You’re at your house alone, lounging and a phone starts ringing. You pick it up. A scary voice says, “Hello.” On the other side of the phone, the caller asks, “What’s your favorite scary movie?” You’ve heard about the killings around your neighborhood, but you chose not to believe it. You realize it’s Ghostface, the one responsible for the killings, and you quickly end the call. The phone keeps ringing, echoing in your empty house, and you look for a weapon. But it’s too late, Ghostface is in your house. There’s no point in hiding. Ghostface finds you and stabs you in the chest from behind.
“Scream 7” starts with fans visiting the famous Stu Macher house. The fans were Madison and Scott. Scott is a huge fan of the stab movies, and he knows the deaths pretty well. Madison, on the other hand, did not feel safe being there. She had the right not to feel because it was the original house with many killings, most people would be scared. The Stu Macher house is an Airbnb in this movie, and with this experience, the guests get the original phone call like in the first ”Scream” with Casey Becker played by Drew Barrymore. It’s very obvious what is going to happen here; it was like, we know they are going to die. In this movie, there seems to be a common theme of nostalgia, and the killer is ready to murder.
The Opening
Similarly to the first movie, where Sidney Prescott’s boyfriend Billy Loomis crawls through the window, Sidney’s daughter Tatum Evans’ boyfriend Ben Brown climbs through her window. Sidney walks in, just like Sidney‘s dad does in the first “Scream”. Sidney does not like Tatum’s boyfriend. This opening makes the fandom remember the first movie bringing the nostalgia. Tatum is curious about her mother‘s past. But like most trauma victims, she does not want to open up. Sidney not telling her daughter builds Tatums character development through the movie. For new watchers, it builds curiosity in the audience, like what happened.
Sidney’s Life
Sidney now owns a coffee shop. She has a husband, Mark Evans. Mark is someone she meets in “Scream 3.” Her daughter is Tatum, named after one of the victims who died in the previous “Scream” movies. She lives in a different town now, in Pine Grove, Indiana. She has left her old life and started a new one, but, of course, Ghostface will always haunt her. It’s very typical for a scary movie, especially when there’s more than one. The killer is always bound to return and the return of Ghost Face in this movie are fans of Sidney, which is creepy.
The First Attacks
Tatum and her friends are at rehearsals for a play when she is told to have more grit, which is similar to what her mother experiences in “Scream 2.” Her mother was ready to quit her role in “Scream 2,” but her theater teacher convinced her to stay. Sidney receives her first call from Ghostface. Unlike the other phone calls from Ghostface, Ghostface is ready to reveal themselves with a FaceTime call. The FaceTime call immediately reveals it’s Stu, and he is ready to kill her daughter. This call is so shocking because he has been assumed dead for years. Hannah Thurman, who is Tatum‘s friend, and Aaron are rehearsing when they become the first victims. Hannah is left suspended and swinging as part of the rehearsal, and that is when Ghostface strikes. Audiences are shocked as her guts spew out of her. Sidney arrives and shoots, but misses. After the disaster, Sidney, Tatum and Mark go home and bring the police. The police check everywhere but the attic and leave. However, audiences likely know that classic scary movie rules say to always check the attic or the basement. Of course, since they fail to check the attic, Ghostface is hiding in the attic, ready to attack. They attempt to escape into a secret room and go through the walls, but Ghostface figures out their plan and starts stabbing the wall. In this moment, I wondered what was going through their mind and why they did not just stay in the panic room. Ghostface is killed by Gale Weathers, the famous reporter, who is accompanied by Chad and Mindy Meeks from Scream 5 and 6.
