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‘Scream 7’ First Reactions Praise New Installment as ‘the Goriest of the Series’

Neve Campbell returns as Sidney Prescott in Kevin Williamson’s latest stab at the franchise

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Neve Campbell in "Scream 7" (Spyglass/Paramount Pictures)

Initial reactions to “Scream 7” are in after the new installment of the horror series had its Los Angeles premiere Wednesday evening, and some are even praising the slasher flick as “the goriest of the series.”

That take came from Awards Radar’s Joey Magidson, who took to X late Wednesday and labeled the seventh film in the “Scream” franchise “an effective slasher.”

However, Magidson noted he wasn’t entirely sold on the plot, adding, “A plot point involving AI did not work at all. This is closer to generic horror than what made ‘Scream’ special.”

Yet, Clayton Davis, the Chief Awards Editor at Variety, offered up a wildly different stance, praising “Scream 7” as “fun as hell” with “nostalgic call backs.” He also called out the gory nature of the movie, writing, “Gruesome kills.”

Scream 7
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Entertainment reporter Mike Gambaro was equally impressed with the movie, chiming in with: “#Scream7 understands its legacy and has real fun with it. Wildly creative kills, dark meta humor that lands, and a cast completely locked in. As a longtime fan, this is the most fun I’ve had since the original. Even going in spoiled, I still walked out loving it!”

Erik Davis, from Fandango and Rotten Tomatoes, also called out the “nostalgia play” of “Scream 7,” but defended that it worked as “a love letter to the first three ‘Scream’ movies.” He shouted out the film’s “clever kills,” as well as declared that the opening was “one of the series’ best.”

The positive feedback for “Scream 7” follows a tumultuous journey for the movie, which saw the 2023 firing of its star Melissa Barrera for her comments on Israel-Gaza and subsequent exits of director Christopher Landon and co-star Jenna Ortega. Yet, the project bounced back after original franchise star Neve Campbell agreed to return for “Scream 7” after previously walking away from the film series due to a pay dispute. Kevin Williamson, who wrote “Scream,” “Scream 2” and “Scream 4,” also boarded “Scream 7” as writer and director.

“Scream 7,” which hits theaters February 27, also stars Isabel May, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Mason Gooding, Matthew Lillard, Joel McHale and Courteney Cox, among others.

Read on for a full roundup of reactions to “Scream 7.”

Scream 7
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Alyssa Ray

Alyssa Ray is the night news editor at TheWrap and boasts a passion for period dramas, horror films, musicals, romance novels, reality TV, pop music and theme parks. After growing up in Massachusetts, Alyssa found herself in Los Angeles through Emerson College’s internship program, where she majored in Marketing Communications. After a stint in publicity,…

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