Why Scream 7’s Ghostface Killers Are the Worst in the Entire Franchise

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Now that Scream 7 is available on Paramount+, more people are watching it and sharing their reactions online. The general feeling among fans is that this installment has the least satisfying reveal of who is behind the Ghostface mask – and that’s notable considering some of the surprising reveals the Scream movies have done in the past.

In Scream 7, Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) is trying to enjoy a peaceful life, owning a coffee shop and raising her family with her husband, Mark (Joel McHale). Her teenage daughter, Tatum (Isabel May), often clashes with her. When a new Ghostface targets Tatum, Sidney will do anything to protect her family.

Scream 7: Who Is the Ghostface Killer? (SPOILERS)

In Scream 7, Sidney is terrorized by videos seemingly sent by Stu Macher, the original Ghostface, who claims to have survived and is seeking revenge on Tatum. But the true killer is eventually revealed to be Marco Davis (Ethan Embry), a mental institution supervisor. He had created a disturbing obsession with Sidney Prescott, enlisting two inmates, Karl Gibbs (Kraig Dane) and Jessica Bowdwn (Anna Camp), to help carry out his plan.

The attackers intended to symbolically end Sidney’s role as the ‘final girl’ in the movies. However, their plan went wrong when Karl was killed during an attempt to attack Sidney’s home. Marco and Jessica then decided to kill Sidney while forcing Tatum to watch, hoping to create a new ‘final girl’ – Tatum – based on Sidney’s experiences and mirroring the events of the Stab films. Ultimately, Sidney, Tatum, and Mark worked together to defeat and kill Marco and Jessica, stopping their plan.

Why Scream 7’s Ghostface Reveal is So Bad

What sets the Scream movies apart is that they’re self-aware and playfully comment on horror tropes. But Scream 7 largely abandons that cleverness, opting for a more traditional story of Sidney and her family fighting Ghostface. The film attempts a twist ending, portraying the killers as a commentary on obsessive fandom and the debate over whether Neve Campbell (Sidney Prescott) is essential to the Scream franchise—a question Scream VI also explored. While the idea had potential, the killer reveal fell flat. Many fans predicted it as soon as they saw familiar character actors like Ethan Embry and Anna Camp cast, recognizing their talent for over-the-top villainous speeches.

The original Scream (1996) is well-known for being a groundbreaking, self-aware horror film – think of Randy’s famous explanation of horror movie tropes. But what really made Scream last in people’s minds was the shocking reveal that both Billy Loomis and Stu Macher were the killers behind the Ghostface mask. Since then, the Scream series has consistently surprised audiences with killer reveals, often featuring characters we’ve already seen who have a connection to Sidney or past events. It’s a difficult trick to repeat as the franchise continues, but that’s what the filmmakers are tasked with doing.

Scream 7 doesn’t deliver the kind of mystery fans expect, and it feels like a betrayal of what made the series popular. It even seems to make fun of the passion of longtime viewers. What’s particularly disappointing is that Kevin Williamson, the writer of the first four Scream movies, wrote and directed this installment. It comes across as if Williamson – and possibly Neve Campbell – were working through personal issues with the film, which unfortunately didn’t translate into an enjoyable experience for fans.

While Scream VI had strong potential to continue the series with its characters and established story, Scream 7 feels unnecessary and like a final attempt to wrap things up with the original cast, even though it was the most commercially successful film in the series.

What do you think about Scream 7? Are you hoping to see the story from Scream VI continue? Join the conversation on the ComicBook Forum!

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2026-05-30 02:19