Scary Movie is back with a rebootquel. That means fresh stories, old faces, new characters, random cameos, and more horror films to spoof.
The film begins with a cold open of Ghostface attacking a young woman named Tuesday (Savannah Lee Nassif), the daughter of the reclusive Cindy Campbell (Anna Faris). Cindy also has another daughter, Sara (Olivia Rose Keegan). Both are estranged from her, and this incident pushes Cindy further into isolation because she believes the killer is after her.
Meanwhile, Tuesday’s group of friends, Brenda Meeks’ (Regina Hall) children Brad (Gregg Wayans) and Dei (Sydney Park), Brad’s girlfriend Elle (Ruby Snowber), and the transgender Jess (Benny Zielke), gather at the Meeks house. They are joined by Sara, her boyfriend Jack (Cameron Scott Roberts), Doofy (Dave Sheridan), Shorty (Marlon Wayans), and Ray (Shawn Wayans) to discuss Ghostface’s return. Cindy later joins them after a change of heart.
After some catching up and a gag involving burying a delivery driver, they arrive at the conclusion that the killer is targeting the original characters of the franchise. This puts Cindy, Brenda, Shorty, and Ray in grave danger.
Like in any horror film, they must band together to stop Ghostface before he kills any of them. However, there is also a possibility that the killer is one of them.
Let me start by saying that your enjoyment of this film depends on how many movies you have seen beforehand. The experience feels completely different if you have watched most, if not all, of the films referenced here. I get that asking viewers to do that much homework can be a stretch for anyone who just wants to watch something in the theater, but as I said, it hits differently when you understand why certain jokes work.
With that said, I have seen all the movies they parodied here from Weapons to Terrifier 3, even those they claim no one watched (yes, even Ballerina). Because of that, I was genuinely surprised by how much fun I had watching the Wayans brothers turn these films into laughingstock. Now, this might sound a little contradictory, but while I did enjoy myself, only a handful of jokes really worked for me. The rest felt either dumb or corny. Still, the ones that did land were strong enough to leave an impression.
What I find odd is that the funniest moments in the film have little to do with the horror movies they are trying to spoof, jokes like Cindy being a Republican and her insistence on being called “Mom” got a good chuckle out of me. Every time they acknowledge a trope, it is also kind of funny.
On the flip side, the weakest jokes are also unrelated to horror. A good example is Shorty and his weed, along with the K-pop demon hunter spoof, which comes off as painfully cringe.
When the Scary Movie 6 trailer was released, it made a bold claim that it would cross every line. The idea was to offend everyone: church, government, left, right, young, old, men, women, gay, trans, and many more. And with approximately thousands of jokes hitting you at around ten jokes per minute, there is enough gag here for all walks of life. However, I do not think it crosses boundaries as much as it believes it does. Nothing here feels strong enough to genuinely offend someone. To me, it just comes across more like a light tap on the wrist than anything truly provocative. Moreover, they are brief and forgettable. It feels more like a marketing schtick to generate online buzz than a genuine attempt at edgy comedy.
Obviously, Scary Movie 6 is not meant to be taken seriously. There is no deeper message, compelling narrative, or meaningful character development. If you are familiar with the franchise, you already know that very little of what happens here will matter for a potential sequel. The film exists to reference popular movies, twist them into jokes, and let you sit back, relax, and brag to your friends that you recognize what it is referencing. If you are unfamiliar with the source material though, then you can take it as a recommendation for your watchlist instead. In the end, it’s a win-win.
3.5/5
Now showing in cinemas.