“Scream,” released in 1996, was one of the best films I have ever seen. 

Comparably, “Scream 7,” released on Feb. 27, 2026,  was one of the worst films I have ever seen. The “Scream” franchise has expanded across 30 years, with seven films, recurring actors, many character deaths and (usually) phenomenal plot twists. 

As a fan who has met Matthew Lillard, Skeet Ulrich and Rose McGowan and someone who has more than 10 different types of “Scream” merchandise, I was so frustrated and disappointed after watching “Scream 7”
in theaters. I stayed until the very last credit rolled, expecting some kind of post-credit scene that would change the storyline.  

A lot of things made it as bad as it is. The creators of this film profited off of advertising Lillard’s return to the franchise as Stu Macher, 30 years after his first appearance. Lillard exclaimed how happy he was to be offered this role and a return by Kevin Williamson, writer and director of the film. 

Lillard was written in as  Macher again with artificial intelligence and it looked like trash. Stu was not actually back, instead a lot of the prior killers were shown as AI, but somehow aged. The storyline included many plot holes and the two-killer ending reveal was extremely predictable and lackluster. I predicted the killers from the very beginning, which is very unlike the “Scream” movies. When Macher made his appearance on screen, in an almost sold out theater, everyone clapped including myself. Lillard’s acting, despite the poor storyline, delivered tremendously. In a recent viral TikTok, when Lillard surprised fans for a showing of the movie in Tampa, Florida, he acknowledged he was being filmed and said he still holds hope and wants Macher to actually be alive. He added that he could not say while being recorded how he really felt about the storyline, despite being so excited to get asked back. 

The only good thing to come from the film was seeing Sidney Prescott be arguably the smartest final girl in a horror movie franchise, with safety implications in place and her teaching her daughter how to fight back. Ultimately, though, this film was a bad attempt at modernization. In one scene, Prescott cannot reach her daughter, Tatum, so she remains on FaceTime with her while Tatum is being attacked and even tells Tatum to put her headphones on for gun instructions. That was just insulting to watch. 

The character of Gale Weathers was not herself in this movie, but was made to be outdated and out of touch. Weather’s reputation should not be passed down to an old and dead character’s niece and nephew. It is very obvious, with the ending, that “Scream 8” will rely on a new generation of actors and characters. It seems to be even more disappointing and becoming more obvious that these films do not mean much to the writers as art, but more as paychecks. 

 No one important died, only every brand new character that the audience had just met. No rapport was built between the characters. The film tried to have Tatum be with a Billy-like boyfriend and, in the end, that was underwhelming and undermined too. 

The motive for the killers was stupid and insignificant to the plot. Many fans online agree. This did not feel like a “Scream” franchise film. 

“Scream 7” was, very clearly, a money-maker and a movie to continue to cut paychecks to actors, writers and directors. The only thing they can do now is have Macher come back for real this time in “Scream 8” and end the franchise correctly.