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What I like about a good Scream movie is: (1) the mystery, I like how they make you guess who the killer is which isn't common in slasher films, (2) the meta-commentary, I enjoy it when the films reference the horror genre explicitly, (3) the humour, more than most slasher franchises Scream movies are generally funny, and (4) the cold open (more on that later). The first film nailed this and that's why it is a classic. The rest have all balanced these to better or worse effect, and whether or not they work is quite tied to how well they pull off this formula.
Scream 7 leans into the nostalgia heavily. Sidney is back and now she has a daughter who is her age when the first movie's plot happened. And the killer is Stu Macher from the first film, or someone pretending to be him. The series has attempted to dip into the well of the first one before but this one is the most all in on that. For some continuity it brings back my favourite of the newer films' cast, Gooding and Brown as the hilarious twins who also happen to be the nephlings of original film star Randy.
For me the nostalgia felt forced. We've seen Sidney process her trauma and these slasher movies being about that just feels a bit dated at this point. Even the generational aspect doesn't feel fresh. Didn't the Halloween series just do that? Also the way they bring back previous killers wasn't as interesting as I had hoped. There is an attempt at an emotional ending that just didn't land for me.
But did it meet my Scream test? The mystery was kinda so so. The end reveal feels like a let down. I think it works best when the killer is revealed to be someone important. The first film set the bar high and the series has been having a hard time keeping up with this. Lately the final killers are often characters I don't care about and the audience doesn't care about. I don't think this film solved that problem even with what they attempt to do.
The meta-commentary was... okay. The film appears to address in the dialogue issues with the film series' production over the past few instalments. At one point someone says Sidney is "past her prime" which I believe was famously levelled at Campbell. There are mentions of events that sort of tie into the actors' own trajectories through the productions of these movies. Some of that was interesting but not overly satisfying.
Finally the humour. I think that is Scream 7's strength. The script's humour is pretty decent. The script takes some plot short cuts that feel a bit, not well thought through, but the story is rather tight and once it gets going it goes well right up to the end. Sure the plot is a bit shaky but for entertainment value and a fun time it's not bad. Some of the deaths are creatively funny in the way this series tries to do. Despite this one not being as memorable as others I still had a good time.
And for the cold open. I'm not sure it amounts to much. It attempts to blend the nostalgia with the humour and the meta-commentary in a way that signals where the movie is going but its a bit on the dull side compared to the movie itself.
So Scream 7 is a mixed bag for me... as are most of the sequels. Perhaps that's just the fate of this series. They are good enough to keep making them and watching them but always a bit of a let down from what they could be.
Scream 7
Starring: Neve Campbell, Isabel May, Jasmin Savoy Brown. Mason Gooding, Anna Camp, David Arquette, Michelle Randolph, Jimmy Tatro, Mckenna Grace, Asa Germann, Celeste O'Connor, Sam Rechner, Mark Consuelos, Tim Simons, Matthew Lillard, Joel McHale, Courteney Cox, Ethan Embry, Roger L. Jackson, Mark Consuelos, Laurie Metcalf, Scott Foley
Director: Kevin Williamson
Writers: Guy Busick, Kevin Williamson
