Scream 7 Review
- 17 hours ago
- 5 min read
WARNING: Spoilers for Scream 7
Scream 7 has had a… well, tumultuous production history to say the least. Once starting as a completely different production altogether, the film went through major changes behind the scenes. It made one wonder if the next installment was going to be worth the watch. I was skeptical, but once the dust settled and Kevin Williamson announced his return, I become more hopeful.
The man who built the house with Wes Craven was returning to not only write again, but also step behind the camera and direct for the first time in the franchise. This is very exciting. And Kevin’s touch can be felt the very instant the film starts. In point of fact, Kevin's inclusion does help this film feel slightly closer to Wes’ films than the previous two. That is a big win. And that’s not to say Scream (2022) and Scream VI felt “off”. Not at all. However, Kevin’s touch does add something magical and unexplainable to the proceedings in the best possible way.
So we move away from Sam and Tara (in fact they are barely brought up at all) and return to original franchise scream queen Sydney Prescott.
At this point in the franchise, Sydney has moved away to a small secluded town and now has a husband and children. In fact, these family ties were the very reason she did not go to New York for Ghostface’s last attack. But a new Ghostface has tracked her down, intent to bring back that fighting Syd we all knew and loved, while also dragging her daughter into the mud with her.
Sydney’s daughter, Tatum (named after Syd’s best friend played by Rose McGowan in the original film) who is played by Isabel May, is a fantastic addition to the franchise. Her connection and chemistry with Neve Campbell is palpable. The scenes with just the two of them bonding are among the film’s very best. Another welcome new addition is Joel McHale, whom I will always love as Jeff Winger from Community. The three of these actors feel at home together and you truly buy into the idea of them being a tight nit family. Although one with some secrets. One of the film’s major themes has to do with Sydney not being fully upfront about her past with her daughter. Something her neighbor Jessica scolds her about. It is this theme of “you think you know someone” that weaves the different storylines together; an interesting twist on the franchise’s typical “it’s always someone you know” theme.
Courtney Cox also returns as Gale, intrepid and stubborn as ever. Courtney also gets to show a slightly softer side of the character once we realize that her previous encounter in New York has left her scarred, and possibly even addicted to pain killers. She is this time joined by her new news team of Chad and Mindy Meeks. I welcomed their return, but questioned if they would survive their third encounter with Ghostface.
However, all three of these iconic characters are left out of the film’s finale which felt like a wasted opportunity to me.
After a fiery opening where Ghostface burns down Stu’s old house, proclaiming to Sydney “I’m back, and I’m going to burn it all down”, the crux of this film comes from a whopper of a reveal not even 20 minutes in.
Stu is BACK! Seemingly.
After a terrifying phone call which left me shocked and smiling from ear to ear, Stu proclaims his survival and return after all these years. But is Stu really back? Did he truly survive?
This is the guiding question the film raises, and it is the film’s greatest strength. Not only because the search for the truth is extremely tantalizing, but this is also how Kevin pulls out the film’s greatest trick: a meta take not on horror films, sequels, remakes, or legacy sequels, but a meta take on the fans themselves.
The “Did Stu survive?” drumbeat never stopped thrumming. And this is Kevin’s chance to respond. Multiple characters question Stu’s return, even saying things like “it would be a better story” and other meta comments that poke at fans begging for Stu to truly return.
But in the end, Stu is just an AI creation by the real killer.
Here is where a lot of people fall of the wagon, and I can completely sympathize with those who did not like this film’s killers. The reveal that the Ghostfaces are Jessica, Syd’s neighbor and Marco, the caretaker at the nearby mental institution can leave one’s head scratching. And upon first watch, Jessica’s motive seems very complex and convoluted. But then I remembered the film’s theme “you think you know someone” and that is when things clicked. Jessica tells Sydney that reading her book (from Scre4m) helped her stand up to her abusive husband and kill him. Much like how Tautm thinks she knows her mom, Jessica thinks she knows what makes Sydney, well, Sydney. “Sydney Prescott kills the bad guys”, she says. Bad guys are people who have wronged you. So when Syd went away, Jessica felt wronged. Betrayed. So learning from Syd, now she’s going to kill her new “bad guy”, Sydney herself.
But Jessica is a fan. And as a true fan, she wants Sydney to go out on the top of her game. Mindy Meeks says a line in the film “Why do you think they always bring Jamie Lee back for more Halloween sequels?” Jessica can be viewed as a raving fan. Fans that want the original scream queen back in their favorite franchise. And by tying in fandoms, podcasts, and theories, you get the connection to the belief that Stu is still alive. A ridiculous theory, he did have his face smashed by a television after all. But a theory that fans persisted none-the-less. And this is Kevin’s final nail in that coffin. Stu is NOT alive. He was just the machinations of a crazed fan. But Jessica’s not just going to kill Syd. Like a true fan she wants more. So she repeats the cycle for Syd’s daughter so she will inspire others like Sydney did her.
But hold on a minute. If her plan was to terrorize Tatum and start the cycle anew, then they won.
Sure, Sydney survived, but Tatum is successfully traumatized. Before attempting to kill Sydney, Jessica says “By killing you, no more baggage. I am releasing it all.” Releasing it all. Was this a suicide plan as well? Did Jessica always intend for at least Tatum to kill her? A crazed fan dying to bring about a new cycle in her favorite horror franchise? That’s a fascinating look at this. Maybe she never planned on leaving alive.
On the whole Scream 7 is an intense and thrilling ride. The scares are plentiful, the action is bloody, and the mystery is tantalizing. Kevin Williamson turns in a very fun and tense script and his hand on the camera is a welcome addition. He helps this film feel like a return to roots. And the meta commentary about fan theories and crazed fandoms is one of my favorites. It feels like a cousin to the crazed fan element of Scream (2022). However, the idea is maybe stronger on paper, as the execution is a little muddy. It took me a second watch to fully grasp everything, and even then it does feel a little… patched together. Like maybe there were scenes missing that helped fill in a few gaps. Scream 7 is, in my opinion, the weakest of the franchise. But even still, this is the SEVENTH film, and to borrow a quote from a dear friend of mine “Seven films in and we aren’t in space. That’s a win.” This is still a solid shocker and a quality horror film, even if it’s not as good as its predecessors.
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