‘Scream 7’ Breaks Franchise Record for Lowest Rotten Tomatoes Score

Scream 7, the seventh movie in the long-running Scream franchise, has hit theaters and is already making headlines, but not for good reasons. The 2026 slasher film is directed by Kevin Williamson, who co-wrote the screenplay with Guy Busick, based on a story by James Vanderbilt and Busick.

Returning stars include Neve Campbell, David Arquette, Courteney Cox, Matthew Lillard, and Mason Gooding. New cast members include Isabel May, Anna Camp, Michelle Randolph, Jimmy Tatro, Mckenna Grace, and Joel McHale. The story follows a new Ghostface killer who sets their sights on Sidney Prescott’s daughter.

The film’s production faced a lot of changes. After Scream VI, directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett left in 2023. Christopher Landon was originally brought on to direct, but he left after major cast members Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega departed. In March 2024, Neve Campbell confirmed she would return, and Williamson took over directing. Filming began in January 2025 and wrapped in March.

Scream 7 premiered at Paramount Pictures on February 25, 2026, and was released in the U.S. on February 27. Critics have been largely negative. The movie currently has a 40% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, the lowest score in the franchise’s history.

Kristen Lopez from The Film Maven said, “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.”

Alonso Duralde from The Film Verdict noted, “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 also criticized the film, writing, “Unfortunately, the earlier, better Screams could handle both carnage and characterization, and the latter is sorely missing here.”

Some critics found small positives. David Crow from Den of Geek said, “This movie is simple, straightforward, and a shit ton of fun. Scream 7 feels like a return to the first two movies.” But most noted that the film’s story felt messy, over-reliant on nostalgia, and unevenly paced. Anthony Morris from It’s Better in the Dark said, “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.”

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

Overall, Scream 7 delivers on gore and brings back legacy characters, but it struggles with plot, pacing, and character development. Critics agree it is the weakest entry in the series so far.

Scream 7 shows that even beloved franchises can stumble when key elements are missing. It might satisfy hardcore fans looking for nostalgia, but it lacks the cohesion and energy of earlier films. What do you think about Scream 7 and the critical backlash? Share your thoughts in the comments.