Reviews are finally in for Kevin Williamson’s “Scream 7” and the response is probably not what Paramount had hoped.
With 30 reviews counted, the movie sits at 47% on Rotten Tomatoes, the second lowest score of the franchise to date, ahead only of “Scream 3” at 45%.
At Metacritic, the new film is drawing a 43/100 – the worst of the franchise so far by a clear margin (the next nearest is “Scream 4” at 52/100).
Williamson recently shared at the film’s premiere that he and Neve Campbell have started discussing an eighth installment in the film series, but a lot will depend on how this film is received and performs.
A new piece in Variety for the film also confirms Neve Campbell, who was infamously absent from the sixth film over a pay dispute, got a major $7 million deal to return for this – dubbed a ‘hefty raise’ from her prior salary.
Here’s a sampling of reviews:
“This surprisingly refreshing take on familiar material is unconcerned with meta discussions about where the film stands in the canon.” – Taylor Williams, Slant Magazine
“It may have taken 30 years for Williamson to finally get to steer his own ship, but with Scream 7 it proves well worth the wait. Fans will approve.” – Pete Hammond, Deadline
“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.” – William Bibbiani, The Wrap
“Simply put, I was elated with Scream 7. Williamson smartly surveyed the whole of the franchise, working in lore – and even fan theories – where appropriate. But his film doesn’t feel weighed down by them” – Kristy Puchko, Mashable
“There’s a rote quality to the proceedings that makes Scream 7 feel like a slog despite its high body count.” – Frank Scheck, THR
“Despite the occasional cheeky moment and brutal slaying, a property that once satirised horror cliches has largely succumbed to them.” – Tim Grierson, Screen
“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.” – Owen Gleiberman, Variety
“Sluggish, unscary, and plagiaristic in not-ingenious ways, it’s definitive proof that it’s time to retire Ghostface and his gravely hackneyed games.” – Nick Schager, The Daily Beast
“Scream 7” is on track to earn over $60 million at the global box-office this weekend, potentially the second-highest debut of the series to date.
