Be honest, how many of you knew that there was a seventh Scream movie? Well, there is, and it dropped today. So grab your buck knives and let’s cut to the chase.
Here’s what we have for you this week:
Concession Stand Scorecard: Scream 7
Watchlist Worthy: THE WAYANS ARE BACK
ICYMI Pod: Horror movie draft
This week’s movie - Scream 7
Letterboxd Description:
Burn it all down.
When a new Ghostface killer emerges in the quiet town where Sidney Prescott has built a new life, her darkest fears are realized as her daughter becomes the next target. Determined to protect her family, Sidney must face the horrors of her past to put an end to the bloodshed once and for all.
Best Watched With
Friends who love slashers and were alive when Scream came out in 1996.
End Credit Thoughts
There aren’t too many modern franchises that have hit the seven-film mark, but the Scream series just keeps marching on. Our expectations were low, but our excitement spiked when we saw concession lines filled with elder millennial moms and their teen daughters, all rocking Ghostface shirts. Maybe — just maybe — they’d strike gold on the seventh trip back to this same well.
A few of us hadn’t seen Scream 6 (or 5… or 4), and no one felt lost. Yes, there are nods to the NYC killing spree from the sixth film and plenty of returning characters, but nothing left the less-initiated behind. That said, the only true prerequisite viewing here is the 1996 original. And while we’re not sure if the writers thought they were being clever, the shot-for-shot recreations and identical needle drops from the first film felt more cheap than cheeky.
The original ensemble — Nev Campbell as Sidney, Courteney Cox as Gale, and Matthew Lillard as Stu — brought exactly the energy we’ve come to expect. We’re happy to report that Lillard can still tap into that unhinged Stu chaos three decades later. The new generation (literally the offspring of some original characters) holds its own, but no real standouts emerged.
This franchise is built on a sturdy foundation of wild plot twists, gnarly deaths, and those big Ghostface motive reveals. Credit where it’s due: the kills here are inventive and the gore is cranked to eleven. The story, though? That’s where we started squinting. Some of the dialogue and character choices are so painfully on-the-nose that we couldn’t tell if it was intentional. Sort of like a campy inside joke for die-hard fans. That’s the generous read. The less generous one is that the script...isn’t great.
Hot take aside, we still had a blast. There are legit jump scares, outrageous deaths, callbacks, and moments so absurd the entire theater burst out laughing. If you’re a die-hard, grab your friends and head to the theater. If you’re more of a casual (like the punk rocker among us who’s skipped nearly half the franchise), this one will do just fine as a future at-home stream.
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Scary Movie 6 by Michael Tiddes
We just watched the trailer premiere before Scream 7…
GOOD SCARY MOVIE IS BACK!
The Wayan brothers are back to producing and writing a Scary Movie since 2002. From what we saw—and the inclusion of some of our enjoyed movies in the past decade—we are hyped and love that the franchise is back in the original and very capable hands. The trailer will be releasing online soon.
Letterboxd Description:
The sixth installment in the franchise. Plot TBA.
Also Directed by Michael Tiddes:
Haunted House (2013)
Fifty Shades of Black (2016)
Naked (2017)
Horror Movie Draft: Creating Our Own Horror Movies #65
🎧 Listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts or Spotify
🎥 Watch this episode on YouTube
Josh, Eric, and Kelly go head-to-head, building their own theoretical horror movies by drafting from nine specific categories. The episode is filled with chaotic energy, accusations of cheating , and a deep-dive analysis of why Christian Venegas doesn’t watch movies.
Let us know who had the best horror movie draft in the comments on Spotify, YouTube, Instagram, social media, email, or text message.
Draft Categories
The hosts built their movies by drafting picks in the following 9 rounds:
Director
Setting
First Character to Die
Final Girl (or Survivor)
Two Ensemble Characters
Soundtrack
Villain (Outside the Horror Genre)
Horror Subgenre
The Twist
Tune in next week for | The Bride
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