Has the Scream franchise started to pull its punches? Does its most recent release rely solely on its gratuitous violence to prop its non-sensical plot up like so many viewers are claiming? This is not a movie review or recap. It is a brief discussion of the general reception of the seventh film, in the context of its predecessors.
TL;DR: It doesn’t hold up to my scrutiny. Read on to find out why that’s the case.
The franchise premise
There will be some (minor) spoilers for the first six films. Fair warning that there are also multiple images of gory scenes from the films.
Scream (1996) is an incredibly popular satiric-slasher film, known for poking fun at the classic slasher genre and its spectacular violence and gore. Its well known for its increasingly implausible series of serial murders and serial murderers (who all chose to wear the iconic mask.) Since the first film’s release, there have been six film sequels in total, with the most recent releasing earlier this year, in February 2026. Now, looking back at the entries which precede it, I’m here to ask if Scream 7 delivers on what its fans were looking for.
The basic premise of each movie is that there is a killer or group of killers on the lose with a personal vendetta against the film’s protagonist or someone close to them. Every movie opens with a multiple murder by these killers, who then proceed to antagonise, threaten, and torment the main character and their supporting cast, all while repeatedly trying to kill them.
Sometimes following the outline of a mystery ‘who dun it’ and sometimes devolving into a full gorefest, each movie infamously ends with multiple members of the main supporting cast dead, as well as the certain or presumed death of the killers, who sustain grievous injuries in the final showdown. Often, the films climax will be the reveal that the killers are people who are close with the main character.
Scream (1996)
The original film, still generally considered the best of the franchise, centers around a high school girl named Sidney Prescott, and her immediate social circle. Reeling from the violent murder of her late mother, Sidney goes toe-to-toe with a pair of homicidal murderers together with her circle of friends. At the climax of the film, it is revealed that both killers are part of that social circle. Friends with a vendetta against her late mother.
The film ends with both killer’s presumed deaths, with several of the other cast members bodies brutally mutilated in their wake. By Sidney survives, and alongside several of her friends, lives to see the events of the second film.
Scream 2 (1997)
The second film, released the following year, picks up with the murder of another couple by a killer in a ghost face mask, mirroring the opening of the first film. This will become a staple of the franchise. We once again meet Sidney Prescott, now a university student, who is once more confronted by a masked killer out for her blood. As it turns out, there are, once again, not one, but two killers to contend with. The one who does most of the dirty work in in it for the fame. But the smarter of the two is out to avenge one of the killers of the first movie. Fortunately, they fail to kill Sidney, but many people end up dead in the crossfire.
The film ends with the certain death of both killers, and the revelation that they once again had an intimate connection with Sidney’s social circle. This also marks the first film wherein one of the killers turns on and attempts to kill the other.
Sidney just cannot catch a break it seems. Much like the first film, the second is gratuitously gory and very tongue-in-cheek with its satire.
Scream 3 (2000)
The third film opens again, with the murder of a couple, and takes the satire for the ‘rules of a horror movie trilogy’ to its completion. This time, the mastermind behind the killers from the first film going on a head hunt for Sidney.
The stakes (in the eyes of we the audience and the meta comentary of the film) are higher than ever, because no character is ever safe in the third installment of a horror trilogy. Like the first two films, it ends with the suitably dramatic death of the killer and various supporting characters. It is also the first instance in the trilogy of a killer who makes a point to kill their own family member.
Scream 4 (2011)
Released eleven years later in 2011, the fourth film opens on approximately the fifteen year anniversary of the events of the first film. Taking place in the setting of the original film, another pair of killers have taken to carving up innocent people, but with the twist this time that they are framing Sidney as the killer.
One of the two killers goes on to murder a member of their family, as well as Sidney’s before turning on their fellow killer. Eventually, Sidney manages to kill this final killer as well, though just barely.
Scream (2022)
This fifth film in the franchise, released eleven years after the fourth film, opens ten years after its events. It centers around a younger generation of teens, including Sam, who is the biological child of a killer from the first film. Sidney, of course, is once more dragged into the thick of it at the news of the murder of a survivor of the first four massacres.
While trying to protect the kids and catch the new duo of killers, Sidney is forced to relive a cruel parody of the first films events in the same house they took place. The film ultimately ends with Sam and her half-sister each killing one of the killers. Killer who unsurprisingly turned out to be their friends.
Scream VI (2023)
The sixth film, opening a year after the events of the fifth, is the first film in which Sidney does not feature. Instead, it focuses entirely on Sam and other former survivors. This time, it is Sam who is being framed for the most recent ghost face murders. This time, there are five killers. Through, a group of three kills two of the other ghost face copycats before they can get properly involved with the main cast.
It is later revealed that the killer trio are looking to get revenge for the death of a previous film’s killer, who was a family member of theirs. This mirrors the motive of the mastermind from the second Scream movie. Not the most original, but revenge will always do in a pinch. Sam ultimately kills two of the three killers herself, one while wearing her father’s ghost face costume and mask, while another former survivor deals the killing blow to the third.
Scream 7 (2026)
And now we get to the most recent film. This seventh installment picks back up with our original protagonist, Sidney, and her teenage daughter Tantum, who find themselves the target of a duo of ghost faces. Of the seven films, it has thus far received the worst reception, and I can see why.
The problems
The movie does not hesitate to showcase gore, but it is gore without a purpose. In fact, I’d go so far as to say the film compensates for its lack of humour, wit, and originality by dialing up the graphic nature of the violence. Something which is sorely needed, given the difficulty of emotionally investing in the characters. The young protagonist spends an awful lot of time being held captive. But more importantly, she lacks a developed personality or character arc. The same could be said of the killers and their supporting cast victims.
The traditional ‘meta’ satirical elements are largely absent, and the film doesn’t seem to have anything new to say. While the franchise is particularly formulaic, this film seems to be a particularly negative example of that. It feels like a bare bones framework, rather than a fleshed out film. Furthermore, the absence of the satiric element means that the film comes off as trope-y and cliche, rather than interesting. It’s no longer making fun of the genres conventions. It’s the very thing that other films in the franchise make fun of, for the most part.
Furthermore, the movie ends in the escape of one of the two killers. This movie felt less like a movie, and more like a set-up for an eighth installment to the franchise. If you like watching people be murdered in bloody or violent ways, then you’ll get about as much out of this movie as you would out of a snuff film. It is uninteresting as a fiction, horror, and thriller.
Is watching it worth it for you fans?
If you have to pick up a new horror film to watch, or prepare for the eighth installment, I’d recommend reading the film’s wiki page and watching highlight clips. That’d be preferable to sitting through the film. Honestly, you could completely disregard the film if you wanted to. (To be honest, the fan theories about its plot before it was released are honestly more interesting then the end result.) This movie is definitely a Scream installment. But, its a ghost, a degraded imitation, of what the franchise is so well known for.
