Scream 7 Lets Down Horror Movie Franchise in 1 Major Way

Scream 7 lets down the popular horror franchise in one major way.

Paramount Pictures’ Scream 7 was released in the United States this past weekend. Directed by Kevin Williamson, the seventh movie in the Scream franchise sees Neve Campbell once again reprise his role as Sidney Prescott/Evans, while the cast also includes Isabel May as Tatum Evans, Jasmin Savoy Brown as Mindy Meeks-Martin, Mason Gooding as Chad Meeks-Martin, Joel McHale as Mark Evans, and Courteney Cox as Gale Weathers.

“When a new Ghostface killer emerges in the quiet town where Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) has built a new life, her darkest fears are realized as her daughter (Isabel May) becomes the next target,” the official synopsis reads. “Determined to protect her family, Sidney must face the horrors of her past to put an end to the bloodshed once and for all.”

How does Scream 7 let down the horror movie franchise?

While Scream 7 has received many negative reviews from critics, the movie actually isn’t half-bad for two-thirds of its runtime. It’s not doing anything incredibly interesting, as it’s mostly just sticking to the routine Scream formula; however, there are a few cool kills in there, there’s some genuine tension, and an interesting mystery surrounding the potential return of Matthew Lillard’s Stu Macher.

When Scream 7 enters its third act and the killers are revealed, however, the movie completely fumbles the ball.

We learn that the Ghostface killer is none other than Sidney’s neighbor, Jessica Bowden, played by Anna Camp. She has some help from two others: One of whom is never even formally introduced, and the other of whom is such a nothing character that he might as well have not even been formally introduced. But it’s largely the Pitch Perfect star who is behind it this time.

Anna Camp hardly has any screen time until the third act; she introduces herself in the first scene and is then largely absent from the rest of the movie. And when she explains her motivations, they’re overcomplicated and nonsensical, leaving audiences an ‘Oh. Alright,’ impact rather than a satisfying conclusion. While some of the Scream movies have had better reveals than others, Scream 7’s feels so random and obnoxious that it’s easily the worst one yet.

Additionally, Scream 7 is almost completely devoid of any kind of meta-commentary about the horror genre; instead of saying anything about the current state of horror like the other movies did, this is more interested in past Scream lore, which is far less interesting and was also already done, to some degree, in Scream VI.

Scream 7 is now playing in theaters.

Source: Comingsoon.net