- Scary Movie 6 is in the works
- Wayans Brothers return to the franchise
- Which movie genres will be spoofed?
A Scary Movie reboot is officially on the way, with franchise originators the Wayans Brothers back at the helm to create a fresh instalment of this long-running horror parody series.
The first Scary Movie hit cinemas in 2000 and was created and developed by comedian siblings Shawn Wayans, Marlon Wayans and Keenan Ivory Wayans. The latter directed the first two instalments before handing things off to Airplane! co-creators David Zucker and Pat Proft who oversaw the remaining three instalments.
Arriving hot off the heels of a string of late ’90s horror megahits like Wes Craven’s Scream, M. Night Shyamalan’s The Sixth Sense and found-footage frightener The Blair Witch Project, the Wayans’ first Scary Movie was a huge success.
Mixing parodies of iconic horror and pop-culture moments with stoner teen comedy, the 2000 original banked $278 million on a scant $19 million budget.
However, after the Wayans left in 2003, the property quickly devolved into diminishing returns, with subsequent sequels continuing to spoof pop culture but becoming increasingly forgettable.
That said, news of the Wayans’ return could change things – and we have a few ideas about which movies definitely need spoofing in Scary Movie 6…
Scream
Give the original Scary Movie a quick Google search and odds are you’ll come face-to-face with the series’ comedy take on the Ghostface killer from Craven’s Scream franchise. Over the years, the Wayans’ weed-fuelled ‘Whats up’ parody has been parodied loads itself, creating a kind of comedy parody-inception loop.
In short, the scene has become just as iconic as Craven’s original film.
Speaking of which, despite the horror maestro passing in 2015, the Scream franchise remains fit enough to kill to this day. It returned with newcomer Jenna Ortega at its centre in 2022’s Scream, with Scream VI arriving a year later and Scream 7 currently in the works. Considering this continued success, we’re sure the Wayans’ goofy Ghostface will be back for Scary Movie 6.
Marvel, DC and Star Wars
Say what you will about the Scary Movie franchise but it always had its finger on the pulse of pop-corn cinema trends, often reacting in a smart but silly way. If Scary Movie 6 is to continue this trend, then it undoubtedly has to comment on a genre that’s dominated box office receipts for the past few decades – specifically the output of Marvel, DC and Star Wars.
With this in mind, it’s a safe bet that the Wayans will tackle the events of Marvel’s Avengers or DC’s constantly-changing Bat-men and all-singing, all-dancing Jokers in some way or another.
Likewise, it’s also likely that at least one spoof moment will whisk us away to a galaxy far, far away while the Scary Movie reboot pokes fun at Disney’s ongoing attempts at extending George Lucas’s space opera in the pursuit of our spare change.
Blumhouse
For all of its pop-culture-skewed comedy moments that spoof anything from trending adverts to real-life moments, it’s the horror genre at lays at the centre of the Scary Movie franchise. After all, it’s right there in its title – and as such, Scary Movie 6 will surely be adding its own take on a number of popular horror titles from the past few years.
Considering many of these have been released by the same studio, it’s highly likely that the frightening fare released by Blumhouse Productions could make an appearance.
From robotic child terror Megan and Jordan Peele’s haunting race critique Get Out, to recent hits like Five Nights at Freddy’s and the studio’s two Smile movies – the Wayans’ have no shortage of inspiration when it comes to creating timely horror gags – and we can’t wait to see what they whip up.
Luca Guadagnino
Despite horror forming the backbone of Scary Movie stories, the franchise has always enjoyed a segue into other popular genres, particularly when tackling the love stories that take place alongside all the bloodshed. When it comes to this corner of cinema, there’s one filmmaker who regularly grabs headlines thanks to their sensually charged love scenes and willingness to explore new areas of sexuality on screen.
From Timothée Chalamet’s passionate peach tryst in 2017’s Call Me By Your Name, to the steamy threesome moments featured in this year’s sports drama Challengers, Luca Guadagnino has been at the forefront of relationship complexities on screen over the past few years. For this reason, we wouldn’t be surprised if we see a Guadagnino parody pop-up in Scary Movie 6.
TikTok
Okay, okay… we know that it’s not a specific movie or even a movie genre – but it’s hard to talk about modern pop culture and not mention TikTok. The popularity and addictiveness of this attention-span-dissolving video-sharing app has helped it to become one of today’s leading social media spaces – one that helps to break news and create overnight stars.
Seen as it’s something that’s largely used by teenagers and Gen Z, we’d be surprised if TikTok didn’t appear in the Wayans’ Scary Movie reboot in some way. Could Ghostface have his own viral channel? We can almost see him teasing some unlucky teens with his latest kill delivered via the medium of an undeniably catchy TikTok dance.
Of course, only time will tell – but don’t be surprised if TikTok swiping features in the Scary Movie reboot.
