Scary Movie: Scream 7 First Reviews Find a familiar scary movie comeback
Christopher Campbell published first reactions on February 26, 2026, as Scream 7 heads to theaters this weekend with the franchise’s 30th anniversary approaching. This new installment, co-written and directed by Kevin Williamson, returns Neve Campbell to the center of a story in which a new Ghostface killer terrorizes her family in what reviewers call a sometimes brutal, sometimes familiar scary movie.
Campbell back at the center
Scream 7 brings Neve Campbell and Sidney Prescott back into the foreground after recent entries left her as a supporting presence or absent. One critic called the film "one heck of an apology to Neve Campbell. Almost every scene is about how important Sidney Prescott is. " That return to Sidney as the focal point is repeatedly noted among the early responses.
Mixed critical reactions and quotes
Early reviews are mixed in tone. "The Scream franchise just got fun again… Scream 7 is a return to form. " — Kristy Puchko. "Scream 7 proves sturdier than expected… enough to justify its existence. " — Peter Gray. "It may have taken 30 years for Williamson to finally get to steer his own ship, but with Scream 7, it proves well worth the wait. Fans will approve. " — Pete Hammond. "Scream 7 is far more engaging than any seventh film in a horror franchise has any right to be… a solid entry in a franchise that felt like it was beginning to lose its way. " — Anthony O’Connor.
Other critics were less enthusiastic: "It is an entertaining movie, but it isn’t unmissable. " — Grant Watson. "If you skip Scream 7, you’re not missing the best film in the franchise. " — William Bibbiani. "Williamson has gone back to basics, but the result is a Scream sequel that, while it nods in the direction of being seductively convoluted, is really just… basic. " — Owen Gleiberman. "A disappointing sequel in a saga that has never failed so evidently. " — Manuel São Bento. "For fans of the franchise, Scream 7 will prove to be nothing but a waste of time. " — Gregory Nussen. "Scream 7 operates as an exercise in what those films are ironically lacking: horror filmmaking fundamentals. " — Taylor Williams.
Some reviewers highlighted strengths alongside criticisms: "This sequel makes terrific departures from the franchise’s weakest points. " — Kristy Puchko. "Where Scream 7 works best is in its intergenerational dynamic… The mother-daughter relationship provides emotional grounding amid the bloodshed. " — Peter Gray. "Scream 7 may not be the best of the bunch, but it’s damn close. " — Kristy Puchko. "Tonally, this is one of the campier entries in the franchise. " — Peter Gray.
Scary Movie tone and kills
Critics note both fresh kills and a return to more vicious violence. The film opens with a sequence at Stu Macher’s house, now an "experience destination" filled with memorabilia and crime-scene details such as outlines of where killers fell and plaques marking who died where. That opening is described as fiery and more vicious than earlier entries: "the Macher house murders at the start of 7 aren't simply fan-service. They are also a declaration: Don't get stuck in the past. " One reviewer wrote that Williamson’s first kills here are more on par with the graphic violence seen in a later torture porn trend that followed Scream 3, and that this level of gore contributed to the franchise going fallow for 11 years.
The opening’s brutality echoes earlier franchise moments: it was compared to a "malicious and prolonged assault on Jenna Ortega at the start of Scream 5. " Performances in that sequence include Scott (Jimmy Tatro), a devoted "Stab head, " and his girlfriend Madison (Michelle Randolph). Madison, described wearing a pink hoodie with long blonde hair, "may not look like a stereotypical horror fan, but she knows her stuff — and she's a fighter, " yet she still winds up dead, setting a standard for the film.
Williamson’s return to directing
Kevin Williamson co-wrote and directed Scream 7. He earned his first screenplay credit in 1996 for Scream and later penned Scream 2 and Scream 4. For Scream 7 he teamed on the screenplay with James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick, who wrote Scream 5 and Scream VI, and Williamson takes the helm for this installment. One reviewer put it plainly: "It may have taken 30 years for Williamson to finally get to steer his own ship, but with Scream 7, it proves well worth the wait. "
Franchise shifts and fan notes
Reviewers reference the franchise’s long evolution: sequels moved setting to college in Scream 2, to Los Angeles in Scream 3, and to New York in Scream VI. Across those films, Sidney Prescott’s role shifted: she was a supporting character in Scream 4 and Scream 5 (the latter confusingly titled Scream) and absent in Scream VI. Early reactions emphasize that Scream 7 attempts to restore some of the original concept’s simplicity while acknowledging that the series can’t fully go home again. Reviewers also flagged nostalgia-chasing as a pitfall: "Scott's fatal mistake was chasing nostalgia, " and the film repeatedly warns against getting stuck in the past (RIP Randy is invoked as a franchise lesson).
Other coverage noted under the same cycle includes a piece titled "Having a SCREAMing good Friday | PTL Chat: Feb. 27. "
Scream 7 arrives this weekend as the franchise marks its 30th anniversary; early reviews published February 26, 2026, mix praise for Neve Campbell and Williamson’s return with objections to the film’s familiarity and brutality.
