TravelingbeebryantRN & Flicks_withNick

 I didn’t hate Scream 7, but it’s definitely one of the weaker entries in the franchise. Probably the second worst for me, if not the worst. It’s not a disaster, it just feels like a step backward.

The  departure of Jenna Ortega and Melissa Barrera really hurt this movie. The soft reboot starting in Scream 5 was actually heading in an interesting direction, especially with Sam being the daughter of Billy Loomis and being haunted by her father’s legacy. There was something compelling about watching her wrestle with that darkness and the idea that she could be both the hero and someone with killer instincts like her dad. That internal conflict felt fresh for the franchise. Instead, the story had to pivot, and what we get feels like a retread of Scream all over again.

I was excited to see Neve Campbell back, but her performance felt a little flat. Sidney has always been the emotional backbone of the series, and here she just didn’t have the depth or intensity we were used to. Nothing was outright bad, it just didn’t carry the weight it should have.

The movie leans heavily into nostalgia. I love my nostalgia porn when it’s done right, but this felt more like copying the original instead of building on it. The callbacks are constant, and instead of feeling clever, they start to feel forced. It misses the landing

They definitely cranked up the violence in this movie. The kills are more brutal and aggressive, clearly trying to raise the bar. But if the story underneath is flat, more brutality doesn’t automatically make it more thrilling. It just feels louder, not smarter.

Without spoiling anything, the motive reveal is one of the weakest in the franchise, maybe even one of the weakest in horror movie history. Earlier Ghostface reveals had twisted logic and personality behind them. This one feels thin. It’s hard not to imagine the earlier killers rolling their graves at the motivation.

There’s also an attempt to spice things up with an Al angle, but even that feels underdeveloped.

It sounds bold in theory, yet the execution never fully commits or explores the idea in a meaningful way.

I will say, at least the previous film shook things up by moving the chaos to New York City. This installment feels much smaller and more familiar, and not in a good way.

At the end of the day, Scream 7 isn’t terrible. It’s just a very average slasher that relies heavily on nostalgia instead of pushing the story forward. I wanted something bolder.

Flicks_withNick rating 2.3 / 5.

For more movie blogs, nursing, and travel suggestions and tips, follow us on Instagram or subscribe to this blog.