The Scary Movie franchise created by the Wayans brothers has been a huge success since the first film's release in the year 2000, and it's easy to see how with all of the jam-packed celebrities and the hilarious film references.
The first film is definitely thought of as one of the most memorable and for having some of the best comedic scenes such as the iconic "What's up?" scene or the movie theater scene. Although some film references can be very recognizable in an instant, there is even more hidden humor that is easily missed the first time around that probably went right over a lot of fans' heads.
B. A. Corpse High School
The name of the high school that is used in the film doesn't really get mentioned at all throughout the entire movie, and it can take some good eyes to even point it out. But it turns out that the Wayans brothers wanted to put in small hidden details to make the movie that much better by naming the high school B. A. Corpse.
You can really see the name of the school in the background of Buffy's, played by Shannon Elizabeth, death scene. The name of the school does a really good job of foreshadowing all of the hilarious death scenes throughout the film!
Kazaam
In the opening scene, we see a young woman named Drew, played by Carmen Electra, making popcorn and getting ready to watch a scary movie when she gets a mysterious call from Ghost Face. He soon asks her what her favorite scary movie is, and her response is the 1996 film Kazaam.
When she confuses him with her answer, she goes on to say that Shaq's acting is definitely what makes it seem like a horror movie. Not only is this throwing huge shade on Shaq, but it is also one of the first jokes made in the film that really helps to set the hilarity tone for the rest of the film.
The Exorcist
A super small joke and reference all in one is toward the beginning of the film where Cindy, played by Anna Faris, is talking about going to her first keg party and having some weird things happen to her like puking green slime and masturbating with a crucifix.
This is quite obviously a nod to the 1973 film The Exorcist, which the Wayans brothers ultimately liked so much that they used it in the opening scene of Scary Movie 2.
Dawson's Creek
One of many celebrity cameos in the film, James Van Der Beek finds himself climbing in Cindy's window as she and her boyfriend Bobby make out to the theme song "I Don't Wanna Wait" from his hit 90's television series Dawson's Creek.
He is only shown for a quick second, and his only line is "wrong set," but since the film was released at a time when the series had huge popularity with young adults, it was just a cherry on top for watchers of the film!
The Shining
In the girl's locker room, Buffy, Shannon Elizabeth, waits behind after her friends leave the locker room. When she digs around in her locker, you can hear Ghost Face whisper "redrum," which is a big reference to Stephen King's 1980 film The Shining.
Since it is only mentioned once and is whispered, unless you are truly looking for it, it can be hard to find making it one of the film's truly hidden references.
The Budweiser "What's Up" Commercial
Surprisingly the iconic "what's up?" scene in the film is a reference to a 1999 Budweiser commercial. Almost every line throughout the commercial and scene is the same, but the Wayans brothers changed it up a little bit to make it funnier and more stoner related.
If you were to watch the scene and the commercial side by side, there wouldn't be too many things that differ between the two, but that's what makes the scene so hilarious.
Titanic
Everyone knows the iconic scene in the 1997 film Titanic when Jack and Rose stand on the top edge of the ship, and Scary Movie definitely had fun with that one.
The spoof of this Titanic shot is included in the movie theater scene with Brenda's death. The Titanic reference is in the trailer for the fictional film Amistad 2, which features a slave standing on a big ship, screaming the memorable line, "I am the king of the world!"
The Blair Witch Project
One of the more utterly hilarious horror movie references in the film is the scene where news reporter Gail Hailstorm, played by Cheri Oteri, runs away from Ghost Face and runs straight into the woods while filming herself.
We soon see her crying, scared, and of course, having buckets of snot coming out of her nose. This is a huge nod to the 1999 film The Blair Witch Project, and the Wayans brothers definitely found a hilarious way to add it to their film.
The Matrix
In the fight scene between Cindy and Ghost Face, the two of them perform some insane moves and even copy the slow-motion fight seen in the 1999 action blockbuster The Matrix.
As in Wayans brothers fashion, after Ghost Face bends completely backward, he gets stuck and has to maneuver his way around to fix his back!
The Usual Suspects
Since Scary Movie mainly takes the full storyline from the 1996 film Scream, they poke fun at David Arquette's character in the film Deputy Dewey by turning him into the mentally ill Deputy Doofy.
The final scene where viewers learn that Doofy is actually Ghost Face himself takes from the 1995 film The Usual Suspects by having Doofy change his look and drive away from the town. Cindy even drops a coffee cup with the name "Doofus Porcelain" on the bottom after learning that Doofy is the killer, much like the scene at the end of The Usual Suspects.