You have to let that sink in: With a total budget of less than $160 million, the “Scary Movie” series grossed an impressive $900 million at the box office worldwide. At first glance, it seems all the more astonishing that there are 13 (!) years between “Scary Movie 5” and “Scary Movie 6”, which is officially just called “Scary Movie”. However, the reasons for this long break are quickly explained: “Scary Movie 5” was torn apart by critics despite solid earnings – but that’s nothing new in the parody genre.
However, the Harvey Weinstein scandal, which led to the collapse of the Weinstein Company, was much more serious. Since the rights to the series were managed by Dimension Films and the Weinstein empire, the ownership structure then had to be rearranged. At the same time, the spoof movie genre was basically in free fall due to loveless quick-fire parodies à la “Date Movie” and the fast-paced meme culture of the Internet. But that’s all a thing of the past, because “Scary Movie 6” is actually really fun again!
The best thing about “Scary Movie 6”: Anna Faris and Regina Hall finally side by side again!
David Zucker, who has been one of the key figures in the series as director, producer and author since “Scary Movie 3”, explained the fact that a whopping seven years had already passed between “Scary Movie 4” and “Scary Movie 5” in a very simple way: There was simply a lack of formative horror films. However, the returnees Marlon Wayans and Shawn Wayans as well as director Michael Tiddes (“Ghost Movie”) did not have to struggle with this problem this time. Thanks to “Blood & Sinners”, “The Substance”, “Weapons”, the “Terrifier” series and numerous other modern genre landmarks, there was no shortage of templates that screamed out for an irreverent “Scary Movie” corruption.
But have the makers of “Scary Movie 6” drawn the right (read: funny) conclusions from the countless hypes, trends and phenomena in (horror) cinema in recent years? The answer is already provided in the opening, which in “Scary Movie” traditionally serves as a diaphragm-shaking litmus test for the rest of the film: In a sequence similar to “Scream 5”, “One Battle After Another” star Teyana Taylor, as the proudest black woman in all of New York, is allowed to frighten the white upper class in the posh restaurant so much that she swallows their pearl necklaces. Ghostface also gets rid of his fat – and has to learn that it’s quite a headache even if you “just” get a Golden Globe trophy pulled over your skull instead of the Oscar statue!
A fast-paced all-rounder
This mixture of classic situational silliness and staccato meta-commentaries on politics, society and the film industry defines the entire humor mechanics of “Scary Movie 6”. In the best “The Naked Gun” style, one carousel catastrophe follows the next in the background of an amusement park named after the “Final Destination” series, while the characters in the foreground continue to enjoy pondering boring plot elements and dramaturgical obviousness – or juggling all those overused (combat) terms that dominate modern socio-political debates.
From gaslighting to mansplaining to slut-shaming, Gen Z knows all about it, but at the same time they can’t tell the difference between “I know what you did last summer” and “The summer I became beautiful.” In fact, despite the extremely high density of gags, “Scary Movie 6” manages to never degenerate into a tiring compilation of seemingly arbitrary references and references. Admittedly, the cameos from Jon Abrahams as Bobby from the first “Scary Movie” and Chris Elliott, who can once again present his “strong hand” from “Scary Movie 2” in a “Longlegs” reference, seem like superfluous accessories that slow down the rhythm.
Shorty (Marlon Wayans) can also present himself in his stoned element again!
Overall, the comedic ideas of “Scary Movie 6” are characterized by their pace and their loving inventiveness! One of the highlights of the film is an extended “Get Out” parody, which, in the best “Scary Movie” tradition, explains what the naked man is actually all about as he sprints through the garden as if completely controlled by someone else. In addition, Shorty (Marlon Wayans) allows himself to be hypnotized by a tea-drinking Ghostface and then intones an animated homage to the megahit “Golden” from “KPop Demon Hunters”, the most successful Netflix film of all time, with the greatest charm and maximum crookedness. Except that, as expected, it’s about sex and drugs in the most hedonistic way possible.
In addition, “Scary Movie 6” demonstrates significantly more shamelessness than most other R-rated comedies of recent years: Ghostface has to justify to a black victim why his murder methods are so damn reminiscent of “12 Years A Slave,” while black history is now apparently taught in schools according to the teachings of Kanye West. Meanwhile, Gail Hailstorm (Cheri Oteri) explains with otherworldly confidence that she switched from blow jobs to hand jobs after #MeToo in order to continue getting her headlines. And what is pulled out of a patient’s back in an equally grandiose corruption of “The Substance” will remain unmentioned at this point, but it caused almost hysterical fits of laughter in the fully occupied cinema.
Like all the horror hits of the last ten years, “Blood & Sinners” also gets its fat removed!
Another big plus point that keeps the enjoyment of “Scary Movie 6” at a high level throughout is the nostalgia. Seeing Anna Faris as Cindy, Regina Hall as Brenda, Marlon Wayans as Shorty, Shawn Wayans as Ray and Dave Sheridan as Doofy together again in front of the camera is simply fun, because you can see in every scene how much joy the actors have in doing the most aggressive, vulgar nonsense possible together again! In comparison, the new characters like Sara (Olivia Rose Keegan) and Jack (Cameron Scott Roberts) remain pale.
A clear problem that “Scary Movie 6” has to struggle with, in addition to some gags that were obviously added later (for example about “Michael”), is the finale. Here the film not only wants to throw things out in all directions (also literally: because it shows what it would look like if John Wick went into battle not only with firearms, but also with two huge rubber dildos). At the same time, the “Scary Movie” past should be processed in a self-reflective manner and put through the wringer. However, the film devolves into rather lame comebacks of long-forgotten characters and uses the most obvious and shallow jokes – even if the last scene is still pleasantly evil.
Conclusion: The repeated applause in the cinema makes it clear how much a return of “Scary Movie” was missing. Part 6 noticeably runs out of steam in the home stretch and not every gag before it works. But as a shame-free firework of tastelessness, the film has some of the funniest ideas in the entire series.
PS: You definitely have to stay seated because you can expect a good laugh in the end credits!
PPS: In the three weeks before the release of “Scary Movie 6” in the USA, the horror films “obsession” and “Backrooms” went completely through the roof. So more than enough material to keep us from waiting another 13 years for “Scary Movie 7”!