Log in
The Wayans vowed to push back against the woke scolds with a sixth “Scary Movie” feature.
That they do.
The new film features trans characters, pronouns, BLM and other culture war topics. Nothing is sacred or off the table, just as they promised.
The problem? They forgot to make any of the above funny. Not remotely so.
It’s an anything goes affair, scampering from meta yuks to gags only franchise devotees will get. The result? An exhausting example of how NOT to do a movie parody.
Ghostface is back, but this time he’s targeting the teen daughter of franchise regular Cindy (Anna Faris). That’s more or less the plot, folks.
The film pings in so many directions you forget you’re watching a feature film. It’s a series of limp sketches and references to recent horror movies like “Sinners,” “Weapons,” “Longlegs” and “Get Out.”
The characters break the fourth wall to remind us what the story is from time to time. Or how Hollywood treats remakes and reboots.
Or the minor details behind the franchise.
The film begins with a whimper and slowly slides downhill. A recent Oscar nominee anchors the prologue, but she proves far from the best choice for this kind of material. That, plus a brief second prologue, come and go with nary a smile, let alone a laugh.
Uh oh.
We immediately sense this movie was a terrible idea, and 20 minutes later, we’re darn sure of it.
Sitting down for Scary Movie 6.
Stay tuned. pic.twitter.com/OWQqdSHNlP
— Worth it or Woke? (reviews) (@worthitorwoke) June 5, 2026
One sequence has a pulse. The three vampire figures from “Sinners” knock on the main characters’ door and perform a TV show theme song. The choice of material is smart, and the reaction to it makes sense. And it’s legitimately funny.
That brief moment suggests what this film might have been. And it’s over in a blink.
You may smile a time or two over a singular quip in “Scary Movie,” especially since the Wayans flood the zone with gags. There’s zero comic momentum afoot. The physical gags are obvious and strained, as is virtually every element of the film.
The newer, younger characters prove forgettable, while the old guard (Faris, Regina Hall and Cheri Oteri) hardly make the case for their return. And while the Octavia Spencer film “Ma” proved a guilty pleasure, leaning so hard on it with Hall’s character makes no sense.
Don’t blame the stars, though.
The ghosts of Gilda Radner, John Belushi and Richard Pryor couldn’t breathe life into this screenplay, credited to Marlon Wayans, Shawn Wayans, Keenen Ivory Wayans, Craig Wayans and Rick Alvarez.
But will “Scary Movie” trigger the woke scolds as promised? Yes and no.
That group got triggered by the trailer. Still, it’s hard to find any running gag or joke “offensive” when they’re so poorly written and choreographed.
View this post on Instagram
We’re hungry for comedies that satirize today’s warped world. Yes, this franchise focuses on the horror genre, but a respectable sequel could do both.
Instead, this is a lazy, scattershot dud that delivers the least laughs in the series. A series, by the way, with plenty of dead spots.
“Scary Movie” plays out like a franchise on life support, not one brought back to life to crush the dying woke movement.
HiT or Miss: “Scary Movie” is a sure bet to be on many “Worst of the Year” movie lists. It richly earns it.
The post ‘Scary Movie’ – Laugh-Free Parody Is Crushing Disappointment appeared first on Hollywood in Toto.
You can’t say the Wayans didn’t warn us.
The family behind the “Scary Movie” franchise returns this weekend with the sixth installment of the franchise. Just don’t call it “Scary Movie 6.” It’s just “Scary Movie,” thank you.
Their mission? Challenge audiences and bring real comedy back to movie theaters. Critics are greeting the latest film in the comedy series like an unwanted house guest.
Be gone!
The movie, opening nationwide this weekend, has a measly 25 percent “rotten” rating over at RottenTomatoes.com. General audiences have yet to weigh in on the title.
The film reunites key franchise players like Regina Hall, Anna Faris, Marlon Wayans and Cheri Oteri. The targets? “Sinners.” “Weapons.” “Get Out.” And more. Much more.
RELATED: THE USUAL SUSPECTS ALREADY TRIGGERED BY SCARY MOVIE
It’s been 13 long years since “Scary Movie 5,” and there’s plenty of horror fodder to spoof. Except critics aren’t laughing.
The far-Left TheWrap.com played the film’s alleged ideology against it.
The film’s stubborn insistence that nothing about ‘Scary Movie’ needs to change and it’s the children who are wrong now makes its profane and controversial jokes feel conservative.
And? Is that bad? Are the jokes funny or not? Isn’t that the more pertinent question?
The critic’s review reads like a crossover from TheMarySue.com, with talk of punching down and related silliness. This isn’t 2020 anymore.
RELATED: WOKE KILLED COMEDY (AND HERE’S THE PROOF)
And, since it matters, Team Wayans isn’t conservative. Or necessarily liberal. They go where the funny is, which makes them subversive in the modern era.
Toward that end, they’ll happily mock Trump voters and pronouns in a single movie. Just try and stop them.
The Guardian’s negative review also teases with the notion that mocking Millennials and Gen Z for their “safe spaces” and speech codes is, gasp, a bad thing.
Yet there are also increasing notes of sourness as Scary Movie goes on – a lack of generosity toward the younger generation that goes past playful ribbing and sometimes feels downright hostile to the very existence of anyone who dares follow them.
Film critics routinely put their thumbs on the scale of movies that don’t align with their worldview. And, if a project is under fire from right-leaning sources, they take sides.
None of this will impact the box office, most likely. The previous films weren’t critical darlings, and early predictions suggest the film will earn $45-55 million this weekend alone. That’s a big score for a comedy feature, which generally aren’t as budget heavy as other summer spectacles.
What’s your favorite “Scary Movie” character?
The post Is ‘Scary Movie’ Too Anti-Woke for Film Critics? appeared first on Hollywood in Toto.
Next Page of Stories