The latest installment of the Scream franchise released on February 27th, 2026. It featured the highest debut in the 30 year long history of the franchise at $64.1 million domestically and $97.2 million globally. Despite the impressive box-office success, the film received the lowest critical reviews of the series, sitting at approximately 32-41% on Rotten Tomatoes. So what worked and what didn’t in this film?

This installment featured the return of final girl Sidney Prescott [Neve Campbell] after her hiatus during Scream 6. Her disappearance from the franchise during Scream 6 stemmed from unresolved salary disputes. She felt that she was worth more to the franchise than her proposed salary for the movie reflected. She stated that she “couldn’t bear to be undervalued.”

She returned in this movie with her husband and daughter, Tatum. They have left Woodsboro and moved to the quiet town of Pine Grove, Indiana. The movie stars Isabel May as Tatum Evans. Tatum serves as the main target of this movie’s Ghostface. It seems that the franchise may be setting viewers up to embrace her as the new final girl if Campbell begins to become too expensive to keep in movies. 

The movie explored the dynamic between a parent and child and asked the question: How much should a parent tell a child about their past? It also features themes of growth and bravery, showing Tatum becoming a fighter and exemplifying how the daughter of Sidney Prescott should behave. 

The scare factor was around a 3/10 with a couple jumpscares but largely only tension. The scariest part was the opening scene, starring Jimmy Tatro and Michelle Randolph. The couple visits Sidney Prescott’s childhood home which has been turned into a museum for the fictional Stab movies based on the ghostface killings.

This blast from the past of a setting set up the return of Stu Macher [Matthew Lillard], one of the OG killers in the original Scream. His character was an interesting way to integrate modern day technology into the movies. As Sidney received videos and calls from supposedly long dead “Stu” she asked questions about the capabilities of AI and deceptive technology. So was Stu really back? I’ll leave that to you to figure out.

Overall, the film was a classic Scream sequel. It featured all the usual suspects, references to horror movie structure, twists and turns, jumpscares, and laughs characteristic of the franchise. Most importantly, it once again emphasized the importance of always making sure to shoot the killer in the head to ensure they can’t sneak up on you. 

I would recommend this movie to anyone who loves the Scream franchise or is looking for a fun mix of a slasher and a who dunnit.