I'm a die hard fan of the Scream movies, and the recent series return with the fifth and sixth films has been a true gift as a lover of the franchise. I'll always be excited for a new Scream movie, but there was no denying that multiple dark clouds were hanging over this latest insallment.
After the big success of Scream VI, it seemed that most of the cast and crew would be returning. Even that film had its share of controversy, with series icon Neve Campbell absent due to a pay dispute, but it seemed that the seventh film would bring her back into the fold and continue the story. In 2023, Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett excited the project after directing the previous two installments. Hit horror director Christopher Landon was brought on to replace them, but he too would wind up leaving. The film's pre-production was suspended by the SAG-AFTRA strike, and soonafter star Melissa Barrera was fired from the project by Spyglass Mediafor speaking out on the war in Gaza. The next day it was announced Jenna Ortega would also be leaving the series, meaning the two new leads of the franchise would both be absent. Landon left after Barrera's firing, as he felt the film that he signed on to make no longer existed. In 2024 it was announced that Campbell would officially be coming back, but that could only do so much in rebuilding people's faith in the movie. After the firings and multiple people leaving the project, the whole film was changed to tell a new story rather than continuing what was believed to be a three-film arc with Barrera and Ortega.
I don't often get too in depth with the production background of a movie, but I think in this case it's important. I've only scratched the surface of all the production drama and backlash, and sadly that all lead to what I can confidently call the worst film in the franchise by a country mile. I went in with hope thanks to the return of Campbell, along with the original film's writer Kevin Williamson taking the director's chair, but this is as clear a case out there of a film that was rushed and rewritten in a haphazard attempt to capitalize on a brand.
This film follows Sidney, now living a mostly normal life with her husband and children. Their quiet life is interrupted when a new Ghostface killer emerges, claiming himself to be Stu Macher, one of the deceased killers from the first film. Sidney must put herself back into survivor mode in order to protect her family, and hopefully put an end to the bloodshed that has followed her for decades.
Even with the critical response to the film, I went in expecting to find some enjoyment in it. I will say, Campbell is great, and Isabel May is a very strong addition as her daughter. There are some kills that are quite clever, and the overall look of the movie is solid. Sadly, I don't have much more to say in terms of the positives. Even returning cast members in Courtney Cox, Mason Gooding, and Jasmine Savoy Brown do little to sway me anywhere close to the positives.
Every element of the film is essentially the worst in the franchise. The opening scene isn't bad, but I would put either it or Scream 3 at the bottom of the series openings. The killers are without a doubt the worst, with their reveals being a bland cherry on the top of an underwhelming sundae. The whodunnit aspect of the film is handled terribly, and that is one of the most important parts of a Scream movie. Perhaps most important in a Scream movie though is the fun meta-aspect, and that's simply nonexistent here. There are plenty of callbacks to the other films, but the closest this comes to any kind of meta-commentary is the way the film tackles AI and deep fakes. The lack of that self aware fun makes it not feel cohesive with the franchise despite having characters from the past, making it feel more like the seventh entry in something like Halloween or Friday the 13th rather than a series that has had fairly consistent strong outings. It's the first in the series to feel as though it has nothing to say, and after the exciting ending to Scream VI it's a shame we got this half-assed rush job rather than the concluding chapter of Berrera's character, one written with some truly fascinating ideas.
I hate to be dumping on the latest from a series that means so much to me, especially considering I'm notorious for loving Jurassic World movies even when they aren't any good. This just isn't Scream, and it's shocking that bringing back Kevin Williamson didn't at least capture some of the magic. The movie is honestly boring, something I never would have expected. The new cast members did have me excited, but the new teenage friend group is given next to zero time to shine (although some do get great kill scenes), something that further kills the whodunnit aspect of the film as it becomes hard to even care who might be the killer thanks to how little we get to know the characters. Joel McHale is a decent addition, and Jimmy Tatro is fun in the opening, but the film wildly misuses Anna Camp, Ethan Embry, and McKenna Grace in addition to the returning cast.
After Scream 2, the third film was rushed into production without a solid script and wound up being the worst film in the franchise. For a series so steeped in the history of the genre, it's a shame the studio didn't listen to their own rules. These movies thrive on having something to say about the genre, so I hope now we can take some time once again and let the series breathe. Hopefully one day we'll see Scream in the hands of a new studio who really cares about the movies, one that can bring Barrera back and give her the ending she deserves, and perhaps take the time to bring us something that lives up to the quality of the franchise rather than something that feels like the kind of late-series installments the original Scream would make fun of. Just a sad time at the movies and a giant disappointment. 1.5/5
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