Movie Review: SCREAM 7

By ABBIE BERNSTEIN / Staff Writer

Posted: March 2nd, 2026 / 09:07 PM

SCREAM 7 movie poster | ©2026 Miramax / Paramount Pictures

Rating: R
Stars: Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, Isabel May, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Mason Gooding, Anna Camp, Mckenna Grace, Asa Germann, Celeste O’Connor, Sam Rechner, Ethan Embry, Mark Consuelos
Writers: Kevin Williamson and Guy Busick, story by James Vanderbilt & Guy Busick, based on characters created by Kevin Williamson
Director: Kevin Williamson
Distributor: Paramount
Release Date: February 27, 2026

The late director Wes Craven, who helmed the first four movies, is rightly hailed for his work on the SCREAM franchise. However, it should never be forgotten that the 1996 original film came from an original script by Kevin Williamson, who subsequently also wrote SCREAM 2 and SCREAM 4 (aka SCRE4M).

Without getting into an epic argument about the auteur theory, while the initial SCREAM might not have worked without Craven, the whole much-imitated but seldom-improved-upon (or even matched) meta-self-aware slasher format is Williamson’s baby.

In the SCREAM films, the main characters are being stalked by masked killers, so the threat is real, but since the killers are inspired by horror movies (and, in later SCREAMs, sometimes by news coverage of the crimes inspired by horror movies, or by the coverage), there are rules that go along with what’s happening. What makes the SCREAM films distinctive is that the characters are so conscious of these rules that they can both cite them and use them for survival, at the same time the antagonists are (usually) bound by them.

SCREAM 7 is not Williamson’s feature directorial debut – that would be 1999’s TEACHING MRS. TINGLE – but it’s his first time helming one of his SCREAM screenplays. He shares writer credit here with Guy Busick, who in turn is credited with crafting the story with James Vanderbilt. For those who don’t follow the meaning of writing credits, an ampersand indicates the writers worked as a team, whereas an “and” means they wrote separately. Since Williamson and Busick have an “and” writing credit on SCREAM 7, and since Vanderbilt & Busick have a story credit here after co-writing SCREAM (5) and SCREAM 6, it seems like at least some of SCREAM 7 existed on the page before the whole shebang changed direction.

Of course, SCREAM 7 pretty much had to change direction when the production company decided not to bring back SCREAM 5/SCREAM 6 lead Melissa Barrera. There is extensive discussion of this elsewhere on the Internet. This reviewer supports free speech but otherwise feels that discussion is separate from SCREAM 7 as a film and therefore isn’t going into it here.

Neve Campbell and her seminal character Sidney Prescott were absent from SCREAM 6, but she’s back at the center of SCREAM 7. Sidney has moved out of Woodsboro, CA, the site of all of the films except 6, which was in New York.

Now Sidney lives in the pleasant small town of Pine Grove, with her police chief husband Mark Evans (Joel McHale) and their three children. The youngest two are visiting Mark’s mom in Colorado, but high schooler Tatum (Isabel May) is at home and in the school play. She’s the same age that Sidney was in the first SCREAM.

The SCREAM films are in many ways structured like regular murder mysteries. Who is doing it and why? Who, if anyone, can be trusted? How many of them are there?

Only the customary whodunit question is omitted. Unlike other literary and cinematic sleuths, our heroes never need to worry about how to catch the killer(s), because whoever that is will be running straight at them in the climax for a bloody, knock-down life-or-death physical confrontation.

Williamson and the other writers manage to come up with a few new twists that allow for some fun, the quippy dialogue is enjoyable, the splatter factor is as high as ever, and all of the actors get grace notes.

The returning Campbell is once more entirely at home with Sidney’s wariness and Courteney Cox is likewise on point as battered, somewhat brittle but still chipper newswoman Gale. May does well with Tatum’s diffidence and McHale, in a change of pace role, is fine as the solid lawman.

A number of previous SCREAM characters show up in one form or another, and all are welcome. Notable among the new cast members are Anna Camp, Mckenna Grace, Asa Germann, Celeste O’Connor, Sam Rechner, Ethan Embry, and Mark Consuelos.

Williamson has said that he viewed Craven as a mentor and his style as a director here seems to be in Craven’s mold, with lots of ominous dark spaces and menacing opaque areas that allow for misdirection and jump scares.

Bottom line: for those who like the SCREAM sequels, odds are good they’ll like SCREAM 7. For those unfamiliar with the series, SCREAM 7 gives efficient recaps without overdoing it. For those who aren’t SCREAM fans, SCREAM 7 is unlikely to change hearts and minds.

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