Gale and Sidney’s Investigation
Gale and Sidney receive a FaceTime from Stu. Gale is trying to convince Sidney to fight again. The first killer revealed is Carl. According to one of the staff members, he was friends with Stu, or “John Doe.” The staff member says he arrived in the late 90s with no memory of his real name. He was known as a drifter, and one day he attacked a high school girl. He was released two weeks ago that day. But it leaves a question of whether Stu is alive or if the staff member is a killer, too. They want to track the call. After years of constant requests, Sidney agrees to an interview with Gale. Gale asks Sidney too many personal questions, and she does not want to do the interview anymore. Gale does cross a line because it seems she is trying to expose her kids’ lives, and Gale knows what she is doing with this. She is trying to bring the frenemy vibes and make Sidney mad. It was funny to see them like as I’m surprised she didn’t punch her in the face. Gale is known for getting punched. This scene screamed “punch her” because many people would, if someone were putting you on blast on television. After this, they receive another call, and Ghostface is ready to attack Tatum again. She calls Mark, but he does not answer because he was attacked by Ghostface earlier in the movie.
The Suspects
The first killer revealed is Carl, a random creep who escaped from Fallbrook Psychiatric Hospital and who visits Sidney’s coffee shop. Carl is seen earlier in the movie visiting her coffee shop, and he does give an eerie vibe. Chad and Mindy tell Tatum to gather all her friends, meaning all the suspects. Their suspects were Chloe Parker, Lucas Bowden and Ben. Chloe Parker is suspicious because no one knew where she was during her first attack. But also going back to the scene where Hannah is killed, she seems very nervous. I wondered why she is looking nervous if she didn’t do it. Lucas could be the killer because he has a strange fascination with the movie’s stabs. It’s creepy how obsessed he seems to be with Sidney as well. Finally, Ben could be the killer because the suspect in most “Scream” movies is the boyfriend.
Tatum‘s Turn
After her interview with Gale, Tatum is on the run to find her daughter at Chloe Parker‘s parents’ restaurant. When Tatum and Ben are leaving, Tatum opens his computer to find that it is incriminating. Ben may be a suspect because he had been generating and editing the FaceTime calls. It is very unsettling that he would do this because its a serious situation. When Ben realizes that Tatum knows, Tatum hits him across the head with her laptop. Ghostface is right behind her. Tatum is on the run, and Ben finds her, but Ghostface kills her boyfriend. She runs into her mom‘s coffee shop and office, and her mom guides her to shoot Ghostface. Tatum, however, forgets to shoot Ghostface in the face, which in the “Scream” fandom is known — you always have to shoot them in the head. She is then taken by two Ghostfaces. It just feels like she builds up courage and fights for no reason when she sees Ghost Face right behind her.
The End
Sidney gets another call, which leads her home. She sees ghosts of her past on her television created by Artificial Intelligence (AI): Stu Macher, Nancy Loomis, Roman Bridger and Dewey Riley. The images tell her all her faults for their deaths. In the final act, the killer decides they want to do it like the original movie with a phone call, a girl and someone she cares about her daughter, sitting in a chair. The Ghostfaces remove their masks, revealing that it is Jessica Bowden and Marco. Marco has a background in AI, which is how they made the deep-fake FaceTime calls. Jessica was in an abusive marriage. Sidney inspires her because she always kills the bad guy, so Jessica decides she will kill the bad guy too, meaning her husband. Sidney disappears, and Jessica snaps. She meets Marco at the psychiatric hospital that Gale and Sidney visited. Jessica‘s final act is for Tatum to see her mother die, just like how Sidney saw her own mom die. Jessica wants Tatum to be Sidney 2.0. Mark, who is still alive after his attack the whole time, has been helping Tatum to untape herself from the chair. Tatum fights back, and her mother shoots Marco. She shoots Jessica, and Ghost Face is dead. But is he really gone?
This movie was more gory and graphic with its kills. The other movies have typically been fans of Ghostface in this movie and of Sidney. In this movie, they use more AI technology to appeal to the audience. At the beginning of the movie, Tatum is wearing her mother‘s jacket from “Scream 2.” She opens a window to her past. You have to go back and watch the other movies to really understand and enjoy this movie. Many scenes are replicated in “Scream 7,” which makes it nostalgic — or maybe they are just running out of ideas. It is a good watch for people who like gore and know the story behind the movies.