‘Scream 7’ Smashes Unflattering Franchise Record on Rotten Tomatoes

Scream 7, the seventh installment in the popular Scream franchise, has hit theaters and is already making headlines, for all the wrong reasons. Directed by Kevin Williamson from a screenplay he co-wrote with Guy Busick, the film stars returning favorites like Neve Campbell, David Arquette, Courteney Cox, Matthew Lillard, and Mason Gooding.

New additions to the cast include Isabel May, Anna Camp, Michelle Randolph, Jimmy Tatro, Mckenna Grace, and Joel McHale. The story follows a new Ghostface killer who targets Sidney Prescott’s daughter.

The film’s production was turbulent. After Scream VI, directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett stepped away in 2023. Christopher Landon was initially brought on to direct Scream 7, but creative changes and the departures of stars Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega led to Landon leaving the project. In March 2024, Neve Campbell confirmed she would return, and Kevin Williamson was brought back to direct. Filming began in January 2025 and wrapped in March.

Scream 7 premiered at the Paramount Pictures studio lot on February 25, 2026, and was released in the U.S. on February 27. Unfortunately, critics have not been kind. The movie currently holds a 40% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, making it the lowest-rated film in the franchise so far.

Critics have been vocal about the film’s shortcomings. Kristen Lopez from The Film Maven called it a disaster, writing, “The new sequels were clearly building toward a promising arc for Sam that created a nice throughline between them, and there was no plan B when Spyglass fired her. No pivoting to Indiana or making up character motivations on the fly can fix that.”

Caralynn Matassa of CBR added, “Scream 7 is certainly the worst in the franchise and while an eighth installment seems like a foregone conclusion everything about this is sloppy, inconsistent and tired.”

I’m gonna burn it all down. Watch the Official Trailer for Scream 7 – Only in theatres February 27, 2026. pic.twitter.com/jAezh4yn15

— Scream (@ScreamMovies) October 30, 2025

Alonso Duralde at The Film Verdict noted that losing key stars hurt the story, saying, “Losing Ortega and Barrera was a critical hit and obviously left the studio scrambling. But the method they chose to move forward — by weakly echoing the past — was not it.” Matt Donato of Daily Dead echoed the sentiment, “Unfortunately, the earlier, better Screams could handle both carnage and characterization, and the latter is sorely missing here.”

Some critics offered minor praise. David Crow from Den of Geek called it “simple, straightforward, and a shit ton of fun. Scream 7 feels like a return to the first two movies.” But the majority pointed to the film’s messy story, overreliance on nostalgia, and inconsistent pacing. Anthony Morris from It’s Better in the Dark wrote, “It does away with the story of the last two movies… yet what also has been excised is the wit, metatextual irony, and visual flair that’s marked every other installment.”

Overall, Scream 7 has delivered the expected gore and legacy characters but struggled with plot and character development. Critics agree that the franchise’s new entry feels tired and inconsistent, leaving fans divided.

In my opinion, while Scream 7 tries to balance returning characters with new storylines, it falls short of the franchise’s early charm. The film shows that even iconic series can falter when key elements are missing. What do you think about Scream 7 and the negative reviews? Share your thoughts in the comments.