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Scary Movie (2026)
JUNE 6, 2026
GENRE: COMEDIC, SLASHER
SOURCE: THEATRICAL (REGULAR SCREENING)
A few years back I revisited Scary Movie for the first time since 2000 and was mildly surprised to discover it actually held up better than expected. Airplane! it is not, but as so many of these types of films (including most of SM's sequels, some of which made by actual Airplane veterans) are just spoof scenes strung together with no real story, it was nice to see one with an actual script holding all the fart and weed jokes together. The inevitable revival, also called Scary Movie (it would be Scary Movie 6, for those counting) lands somewhere in between; there are still a lot of Family Guy-esque cutaways to parody scenes with no bearing on anything (the Weapons, Terrifier 3, and Get Out spoofs could all be removed with zero effect), but for the most part it's telling an actual story.
Well, it's telling Scream 5's story. They throw in some stuff from 6 too, but for the most part it sticks to aping scenes from that successful 2022 revival of the series this one was spoofing to begin with (and hasn't touched since, if memory serves? 2-5 all tackled more supernatural stuff as far as I recall). Our new hero Sarah is the daughter of Anna Faris' Cindy, and after her sister Tuesday (yes, a dumb joke about Jenna Ortega's other big character) is attacked by a Ghostface she goes to Woodswhatever (Woodsville, maybe?) and the killer starts offing people connected to the first movie. A number of Scream 5's scenes - even smaller ones like Dewey (Doofy) and Gale (Gail) reuniting outside the house of the now dead sheriff and their child - are recreated here, and the beats are pretty much the same.
(If you recall that the first Scary Movie also spoofed I Know What You Did Last Summer, which itself was revived recently - the not-so-coincidence gives the movie one of its better laughs.)
As for Faris, her arc is swiped from Halloween (2018), living in seclusion in case Ghostface comes back. Faris is as perfect as always with what sadly amounts to an extended cameo - I am pretty sure Regina Hall as her BFF Brenda has more screentime, playing a Ma-type character while also being the mom to this movie's version of Chad and Mindy. The script only gives Faris a little bit of the physical comedy she excels at, but she earns a laugh every time she appears with her deliveries and expressions, making me sigh that she spent so many of her prime years on a sitcom when she could have been keeping big screen comedy alive almost singlehandedly.
Unfortunately, at least for me, the person who is on screen the most is probably Marlon Wayans' Shorty, and his shtick has never been exactly a selling point for me. In an era where marijuana is legal, is seeing a guy repeatedly get high still funny? The writers sure hope so! While Keenan Ivory Wayans returned to contribute to the script, directing chores are left to Michael Tiddes, who helmed Marlon's awful Haunted House movies, so it's not too much of a surprise he's the one with the most screentime (and the most extraneous scenes, incidentally). I was actually entertained whenever it was focusing on Cindy or her daughters, but then we'd be forced to endure another lengthy, pointless scene of Shorty getting high. Similarly, if you thought there might be something new to Shawn Wayans' character of Ray beyond being gay, you're going to be let down. Every time he appears, his dialogue and actions revolve around the fact that he is gay. It's not even "one-note" anymore since it was done to death in the first two, and I kept waiting for a payoff that never came. On the other hand, despite the ads daring us to be offensive, Doofy's mentally challenged antics are toned down, though in his and a few other returning co-stars' case, he's not in it all that much. I don't know if the word "spoiler" can really apply in this sort of thing, but everyone of note (save Shannon Elizabeth) is back, but only the "core four" of Faris, Hall, and the two Wayanses are lead characters, and the rest... well, it's a slasher movie at the end of the day. Use your imagination.
The new cast members are fine; I was quite impressed with Olivia Rose Keegan's performance as Cindy's daughter, as she nails Faris' voice and has some of her same go for broke spark. Savannah Lee Nassif as half-sister Tuesday (her dad is never explained, but given Cindy's continued appearances in the other films without a child that I can recall, I guess we shouldn't put too much thought into it) is also fun, though as with most of the new cast seems to disappear for large stretches to focus on Shorty's dumb antics. They also apparently got a note from some producer (or test screening) demanding Chris Elliott return as the small handed guy from Scary Movie 2, because we are treated to a couple scenes of him (as Longlegs) that are so flimsily connected to the rest they might as well have used a "Poochie had to return to his home planet" style sendoff when they're over with. Though at least these largely unfunny bits give a bit role to the great Heidi Gardner (playing the Maika Monroe character), who is always welcome.
Anyway, I laughed more than I thought I would, and despite the pointless diversions, it's somewhat well made at least; at one point Shorty gets his hand cut by Candyman (a drug dealer), and later he has a bandage on the wound, which is the sort of attention to detail I'd expect them not to even bother with. And since "Did I laugh?" is really the only qualifier that matters, I was indeed chuckling at something every few minutes, with a few good laugh out loud bits (one of my favorites being an out of nowhere slam on Ballerina) and a genuinely funny reveal for the mystery, one that will play better if you've followed the production history of this franchise (quick recap: the Wayans were kind of forced out after Scary Movie 2). Is it high art? No, it's not even a must-see if I'm being honest. But it was an amusing enough time killer, and per the box office reports it's going to be a big hit. Since big screen comedies are so rare, I'll take any tickets sold to one as a positive thing. Doing it for a film that gives Faris and Hall a chance to do their thing together again? Bonus points.
What say you?
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