“Burn it all down.”
The tagline for the Kevin Williamson-directed seventh entry in the Scream series is apt both for what it seeks to accomplish thematically but also for the entry itself. Rather than make another film that continues the fascinating storyline established by Scream (2022) and Scream 6 (2023), they went both backwards and sideways, too chicken to address the real-world ramifications of kowtowing to public pressure by firing lead actor Melissa Barrera (In The Heights; Abigail) instead of facing it head-on. Frankly, art reflects reality in the script from Guy Busick (Ready or Not films; Scream 5; Scream 6) and Williamson (Scream franchise), which opted to go back to the safety of the familiar rather than get down and dirty and actually deal with things. This seventh entry toys with the idea of cleverness while serving up nostalgia in place of what makes these films last: trusting the audience to be clever enough to keep up amid the thrills and kills. Now that it’s available on home video, folks who want to learn some behind-the-scenes secrets can do so, though it won’t ask or answer the kinds of questions we and Gail Weathers pursue.
L-R: Actor Isabel May, director Kevin Williamson, actor Celeste O’Connor, and actor Asa Germann on the set of Paramount Pictures and Spyglass Media Group’s SCREAM 7. © 2025 PARAMOUNT PICTURES. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
In the time since Sydney (Neve Campbell) was last seen after the events of Scream 5, a lot has happened elsewhere (the NY Ghostface incident), but she remained apart from it, focusing on her three kids and husband. However, when a new Ghostface appears at Stu Macher’s (Matthew Lillard) house, setting it ablaze with bodies inside, Sydney finds herself drawn back in to another deadly game. Ready as ever to defend herself along with her prepared husband, Sheriff Mark Evans (Joel McHale), Sydney didn’t factor in how eldest child Tatum (Isabel May) could be incorporated as both player and target, requiring Sydney to move fast to uncover Ghostface’s identity before his is the next body to drop.
The following home release review is based on a 4K UHD retail copy provided by Paramount Pictures via Alliance Entertainment.
This film is a mess, and it didn’t have to be, but a great deal of behind-the-scenes choices lead to the consequences we see before us. For the unaware, with the 2022 Radio Silence-directed fifth entry, a shift of focus from Sydney’s story to a new generation of characters occurred, specifically introducing the daughter of Billy Loomis (Sam Carpenter played by Barrera) as the focal point for a new Ghostface. In addition to bringing in other new gen characters (the Meek-Martin twins), series anchors Sydney and Gail (Campbell and Courteney Cox) returned as support. The 2023 sixth entry moved the action to New York and, due to a salary dispute, Campbell did not return. Though Cox’s Gail did play an important role, Scream 6 carried on the thematic material introduced by 5 in its exploration of Sam as the spawn of a serial killer. However, after the horrific attack by Hamas on October 7th, 2023, and Israel’s responses of flattening Gaza and surrounding areas through a disproportionate response, Barrera (like many others) called out the actions of the Israeli government. Her statement of support was viewed as a breach of conduct and she was fired by Spyglass Media Group, one of the producers of the series. Soon after, co-star Jenna Ortega left the project and, in the wake of audience backlash, attached director Christopher Landon (Freaky; Drop) also exited the project, creating the opportunity for franchise co-creator Kevin Williamson to step in to direct his second feature. Suddenly, funds were found that met Campbell’s (rightful) demands and she returned to the franchise, stepping back into the lead protagonist role, now that the entire character arc for Sam Carpenter could not be explored in 7. At the very least, it’s nice that, in the referencing of the events from New York to explain why Sydney wasn’t there, no mention is made of the Carpenter siblings, making their future still accessible for future stories should an amicable reconciliation occur (however unlikely that may be). This isn’t the first time a film series had to make a hard pivot away from established plans, using the new entry to address, acknowledge, or outright ignore what came before. However messy it may be, the resultant film can typically stand on its own merits. In the case of Scream 7, seeing as 5 utilized a meta-narrative of filmmaker Rian Johnson having “ruined the Stab franchise,” one might describe 7 as the Rise of Skywalker (directed by J.J. Abrams) to 6: a narrative held together by nostalgia and the need to center legacy characters over telling a satisfying story.
