Synopsis: When a new Ghostface killer emerges in the town where Sidney Prescott has built a new life, her darkest fears are realized as her daughter becomes the next target.
Director: Kevin WIllliamson
Stars: Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox, Isabel May
I was a huge fan of the TV show 24. Keifer Sutherland portrayed Jack Bauer, a counter terrorist agent who helped ‘save the day’ on more than one occasion. The show ran for eight seasons, but it arguably could have wrapped up after five. After that, it, as they say, jumped the shark and was never quite the same. It had overstayed its welcome and thus started to negatively impact its legacy.
Speaking of things that have overstayed their welcome, let’s discuss Scream 7.
It is rare to get deep into a horror franchise and still pull off a strong outing, though it can be done. Looking at you, Saw X.
Neve Campbell has returned to the franchise as Sidney Evans. Sidney has been dealing with Ghostface, the masked killer, for years. She is now married to a police chief (Joel McHale) and has a teenage daughter (Isabel May).
But this is a horror film, and their peaceful existence is interrupted by the familiar phone calls, and now another iteration of Ghostface is back in her life. The stakes are higher now because Sidney has a teenager to protect.
The challenge with Scream 7 . . . correction . . . one of the challenges with Scream 7 is that it is all rinse and repeat. A cast of characters takes to the screen, and the guessing game of who is the killer begins. There are some you will dismiss as too obvious; some will get killed off, and by the time we get to the reveal, it isn’t much of a reveal.
The journey to get to the killer is a painful one. The film is very nonsensical. Sidney and her family, which includes a police chief, seem to have protected their home, but then they are confronted by Ghostface, who is now inside. Ok, maybe Ghostface is something of a ninja. We can let that slide, but a fight ensues, and several gunshots ring through the home. And the several police officers stationed outside the house don’t budge.
This film leans hard on nostalgia, but that tank is empty at this point. As the film goes on, you can tell this script was a rewrite, which it was, and that Neve Campbell wasn’t the intended star, which she wasn’t.
There is a sequence in the movie where Sidney is running . . . literally . . . across town to try and save her daughter.
And by the time we get to the reveal, you don’t care. Also, what is with the explanation? Why do these killers have to talk so much? It’s as if the audience is being held hostage by their reasoning.
The majority of the ‘big’ moments of the film are in the trailer, and poor advertising notwithstanding, this film is a dumpster fire.
Yes, there are some good jump scares, but overall, the film is pointless.
Grade: D-
Watch the movie trailer:
