film has. However, the film does make a great point about survivor’s guilt and the aftermath of tragedy and death.
ISABEL MAY
Playing the part of Tatum, Isabel May almost becomes the front and centre of the film. She turns in a terrific performance as the typical rebellious teenager. She rages at her mother for what she thinks is holding her back. Why Sidney does this is simple; she is trying to protect her daughter, shielding her from her own past and her history with Ghostface’s many incarnations. We can see immediately that the filmmakers are attempting to position Isabel May as the new face of the franchise going forward. While she does well with her role, she is shortchanged by a script that makes her out to be the usual damsel in distress. However, she does manage to kick ass in certain scenes.
THE CAST
The remainder of the cast is good but disposable. Jasmin Savoy Brown and Mason Gooding return, but they’ve made them unlikeable, especially in the case of Jasmin Savoy Brown. Instead of being the character we have come to love over the past two movies, they’ve turned her into a scheming wannabe, one who knows too much. Ok, this is understandable given what she went through previously, but she portrays it in a way that is frankly unbelievable. Both she and Gooding get their time in the spotlight, but it isn’t what we expect or thought we would see from the pair.
Although I won’t spoil what happens, the rest of the cast are simply cannon fodder for Ghostface. We watch and wait to see who will get themselves killed next or who will survive. While they make the most of what they have been given to work with, the characterisation is almost non-existent. Not even the appearance of McKenna Grace can pull these supporting characters up from being simply in the killer’s sights, in a line, waiting to be butchered in various nasty ways. While in previous movies, we cared for these supporting characters, here, we find ourselves simply not bothered when one gets murdered. We just want to see how nasty it is.
WRITING AND DIRECTION
The screenplay by Kevin Williamson and Guy Busick, from a story by James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick, and based on characters created by Kevin Williamson, is the film’s main problem. While the film’s opening is enjoyable, it doesn’t deliver on the promise it sets up. Instead, it becomes a retread of what’s gone before. It should have been an iconic film that could match the original, but it quickly becomes a pale imitation. And that comes as a big shock. Nostalgia can only carry you so far.
While his screenplay is lacklustre, Williamson’s direction is actually pretty good. After working with the late, legendary Wes Craven on the first two and the fourth movies, Williamson knows how the master would want the film to look and feel. And he manages to pull it off. Instead of copying Craven, Williamson pays homage to him while forging his own directorial style here. Every shot is superb, the lighting and look of the film are spot on, and Williamson directs like he knows how these characters should react. Which, of course, he should, considering he created the franchise in the first place.
VERDICT
While it’s not the weakest of the franchise, Scream 7 looks and feels tired. Ghostface has finally lost his cutting edge in a sadly predictable way. The wit is still there, but the formula has grown weaker. Instead of being a must-see horror movie for the ages, it becomes simply an enjoyable, amiable slasher film, which we pay our money to see people get killed in horrendous ways. In that respect, we do get our money’s worth, but it doesn’t grip us as it should. Suspense has gone out of the window, replaced by predictable set-ups that don’t scare us as they should.
On the plus side, it is wonderful to once again hear the voice of Roger L. Jackson as Ghostface. Add in the return of Marco Beltrami, delivering his iconic score for the film once more and some really great songs on the soundtrack, and you have something that will resonate and make you smile. However, these small details can’t hide the fact that the film is, sadly, a letdown. Instead of being another chapter in Ghostface’s long history, it could be his last hurrah. This saddens me, as I’m a big fan of the Scream franchise. See it for the blood, see it for the gore, see it for the mayhem, and see it for the performances of Neve Campbell and Isabel May. Just be prepared to see Ghostface’s knife finally blunted.
Scream 7 opens in cinemas today, courtesy of Paramount Pictures.
Introducing Carl! As the News Editor at Future of the Force, Carl has been an invaluable member of our team since early 2016. His expertise and dedication have made him an integral part of our editorial staff. Beyond his professional role, Carl is a fervent supporter of Liverpool F.C. and an avid follower of pop culture. He has a deep passion for Halloween, Friday the 13th, and the iconic movie franchises Star Wars and Star Trek.
He can be found either at his neighborhood cinema, enjoying the latest releases on the big screen, or at home streaming the newest blockbuster movies.
