SCARY MOVIE (2026)

Genre: Comedy
Director: Michael Tiddes
Cast: Marlon Wayans, Shawn Wayans, Anna Faris, Regina Hall, Kenan Thompson, Dave Sheridan, Lochlyn Munro, Kim Wayans, Cheri Oteri, Chris Elliott, Damon Wayans Jr., Heidi Gardner, Olivia Rose Keegan, Cameron Scott Roberts, Savannah Lee Nassif, Sydney Park, Gregg Wayans, Benny Zielke, Ruby Snowber
Runtime: 1 hr 36 mins
Rating: R21 (Sexual Scenes and Drug Use)
Released By: UIP
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 4 June 2026

Synopsis: Twenty-six years after outrunning a suspiciously familiar masked killer (“Ghostface”), the Core Four are back in the killer’s crosshairs and no horror movie IP is safe. Marlon Wayans (“Shorty”), Shawn Wayans (“Ray”), Anna Faris (“Cindy”), and Regina Hall (“Brenda”) reunite in Scary Movie alongside returning favorites and fresh faces to slash through reboots, remakes, requels, prequels, sequels, spin-offs, elevated horror, origin stories, anything with the word legacy in it, and every “final chapter” that absolutely isn’t final. Nothing is sacred. No trope survives. Every line gets crossed. The Wayans are back to cancel the Cancel Culture. 

Movie Review:

The Wayans brothers’ spoof of horror flicks returns more than two decades later, and according to them, no horror IP is safe from their hands.

For the uninitiated, the Scary Movie franchise is known for parodying popular horror films through crude humour and slapstick antics. Technically, there isn’t much of a story per se just a series of gags strung together as a feature-length movie. Franchise regulars Anna Faris and Regina Hall return alongside Marlon Wayans in this sixth entry, although technically the Wayans left the series after the second film.

Marlon Wayans’ pothead Shorty, Anna Faris’ Cindy, Regina Hall’s Brenda, Shawn Wayans’ Ray and “Ghostface” reunite to poke fun at horror franchises and movies from the past decade or so. After all, there is plenty of material to reference since their last outing. This time, “Ghostface” is back to kill the daughters of Cindy, Sara (Olivia Rose Keegan) and Tuesday (Savannah Lee Nassif). Again, this is not a movie to discuss for its plot, so let’s get to the meat of the comedy: are the gags good enough to sustain a 90-minute movie?

Just to be clear, did we mention that Scary Movie is not meant to be frightening?

It’s obvious the Wayans are aiming for the jugular, although your mileage may vary. Modern horror hits like Weapons, M3GAN, Sinners and The Substance are among those parodied and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. However, if you are unfamiliar with these films or simply not a horror fan, many of the jokes may fly over your head.

There are at least two sequences involving (obviously prosthetic) sexual organs, which explains why the film earned a harsh R21 rating locally. Michael Tiddes, who previously worked with the Wayans on A Haunted House, Naked and Sextuplets, directs on autopilot. We suspect the Wayans are freewheeling most of the time, while Tiddes is merely there to make sure everything remains coherent.

Scary Movie continues to tackle race, gay, trans and “woke” humour, and younger audiences may appreciate its absurdity and boundary-pushing satire. To be fair, there are a couple of decent sight gags, especially one involving KPop Demon Hunters and another taking a jab at White Chicks that are genuinely worth checking out. Long-time fans will also appreciate the return of original cast members such as Faris, Hall, Marlon Wayans and Anthony Anderson, although some of the callbacks to the original film feel dated and somewhat pointless.

Scary Movie fares much like last year’s lukewarm reboot of The Naked Gun: a relentless barrage of hit-and-miss gags that generates more cringes than chuckles. Worse, some sketches overstay their welcome, dragging on without delivering a worthwhile punchline. In hindsight, the Wayans would have been better off making a sequel to White Chicks instead.

Movie Rating:

(It’s payday for the Wayans, but sadly not for audiences who have to fork out the price of a movie ticket for these cheap laughs)

Review by Linus Tee