NOW IN THEATERS! “The attack in New York… You’re lucky you sat that one out. It was brutal.” – Courteney Cox telling Neve Campbell that she made the right choice in foregoing an appearance in Scream VI. Or maybe it’s Gale Weathers telling Sidney Prescott. That’s the beauty of the meta genre: you can just slap a “Why not both?” meme over it and call it a day. The self-mockery, which can sometimes be tiring, is the best thing about Scream 7, directed by original franchise screenwriter Kevin Williamson. He wrote the script with Guy Busick.
Back when the kerfuffle was happening over Campbell refusing to sign on for it and “sitting it out,” I thought that would’ve been the perfect meta-move to mirror in the movie. Neve sits it out. Sid sits it out. It would’ve been genius. I was guessing that it was all part of the promotional game. Sidney was going to show up near the end to say, “You didn’t actually think I could let you guys die out here like this, did you?” Unfortunately, that didn’t happen, and Neve’s refusal to sign on was real, leading to one of the most misguided films in the series.
This entry sees the return of Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell)…err, Sidney Evans, her married name, as of Scream 5. People keep getting mad every time someone calls her Sidney Prescott, although I’m not sure why. Her husband, Mark Evans, is portrayed by comedic actor Joel McHale, but he brings no comedy to this role. This is the episode in which we give in to fan demands and try to bring back old characters who are no longer alive, i.e., Stu Macher (Matthew Lillard), one of the killers from the first film. Sid, who manages a coffee shop, begins receiving video calls from Stu, claiming he’s alive and coming for her and her daughter, Tatum (Isabel May). The graveness of the situation is brought to life by a loose thread connectionsfrom years ago. But is Stu really back from the dead, so to speak? If it isn’t the real Stu, who is pretending to be him, and why? Or is the voice an A.I. deepfake?
Ghostface in Paramount Pictures and Spyglass Media Group’s “Scream 7.” © 2025 Paramount Pictures. Ghost Face is a Registered Trademark of Fun World Div., Easter Unlimited, Inc. ©1999. All Rights Reserved.”.
“Sid, who manages a coffee shop, begins receiving video calls from Stu, claiming he’s alive and coming for her and her daughter…”
Scream 7 features a scene in which Gale and Sid try to lure Stu out by doing a live television interview and asking him to call and tell them what he wants. I thought this would’ve been much more effective and entertaining if they had gone live and just started talking sh*t about him. Some more great meta-commentary occurs in a scene with someone asking, “How could Stu Macher really be alive? Where’s he been? Under a rock? Nobody recognized him for three decades?” Another character replies, “That’s a ridiculous retcon for any franchise.”
As far as I’m concerned, the only character who needs to be brought back from the beyond in the franchise is Randy (Jamie Kennedy). He was the best, and they did him dirty. They could do it in a humorous and believable way by having Kennedy play Randy’s twin brother instead, or some such. But that’s just me fanboying. In the Scream movies, we want some solid kills and a good dose of humor. While things are getting ridiculous, I’d be lying if I said there wasn’t fun here. A moment involving a shot to the head (partially seen in the trailer) works. The meta-humor has layers to appreciate.
So, to sum uo, if you’re a fan of watching endless people dressing up as Ghost Face and getting offed by Sid and her merry band of brooders, check Scream 7 out. It is more of the same, but that isn’t always a bad thing.
"…the self-mockery, which can sometimes be tiring, is the best thing...."
