TL;DR – It is a perfectly okay entry into the series, where some of the jokes still land, but it struggles to find its voice

Post-Credit Scene – There are mid-credit scenes.

Disclosure – I was invited to a press screening of this film.

Scary Movie Review Introduction

Now, before we jump in, I do have something to confess, and on the off chance one of my parents is reading this, maybe skip to the next paragraph. I kind of have a soft spot for Scary Movie as it was the first MA15+ film I saw in cinemas. In that rebellious phase where you realised you didn’t need parental approval to get into the cinemas. As far as parodies go, it was and still is streets ahead of many of its contemporaries and most of the followers that were spawned in the years after its success. But as time went on, the series had diminishing returns as it devolved into a funhouse mirror clip-show of pop culture. However, not only is this latest instalment coming at a time when Horror films are in ascendance, I mean Obsession and Backrooms just killed a Star Wars at the box office. But also, the original creators are back, and I am interested to see if they can bring the same intensity to the franchise twenty-six years later.

So, to set the scene, it has been many years since Ghostface struck, and many think he is a fable, or just a bad horror movie holdover, that is, until he turns up at Tuesday’s (Savannah Lee Nassif) house, brandishing his knife. Tuesday’s stabbing causes her sister Sara (Olivia Rose Keegan) and her not-at-all-suspicious boyfriend Jack (Cameron Scott Roberts) to return home and visit Sara’s mother, Cindy Campbell (Anna Faris), who has been preparing for this day for years. There is a killer on the loose, so it is time to bring the gang back together, including Brenda Meeks (Regina Hall), Ray Wilkins (Shawn Wayans), and Shorty Meeks (Marlon Wayans), before Ghostface kills them off one by one in elaborate referential deaths.       

What Worked

At its core, Scary Movie is meant to be a comedy, and I would be lying if I did not say there were profoundly funny moments in the film. There was a sort of a ‘throw everything at the wall to see what sticks’ mentality, but that did mean that there was some true gold throughout. I had the most fun when they were throwing grenades back at the films that had come before. It should come as no surprise that Anna Faris and Regina Hall have amazing chemistry together, and every moment they were on the screen, it became a better film. There were some delightful moments when they really got into their parodies, and there is no denying the Wayans family’s ability for comedic timing.

What Didn’t Work

For me, the one major issue that I walked away with was that it was a film with two directions that were sometimes at odds with each other. The first was stamping their usual critique of society and pop culture through the lens of satire and parody. During the runtime, we get nods to John Wick, Scream, Sinners,  Get Out, M3gan, Weapons, and even KPop Demon Hunters, just to name but a few. However, the second half is a critique of the re-boot-able or what we would call in modern cinema: the Legacy Film.

There was real comedic potential and material from both of these approaches, but in this tight 90-minute romp that wanted to explore both of these topics and more, well, there was simply not enough time to develop both to their comedic potential. This left both sides underdeveloped and worse, in many cases they clashed diminishing the whole. Then there were these asides to the previous films that just didn’t work in this film, Hanson (Chris Elliott), for example. Or pop culture references, such as Michael, that just fell flat, or any joke that was featured in the trailer. It just felt that the film was spreading itself a bit too thin at times, and there could have been a better focus to make that great ending land better.         

Recommendation

In the end, do we recommend Scary Movie? Look, let’s rip that Band-Aid right off, and make it clear that you probably already know if this film is for you or not, based on the first ten seconds of the trailer alone. Nearly all its comedy is mature in nature, and if that is not your bag, this is not the film for you. If you like the Wayans’ family brand of comedy, then I think there will be enough here to pull you through. If you are nostalgic for the first film, I am not sure if I can recommend it to you.

Have you watched Scary Movie? Let us know what you thought in the comments below. If you liked Scary Movie, we would recommend Cocaine Bear to you because it should hit you on the same comedic level, only with a touch more blood.

By Brian MacNamara: You can follow Brian on Bluesky at @Tldrmovrev, when he’s not chatting about Movies and TV, he’ll be talking about International Relations, or the Solar System.

Feel free to share this review on social media and check out all our past reviews and articles Here, and have a happy day. 

Credits – All images were created by the cast, crew, and production companies of Scary Movie
Directed by – Michael Tiddes  
Written by – Marlon Wayans, Shawn Wayans, Keenen Ivory Wayans, Craig Wayans, & Rick Alvarez
Based on – Characters created by Marlon Wayans, Shawn Wayans, Buddy Johnson, Phil Beauman, Jason Friedberg, & Aaron Seltzer
Music by – Haim Mazar
Cinematography by – Terry Stacey
Edited by – Jonathan Schwartz
Production/Distribution Companies – Wayans Bros. Entertainment & Paramount Pictures
Starring – Marlon Wayans, Shawn Wayans, Anna Faris, & Regina Hall
With – Olivia Rose Keegan, Savannah Lee Nassif, Sydney Park, Benny Zielke, Cameron Scott Roberts, Hasani Vibez Comer, Ruby Snowber, Damon Wayans Jr., Gregg Wayans, Kim Wayans, Cheri Oteri, Chris Elliott, Dave Sheridan, Heidi Gardner, Lochlyn Munro, Kenan Thompson, Jon Abrahams, Kai Cenat, Carmen Electra, Shaquille O’Neal, Teyana Taylor, Anthony Anderson, & Felissa Rose   
Rating – Australia: MA15+; Canada: 14A; Germany: 16; New Zealand: R; United Kingdom: 15; United States: R