Summary
- The Scary Movie franchise started strong with clever horror movie parodies but declined in quality over time.
- The final entry, Scary Movie 5, lacked Anna Faris' comedic talent and relied too heavily on recognizable pop culture references.
- Despite the decline, the original Scary Movie remains the highest-grossing entry and there are rumors of a potential sixth movie with the return of Faris and Regina Hall.
Taking a look back at all entries in Scary Movie ranked from best to worst is a reminder of the highs and lows of the parody franchise. Following the revitalized slasher genre thanks to Scream, Scary Movie took that examination of the genre one step further and made a full-blown parody. While the 90s slashers were the main target of the first movie, the franchise took aim at any and all horror movies including The Exorcist, The Ring, Saw, and Paranormal Activity. Later Scary Movie movies even branched out into titles that weren't outright horror, such as War of the Worlds and 8 Mile.
With five movies to date, the Scary Movie franchise found considerable success with fans even if the critical responses were mixed at best. However, like many movie series, the quality began to drop off as the franchise wore out its welcome. While the best Scary Movie films helped redefine the parody genre, the worst were among the terrible late 2000s and 2010s offerings that almost destroyed it. Overall, the Scary Movie franchise is a mixed bag with installments that are fondly remembered and others that were quickly forgotten.
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The final entry in the Scary Movie franchise was helmed by Girls Trip and Night School director Malcolm D. Lee and was written by David Zucker, who directed the two previous films, and Pat Proft. Scary Movie 4 marked Anna Faris's last appearance in the franchise, and the leading role this time around was given to former Disney Channel star Ashley Tisdale.
Scary Movie 5 parodies Paranormal Activity, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Black Swan, and more. However, the movie sorely lacked Faris' comedic gifts leading the story while the humor felt less like horror movie parodying and more like a bunch of pop culture references meant to elicit laughs simply due to being recognizable. The failure of the movie likely helped to cement that there would not be a Scary Movie 6. It earned three Razzie nominations while also marking the lowest-grossing entry in the franchise, so it was clear audiences were not finding much humor left in these movies either.
4 Scary Movie 4 (2006)
Scary Movie 4 is the final installment to star main cast members Anna Faris and Regina Hall. Reuniting to face another horror-based adventure, best friends Cindy and Brenda are thrown into the world of Saw while making references to movies such as The Grudge and The Village. Like the other entries in the franchise, Scary Movie 4 features plenty of cameos, including Shaquille O'Neal and Dr. Phil in the opening Saw spoof and James Earl Jones who narrates the conclusion as a nod to War of the Worlds.
Despite Faris and Hall continuing to be the biggest strengths of the Scary Movie movies, it was clear that the franchise was running out of ideas. The gags were forced and obvious without the same cleverness of earlier entries. The PG-13 rating continued to be a hindrance as the crude jokes were going for shock humor but felt oddly tame. Though the franchise would reach its lowest point with the final entry, Scary Movie 4 was an indication that the series was not going to bounce back.
3 Scary Movie 3 (2003)
Using The Ring and Signs as primary sources of inspiration, the third movie sees Anna Faris and Regina Hall reprise their roles as Cindy and Brenda to once again have their lives terrorized by well-known horror movie villains. As a change of pace from the previous films in the series, Scary Movie 3 was directed by comedy legend David Zucker–who, with creative partners Jerry Zucker and Jim Abrahams, created beloved hits like Airplane! Fans looking for the same level of parody as that classic will be disappointed.
By 2003, Scary Movie 3 was already aging poorly with horror movie parodies no longer feeling very fresh. The loss of the Wayans brothers in front and behind the camera is also felt as the movie lacks a lot of the edge of the first two movies, especially with the switch from an R rating to PG-13. The addition of Leslie Nielsen as the bumbling President of the United States adds some further laughs, but it is not enough to save the rather forgettable sequel. However, the movie did receive love from fans as the second highest-grossing entry of the franchise.
2 Scary Movie 2 (2001)
Using The Amityville Horror, The Exorcist, Poltergeist, the remake of The Haunting, and many more as the source of its jokes, Scary Movie 2 brought back its main characters for a much more conventional kind of sequel. Like the other movies in the franchise, it also makes fun of well-known horror movie tropes, such as a group of people splitting up in the midst of a dangerous situation.
Scary Movie helped start a trend of horror movie parodies in the 2000s, but the first sequel in this franchise was the closest it came to capturing the fun of the original. Even in that regard, Scary Movie 2 is a step down as the jokes don't land quite so well, and apart from Anna Faris and Regina Hall, the returning characters begin to wear thin. Yet new additions like Chris Elliott and Tim Curry bring a lot of life to the sequel and the haunted house setting helps keep the story contained in a way the later sequels could have benefited from.
1 Scary Movie (2000)
Scary Movie changed horror movie comedies with its success and willingness to embrace absurdity. Making fun of Scream and I Know What You Did Last Summer among many others, the first movie in the franchise follows Cindy and her friends as a mysterious killer works their way through town. Keenan Ivory Wayans directed the movie, and there were several notable screenwriters credited for the script, including Shawn Wayans and Marlon Wayans.
Fans of the 90s slasher movies were able to spot all the terrific jokes poking fun at the genre, and even though Scream brilliantly deconstructed horror movies before that, Scary Movie still finds plenty of tropes to skewer, including the fact that all the "teen" victims are played by actors in their late 20s and early 30s. Some of the pop culture gags feel dated with The Matrix spoof feeling like a lazy attempt to capitalize on the popularity but there are still plenty of laughs to be found, and it is not surprising Scary Movie managed to launch a franchise. It still remains the highest-grossing Scary Movie entry indicating the franchise never topped its success.
Scary Movie 6 Still Remains Unconfirmed
Despite the downward trajectory of the Scary Movie franchise, there are still plenty of fans wondering if it will return for Scary Movie 6. News on the franchise has been quiet since the lackluster reception of the fifth movie, but some of the original stars of Scary Movie have expressed a willingness to return. Anna Faris, who was the star of the first four movies, revealed she would be willing to return as long as one of her costars agreed as well (via ET Online):
I love Regina [Hall] so much. We're always making each other just giggle, and I loved that dynamic. I think it was a really unique element that we brought to the table for that franchise... I bet with the right paycheck, Regina would be in too.
Adding hope to the fans, Hall responded to Faris' Scary Movie 6 thoughts by confirming she was also willing to return. Faris is correct in pointing out that their dynamic was one of the highlights of the franchise and having them both onboard makes the idea of a sixth movie much more appealing. The movie could serve as a parody take on the legacy sequel trend in horror movies, seen in the likes of Halloween and The Exorcist: Believer, finding Cindy and Brenda teaming with a new generation to take on the latest horror threat. Such an approach could offer a direction that would return the Scary Movie franchise to its best form.