I still remember the first time I watched the original Scream.

The living room was dark. We all thought we were brave, until the phone rang onscreen and suddenly no one wanted to sit near a window. It was clever and genuinely terrifying. It wasn’t just a horror movie. It was iconic.

The ending to SCREAM 1 is, to this day, the best ending to a horror film in the history of horror films. No one saw it coming. Billy closing the door, turning with the knife in his hand… “we all go a little mad sometimes.”

Still gives me goosebumps.

Walking into SCREAM 7 this week, I carried all of that with me. It’s everything a longtime fan hopes for.

No spoilers here. You’re safe.

If you’ve loved this franchise from the beginning, you have something to look forward to. From the opening moments, it feels familiar in the best way. There are so many intentional nods to the very first film. Not forced nostalgia, but smart references that remind you why you fell in love with these movies in the first place. Be prepared for lots of jump scares. I jumped more than five times once.

Sidney’s return was icing on the cake. The movies aren’t the same without her. Introducing her daughter into a central role was a smart move. It gives the story generational tension. Fresh stakes.

Scream has never just been about the mask. It’s about legacy. Trauma. Survival. Reinvention.

Do I have thoughts about the ending? Absolutely. Do I have opinions about the killer(s)? Oh, I definitely do! Am I going to share them here? Not a chance. Some twists deserve to be experienced in a dark (IMAX) theater with a bucket of popcorn soda that cost the same as the car sitting in your driveway.

But once you’ve seen it, message me! Text me. DM me. Email me. Send a carrier pigeon. I need to unpack my feelings with someone!

For now, I’ll just say this: if you’re a lover of the franchise, especially the original, SCREAM 7 understands you.

And that’s what makes it worth the ticket.