Scary Movie (2026)

Back in 2000, the innovative Wayans Brothers made a long-overdue send-up of horror movies, a genre ripe with satiric opportunity. They probably should have stopped there, but Hollywood financial dynamics being what they are, we were treated over the next 13 years to no fewer than four sequels. The films kept the brothers (and Anna Faris and Regina Hall) employed, though most were panned by critics, with some considered the worst comedies ever made. It was getting embarrassing. They stopped with Scary Movie 5 in 2013. 

The thing about horror movies, though, is that they just keep making them, and perhaps an update was just too tempting. This one takes shots at such recent chillers as Sinners, M3GAN, Smile, Weapons, The Substance and Candyman. 

The franchise uses the old scattershot comic technique, firing jokes off so rapidly that if one fails to land, there’ll be a dozen more within the next five minutes. Note: while there are a few chuckles and even a guffaw or two, most of the gags are duds. I laughed three times, but I was sober. Also, it relies overmuch on a villain from an entirely different franchise (Ghostface from the Scream flicks). 

Can you parody a parody? This cameo-infested effort is of course self-referential, which is effective in small doses. But this is so meta it’s moronic. The humor is of the shock/gross-out variety sprinkled with sex toys and, well, let’s just say not aimed at adults. (I’m not offended by gross-out jokes; I’m offended by gross-out jokes that aren’t funny.)

Should you go see this? Only if you’ve seen and enjoyed the first five movies. It would also help if you’re twelve. (96 min)