Scream: how scream 7 mixes comeback and controversy

Scream 7 arrives this weekend with a divided critical reception and a storm of production headlines. Christopher Campbell wrote about the first reviews on February 26, 2026, as early reactions split over Neve Campbell’s return and Kevin Williamson’s role directing and co-writing the new installment.

Critical response is mixed

Early critics praised elements of the film while questioning its necessity. Kristy Puchko called it “a return to form” and added that “Scream 7 may not be the best of the bunch, but it’s damn close. ” Peter Gray said the franchise “just got fun again” and highlighted that the film’s “intergenerational dynamic” and “the mother-daughter relationship provides emotional grounding amid the bloodshed. ” Pete Hammond judged Williamson’s return to directing as “well worth the wait, ” and Anthony O’Connor called the film “far more engaging than any seventh film in a horror franchise has any right to be. ”

Not every voice was positive. Owen Gleiberman wrote that Williamson’s return results in a sequel that is “really just… basic. ” William Bibbiani warned that “if you skip Scream 7, you’re not missing the best film in the franchise, ” while Manuel São Bento called it “a disappointing sequel in a saga that has never failed so evidently. ” Gregory Nussen described it as “nothing but a waste of time” for fans of the franchise. Grant Watson judged it “an entertaining movie, but it isn’t unmissable. ” Taylor Williams argued the film “operates as an exercise in what those films are ironically lacking: horror filmmaking fundamentals. ”

Neve Campbell and Williamson’s roles

Neve Campbell returns as Sidney Prescott, and Kevin Williamson is credited as co-writer and director of the seventh installment. The new Ghostface killer is described as terrorizing Campbell’s family, and some reviewers said Campbell’s performance and “some fresh kills” are worthy reasons to see the movie.

Late-2023 firing and fan backlash

The film’s path to release was turbulent. In late 2023, Melissa Barrera, who had starred in the 2022 reboot and in 2023’s Scream VI, was fired from the seventh installment by the production company over social media messages the company deemed antisemitic. After war broke out in Gaza that year, Barrera reshared a post accusing Israel of “genocide and ethnic cleansing” and reshared a magazine article alleging the Israeli government was distorting “the Holocaust to boost the Israeli arms industry. ”

Shortly after Barrera’s axing, Jenna Ortega — Barrera’s on-screen sister in previous entries — announced she would not return for Scream 7, citing scheduling conflicts with her hit Netflix series "Wednesday. " Christopher Landon, the project’s original director, left the production because he was receiving death threats related to the firing, even though he did not make the decision to remove Barrera.

Script rewrite and production changes

Producers turned to Kevin Williamson to take over directing duties. Williamson and Guy Busick co-wrote the screenplay, which required a serious retooling after the exits of Ortega and Barrera; those two actors had portrayed the protagonists of Scream VI in lieu of Neve Campbell’s resilient heroine Sidney Prescott. The rewrite is pegged at roughly $500, 000, a sum described as not a major expenditure for a franchise of this size.

Money, leverage and marketing

Paramount executives had been concerned about making a Scream movie without Campbell, who did not return to earlier entries over a salary dispute; the studio’s influence was limited because the production company had final creative control. Any fears eased when Scream VI earned $161 million at the global box office, the biggest haul since the first two installments. Without Jenna Ortega on board, the producers sought a high-profile marketing hook.

Spyglass chief Gary Barber is described in the context as one of Hollywood’s toughest dealmakers, but Campbell was able to leverage her position to secure a nearly $7 million deal, a hefty raise and a major salary for the horror genre. Courteney Cox was awarded a $2 million payday. Shawn Robbins, director of movie analytics at Fandango and founder of Box Office Theory, said: “Neve Campbell is to ‘Scream’ what Jamie Lee Curtis is for the ‘Halloween’ franchise. She’s a big draw, especially for older generations who grew up with the original films. ”

Box office tracking and unfinished thread

Scream 7 is tracking a North American debut of $45 million to $50 million, estimates that would deliver a series-best kickoff. The knife-wielding masked murderer is described as “primed to make a box office killing, ” and the film’s return is framed as the result of a studio and producer effort to revive the property after it had been “deader than one of the notorious slasher’s many victims” just a decade earlier. The original story’s final sentence about how Paramount and the production company are banking on nostalgia and the enduring popularity of horror is truncated in the source and unclear in the provided context.

As Scream 7 opens, the film’s reception and its behind-the-scenes upheavals — from late-2023 firings to a six-figure rewrite and seven-figure salaries — are being weighed alongside Neve Campbell’s central performance and Kevin Williamson’s creative return.