Synopsis
In the seventh instalment of the Scream franchise, history repeats itself as Woodsboro's most famous resident, Sidney Prescott, once again finds herself being hunted by Woodsboro's second most famous "resident", Ghostface. This time, however, the stakes are a little more personal. Sidney's daughter, Tatum, has found herself firmly on Ghostface's radar, forcing Sidney to confront parts of her past she'd probably rather leave buried if her family is going to stand any chance of surviving.
Directed by Kevin Williamson
Written by Kevin Williamson, Guy Busick, and James Vanderbilt
Starring Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, Isabel May, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Mason Gooding, Anna Camp, Joel McHale, Mckenna Grace
Released available to buy or rent on streaming services
Review
Before I start my usual waffle, I'm going to address some issues...
- Firstly, Sidney Prescott is a millennial. We do not answer unknown phone calls. Ghostface's entire business model should have collapsed about 15 years ago
- Secondly, Anna Camp's character Jessica has only just escaped her Pitch Perfect "aca-bitches" era in my head. There is absolutely no universe in which she has a teenage child. I refuse to hear evidence to the contrary. Some facts are simply too painful to accept
- And finally, there is no way Sidney Prescott chose that garage door. After everything she's been through, I know she'd have stronger opinions on home security and interior design
And now we go back to our regularly scheduled review...
One of the things I love most about horror franchises is consistency. Give me a recognisable villain. Give me a final girl. Let me spend decades checking in on both of them. That's the good stuff.
Politics aside, I never really connected with Scream 5 and Scream VI. I found Sam and Tara difficult to warm to, and unfortunately the supporting cast didn't do much to win me over either. So the prospect of returning to Sidney Prescott? Sign me up! Pure fan service? Maybe, but I had a fantastic time.
There were moments where I genuinely worried Scream 7 was about to disappear down the same path as Halloween (2018), becoming so focused on revisiting old trauma that it forgot to tell a compelling story in the present. Thankfully, the introduction of mini-Tatum and the way her upbringing is woven into the narrative helps the film avoid that trap. It gives Sidney something fresh to fight for beyond simply surviving another Ghostface attack.
Having Kevin Williamson back with the franchise is something you can really feel throughout the film. I've loved most of the projects he's written or shaped over the years, and there's a familiarity here that works enormously in the film's favour. Yes, nostalgia is doing some heavy lifting. No, nostalgia alone doesn't make a good movie. But I also don't particularly care because I was having far too much fun to complain.
Without venturing into spoiler territory, it's difficult to discuss some of the bigger swings the film takes. Following the trajectory that began with Scream 4, technology plays an even larger role in the story, and... I have thoughts. I'm slightly mad about it. Not because it's bad, necessarily, but because it wasn't quite what I wanted it to be.
The thing is, despite my reservations, I enjoyed myself immensely.
This isn't a perfect Scream film. It isn't even my favourite Scream film. But it gave me Sidney Prescott, Ghostface, plenty of tension, some genuinely entertaining surprises, and reminded me why I fell in love with this franchise in the first place.
And perhaps the highest compliment I can give it is this... I will watch it again. Multiple times.
What you should do
If you're a nostalgia junkie like me, it's a must watch. It's predictable in the best ways, and it really scratches that itch for the slightly OTT slasher movie.
Movie thing you wish you could take home
Neve Campbell, wrapped in bubble wrap and protected for more fun future projects.
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