Commentary: The ‘Scream 7’ Body Count Works Against The Film
by Frank Martin
Even though it was largely a homage to the slasher genre, Scream also reinvented the format. Over the course of its entire franchise, Scream has displayed a knack for two things: great kills and a shocking reveal of the killer’s identity. In many ways, each installment hinges upon these two factors working in tandem with one another. In the case of Scream 7, though, the film’s large body count and gratuitous death scenes worked against it when it was finally time for the killer to present themselves.
— Spoilers Follow —
After sitting out the events of Scream 6, the franchise shifts its focus back Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) as she tries to make a life for herself in a new town. Of course, this picturesque family runs into issues when a new killer arrives on the scene and begins killing the friends of Sidney’s daughter Tatum (Isabel May). After nearly all of the suspects are murdered, it’s revealed that the mastermind behind the murders is (highlight for the reveal) Jessica (Anna Camp), Sidney’s neighbor, who has grown an unhealthy obsession with her. Like most Scream killers, this person was not working alone. There were also accomplices: an orderly at the psychiatric facility she was admitted to and a fellow patient.
Scream 7 tries to reinvent the format by giving the accomplices very little screen time and employing a little misdirection about their identities. However, the format can’t be broken completely. The killers can’t be unknown entities to the audience. They need to be individuals with some screen time. Because the majority of the characters were either killed off or badly injured, the film simply ran out of options By the time all of the suspects were taken out, the unmasked killer was really the only one left. So although there were some great death scenes, they didn’t help shield that identity from the audience.
Scream 7 is now in theaters.
