Horror movies are big in the news lately, and have been propping up the box office since the reopening of theaters after the COVID-19 pandemic. The last Scary Movie was over 13 years ago with Scary Movie 5. This time around though, the Wayans Brothers are back to write, produce, and star in the film. They’re making a triumphant return after leaving the series after Scary Movie 2. This time around, they’re here to skewer horror movies and just Hollywood in general. The biggest question, though, is whether the jokes are successful. Because without good jokes, a parody is just a bad version of the original.
The Brothers and director Michael Tiddes take aim at Scream (2022) with this film, copying that plot almost exactly with a little bit of Halloween (2018) thrown in for good measure. Returning to the series as actors are Anna Faris as Cindy, Regina Hall as Brenda, Cheri Oteri as Gail Hailstorm, Lochlyn Munro as Sheriff Greg, Dave Sheridan as Officer Doofy, Marlon Wayans as Shorty, and Shawn Wayans as Ray. These characters are all the same silly versions we’ve had in the past but this time around they’re joined by new actors that mirror the “requel” archetypes from recent horror movies.
Olivia Rose Keegan plays Sara, Savanna Lee Nassif plays Tuesday, Cameron Scott Roberts plays Jack the boyfriend, and Sydney Park plays Dei Meeks. Sara is Cindy’s oldest daughter, Tuesday is her youngest daughter, and they’re the analogs for the Carpenter sisters in Scream (2022).
Yeah, But Do The Jokes Land?
There are a million jokes per minute, or so it seems, in Scary Movie. Not all of them land as well as others. There’s some skewering nostalgia, there are some praising nostalgia, others take aim at Gen Z culture, and others at millennials and older. The good thing is that there are a lot of jokes but the bad thing is that when they don’t land, they really don’t. Obviously, this is going to vary per person with a sense of humor, but there are only so many times Shorty can make fun of Gen Z for being vapid and empty-headed.
As for a basic plot, like I said before, they follow the plot of Scream (2022), but it really stretches the basic fundamentals of a plot for a movie. And yes, I understand this is a parody, it’s Scary Movie, but the movie still needs a functional plot. It takes plenty of sidetracks for gags that include making fun of KPop Demon Hunters, Weapons, Longlegs, Michael, and more. The funniest gag for me was the parody of Michael in the middle of the film.
The performances are all-in. If you like the goofy, irreverent, and self-referential characters of the past, there’s something for you in Scary Movie. The newcomers are actually more impressive than the older cast. They amp up the lampooning to eleven, especially Oliva Rose Keegan as Sara. Not only does she match the mannerisms of Anna Faris, but she even looks a bit like a young Faris from the earlier Scary Movies.
But It Does Do A Good Job When They Skewer Horror Movies
Scary Movie succeeds when it’s making fun of the tropes and hallmarks of the horror genre. As they did with the first film and Scary Movie 2, they took on the slasher genre and the haunted house genres. There’s plenty to make fun of with requels including the stock plot that all of them seem to follow. They also tackle the “elevated horror” subgenre that A24 and NEON have popularized. When the movie is firing on all cylinders and the jokes are landing, Scary Movie is hilarious.
When the movie is chugging along and the jokes aren’t landing as much, or they’re simply hitting the bottom of the barrel with segments with Kai Cenat, the movie shows its age. The film was never going to be mature or high cinema, but like those requels they’re making fun of so much, it ends up focusing on the old guard too much and the newcomers get barely any shine.
The Longlegs section of the film is funny but also feels like a cutaway gag from an episode of Family Guy. Just thrown in for audiences to go “hey look it’s Hanson’s good hand!”.
Your own mileage from Scary Movie may vary, but it’s likely to be funnier for the uncs and aunties that the film is making fun of than for the younger generation. Like all horror movies though, it’s up to your own tastes and sense of humor.
Scary Movie releases in theaters on June 5th, 2026.
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