Y’all, I have to be honest most of the Scary Movie films are not great… like, at all.
When it comes to parody films, there’s a very, very fine line between parody and just straight-up bad filmmaking. There have been some excellent parody movies in the past that have completely subverted tropes of common media and created some hilarious pieces of film. Some examples include Not Another Teen Movie, Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping, and the Austin Powersmovies. Heck, even Tropic Thunderis a parody of many famous war films, even if it controversial.
But then there are those parody films that are just bad, like Superhero Movie, Vampires Suck, and, honestly, the Scary Movie franchise. I know everyone praises these films as excellent parodies of the best horror films out there, but I don’t think that’s the case – and I really don’t understand how the first film spawned an entire franchise. Let’s get into why.
The Movie Itself Is Fine
So, this isn’t going to be me harping on the film for 1,000 words and saying that it’s the worst thing to appear on our movie screens. It’s not. We live in a world where M. Night Shyamalan’s The Last Airbender exists, and Scary Movie is a million times better than that.
However, the film is not the granddaddy of parody films that everyone believes it to be. The movie, in general, is fine. There is nothing special about it.
What I will give the film credit for is that it doesn’t just rely on one or two horror films. The primary parody material is derived from the Scream franchise and I Know What You Did Last Summer, but the movie draws inspiration from numerous other horror films, including The Shining and The Sixth Sense. Even so, there’s not much that can save it, even if that’s the one saving grace.
I Really Don’t Think It’s As Funny As People Remember
This is the biggest issue – it’s just not funny.
I know, people are going to come at me and say that it came out in the 2000s, and the comedy at the time was a different kind from what we have now. I get that, and honestly, I prefer watching older comedies because I feel there was a lot more that they could get away with.
But that’s the thing: I can watch older comedies and still find myself snickering like crazy during them because many of those jokes are timeless. Some of Robin Williams’ best movies often involve jokes that anyone can laugh at at any time in history. The same goes for many Adam Sandler movies or Will Ferrell movies. The jokes may feel dated, but they’re still amusing.
However, the jokes that are in Scary Movie aren’t just aged – they’re ancient because they rely heavily on what was popular at the time.
There’s a common theme in the media that if you’re chasing trends, you won’t be very memorable because you’re not building your brand and showing people who you are. The same principle applies to movies, as evidenced by films like Scary Movie, which were likely amusing at the time. However, many of these jokes are now dated and not particularly funny.
They don’t click with a new audience, and those who weren’t old enough during that time won’t understand them. Heck, I wasn’t even old enough during that time, and there were a few I did get. But even then, it felt majorly boring. When you’re just telling jokes based on what was popular at the time, it just becomes a generic comedy film.
The Parodies Are Okay, But Nothing Super Memorable
The entire point of the Scary Movie franchise is that it parodies horror movies. Even so, the parodies of the first film aren’t that memorable.
Ironically, I recall the parodies in Scary Movie 3 more than this one, probably because they felt a little more ridiculous and outlandish. But I think the parodies in the first film just feel forgettable, and that, of course, is also related to the dated jokes.
The issue is that it’s hard to parody something like the horror genre, as it underwent significant changes in the 2000s. It evolved from typical slasher nonsense to some truly gory and horrifying films that ultimately went mainstream, such as the Saw films and many others. When we see parodies of movies that aren’t as intense, they can be a little forgettable.
The Acting Is… Pretty Bad
I’m not expecting Academy Award-winning performances from the Scary Movie cast. This is still a parody film, after all. However, I struggle to get behind the acting in this movie. There’s not even great comedic acting – it’s overdone expressions of terror, joy and everything else that’s just too much.
It’s a shame, because I have seen how incredible the cast is in many of their other projects. Anna Faris is excellent and severely under-appreciated, and not only is she a great comedic actress, but she’s also done well in dramatic films, such as Brokeback Mountain. Regina Hall has been great in movies like Girls Trip and The Hate U Give, among others. I mean, even the Wayans Brothers have acted in some great films and TV shows and created some hilarious projects (and some not-so-funny ones, but that’s besides the point).
It’s somewhat surprising that this is one of the main movies that shot several stars to fame, when in reality, their acting is significantly better in later features.
Even So, I Think Some Other Films In The Franchise Are Better
I’m not saying that the Scary Movie films are all bad. As I mentioned before, I remember a lot more of the jokes from Scary Movie 3 than the others, as well as a little bit from Scary Movie 2. Ironically, I just found out that Craig Mazin co-wrote Scary Movie 3, and he also created/co-created the HBO shows Chernobyl and The Last of Us. So it’s no wonder I remember the third movie more fondly as a fan of both shows.
But as for the fourth and fifth films? I literally cannot remember what they are parodying. And going back to the first, I still don’t understand how it spawned an entire franchise. I wonder what they’re going to do for the upcoming Scary Movie 6. Horror has undergone drastic changes over the last decade or so, with some of the best horror films ever released.
Ari Aster’s scary movies, some of the best A24 horror films – the list of examples goes on and on. But as for how they’ll be parodied? We’ll just have to wait and see.
