“Scary Movie” follows the Core Four, as they’re back in the crosshairs of a suspiciously familiar masked killer with no horror movie IP being safe.
As you might have guessed, everything is a joke in “Scary Movie.” For those heavily invested in current pop culture and the franchise itself, there are plenty of laughs to be had. For everyone else, it’s not going to win you over.
“Scary Movie” is plagued by an over-saturation of humor. There’s not a second of the 96-minute runtime that isn’t a parody. Some of the jokes land, but plenty more don’t. In terms of a hit-or-miss ratio, about one-third of the humor within the film lands. The best moments come when it pauses to poke fun at itself. The worst come when it shamelessly inserts ultra-recent movie references just for the sake of doing so.
Outside of the traditional “black humor,” “Scary Movie” is obsessed with the LGBTQIA+ community. When this works, it works. Considering the endless possibilities in the world of comedy, however, it is strange that this amateurish approach is seemingly the only thing it falls back on. Other topics like cancel culture and influencer trends are also explored on a surface-level note.
The first 30 minutes of “Scary Movie” follow somewhat of a narrative. It’s obviously a riff on the “Scream” legacy sequels, but there’s at least a cohesive structure nonetheless. This is completely abandoned around the midway point, where it becomes abundantly clear that the film is running out of gas. There are a number of very obvious “breaks” — meaning scenes that were included at the very last second with no true purpose. With five people (Marlon Wayans, Shawn Wayans, Keenen Ivory Wayans, Craig Wayans and Rick Alvarez) credited as writers, it makes sense that there are a plethora of ideas jumbled together.
It eventually returns to a more cohesive structure in the final act. In terms of content, it’s highly repetitive. It does at least attempt to conclude as a traditional movie, though. After all the sketches and side quests, the film shows what it could’ve been had it not gotten lost in viral clip attempts.
On a technical level, “Scary Movie” is surprisingly effective. While “roasting” prestige films, director of photography Terry Stacey manages to capture the essence of classic scenes. At the same time, he elevates the visuals above simple spoof. Director Michael Tiddes may have overindulged in movies to mock, but he at least knows how to craft well-staged reenactments. Fans of modern horror will be in for a treat, with parodies of movies like “The Substance,” “Longlegs,” “Get Out,” “Smile” and many others included. These will likely earn chuckles, or maybe just a smile, from viewers. Jonathan Schwartz’s editing is largely effective. Navigating so many short B, C, D (the list goes on) plots, he connects them into something watchable. Haim Mazar’s score is also comparable to many modern horror installments. It’s not overbearing, nor does it need to be.
As the synopsis reads, the “Core Four” returns. That being Marlon Wayans (Shorty), Shawn Wayans (Ray), Regina Hall (Brenda) and Anna Faris (Cindy). The Wayans continue their schtick, and they mostly succeed. Their characters’ basic identities — Shorty likes weed and Ray is gay — grow old fast. Hall always manages to show up at the perfect time in “Scary Movie.” Because of this, she is able to land the most jokes of the group despite phoning it in at times. Faris is another performer who doesn’t need to work overly hard to earn laughs, playing into the clumsy nature of the character. Together, this quartet still has plenty of gas left in the tank.
Is everyone going to enjoy “Scary Movie?” Of course not. But it does know its fans well. There are enough classic Wayans shenanigans here to satisfy diehard supporters of the brotherly duo. Just not everybody else.
Rating: 2.5 out of 5
