“Scream 7” key art.
Paramount Pictures
Scream 7, starring Neve Campbell and Courteney Cox, is new in theaters this weekend. What are Rotten Tomatoes critics saying about the film?
Directed by original Scream screenwriter Kevin Williamson, Scream 7 plays in Thursday previews before opening in theaters nationwide on Friday. The official synopsis for the film reads, “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.
“Determined to protect her family, Sidney must face the horrors of her past to put an end to the bloodshed once and for all.”
Scream 7 also stars Isabel May, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Mason Gooding, Anna Camp, David Arquette, Roger L. Jackson, Michelle Randolph, Jimmy Tatro, Mckenna Grace, Asa Germann, Celeste O’Connor, Sam Rechner, Ethan Embry, Mark Consuelos, Tim Simons, Matthew Lillard and Joel McHale.
The embargo for Scream 7 reviews lifted on Thursday morning. As of the publication of this article, the film has earned a 43% “rotten” critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes’ Tomatometer based on 40 reviews.
RT’s Critics Consensus, audience summary and Popcornmeter score for Scream 7 are still pending.
What Are Individual Critics Saying About ‘Scream 7’?
William Bibbiani of The Wrap is among the top critics on RT who gives Scream 7 a “fresh” critic score, albeit with huge reservations. Bibbiani writes in his RT review summary, “It’s not that Scream 7 is a bad Scream movie. There are no bad Scream movies (yet). Even the worst one is kind of alright, and this is the worst one.”
Kristi Puchko of Mashable had more of a positive take on the film in her “fresh” RT review, writing, “The Scream franchise just got fun again, thanks to Scream 7.”
Taylor Williams of Slant Magazine also deems Scream 7 “fresh,” writing in his review summary, “This surprisingly refreshing take on familiar material is unconcerned with meta discussions about where the film stands in the canon.”
Frank Scheck of The Hollywood Reporter is among the top critics on RT who gives the film a “rotten” score, writing, “There’s a rote quality to the proceedings that makes Scream 7 feel like a slog despite its high body count.”
Owen Gleiberman of Variety isn’t a fan of Scream 7, either, writing in his “rotten” RT review summary the director Kevin “Williamson has gone back to basics, but the result is a Scream sequel that, while it nods in the direction of being seductively convoluted, is really just … basic.”
Nick Schager of The Daily Beast dices up Scream 7 in his “rotten” RT review, writing, “Sluggish, unscary, and plagiaristic in not-ingenious ways, it’s definitive proof that it’s time to retire Ghostface and his gravely hackneyed games.”
Rated R, Scream 7 plays in Thursday previews before opening on Friday in theaters nationwide.