‘Scary Movie’ Review: Genius in the Absurdity
As a teenager, I loved the Scary Movie franchise, probably more than I should. While at that time in my life, I hated the actual genre of horror films (in fact, I didn’t even watch the Scream franchise until the past couple of years), I couldn’t get enough of comedies. It was actually my love of Scary Movies that helped me get into horror films, as they made the genre more digestible and less intimidating. They were ridiculous in nearly every way, but they defined a generation because of this. While you could argue that the films got worse the longer the franchise went on, my friends and I would still quote them incessantly and frequently watch them when we needed something in the background that everyone could enjoy.
However, like all good things, the franchise eventually came to an end, with only our memories and DVDs to remind us of the good times it brought us. And then 2026 came with the promise of a new future for the Scary Movie series. With the return of Shawn and Marlon Wayans to the series, the franchise has once again found new life. Reinvigorated by 13 years of horror films to draw from, Scary Movie has returned to its roots, bringing laughter back to theaters in a way only this series can.
With endless possibilities and a well-needed break, does the return of Scary Movie smell of success? Or is this latest entry just an echo of its former glory?
[Warning: spoilers from Scary Movie are below!]
Scary Movie: a rebootquel?
As is true for most rebooted horror franchises from recent years, nothing really changes when there’s a killer on the loose. It has been over a decade since the original killing spree at the hands of Doofy Gilmore (Dave Sheridan), and the city of Woodsville has been relatively peaceful. That is, until someone attacks the young Wednesday Tuesday in her home, wearing the infamous Ghostface mask and robe. While she does survive, although barely, the brutal attack sets into motion a series of events that Tuesday’s sister, Sara (Olivia Rose Keegan), would rather avoid.
Being the daughter of the original final girl, Cindy Campbell (Anna Faris), comes with a lot of baggage. Cindy wasn’t exactly a good mother, neglecting her children because of the trauma she experienced across the four films. From Ghostface killers of her own and haunted houses, to a waterlogged girl and an alien invasion, she’s seen it all. However, as a result, she wasn’t present for her children’s upbringing and ultimately became a recluse.
As much as it pains Sara to do so, she knows that the only way to stop this new generation of Ghostface is to team up with her mother and those who survived the original killing spree decades ago. Joining Cindy, Sara, and her beautiful but mysterious boyfriend, Jack (Cameron Scott Roberts), are the hilarious Brenda Meeks (Regina Hall), Shorty (Marlon Wayans), and Ray (Shawn Wayans).
With a host of familiar faces making their way through Woodsville, along with a new generation to terrorize, can this ragtag team save the town from imminent danger? And also, who could possibly be behind this copycat killing spree????
A return to form comes with some bumps in the road
As the credits were rolling on Scary Movie and I was walking to my car, I found myself rather conflicted about this film. There’s something to be said about the challenges of bringing a beloved franchise back to the screen after almost a decade, especially when the creatives behind it were forced out after the second installment. When this film was announced with the return of the Wayans brothers, it felt like a significant victory for all involved. There’s no denying that the franchise took a hit in quality after their departure, though it took the studio a few movies to figure that out.
So this was the moment. After over a decade away from the silver screen, Scary Movie had the chance to come back in a big way. And yet, when I first left the film, I felt it had missed the mark by a mile. Scary Movie at first seemed like what the youth would call reheated nachos. The jokes were similar, if not almost exactly the same, as those from the original two films, and not in a way that felt derivative. Instead, it came off as unoriginal. I wanted something new and fresh from the Wayans Brothers, and this film just didn’t seem to be it.
However, it was on the car ride home that it dawned on me just how brilliant this film was. This comedy works for one reason and one reason only. While Scary Movie draws on many different horror films, the core of the parody is Scream, the 2022 rebootquel. When that fifth film came out, it was basically a rehash of the original Scream, even down to using the same title without a number suffix to differentiate it. While it was a commercial success and led to the launch of two additional films, you couldn’t help but feel a strange sense of déjà vu as you watched it.
So naturally, Scary Movie would mimic the same narrative structure, which just adds to the film’s metaness. On the surface, it appears that the creatives behind the film are just taking a victory lap with their jokes that previously worked, and on some level, that is true. But that works because it’s making a joke about the idocracy of the Scream franchise and how they handled their fifth film.
When you step back and use that lens to critique the film, the film’s genius comes to the surface. It takes a good writer to make you laugh at a joke in a movie, but a great one to make you laugh at a joke about the movie. Once I had that realization, I had to see Scary Movie again because I had a new appreciation for what the Wayans Brothers were accomplishing in this latest installment.
Final thoughts on Scary Movie
If you’re looking for something that on the surface might seem new and original, then Scary Movie might not be for you. Instead, this film shines a light on the horror genre once again, poking fun at how absurd the recent rebootquels are. It’s showing how unoriginal these franchises have become by playing up that ridiculousness. That is the brilliance of Scary Movie. It doesn’t need to reinvent the wheel; it just needs to highlight the absurdity right in front of our faces.
Scary Movie is currently in theaters! Have you seen it yet? Did you like it, or did it leave you wanting more? Share your thoughts on social media and tag us @bsb.insider to continue the conversation!
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