The last two Scream movies were as good as anything in the franchise apart from the original. The production of the 7th instalment, though, has had its issues with both its stars Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega leaving the project along with the talented director Christopher Landon. That was compensated by the series creator, Kevin Williamson, taking over as director and the return of Neve Campbell, along with Courteney Cox who has appeared in every movie, and most surprisingly, Matthew Lillard.
Sidney Prescott (Campbell) has built a new life for herself in the quiet town of Pine Grove, Indiana, until a Ghostface killer begins to target her daughter Tatum (Isabel May). Is it a new psychopath or has Stu Macher (Lillard) somehow returned from the dead?
For most of the run time, I was thoroughly entertained, starting with a pre title sequence that deviated from the usual formula. It was great to have Campbell back and Williamson knows how to deliver some gory kills. I cannot claim that it breaks any new ground, but for fans of the series it should mostly hit the spot. There are enough call backs to earlier films but it never felt too self indulgent.
The big reveal of worked much less well. Due to a process of elimination, the bad guys identity is obvious and their motive was pretty incoherent. The dispatching of the final killer was quite satisfying and it was nice to see Tatum finally show some of her Mum’s spirit.
Rating: 6.5 out of 10