Scream 7 (2026) – Review and Summary

While Scream 7 seems to want to move forward, it seems torn between Sidney Prescott’s legacy and the passing of the torch that Scream 5 was supposed to be.

ByAmari Allah Hours Posted on

Spoiler Alert: This summary and review contains spoilers.

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“Scream 7” Film Details

  • Director(s): Kevin Williamson
  • Writer(s): Kevin Williamson, Guy Busick
  • Based On Work By: Kevin Williamson
  • Distributor: Paramount Distribution
  • Runtime: 1 Hour(s) and 54 Minutes
  • Public Release Date (In Theaters): February 26, 2026
  • Genre(s): Horror, Mystery
  • Content Rating: Rated R
  • Primary Language: English
  • Images © of / Courtesy Of Paramount Pictures

Movie Summary

It has been about 30 years since Ghostface first appeared in Sidney’s life, and it seems she may have finally achieved normalcy. She runs a small coffee shop in a quaint town. She’s married, has three kids, and the eldest, Tatum, is 17. But, as we’re reminded in the movie, there are no happy endings for Scream Queens. They either die heroically or are perpetually waiting for the next iteration of the killer to pop up.

Cast and Characters

Sidney (Neve Campbell)

  • Character Summary: A survivor and icon thanks to all the media covering her battles with Ghostface, at this point, Sidney has coerced normalcy whenever and wherever she can. Her home may have an excessive amount of locks, but it is a home with a husband, three kids – normalcy. She may keep a gun at work, but it is a shop she runs, which has a loyal customer base – normalcy.

Tatum (Isabel May)

  • Character Summary: Tatum is Sidney’s eldest daughter, at 17, who is as much stuck in her mother’s shadow as questioning who she is outside of it.

Chad (Mason Gooding)

  • Character Summary: Chad is one-half of the Meeks-Martin twins who return for Scream 7.

Mindy (Jasmin Savoy Brown)

  • Character Summary: Mindy is the horror-aficionado with dreams to start a career in broadcasting.

Review and Commentary

Highlight(s)

The Violence Ghostface Brings [83/100]

What we always appreciate about Ghostface is that you get the best of what most other horror icons offer. They can be antagonistic, teasing, and give the audience a good jump scare. But when it is time to fight, Ghostface stands out for they are ready to tussle. They don’t rely on quick slashes and then running away. Whether it is with their signature blade, their hands, a rope, or a hose, whoever is Ghostface is always ready for a fight to the death.

Scream 7 is no different. Yes, Sidney isn’t trying to do all that, so she usually opts for using her gun. However, Tatum, her friends, and her dad take on that physicality and get into the type of fights that Scream is not only known for as a franchise, but I would say they turned up the dial with this entry. While Ghostface’s fight scenes have always been personal, it seemed having patience for the perfect trap wasn’t as much of an imperative in this film. It’s more about coaxing Sidney into action, into the person it wants her to be – one dead body at a time.

On The Fence

How Scream 7 Seeks Emotional Depth [74/100]

One of the main struggles Scream 7 has is that it pursues depth but barely gets beyond the surface. It starts with Sidney and her husband. Their relationship seems built purely for the sake of the narrative to explain or justify Tatum’s existence. Beyond that? Between them, you don’t get chemistry or a sense of love. At best, the relationship is comfortable to the point it feels routine, and at worst, it feels necessary because having Sidney be single with even just one child would mean more exposition.

But the real issues start to show when we talk about Tatum’s relationship with Sidney. You can let go of Sidney and her husband with ease, for romance is a tricky thing in the Scream franchise. However, mother and daughter relationships are much more sticky, but there isn’t enough given here to truly carry the weight expected.

Yes, Sidney’s relationship with her mother was complicated, but her relationship with Tatum, at times, feels sterile. Because Sidney avoids addressing her past, her trauma, and sticks to who she is now, or wants to be seen, there is nothing for Tatum to dive into, or the audience to invest in.

What doesn’t help is that Tatum barely gets to evolve beyond being Sidney’s daughter. So when it comes to Tatum as an individual, you don’t mourn Sidney not getting to know her daughter more intimately. Even at 17, she feels like a blank slate, as if nothing in her world influenced or molded her. This makes the lack of a reciprocal interest further depreciate what you can see could have been an anchor relationship.

