Scream 7 review: An homage that forgets to tell its own story well
‘Scream 7’ is the latest franchise sequel, returning to its roots on both sides of the camera with mixed results.
The original Scream film was a gamechanger. Wes Craven delivered a meta slasher movie that took years of character tropes and analysis, and told audiences exactly what to look for. They never broke the fourth wall, but they were speaking directly to genre fans. The first two sequels tried to continue the thread, but each new film fell a little below the bar. Later attempts to reboot the franchise could never live up to the 1996 gold standard. So now, Scream 7 is taking it all back to the beginning.
Sidney Prescott-Evans (Neve Campbell) hides in plain sight in a small town. She’s married to Mark Evans (Joel McHale), the local police chief. Their daughter, Tatum (Isabel May), is now the same age she was when she survived her first serial killers. Everyone knows who Sidney is and the Stab movies are as popular as ever. But she still refuses to talk about what happened, even when Tatum asks questions. When the murders start again, Sidney knows exactly what they need to do — run. But shielding Tatum from her past has only made her more wary of her mother’s decisions. So, when nothing goes to plan, the only thing left to do is stay and fight.
The film has a lot of links to the original Scream, from Tatum’s name to the murder house tour, to the many quotes cited by various characters. There are also a few nods to the second film, including a distinct piece of clothing and strategically placed Tori Spelling poster. Co-writer and director Kevin Williamson’s nostalgia for working with Craven radiates through these homages to the story’s origins. It’s also a fun Easter egg hunt for franchise fans as they wade through the many winks and more obvious tributes to the film’s precursors.
Since pulling a Hitchcock and killing the marquee star in Scream’s opening scene, each movie’s beginning is its strongest. This one is no different. The film starts with an acknowledgement of diehard fans who can quote the films and recite obscure trivia. But Ghostface is not playing around in this installment and they don’t give special treatment to anyone. The gateway to reach their soon-to-be victims is obvious, which only builds the anticipation before the bloodshed begins. This masked killer is aggressive and especially brutal compared to some of their predecessors, which makes them a little edgier.
There are some excellent kills in this movie. It unfortunately falls back on an old slasher trope in which the killer toys with and chases around the young women before viciously slaughtering them. However, most of them are fighters, so they get some good hits in on their attacker before inevitably succumbing. On the other hand, Ghostface executes the young men quickly without any fuss and occasionally even dispatches them off screen. Excitingly, there are two unconventional kills that will catch the attention of horror fans, including one inspired practical effect.
The film uses a clever device to reunite some of the original cast, while also making the story relevant in a society grappling with the advancement of A.I. It’s a reminder of how far we’ve come since the 1990s when Ghostface only relied on a voice disguiser to conceal their identity. To that end, the films have used a lot of red herrings over the years to mislead viewers about the killer’s true identity. This latest sequel leverages these distractions to keep viewers on their toes, staying true to the franchise motto, “everyone’s a suspect.”
Unfortunately, it’s pretty easy to determine who the killer is in this picture. In fact, as soon as they’re introduced, many viewers will make the connection. This speaks to the sub-standard script quality, which particularly falls apart in the third act. Throughout the film, characters do numerous senseless things. But at least they’re likeable — a testament to the great cast — so it’s mostly tolerable. Conversely, the scenes leading up to the final standoff requires an irrational suspension of belief to make it appear remotely possible, resulting in unintentional laughter.
As Stu Macher and Billy Loomis established, you need to have a motive. But that is just another of the film’s failings. This movie’s Ghostface has a pretty thin reason for their killing spree. It’s a stretch at best and it’s not interesting or believable.
All of this is exasperated by the number of times a character repeats “shoot him in the head,” making it almost feel like audiences are watching a zombie movie rather than a slasher.
Director: Kevin Williamson
Starring: Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox and Isabel May
