- Recapping Scary Movies 1-5
- Scary Movie 6 in the works
- The Wayans Brothers returning to the franchise
The Scary Movie franchise redefined horror comedy movies in the early 2000s, taking the horror hits of the time and turning them into over-the-top spoofs. The ghostface killer character that featured in the slasher movie Scream took on a new meaning by the end of the decade. It became more synonymous with slurring “wazzzup”with its tongue hanging out, than being a masked serial killer.
This was the work of the Wayans Brothers. Keenen Ivory – creator of sketch comedy series In Living Color – Shawn, and Marlon wrote and directed the first two films, with the latter two also starring. A further three Scary Movies would be made of the course of the 2000s, though the brothers had moved on to other projects by this time and had no involvement.
Read more: Who are the Wayans Family?
With five films to its name, the Scary Movie franchise has a combined gross of almost $900 million at the worldwide box office. The movies’ blend of slapstick humor, pop culture references, and crude comedy has always proved a successful formula with audiences. Now, more than a decade since the last Scary Movie film, the Wayans Brothers are returning to the franchise to make a sixth instalment.
Read more: Movies the Scary Movie reboot absolutely needs to spoof
Here’s a whistle stop tour of the five Scary Movies released to date and a look at what can be expected in reboot.
Scary Movie (2000)
The original Scary Movie was a game-changer. It primarily parodied Scream and I Know What You Did Last Summer, and introduced audiences to Cindy Campbell (played by Anna Faris) and Brenda Meeks (Regina Campbell). The pair would go on to appear in all instalments except the fifth film.
The story centers around a group of high school friends who accidentally hit a man with their car. They try to cover it up by dumping the body, but a year later a ghostface masked killer starts hunting them down one by one.
Doofy Gilmore (Dave Sheridan) is a standout character from the film. He is a parody of Deputy Dewey Riley from Scream. He’s intellectually challenged and is exaggeratedly goofy in behavior. However, in a major twist at the end, it is revealed that he was actually faking his incompetence all along and is indeed the real killer.
Scary Movie was an instant spoof horror classic and the highest-grossing film of the series, with over $278 million worldwide.
Scary Movie 2 (2001)
Scary Movie 2 took a different approach, focusing on haunted house horrors like House on Haunted Hill and The Exorcist. It was the last Wayans Brothers-penned Scary Movie and also the last to receive an R-rating.
Though not as successful as its predecessor, it still grossed over $141 million worldwide and introduced the unforgettable tiny-handed caretaker, Hanson. Tim Curry also stars in this one, as the sinister Professor Oldman, alongside his paraplegic assistant, Dwight Hartman. Dwight eventually develops a competitive rivalry with Hanson over their different handicaps.
The film is filled with absurd and memorable moments, including Cindy being attacked by an invisible ghost, only for it to end in an erotic experience. And Shorty Meeks (Marlon Wayans) wrestles a giant, living marijuana plant – only to end up rolled into a human blunt and smoked himself.
Scary Movie 3 (2003)
Scary Movie 3 was directed by David Zucker. Zucker is no stranger to spoof comedies having written and directed the 1980 film Airplane! and created The Naked Gun franchise.
Comedy legend Lesly Nielsen joined the cast for this one and was also joined by Kevin Hart and Charlie Sheen. The characters played by Shawn and Marlon Wayans in the first two movies do not appear, nor are they referenced.
The plot was based around a cursed videotape that kills people after seven days of watching it. It also deals with mysterious crop circles and a potential alien invasion, parodying the likes of The Ring and Signs.
It’s the parody of 8 Mile that most people tend to remember though, where the character George takes part in a rap battle against rapper Fat Joe. With Cindy and Brenda watching on, George beats Fat Joe, but is thrown out after unintentionally making a racist gesture.
The third film was regarded as a return to form and became the second highest-grossing film in the series, with $220 million worldwide.
Scary Movie 4 (2006)
David Zucker returned to direct Scary Movie 4, which was initially intended to be the final film in the series. Leslie Nielsen and Kevin Hart also reprised their roles.
Shaquille O’Neal joined the cast for a cameo in this fourth instalment playing himself. As did Dr. Phil. The pair share the film’s opening scene, where they wake up to find themselves chained to pipes in a bathroom. A villainous puppet appears on a television screen and reveals that the room is slowly filling with nerve gas. It’s a straight up parody of Saw.
The film also parodies The Grudge, as Cindy, now a caregiver in a haunted house, finds herself at the center of an alien invasion while trying to help a mysterious, ghostly boy.
Whilst Scary Movie 4 achieved the third best opening weekend of the Scary Movie franchise, it has very average ratings on Rotten Tomatoes. It was clear that the franchise was running out of ideas by this point.
Scary Movie 5 (2013)
Scary Movie 5 (stylized as Scary MoVie) is the lowest-grossing film in the Scary Movie series. It didn’t fare well at all. The film is the only instalment of the franchise not to feature Anna Faris and Regina Hall. With the pair gone, and with David Zucker not directing – Malcolm D. Lee was at the helm instead – it lacked everything that made the already flagging films watchable. The late great Leslie Nielsen passed away between Scary Movie 4 and 5, so his comedic presence was also missed.
The leading role this time around was given to former Disney Channel star Ashley Tisdale. She was joined by a whole host of celebrities and actors including Terry Crews, Mike Tyson, Snoop Doog, a returning Charlie Sheen, Lindsay Lohan, Heather Locklear and Mac Miller.
It centers around a married couple who realize that a demon is stalking their family. They consult paranormal specialists and install numerous cameras to drive out the evil spirits. The film parodies Paranormal Activity, Black Swan, and Rise of the Planet of the Apes.
Scary Movie 6 (2026)
It was news that every fan of Scary Movie wanted to hear. The Wayans brothers – Marlon, Shawn, and Keenen Ivory – are returning to co-write and produce Scary Movie 6, marking their first involvement since Scary Movie 2 in 2001.
The original creators will be looking to breathe new life into the franchise, bringing it into the modern age. With a wealth of new horror films primed for spoofing, let’s hope they can bring back some of that magic that put Scary Movie on the map in the first place.
Speaking to Deadline, Marlon, Shawn and Keenen Ivory Wayans said,“We couldn’t be more excited to be a part of the new Scary Movie and work with each other again. This is a franchise we created more than 20 years ago. We remember people laughing in the aisles and hope to see that happen again.”
The movie is slated to begin shooting in 2025, and has been put on the calendar for a release date of 12 June, 2026.
