Kevin Williamson directs Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox and Isabel May in this slasher sequel where Sidney is back dodging the Ghostfaces of her past… this time with a teen daughter to protect.

Not a series highlight… but exactly how many seventh entries are? Legacy characters disappear in the third act for no reason, the ultimate whodunnit reveal is worthy only of a shrug and the new teens are so disposable this might as well be a Friday The 13th. I think Scream 7’s biggest sin is it treats iconic mainstays, like the anonymous phone calls and “the rules” talk, like a boring chore. In Williamson’s defence… the set pieces are decent, he puts the film in interesting territory at the end of the first act and he returns Neve Campbell front and centre to the narrative. The gore is at the same maximum strength of Drew Barrymore’s kill in 1996. Heartless and dripping. Yeah, and there is the thrill of the “surprise” cameo from a lost face. And if your politics or good taste make you miss Barrera and Ortega then I have promising insight for you. Whatever studio buys the IP from Spyglass over the next decade resurrects the option to bring them back when the box office dips. On a par with Scream 3.

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Perfect Double Bill: Scream 6 (2023)