Scary Movie – Movie Review
It’s been 25 years since The Wayans were at the helm of a Scary Movie parody film. But, in that time, Marlon and Shawn Wayans, along with their familial collaborators, have been producing comedic material in film and television in spades – including a series of parody/spoof films from Marlon Wayans like Fifty Shades of Black and The Haunted House duology. But, Scary Movie 1 and 2 always felt like The Wayans’ at their strongest as they deconstructed a new wave of horror with some outlandish and juvenile crude humour.
Now, the Wayans’ reunite with original co-stars Anna Faris as Cindy and Regina Hall as Brenda, along with a rolodex of familiar faces in the sixth instalment of the series, Scary Movie, taking titular notes from the reboot-sequel-legacy films that are in the firing line this time around.
Harkening back to the film series that served as the foundation for their initial parody, Scary Movie’s “narrative” is based heavily on Scream (the 2022 fifth instalment) and Scream VI, with this films cold open directly lifting inspiration from the Samara Weaving moment from Scream VI, with a relevantly timed cameo to match. From there, we see newcomers Jack (Cameron Scott Roberts), who not only shares the name, but also an uncanny resemblance to Jack Quaid in Scream; and Sara (Olivia Rose Keegan, who jaw-droppingly imitates the demeanor and voice of Anna Faris), Cindy’s daughter, both return home to Woodsville with the Ghostface killer returns.
Upon their return home, they encounter Cindy, who is now repping the Jamie Lee Curtis/Halloween reboot scruffy grey hair in her wildly booby trapped house; Brenda, who has embodied the personality of Octavia Spencer’s Ma; Shorty (Marlon Wayans), who is in his 25th year as a senior in high school and making millions as a streamer; and Ray, who is unconvincingly trying to convince the church congregation from Sinners that he isn’t gay anymore while he simulates fellatio with the microphone. Together, the core-four must reunite and take down the Ghostface killer, and take down a few horror movie tropes while they do it.
It’s no surprise that Scary Movie and the Wayans’ brand of comedy is an acquired taste. And if parody is not the vibe, then this won’t be for you. It’s crude, it’s absurd, it’s silly, it’s dumb. But, it’s a lot of fun if you’re willing to just turn your brain off and have a good time. The quotation marks around “narrative| earlier in the review is a good indicator of what to expect. The story itself here is barebones, using a thin plot to just push the movie forward enough, and not make it feel like a random string of comedic bits and segments. However, there is more happening story and plot wise here than some other parody films that came in the wake of this franchise, even Scary Movie3 and 4.
Before heading into Scary Movie, it is worth knowing some of the background around why the Wayans’ weren’t involved with any of the Scary Movie films after 2. With all of the Miramax and Harvey and Bob Weinstein of the time, there was a lot of falling out occurring in the background, meaning the Wayans family did not return. And even though Anna Faris and Regina Hall went on to star in at least 2 more of the films in the series, their reasons are brought up in the film and are actually worked into some very meta and hilarious narrative reveals towards the end of the movie.
That’s where this iteration of Scary Movie feels like there is a bit more happening underneath the surface of all the dumb, juvenile humour. It’s a rapid-fire joke machine for 95 minutes. And even though there are moments that are funnier than others, some that hit, some that miss, and some that induce a massive eye roll, there are a lot of niche horror movie and pop-cultural references that are really smart. For every obvious joke there is about a Final Destination theme park, or a K-Pop Demon Hunters K-hole song, or The Substance bit leading to a wildly funny cameo, there are a lot of jokes that are there strictly for movie fans – fans who don’t mind the piss getting taken out of their beloved and sacred cinema. And it’s these quieter, smarter jokes that actually garnered more chuckles than a micro-penis being cut off or Ghostface’s mask changing when he gets high. It’s odd to say, but there literally is humour for everyone in Scary Movie. While the marketing and interviews have led with the fact that the movie isn’t scared of cancel culture or the “woke” mindset, Scary Movie never felt like it was trying to offend anyone, but it definitely takes comedic shots at everyone. But, as aforementioned, some jokes work, and others don’t.
It was truly great seeing the insanity that the core-four brought back to the screen, with no one missing a beat in bringing back their wacky characters. Marlon and Shawn Wayans’ are brilliant as Shorty and Ray respectively, each with standout moments. But it’s the levels of absurdity that Anna Farris and Regina Hall go to as Cindy and Brenda that brings the most laughs. Their ability to go to a level of silly that is so unashamed and unabashed is refreshingly fun. And while the newcomer cast are featured a fair bit throughout the story, the best moments of the film are happening when the core-four are around. However, it is worth pointing out that while Olivia Rose Keegan might not have all of the best comedically written moments, her impersonation and embodiment of Anna Faris as Cindy is unbelievably uncanny and quite hilarious in its own right.
If you’re a fan of at least the first two Scary Movie flicks, then there is going to be enjoyment and absurdly dumb laughs awaiting you in this film. It’s 95 minutes of rapid-fire jokes and bits that vary on the scale of whether they work or not, but seeing the core cast and creatives come back to lampoon modern horror is fun, and extremely silly.
Scary Movie is in Australian cinemas June 4