Nostalgia, by and large, can work within a legacy film or late entry in a franchise as long as it works to serve the story. Here, however, the moments come off as referential instead of meaningful. So while dopamine may flow when audiences recognize three songs from the original outing used almost identically, within the scope of the themes of 7, it’s an example of borrowing meaning without creating its own. We’re meant to notice the lyrical narrative echo of Ben and Tatum (Sam Rechner and May, respectively) being introduced to us in the same manner that Sydney and Billy were (almost down to the physical delivery and incorporating “Don’t Fear the Reaper” by Blue Oyster Cult), a choice that should convey a sense of history repeating itself — a horrific notion considering what the Prescotts have endured over the years — but it comes off as hollow, instead. Conversely, starting the movie with the voice of podcasters discussing the hotly-debated appearance of Stu Macher at a Windsor College party the same year Sydney attended (a riff of the same Scream fan theory because Lillard was invited to play a background extra as he visited friends during the shoot) is both a fun nod to the Scream fandom and a smart way to introduce the notion that Stu might actually be alive in-universe. Unfortunately, the inclusion of Stu fails to generate more than surface-level excitement because this latest Ghostface lacks the polish of their predecessors, which then bleeds (pun intended) into other areas of the script. For instance, the aforementioned tagline is brilliant in the inclusion of Stu and the burning down of his home (shown in the trailer), which has been turned into a horror fan experience, a monument to his and Billy’s failure and to Ritchie Kirsch and Amber Freeman (Jack Quaid and Mikey Madison, respectively) from 5. Burn down what was in order to build something new. That’s a titillating notion, but then the script does nothing with it at all. Instead, the film ties itself into knots to include several Ghostface sequences, cover the setup of new characters, give time to old ones, make sure to give Sydney time to hem and haw, and incorporate the true villain of the film who is easy to pick out because of how little they appear despite being played by a face. The only time the audience was ever truly surprised by a reveal set up like this since 1 has to be 2 when Billy’s mother Debbie (Laurie Metcalf) was unveiled (despite seeing her established as Gail’s combative reporter colleague). The third film established that Sydney was on a path of healing and the fourth and fifth showed us just how far she’s come. The script opting to use her son, her oldest child, to demonstrate that Sydney herself has toughened up while, at the same time, emphasizing that she never figured out how to prepare her daughter, her younger child, is an interesting choice. It would make more sense in a passing-the-torch approach, but this film cements that it’s not interested in expanding past Sydney, which is how it develops that “Somehow, Palpatine returned …” energy.
Does the film follow the requisite formula established by Williamson and original series director Wes Craven since 1996’s Scream? Yes. Does it feed you several moments via costumes, music, and other cues to trigger that nostalgia button? Yes. Does it give you an unhinged Lilliard (Scream; Hackers; The Life of Chuck) performance that makes you believe that Stu has returned and is ready to unleash psychic damage on Sydney for the perceived harm done to him? Fuck yes! And, yet, one feels absolutely dissatisfied in the conclusion. Much of this is because of the undercurrent exploration of trauma that 7 utilizes, an aspect that’s popped up throughout the series about hurt people hurting people which begins with the abuse Maureen Roberts faced as a young actor in Hollywood, leading to the rejection of Roman Bridgar (Scott Foley) and the reveal of Maureen’s affair that provides a target for Billy and Stu’s killer tendencies. Perhaps that’s what makes 5 and 6 so fascinating — those films, under the direction of Radio Silence, do this through Sam’s journey of self-reflection where being a Ghostface survivor means tapping into the parts of herself that she shares with Billy. While the series has, through 3 and 4, explored Sydney as a survivor and what it means to be a part of a world that keeps coming for her due to fanatics, crazies, and other outward ripples of what she endured, they never took the time needed to show what these traumas have done to her. 7 seeks to do this all in one film by putting Sydney at odds with Tatum because every time Sydney is asked about her life as a young adult or teen, Sydney shuts down. Part of the journey here, yes, is getting Sydney to open up and, in fact, Ghostface weaponizes this to draw out Sydney. But because the film spends so much time dividing Sydney from Tatum, there’s no sense of development (as demonstrated through the journeys of 2 and 3), only forced growth determined by narrative need not character development. Especially in light of the motivation for the killings this time around (a truly bat-shit reason compared to those throughout the rest of the series), intended to be a twisted mirror of Sydney’s journey, it all comes off hollow when all the other films felt far more intentional. They weren’t just about who gets killed and how brutally. They weren’t just about checking boxes for what audiences expected. They weren’t just about killers returning (or not) from the dead. They were about how not reckoning with the past in the present will lead to a brutal future. Sydney keeps avoiding it, Sam tried avoiding it, and here we are. Scream 7 takes the audience around again for very little reason other than making 7 was a forgone-conclusion as 5 and 6 were well-received and the renewed access to series anchor Campbell was irresistible. Yet, instead of burning it down, it’s all sound and fury, signifying nothing as “First Cool Hive” by Moby plays in the background.
