30 Years Later, It's Officially Time for Hollywood to Quietly Stop Making Scream Movies

When Wes Craven's Scream came out in 1996, it changed horror and created a new slasher wave that carried into the 2000s with two sequels and several successful copycats like I Know What You Did Last Summer. After the start and stop return of the franchise in 2011 with Scream 4, Radio Silence brought Ghostface back in 2022 with two more well-received entries. However, cracks also started to form in the franchise, as repetitive choices led to predictability and nostalgia taking precedence over true horror. The controversy surrounding the firing of Melissa Barrera only hastened the feeling that the franchise's time might be running out. Now, Scream 7 is here, and the negative reviews prove the point: it's time for Ghostface to drop his knife and get some rest.

There Was More Than a Decade Wait Between 'Scream 3' and 'Scream 4'

Scream was the perfect blend of meta horror, compelling characters, and fun scares, so it was only a matter of time before there was a sequel. While it wasn't as good as the first, Scream 2 still had a strong story with plenty of thrills and something to say about horror movies and obsession with real-life violence. There was then a three-year wait between Scream 2 and Scream 3, with the latter coming out in 2000. The end of the trilogy is regarded as the worst in the franchise. Tragically, this one must be given a bit of a pass. Scream 3 was originally going to be about a group of high schoolers idolizing Stu Macher (Matthew Lillard), who's revealed to be very much alive. This idea fell apart after the real-life Columbine school shooting, resulting in a rushed and convoluted redo. Sounds kind of familiar in 2026, doesn't it?

That could have been it. By the early 2000s, the slasher wave was dead again. Instead of pumping out more unwanted sequels, Scream took a wise rest. However, by 2011, Wes Craven was back with Scream 4, reuniting Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, and David Arquette alongside a new generation. The admittedly flawed fourth film gets back on track by being unpredictable and smart, with a message not only about torture porn but a new obsession for its killers: fame built through the internet in a way that didn't exist in the late 90s. There was a plan for an all-new trilogy, only for it to be nixed due to horrible box office results. Audiences had spoken. They had moved on to movies like The Conjuring, Insidious, and Sinister. Slashers were dead. And in 2015, so was one of the subgenre's greatest creators. With Wes Craven gone, there was no reason to ever make another Scream movie.

'Scream 5' and 'Scream 6' Are Missing a Fun Rewatchability

A Scream film without Wes Craven felt unimaginable. But then something happened. Slashers returned in a new way. Instead of the reboots that dominated the 2000s, 2018's Halloween brought back its lead, Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis), in a film that was a nod to the past yet lived in the present. After how well it did at the box office, it was time for Ghostface to return too.

Radio Silence was the perfect choice to direct Scream 5 after they showed their impressive talent in Ready or Not. The fifth film was arguably better than Scream 3 and Scream 4, and the fact that audiences turned up this time showed that there was a desire to see Ghostface and hear what he had to say. However, both Scream 5 and Scream 6 (which came out just a year later) lose a lot in rewatches. The kills are fun, and Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega are great additions, but the two films offer nothing new. It's just more of the same, with nostalgia bait, a killer obsessed with horror and Sidney Prescott, main characters who can survive any wound (we're looking at you, Mason Gooding!), and a predictable Ghostface reveal. Although it is a good time in the moment, there is no reason to come back to them.

'Scream 7' Forgets Everything That Made the Franchise Great

When Melissa Barrera was fired, and Jenna Ortega and director Christopher Landon quit Scream 7, the signs were there. It was time to take a step back, let the franchise breathe, and return in several years with a fresh approach. Instead, Paramount kept right on by jumping feet first into the past. Not only was Neve Campbell brought back, but so was the original writer, Kevin Williamson. Scream 7 had a difficult task. How do you move away from an unfinished story and do something fresh and exciting?

It's a question they unfortunately had no answer for because Scream 7 is the most pointless of them all. It looks good, the kills are gory, but it's the worst kind of nostalgia bait that can't go more than two scenes without reminding its audience of 1996. Sidney and Gale Weathers (Cox) do the same old thing, with the latter barely involved at all. The only connection to Scream 6 is the return of Mason Gooding and Jasmin Savoy Brown, an addition so forced that they never even mention Barrera and Ortega's characters. If you can get past the grossness of that, what you'll find are more main characters who can survive anything, the weakest killer reveal, and perhaps worst of all, a movie with nothing to say about modern horror. It's hollow, as fake as its AI subplot.

The Scream franchise used to be a must-see. Now nostalgia is the only selling point. Because of this, it's time for Ghostface to rest. When he rises again one day, it must be with all new characters and a different format that focuses on the present and future rather than living in the past. If Scream isn't scary and unpredictable like the best horror should be, what's the point?

Scream 7 is now playing in theaters.