The news that one horror sequel has far outperformed Scream 7 among critics proves that the Scream franchise lost out massively by completely changing its stars and creative talent behind the camera. The Scream franchise’s history has become increasingly complex in recent years. The first four outings of the meta slasher series were directed by horror cinema legend Wes Craven, and all of them focused on Neve Campbell’s resilient Final Girl, Sidney Prescott. When Craven passed away, it wasn’t clear where the franchise’s future would go next.
2022’s reboot Scream did feature Sidney, but its story mainly focused on the Scream franchise’s new heroines Sam and Tara. Sam and Tara then officially became the franchise’s leads when Sidney didn’t appear in Scream IV after Campbell’s salary negotiations broke down. Then, when Sam’s actor, Melissa Barrera, was fired for voicing her opinion and Tara’s actor, Jenna Ortega, exited the series with her, 2026’s delayed sequel, Scream 7, ended up going back to Sidney’s story, forgetting the existence of Sam and Tara’s saga entirely.
Scream 7’s handling of this changeover was awkward at best, especially since two of the sequel’s returning characters, Chad and Mindy Meeks-Martin, were first introduced as close friends of Sam and Tara in 2022’s Scream reboot. Scream 7’s bad reviews highlighted just how much director Kevin Williamson failed to find a way for the series to work around these changes, with critics calling the instalment limp, shallow, and weakly written.
To make matters worse, the co-directors of Scream 2022 and Scream VI just earned a massive critical success with the release of their long-awaited horror sequel, Ready or Not 2: Here I Come. 2019’s Ready or Not was an instant classic that predicted the Eat the Rich trend before Succession, The Menu, Glass Onion, Triangle of Sadness, Saltburn, The White Lotus, The Fall of the House of Usher, and Death of a Unicorn all later cashed in on it.
Since Ready or Not was a massive critical success with a whopping 89% critical rating on Rotten Tomatoes, the high-concept horror comedy seemed like a tough act to follow. Of course, both of Ready Or Not co-directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett’s Scream movies were also risky, and this didn’t stop them from winning over critics and gaining stellar reviews upon release. Credited together as Radio Silence, Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett’s movies have consistently garnered great reviews.
To make things even worse for the deeply flawed Scream 7, Ready Or Not 2: Here I Come’s reviews are largely great, with the sequel earning a superb Rotten Tomatoes rating of 77%. This success makes it clearer than ever that Radio Silence’s unique direction was a fundamental part of the Scream franchise’s reboot success, and the contrast between the popularity of Ready Or Not 2: Here I Come and the critical drubbing that Scream 7 received makes the Scream franchise’s future look duller than ever, despite the slasher sequel’s box office success.
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