This being a home release, there’re a few things you should know before running to snag your copy, whether in physical or digital. First, there’re three featurettes and they’re only included in the 4K UHD, Blu-ray, and digital editions. There are none on the DVD edition. The 22-minute “Scar Tissue: The Making of Scream 7” covers the general making-of material, while the eight-minute “Building Tension: Production Design” focuses on, you guessed it, the death traps used throughout. The final featurette, “Dance of Death: Stunts,” is six minutes and focuses on the stunt work for the Ghostface face-off sequences. The six deleted scenes are very brief, totaling just over five minutes, and you can see why they were left out in terms of pacing or tone. Finally, the music video for Ice Nine Kills’s “Twisting the Knife featuring Mckenna Grace” is included in the 4K UHD, Blu-ray, and digital editions, however, only the digital edition includes the extended 12-minute version of the video. Secondly, and this is important for folks looking for that high-end visual experience, the bitrate on the 4K UHD disc barely gets above the mid-50 Mbps range for the duration of the film and frequently hangs in the 40s. This is a 4K UHD presentation, which should deliver a bitrate that maxes at 128 Mbps, so a presentation in the upper 80s-100s (much like titles form Arrow Video, Vinegar Syndrome, The Criterion Collection, and other premium physical media boutiques) is not just desired but is expected. The fact that the bitrate is so low, regardless of how good it looks, demonstrates two things: (1) all the supplemental features being attached to the 4K UHD disc reduces available space and increases data compression, resulting in a lower bitrate and (2) the bitrate is the same as the max bitrate for a Blu-ray, so why upgrade? Maybe you have Dolby Atmos and can take advantage of the sound, but the picture isn’t what it’s supposed to be, so you’re still not getting the premium experience that one expects.
L-R: Actor Neve Campbell and director Kevin Williamson on the set of Paramount Pictures and Spyglass Media Group’s SCREAM 7. © 2025 PARAMOUNT PICTURES. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Before 1996, the only horror film I’d willingly watch is 1992’s Army of Darkness. It was the right blend of horror and comedy that my squeamish self could handle it. I couldn’t tell you why exactly I decided to take a chance on Scream and see it in theaters, but (as a former chicken in a human suit) it’s become my second favorite horror franchise and one I relish the chance to screen and discuss at length. If an eighth entry comes along and they can build off of this well, maybe perception will change; however, for now, not only is 7 the weakest of the series, it’s the one that feels most likely to mean the least overall. Outside of a few moments wherein it points out the real human cost to these horrific experiences, the whole film seems more like an example of the most cash-grab, IP-indulgent mess than any other legacy sequel in some time. So, while I cannot recommend this home release edition or even the film, maybe we’ll get lucky and something grand will be born from it. At most, the lesson should be to stop giving audiences what they say they want and give them what they need. Don’t remind us of the past. Burn it down, build something new.
Scream 7 Special Features*:
- Scar Tissue: The Making of Scream 7 (21:50)
- Building Tension: Production Design (8:14)
- Dance of Death: Stunts (6:27)
- Ice Nine Kills Presents “Twisting The Knife” Featuring Mckenna Grace** (12:49)
- Six (6) Deleted Scenes (5:13)
*Supplemental materials included on the 4K UHD, Blu-ray, and digital editions.
**Extended version available on digital. Standard version available on Blu-ray and 4K UHD disc.
Available on VOD and digital March 31st, 2026.
Available on Paramount+ May 28th, 2026.
Available on 4K UHD, Blu-ray, and DVD June 16th, 2026.
For more information, head to the official Paramount Pictures Scream 7 webpage.
Final Score: 1 out of 5.
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Categories: Home Video, Reviews, streaming
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