After much discourse of the absence of Neve Campbell in the latest films of the franchise she has returned to much fan delight. “Scream 7” is aware of the expectations of its fans.  There is a pressure to keep its  hardcore fanbase happy. With that pressure comes the danger and the trappings that go with doing a seventh film of a franchise- nostalgia. Nostalgia is a double-edge sword to use in film. Fans want to keep the feeling they had the first time seeing these films. There is a formula to these that fans have come to appreciate. There are great exposition dialogue scenes in this film that cover the topic of nostalgia as a dangerous angle, especially as a crux. The film knows too much nostalgia is playing it safe, too little or none at all and you risk alienating fans that come to see your film.  There is a formula to these films that fans come to enjoy, but a recipe does need to add something new to keep it fresh. There’s nothing new in Scream 7. Scream 7 is playing it safe. In fact, it plays it way too safe. 

Because of its safe approach the film feels flat and teetering on uninteresting. There is nothing compelling to this. The best part of the film is the intro-scenes and thats it. The script feels like recycled parts of previous events of Scream film prior. I never thought for a moment that any of the original cast members’ characters were ever in danger nor felt the script was going anywhere it hadn’t before.  Maybe next time Ghostface uses a gun this time. Maybe next time as a thought add some mysticism into the world. Maybe start with a big party to introduce characters.

“Scream” in 1996 started out as a parody of horror films as well as its sequel and part three. That foundation is lost on the developers trying to make a horror film instead of making a parody. It needs to go back to its roots-a primary focus of being parody first then hit us with the gruesome deaths to shock. 

Not all is lost in this film. There are a few death scenes that are unforgettable and creative.  There are a few twists and turns that come unexpected that we’ve come to expect that keep it enduring but what is lost is that not only it feels remade in the oven but also re-heated in the microwave for serving. The flavor is gone. 6.5/10