Mind you, there are moments between them when you can see that this boundary was meant to be good for Tatum. It’s shown that Sidney wanted to protect her daughter with security systems, strategic gun placement, and not put any of the onus on Tatum to defend herself. But at 17, Tatum clearly doesn’t want to know her mom through Gale’s book, the Stab movie franchise, or a book Sidney released years ago. She has access to the actual person and doesn’t want a third party filtering who her mother is.

Seemingly, with long being defined by who her mother is, she now needs to know who her mom really is. This way, she can decide if she truly wants to reject or accept the comparison and title. Otherwise, in the shadow of Sidney Prescott, she cannot discover who Tatum Evans is. But, unfortunately, by the time the film ends, the only thing the two share is a trauma bond.

Being Torn Between Nostalgia For The Past But Wanting, Needing To Move Forward [73/100]

The horror genre is one of the few, if not only, which can have actors play the same character for decades. Whether it is Neve Campbell as Sidney or Robert Englund who played Freddy. However, one of the big issues is, how do you keep a character necessary for a story for decades?

That is another one of the issues here. Neve Campbell’s return is welcomed, but with signs that she was passing the torch, her being thrust back into a lead role leaves the film in a weird limbo. Tatum would make sense as Sidney’s daughter, but while she may physically get into tussles with Ghostface, she doesn’t present herself as someone who can lead the franchise. As stated, she is still finding herself, piggybacking off of Sidney’s legacy, and doesn’t offer a skill, talent, or dream you want to see her fulfill, despite what she has been through.

The same goes with the returning twins. Jasmin Savoy Brown has star power, but Mindy? The character gets undercut by being directly asked not to do her shtick about the rules, is told her theories are wrong, and proceeds to push through with overexplaining the rules that Scream may no longer adhere to. That isn’t a character who can carry this franchise. Then, in terms of her brother, Chad? He is basically a male version of Tatum without the legacy boost from being the OG character’s daughter.

And you may think, with over 5 movies under her belt, they would just make something compelling for Neve Campbell’s grand return. That Scream 7 would remind you of why this franchise started and was carried on her back for multiple movies, but it doesn’t. It seems torn between Sidney’s recognition, but the understanding that Campbell may not want this to continue to be the defining role of her career. Ultimately leaving us unsure, as we see a parade of Sidney’s familiars, whether this is a celebration of her return or a subtle celebration before she says goodbye?

The Killer’s Motive [72/100]

Due to part of the Scream formula being “Who is Ghostface this time?”, it is easy to forget it is a mystery. The reason is that the payoff is usually weak. That doesn’t change in Scream 7. The big reveal is dramatic, but it doesn’t feel like something built up to beyond the process of elimination as bodies hit the floor.

However, the big issue might be that the motive doesn’t have a whole lot behind it. There is certainly passion behind the confession, but it isn’t the type that makes this version of Ghostface feel morally ambiguous and not just evil or twisted. Which, when you consider what was attempted between Sidney and Tatum, you’d think that with an effort being made to go deeper between them, Ghostface would benefit from having something that didn’t feel so cheaply put together for a twist.

Overall

Our Rating (75/100): Mixed (Divisive)

Scream 7 scratches an itch but fails to reignite passion regarding the franchise. The return of Sidney is grand, but it leaves the future of the franchise in question, as it once seemed ready to introduce new torchbearers. But, with the firing of Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega leaving the series, it isn’t made clear in Scream 7 who could lead a potential Scream 8.

If anything, we’re in an awkward transitional place where you can see there is a desire to grow in emotional complexity. Yet, with holding onto the familiar faces that made Scream into a legacy franchise, it is unclear how willing those behind Scream are regarding what it needs to remain relevant and not just nostalgic.

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Amari is the founder and head writer of Wherever-I-Look.com and has been reviewing media since 2010. He approaches each production with hope, rooting for every story to succeed, and believes criticism should come from unmet potential, while praise is reserved for work that meets or exceeds expectations.