Scary Movie Echoes: Scream 7 Brings Neve Campbell Back Amid Mixed Early Reviews

Scream 7 has reignited conversation around the long-running slasher series, with early reviews this week calling it a return to form and highlighting a fiery opening that centers Neve Campbell. The timing matters because the release arrives as the franchise approaches its 30th anniversary and after nearly a decade-plus lull in momentum.

Scary Movie tone set in Stu Macher house opening

The film opens with a violent sequence staged in the converted Stu Macher house, now an "experience destination" filled with Stab memorabilia, crime-scene outlines and plaques marking where victims fell. That scene follows a quarreling couple — Scott, played by Jimmy Tatro, and his girlfriend Madison, played by Michelle Randolph — who visit the property as a taboo Airbnb. Scott is identified as a devoted "Stab head, " and his pursuit of nostalgia is described as a fatal mistake. The film's opening not only offers fan-service Easter eggs but also serves as a declaration against being stuck in the past; it aims to reset the franchise's expectations by delivering more graphic, vicious kills than seen in earlier entries.

Kevin Williamson returns as writer-director

Kevin Williamson, who earned his first screenplay credit for Scream in 1996 and later penned Scream 2 and Scream 4, co-wrote Scream 7 with James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick. Vanderbilt and Busick had credits on Scream 5 and Scream VI. Williamson also took the helm as director for this installment, and his influence is evident in the film's sharp dialogue and the opening sequence's tone.

Neve Campbell and Sidney Prescott restored to center

Scream 7 restores Sidney Prescott, portrayed by Neve Campbell, to the emotional center after a run of installments in which the character was either reduced to a supporting role or absent altogether. The new Ghostface threat in this chapter is described as terrorizing Sidney's family, and early reactions emphasize Campbell's fierce performance as a key reason to see the film.

Critical reaction across critics and outlets

First reviews, published on February 26, 2026, landed online with mixed appreciation. Praise and criticism are both present across a wide range of outlets and critics:

• "The Scream franchise just got fun again… Scream 7 is a return to form. " — Kristy Puchko, Mashable.
• "Scream 7 proves sturdier than expected… enough to justify its existence. " — Peter Gray, The AU Review.
• "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, Deadline Hollywood Daily.
• "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, FILMINK.
• "It is an entertaining movie, but it isn’t unmissable. " — Grant Watson, Fiction Machine.
• "If you skip Scream 7, you’re not missing the best film in the franchise. " — William Bibbiani, TheWrap.
• "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, Variety.
• "A disappointing sequel in a saga that has never failed so evidently. " — Manuel São Bento, Movies We Texted About.
• "For fans of the franchise, Scream 7 will prove to be nothing but a waste of time. " — Gregory Nussen, Screen Rant.
• "Scream 7 operates as an exercise in what those films are ironically lacking: horror filmmaking fundamentals. " — Taylor Williams, Slant Magazine.
• "This sequel makes terrific departures from the franchise’s weakest points. " — Kristy Puchko, Mashable.
• "Where Scream 7 works best is in its intergenerational dynamic… The mother-daughter relationship provides emotional grounding amid the bloodshed. " — Peter Gray, The AU Review.
• "It’s one heck of an apology to Neve Campbell. Almost every scene is about how important Sidney Prescott is. " — William Bibbiani, TheWrap.
• "Scream 7 may not be the best of the bunch, but it’s damn close. " — Kristy Puchko, Mashable.
• "Tonally, this is one of the campier entries in the franchise. " — Peter Gray, The AU Review.

Franchise history from Woodsboro to New York

The franchise's path is cited as part of what Scream 7 seeks to address. The original Scream, released in 1996, established the series' rules and genre critique. Subsequent films moved the action away from Woodsboro—to college in Scream 2, to Los Angeles in Scream 3, and to New York in Scream VI. In later installments Sidney Prescott was sidelined: she became a supporting character in Scream 4 and Scream 5 (the latter confusingly titled Scream) and was absent from Scream VI. The series also shifted in tone at points, with Scream 3 followed by a wave of graphic "torture porn" that contributed to an 11-year period in which the franchise faltered. One early victim name noted in franchise lore is Randy, who is referenced as the first to teach fans the franchise's grim lesson.

What makes this notable is the combination of deliberate nostalgia and an intensified level of violence that reviewers say both honors and challenges the franchise's history, all while centering Sidney Prescott and Neve Campbell as the emotional core once again.