I only have myself to blame, if I’m being honest. Catch me on the right day and I’ll tell you Scream is my favorite movie. Each time I watch it I’m immediately transported back to the summer of 1997, getting the VHS from Hollywood video and watching it at home with my siblings. I was 12. No idea how I convinced my mom to rent it for us but she did. She sat off to the side of the room while Scream did a number on me. Every time I watch it my mind wanders back to that first watch and it probably always will. That memory has fueled a lifetime of movie watching, chasing that feeling of being terrified and exhilarated at the same time. That memory helps get my excitement through the roof each time a new Scream comes out even though I know that I’ll never have that experience again. At least not with a Scream movie. I know better and, yet, I let myself get excited for Scream 7.
I’m very forgiving when it comes to the Scream series. Even in its lowest moments, I can still point to aspects of each movie that I enjoy. Even the much maligned Scream 3. It’s not a hill worth dying on, but 3 is not the worst of the bunch. I know it in my soul, but that’s a matter for a different day. Scream 5 reinvigorated my faith in the franchise. Scream 6 didn’t exactly reward that faith, but it has its moments and was building toward something before behind the scenes drama and corporate cowardice sent the film down a different creative path. Nevertheless, I was ready for Scream 7. What I wasn’t ready for was for Scream 7 to do the one thing I assumed would never happening, barring a truly untenable contract standoff: kill Sidney Prescott.
Changing course from the storyline of the previous two films, Scream 7 welcomes series star Neve Campbell back into the fold with a story centered on Ghostface looking to share some generational trauma with Sidney’s teenage daughter Tatum (Isabel May). This is the only really interesting element of the story, this connection between mother and daughter that appears to be a relatively normal relationship. Complicating matters is Ghostface’s insistence that he’s not hiding his identity this time around and that he is, in fact, the long dead Stu Macher (Matthew Lillard) of the first film. The idea is one of the few decent meta bits in Scream 7, with the return of Stu being a long-running source of conspiracy chatter and wishcasting among fans.
Sidney’s idyllic quiet life in a sleepy Midwest town is upended with Ghostface’s return and the ensuing trail of bodies left in his wake. Dang, hate when that happens. What ensues is a classic example of a movie being over-stuffed and undercooked at the same time. There are a lot of characters and recognizable faces, lots of kills, lots of talk, but not much in the way of story. Williamson runs through various murder scenes that probably would’ve been considered rough drafts in the series’ better films, dispatching the forgettable characters with all the zest of someone pulling weeds.
Without the threat of being good to worry about, Scream 7 is free to wallow in lame, poorly lit scenes and half-hearted scares. The first thing that stands out about Scream 7 is how garish it looks. Right from the opening sequence at the Macher house in Woodsboro, featuring Jimmy Tatro and McKenna Grace as the customary first kills, the film is dark to the point where it’s hard to tell what’s happening at times. That will be a recurring issue for the film, as the interior sequences have a hazy look that serves neither the tension or the setpieces. The series has forever been chasing the ghost of the first film’s instantly iconic opening, and Scream 7 feels like it’s barely trying. The opening kills, aside from being standout sequences of their films, are narratively tied to the story, either by putting an entire community on edge or as a method to get Sidney’s attention, but Scream 7’s opener could be cut wholesale with no impact whatsoever on the rest of the film.
The series has developed a killer problem, which is that every killer and their motivation has been so lame, so uninspiring that it almost plays like self-parody at this point. I’d argue Scott Foley’s Scream 3 Ghostface was the last one worth a damn, before the series gave way to pint-sized killers who spent too much time online. Scream 7 keeps the streak of dull killers alive although, at this point, I don’t know that there is any way for a Scream to have a worthwhile killer again. When we get to the big reveal in Scream 7 it has the undesirable effect of retroactively making the film worse when you try to work through the logic of it all. I’m not going to spoil who the killer is, mostly because it doesn’t matter. This cast of characters does not have any interesting people among them, and the revelation of the motive only underscores this. You know what? It’s my fault for still holding out hope for this film. It will still be my fault when I show up for Scream 8 and every other subsequent film for the rest of eternity. Because as much as I’m complaining here, I’m still going to show up for any Scream movie that gets released. So maybe I’m frustrated with myself more than anything.
Which brings me back to something I said earlier in this review. Scream 7 effectively kills what has made Sidney such a sturdy character for so long. When we first met Sidney, she was smart and brave, almost an idealized version of a horror character. She did and said the things we tell ourselves we would do if dropped into this scenario. When she succumbed to horror tropes, it usually happened with a wink. Scream 7 saddles Sidney with one of the series’ dumbest moments. After yet another botched interview with Gale Weathers (Courtney Cox), Sidney gets a call from Tatum who is under threat from Ghostface at that very moment. Sidney will be right there but, whoops, she left her car keys with Gale. Instead of running back to get the keys and drive to her daughter, Sidney stares back for a moment before taking off to RUN ACROSS TOWN. I know they’re in a small town, but Sidney spends a significant amount of time running. What are we doing here? It’s almost like she wants her daughter to die and is giving herself the excuse of “well, I tried to help.” This is the most egregious dumbing down moment in a movie full of dopey moments. It is fitting, in a way, for Scream god Kevin Williamson to be the one do what Ghostface never could. With Scream 7 we’ve finally hit the point where Sidney, and the series, fully steps into the shoes of everything the series once mocked.
After becoming the franchise’s highest grossing entry, Scream 7 is now available in 4KUHD and Blu-ray editions.
