It’s been nearly 30 years, and Sidney Evans (Neve Campbell) has tried to put her history in the past, but it’s not so easy when the popular Stab franchise keeps her story alive. She now resides in Pine Grove, Indiana, where she owns a coffee shop, and lives with new husband, local police chief Mark (Joel McHale), and teenaged daughter Tatum (Isabel May), who’s the same age as she was when the Ghostface killings first started. Her best friend/neighbor is Jessica (Anna Camp), whose son Lucas (Asa Germann) is a bit obsessed with True Crime. Tatum has a boyfriend, Ben (Sam Rechner), and they often hang out with friends Chloe (Celeste O’Connor), Hannah (Mckenna Grace) & Aaron (Cyle Winters), who are all part of the high school drama club.

Everything seems like it is just normal suburban life. That is, until Sidney receives an ominous video call from someone claiming to be Stu Macher (Matthew Lillard), the long-assumed dead original killer. At first Sidney thinks it’s just a bad joke, and some sort of AI. But as the bodies start to appear and her family comes under attack in their own home, she knows the threat is real. Did Stu really survive all those years ago? If not, who has taken up the mantle of Ghostface this time around? To help unlock the mystery behind the killer, crime reporter Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox) rides into town, joined by her twin interns Mindy (Jasmin Savoy Brown) and Chad (Mason Gooding).

Franchise creator Kevin Williamson is back again, writing, and directing a Scream film for the first time. This seventh installment does an excellent job of weaving in elements and storylines from the earlier films, combining new and old characters, resulting in a movie that feels both familiar but also fresh. While the previous film took things to the unique city setting, this seventh film returns to suburbia. It does an excellent job of mixing in the jump scares and bloody kills, making the threat feel solid, and the stakes for all of these characters feel real. No one seems completely safe, and you never know who is going to survive their run-in with Ghostface. The tone is set right from the start with the cold open as a Stab superfan, Scott (Jimmy Tatro), and girlfriend Madison (Michelle Randolph) stay at a Macher home Airbnb, only to have things become too real. I like how these films seem to evolve with the times. We started off in the first film with someone getting a call on a cordless phone, and in this latest installment, we see how AI might be being used to resurrect the original Ghostface. (This is also used creatively to allow the filmmakers to bring in many legacy characters for fun cameos.)

After sitting out from Scream VI, Neve Campbell returns for this latest installment. While I can’t say that I ever found myself missing her while watching Scream VI, it was certainly great to see her back again in this latest installment. She delivers a strong dramatic performance, and there is this great storyline of how she must pass along her strength and determination to her daughter, if Tatum is going to be able to survive this ordeal like she did 30 years eelier. I was also delighted to see Gale Weathers return (in one of the best film entrances of all time). She and her interns not only bring a lot of humor to the movie, but we also get to see how a guarded Gale is still affected by the loss of Dewey, despite her seemingly-tough exterior.

Scream 7 is a very solid horror film and entry to this seemingly-endless franchise. It gives legacy characters a chance to grow and evolve, while also introducing some interesting new characters. The only part of this film that didn’t quite work for me was the Ghostface reveal. However, we’re seven films into this franchise, and I don’t think anyone can really expect a reveal like this to make complete sense at this point—while a bit weak, I did find the explanation to be good enough and not a deal-breaker for my enjoyment of the film. For the Scream sequels, the excitement for me has always been everything that builds up to it, and not the actual reveal itself.

Paramount has released Scream 7 on Limited Edition SteelBook and standard 4K UHD, Blu-ray, DVD and Digital. We were sent the standard 4K release for review, which looks and sounds great. The picture is nearly flawless, with an excellent level of detail throughout, even during the film’s darker sequences (of which there are many). The Atmos audio track provides clear dialogue throughout as well as a thoroughly-immersive experience, particularly during some of the film’s action packed moments and jump scares.

The 4K and Blu-ray discs are packed on either side of a standard 4K keepcase along with instructions on how to redeem an 4K digital copy of the movie. The case is placed inside a cardboard slipcover. Both discs contain the same selection of bonus material, which consists of 36 minutes of behind-the-scenes featurettes, 5 minutes of deleted scenes, and a music video.

