--- title: "Scream 7: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/scream-7/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/scream-7" critics_score: 46 critics_reviews: 8 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Scream 7 (2026): what the critics said Critics' score 46 from 8 reviews: 0 positive, 4 mixed, 4 negative. The reviews for Scream 7 land between lukewarm and hostile, and nobody is prepared to call it a success. The praise clusters almost entirely around one thing: Neve Campbell’s return as Sidney Prescott, which most critics find lively and well judged, with several enjoying her scenes alongside Courteney Cox. A handful of the kills are called inventive, and Kevin Williamson, directing for the first time, gets occasional credit for a clever framing choice. The reservations are consistent and settle on the script: the meta wit that defined the series is thinner, the suspects are obvious, the reveals feel arbitrary, and the younger cast leave little impression. The spread is fairly narrow, running from grudging three-star notices to one-star dismissals. The Telegraph and Collider both call it the worst film in the series. Deadline and Radio Times are the warmest, finding a crowd-pleaser executed with some zest. Nobody thinks it is as sharp as the original. ## Radio Times — Terry Staunton Rating 3/5. 26 February 2026. The critic finds faults, plot holes and a dubious ending but praises the film as a crowd-pleaser executed with zest. Williamson's direction and the return of Neve Campbell as Sidney are singled out for adding style, wit and self-referential fun to the formula. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movies/scream-7-review/) ## The New York Times — Manohla Dargis Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 26 February 2026. The mix of yuks and yucks isn’t as tasty as before, but after 30 years the unkillable series hasn’t entirely bled out. It revisits the franchise’s greatest hits with a reunion cast including Williamson’s directorial debut, but features an overlong meta opener and disposable characters who ignore horror-movie rules. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/26/movies/scream-7-review-neve-campbell.html) ## The Guardian Fi1m's normalised score 55/100 (inferred from the text). 26 February 2026. The film is a scrappy but mostly entertaining chapter that returns to Neve Campbell and Kevin Williamson but feels like it is treading water. It offers inventive kills and some strong returns for familiar characters but lacks the sharp meta-commentary expected from the franchise creator. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/feb/26/scream-7-review-neve-campbell) ## Variety — Owen Gleiberman Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 26 February 2026. Williamson returns the series to its roots in a straightforward, analog way that has enough shocks and yocks to keep audiences turning out for a weekend. The result is a back-to-basics sequel that nods at being convoluted but is really just a little too basic, lacking the meta scholarship or inventive scares of prior entries. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2026/film/reviews/scream-7-review-neve-campbell-kevin-williamson-1236672637/) ## The Telegraph Rating 2/5. 27 February 2026. The seventh film is the worst in the series and one to miss, with an underwhelming finale and obvious suspects throughout. Williamson directs but fails to deliver twists or energy that land effectively. [Read the review](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/2026/02/27/scream-7-review/) ## Los Angeles Times — Amy Nicholson Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 26 February 2026. The convoluted plot leaves the series limping despite Neve Campbell’s return as the trauma-scarred Sidney; the fun isn’t there. Arbitrary reveals, characters making dumb choices, and a script that burns energy on surprises suggest Williamson may be trying to kill the franchise off himself. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2026-02-26/scream-7-neve-campbell-courteney-cox-joel-mchale-kevin-williamson) ## Empire — Jamie Graham 26 February 2026. The film has solid emotional underpinning and a handful of ace scenes, but is no match for the original Scream or elevated horror like The Babadook. It praises the return of Neve Campbell's Sidney Prescott and some effective stalk-and-slash set-pieces. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/scream-7/) ## Financial Times — Jonathan Romney Rating ★☆☆☆☆. 26 February 2026. The film leans heavily on nostalgia but repeats the same formula without reinvigoration, making the series feel its age despite Neve Campbell's lively return. It goes lighter on meta-commentary than usual and comes across as bloodless despite the gore. [Read the review](https://www.ft.com/content/179db257-94dc-4ee4-bd21-bbb408e07f58) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Frank Scheck 26 February 2026. The critic concludes the film is creatively dead and the franchise should end, as its mechanics feel numbingly familiar and stale. Neve Campbell and Courteney Cox provide some lift amid the rote proceedings and lack of flair from the younger cast. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/scream-7-review-neve-campbell-kevin-williamson-1236514871/) ## The Times Rating ★★☆☆☆. 26 February 2026. Scream 7 is a bland and rote patch-up job that removes the franchise's signature irony and sharp cultural awareness, making it feel like just another bad horror movie. Returning stars Campbell and Cox are welcome but the overall effort is a disappointing bum note. [Read the review](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/film/article/scream-7-review-neve-campbell-courteney-cox-mxz9v8mbg) ## Total Film — Jordan Farley 26 February 2026. Never as sharp or as smart as the series' best, but still has a few neat tricks up its billowing sleeve. The review highlights some inventive moments amid its shortcomings. [Read the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/horror-movies/scream-7-review/) ## Vulture — Bilge Ebiri 27 February 2026. The review deems the film a turgid exercise in franchise obligations that lacks the wit and conceptual justification of prior entries. Dim lighting and repetitive kills add confusion rather than menace, with little charm or creativity in the set pieces. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/article/scream-7-review-nothing-matters-and-everything-sucks.html) ## Den of Geek — David Crow Rating 2/5. 26 February 2026. The critic finds Scream 7 a flavorless and banal legacy sequel that lacks the wit, metatextual irony, and visual flair of previous entries, despite Kevin Williamson directing. They single out Neve Campbell’s spirited return as Sidney Prescott for praise, but note the film ultimately feels like a heartless cash-grab. [Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/scream-7-review-finally-a-bad-one/) ## Collider — Ross Bonaime Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 26 February 2026. The critic calls Scream 7 the worst entry in the franchise, arguing it is hollow and relies excessively on nostalgia for the original film without offering anything new or insightful about horror. They single out some clever directorial framing choices by Williamson and the chemistry between Neve Campbell and Courteney Cox as the main points of praise amid an otherwise tired effort. [Read the review](https://collider.com/scream-7-review-neve-campbell/) ## Deadline — Pete Hammond 26 February 2026. The critic finds Scream 7 a fun, nostalgia-tinged sequel that benefits from Kevin Williamson finally directing his own material. Neve Campbell's return as Sidney Prescott is singled out as indispensable and perfectly pitched. [Read the review](https://deadline.com/2026/02/scream-7-review-neve-campbell-sequel-horror-franchise-1236737025/) ## /Film — Jeremy Mathai Rating 4.5 out of 10. 26 February 2026. The critic calls the film an overly nostalgic and perfunctory sequel that lacks the original's cleverness, the flair of earlier entries, and recent crowd-pleasing thrills, leaving the franchise on life support. Memorable gory set pieces stand out but fail to compensate for predictability and deficiencies elsewhere. [Read the review](https://www.slashfilm.com/2110549/scream-7-review/) ## The Wrap 26 February 2026. The critic calls the film a competent but unremarkable and uninspired sequel that functions mainly as an apology letter to Neve Campbell. It singles out the film's narrow focus on Sidney's greatness and lack of new identity or momentum. [Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/creative-content/movies/scream-7-review-neve-campbell/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/scream-7.md