I’ve just gotten home from the theater after having seen Scream 7. I’m currently curled up under my Ghostface blanket and contemplating a rewatch of what, was up until this moment, my least favorite Scream, number 3.  I had other plans for tonight, but I feel if I don’t get my thoughts down, I won’t remember enough of the movie to write about it tomorrow.

• Directed by: Kevin Williamson
• Written by: Kevin Williamson. Guy Busick. James Vanderbilt
• Starring: Neve Campbell. Courteney Cox. Isabel May

The Elephant in Pre-Production

To get a few things out of the way: I’m not going to get into the controversies about the casting and necessary script changes. I don’t agree with the decisions that were made, and the resulting film is clearly not better off.  There have been calls for a boycott and to be honest, I think that’s a fair reaction. Vote with your wallet people! The script changes and drama are however just the tip of the iceberg of the problems with Scream 7.

I’ll be evaluating Scream 7 just on the merits of what was presented not what could have been, which still gives us plenty to discuss.  

The Actual Movie

First off, the plot of Scream 7 sees a new set of Ghostfaces terrorizing Sidney Prescott. Sidney is trying to keep her daughter, Tatum, safe and away from the trauma of her past. Gail Weathers joins in with the twins from Scream 5 and 6 to round out the overstuffed cast.  And the cast is an issue. In a franchise that relies on strong kills for characters we care about, Scream 7 is a total letdown.  The death toll is low, and the kills are unimaginative. There is more gore than normal. But it’s not artful gore.  

I’m struggling with how to break down the specific issues I had with Scream 7.  The cast was weak, the kills were meh, and the killers felt like pale imitations of better movies. My problem is – it just didn’t feel like a Scream movie.

What Makes a Scream Movie

There are a lot of slashers and a few long running franchises. While many of them have a masked killer picking off hapless teens they all have a different tone and feel. I’ve talked in depth about the franchise here, but Scream stood out for its unique meta commentary and ever changing killers. It was a different take on the slasher.

Despite the rotating cast of killers, there has always been a continuity in how Ghostface was portrayed. The body language and general M.O. were consistent. This iteration of Ghostface didn’t have those mannerisms. I didn’t see a single knife wipe. Now, there was what could be interpreted as legitimate lore reason for this. However, once you start pulling that thread, other plot elements stop making much sense.

The Rules and Commentary

Other Scream elements, the gathering of suspects and “rules” discussion, are present but since we don’t spend enough time with the supporting cast to suspect them or care about them, it feels like we’re going through the motions.  As far as meta commentary goes, it’s a fine line between highlighting trends in fandom and mocking your audience. It’s not always a bad thing to give the fans what they want . If you can’t do that, maybe don’t make them feel bad for wanting it.

Scream movies were always in some way about revenge or the desire for fame.  While 7 tries to look at those same subjects from a different angle, it loses its focus.  I think this has a lot to do with the disjointed nature of the script.

The Result

Scream 7 is in a bad place. It’s caught between wanting to move the franchise forward and acknowledging that it needs nostalgia to survive.  A large part of the plot revolves around idolizing the reality of Sidney, not the movie character.  If this and the meta commentary didn’t feel like a dig at the fandom, it could have been an interesting direction. But like most of the movie, it feels underdeveloped and underthought.

Now, I have to apologize because I’m going to talk about spoilers for a recent release. 

A Slasher is Only as Good as the Killer

And these killers are weak. I’m ok with someone obsessed with Sidney. One of our killers had taken a little too much inspiration from her story. When Sidney didn’t show up to save the day in Scream 6, the killer grew disillusioned and decided to make a new generation of final girl in Tatum.  

So, if this killer is trying to start something new, why go back to Ghostface in the first place? The gimmick of Scream 7 is the deepfake videos of Stu Macher threatening Sidney. This is terribly done. Not the scenes themselves—Matthew Lillard is delightfully unhinged—but the overall impact and reason. The killers have no purpose for this, and it just doesn’t fit their backstory.  

The other actors they deepfaked were unnecessary. Sydney’s guilt is another reoccurring theme, but we’re not covering any new ground with it here.

Like You Could Do Better?

Since you asked, there is a way they could have used the deepfake element and kept the script as it was written at least partially intact. Let’s just take two of the killers, the two that weren’t given any motive other than generally being crazy.  Let’s say that they were old-school fanboys looking to create their own urban legend: the idea that Stu Macher survived. 

They pair up, and with the deepfakes, start their Stu-inspired killing spree.  They could make Tatum their core target, for what should be obvious reasons. Since we all know that Stu is dead, they feel safe behind two masks. The best part is they don’t have to be connected to Sidney or anything other than the “Stab”/True Crime fandom. 

But maybe there is a twist. Maybe Stu isn’t dead and doesn’t love being blamed for someone else’s kills. If he’s going to be blamed for any murders, they will be his own. Having one of the original Ghostfaces come to clean house and show everyone why the mask inspires such fear, would be epic.  Especially if the ending involved a multi-generational team-up with Sam, Tatum, and Sidney. 

Final Thoughts

We know the script went through multiple rewrites, so who knows what ideas were jettisoned and for what reasons.  All I can tell you is that what was released didn’t work for me.

And I’m a woman who owns three Ghostface costumes. 

Scream 7 is in theaters now. But the first 6 are available on streaming. Just saying.