Critics Take a Stab at 'Scream 7's Nostalgia-Filled Thrills on Rotten Tomatoes

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Ghostface hunts his prey in 'Scream 7' image

Published Feb 26, 2026, 12:17 PM EST

Ryan O'Rourke is a Senior News Writer at Collider with a specific interest in all things adult animation, video game adaptations, and the work of Mike Flanagan. He is also an experienced baseball writer with over six years of articles between multiple outlets, most notably FanSided's CubbiesCrib. Whether it's taking in a baseball game, a new season of Futurama or Castlevania: Nocturne, or playing the latest From Software title, he is always finding ways to show his fandom. When it comes to gaming and anything that takes inspiration from it, he is deeply opinionated on what's going on. Outside of entertainment, he's a graduate of Eureka College with a Bachelor's in Communication where he honed his craft as a writer. Between The IV Leader at Illinois Valley Community College and The Pegasus at Eureka, he spent the majority of his college career publishing articles on everything from politics to campus happenings and, of course, entertainment for the student body. Those principles he learned covering the 2020 election, Palestine, and so much more are brought here to Collider, where he has gleefully written on everything from the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes to Nathan Lane baby-birding sewer boys.

What's your favorite scary movie? Paramount Pictures is hoping it will be Scream 7, the latest anticipated installment in the long-running horror franchise originated by director Wes Craven and creator Kevin Williamson, releasing this Friday, February 27. For the first time since everyone was introduced to Sydney Prescott and Ghostface, Williamson jumped behind the camera himself, following the departure of Christopher Landon, to direct an installment that's heavy on the nostalgia. After being absent from Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett's last film, Neve Campbell is back as the final girl who started it all, and she once again has a target on her back.

Scream 7 takes viewers to Indiana, where Sydney has tried to live a quiet life until a new Ghostface killer arrives in the neighborhood. Her worst fears are soon made manifest when the boogeyman of her past targets her daughter, promising to "make everyone you love suffer." To put the horrors behind her at last and protect her family, she must spring into action and face down the darkness she thought she left behind. In some cases, she'll quite literally face the ghosts of her past, with the previously killed Matthew Lillard, David Arquette, and Scott Foley all returning to the fold alongside fellow franchise icon Courteney Cox as Gale Weathers. Core Four members Jasmin Savoy Brown and Mason Gooding are also back in the fight, joining newcomers Isabel May, Michelle Randolph, Mark Consuelos, Joel McHale, Anna Camp, Mckenna Grace, Asa Germann, Sam Rechner, Celeste O’Connor, and Jimmy Tatro.

Feelings were mixed about what a Scream 7 would look like after Radio Silence so smoothly picked up the reins from where the late Craven left off. With the absence of half of the Core Four following Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega's exit, too, there were real concerns about the direction of the franchise as it fought to bring back fan favorites. However, co-writer Guy Busick insisted that the next generation of survivors was still a big part of the story after the rework, and teases of Williamson's vision hinted at a bloody, fun new installment that would respectfully build on the Scream legacy. First reactions are now rolling in, and the consensus on Ghostface's latest massacre is a bit mixed.

What Are Critics Saying About 'Scream 7'?

For critics, the final result after a creative overhaul and a change in the guard behind the camera didn't quite live up to the high heights of the slashers that came before. Nevertheless, the story from Williamson, Busick, and James Vanderbilt was viewed by some as an adequate entry in a horror franchise that has remained remarkably reliable far longer than most. On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, Scream 7 has earned a 40% score from 42 reviews at the time of writing, making it the lowest-rated entry in the franchise behind Scream 3's 45% critic score.

Scream 7 slices into theaters this Friday, February 27. Stay tuned here at Collider for more as reviews roll in for the horror mainstay's return to theaters.