What’s Included:

Film: (1:53:53)

4K UHD:
• 2160p / Widescreen 2.39:1
• Dolby Vision / HDR10
• Audio: English Dolby Atmos, English Audio Description, German 5.1 Dolby Digital, Spanish (Spain) 5.1 Dolby Digital, Spanish (Latin America) 5.1 Dolby Digital, French 5.1 Dolby Digital, French (Canadian) 5.1 Dolby Digital, Italian 5.1 Dolby Digital, Japanese 5.1 Dolby Digital
• Subtitles: English, English SDH, Cantonese, German, Spanish (Spain), Spanish (Latin America), French, French (Canadian), Italian, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, Dutch, Thai, Turkish

Blu-ray:

• 1080p / Widescreen 2.39:1
• Audio: English Dolby Atmos, English Audio Description, German 5.1 Dolby Digital, Spanish (Spain) 5.1 Dolby Digital, Spanish (Latin America) 5.1 Dolby Digital, French 5.1 Dolby Digital, French (Canadian) 5.1 Dolby Digital, Italian 5.1 Dolby Digital, Japanese 5.1 Dolby Digital
• Subtitles: English, English SDH, Cantonese, German, Spanish (Spain), Spanish (Latin America), French, French (Canadian), Italian, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, Dutch, Thai, Turkish

Digital:

• 4K Digital Copy redeemable via Apple TV or Fandango at Home. This is not Movies Anywhere compatible.
• Code subject to expiration, may not be valid after 6/16/2028

Extras:

• Scar Tissue: The Making Of Scream 7 (21:49)
  The cast and crew discuss juggling new and legacy cast, going from the city to small town America, bringing Sidney back, working with Kevin as the director, casting Sidney’s family, the blood and gore, the visual effects, the relationship between Gail and Sidney, the return of Stu Macher, the use of modern technology in the story, and more. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with director/co-screenwriter Kevin Williamson, co-screenwriter Guy Busick, makeup department head Amber Crowe, director of photography Ramsey Nickell, and stars Asa Germann (“Lucas Bowden”), Neve Campbell (“Sidney Evans”/executive producer), Sam Rechner (“Ben Brown”), Isabel May (“Tatum Evans”), Jasmin Savoy Brown (“Mindy Meeks-Martin”), Joel McHale (“Mark Evans”), Mason Gooding (“Chad Meeks-Martin”), Ethan Embry (“Marco”), Anna Camp (“Jessica Bowden”) & Matthew Lillard (“Stu Macher”).
• Building Tension: Production Design (8:13)
  Production Designer John Collins and Director/Co-Screenwriter Kevin Williamson discuss the design of the sets and bringing them to life. Includes concept artwork and behind-the-scenes footage.
• Dance Of Death: Stunts (6:27)
  The cast and crew discuss some of the film’s stunt sequences, working with the stunt performers and actors, and more. Includes behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with stunt coordinator Jennifer Badger, director/co-screenwriter Kevin Williamson, and stars Mckenna Grace (“Hannah Thurman”) & Joel McHale.
• Ice Nine Kills Presents “Twisting The Knife” Featuring Mckenna Grace (Music Video) (3:27)
• Deleted Scenes (5:09)
  Collection of 6 deleted scenes. Play All, or select from:
  • Scott is Ghostface (:27)
    Scott unzips his bag to reveal a Ghostface outfit.
  • Chloe and Lucas Connect (1:03)
    Chloe and Lucas arrange a meet-up.
  • Tatum and Ben Say Goodbye (1:35)
    Tatum and Ben kiss goodbye in the costume room.
  • Jessica and Sidney Chat (:46)
    Jessica asks Sidney if she was aware of what is going on.
  • Tatum and Ben Leave Bar (:52)
    Tatum and Ben decide to leave the bar, but Chloe is concerned.
  • Chad and Mindy (:22)
    Wounded Chad and Mindy talk about how this was a bad idea.

Final Thoughts:

Scream 7 is a solid latest entry for the Scream franchise, bringing back Neve Campbell in the role that made her famous, and putting franchise creator Kevin Williamson in the director’s chair for the first time. The film does an excellent job of building and keeping the tension and giving some creative kills, while blending old and new together, furthering the mythology of the franchise, and giving the characters some room to grow. My only complaint was with the reveal, but after 7 movies, I’m honestly not expecting much at this point. Paramount’s 4K release looks and sounds great, and includes some entertaining bonus material. Fans of the franchise will definitely want to pick this up. For those on the fence and want to check it out before a blind buy, the film is currently streaming on Paramount+.