Scary Movie is back, albeit not without its flaws
If you thought the terror was over and the nightmares were finished, you were right. Scary Movie (2026) directed by Michael Tiddes brings back the laughs and chills fans have been slapping themselves silly for. It’s irreverent, salacious, and merciless as it lampoons modern horror and pop culture. The Wayans have returned for this new entry to unleash their bong-hitting ghost-face killer on the youth of today.
Tuesday Campbell reunites with her older drug-addicted sister Sara after surviving an attack by a recognizable killer. The pair team up with their estranged gun-nut mom, Cindy, along with our favorite Scary Movie characters to unmask the killer before every horror movie is satirized to death.
Scary Movie is exactly what I’d expect from a parody movie. It has jokes that strike their targets with hilarity, make me cringe, or go over my head. It has an advantage against previous sequels in the franchise with over 13 years of horror after the last entry in 2013. For better or for worse, it’s making up time by poking at pop culture whether it be relevant or dated.
The cast was perfect for this project. The original cast play their characters exactly how I’d picture them to be in their old years: as selfish, lecherous, freaks who are more trouble than help throughout the plot. Marlon Wayans character Shorty has a bigger role in this movie than he did in the first two. He’s a streamer still in high school, which puts him in the legacy characters friend group. Anna Faris and Regina Hall have amazing chemistry with each other. Their return as these iconic characters still have the same bombastic gravitas they’ve exuded in the past. Olivia Rose Keegan was a perfect choice to play Cindy’s daughter. She has the ticks and mannerisms of her movie Mom with a dopey and confused expression throughout her scenes. She shines with her performance gelling well within the movie’s zany world.
I enjoyed the slapstick throughout the film. Specifically the hospital scene with Tuesday and Sara. It took advantage of the world's madcap physics by having the characters get battered like looney toon characters. The background jokes were great, like the Final Destination Extreme Theme Park. It added to the poor judgment on display as Jack is promising Sara he’s not the killer in the foreground.
The movie’s humor is at its best when it’s connected to the plot, but it drags when it becomes impromptu cut away gags that feel disconnected from the previous scene. The K-pop Demon Hunters scene occurs after a funny parody of Get Out, but feels tacked on. The same happens with the Sinners scene. Brenda, Shorty, and Ray answer the door to Jack, Sara, and Tuesday and pretend like none of them have interacted. It makes it jarring what the point of either joke is besides a reference to a familiar movie. Another problem is the dated humor the movie has, like when it uses a meme from 2014 in the scene where Ray is repenting for his sexuality. It felt lazy to see jokes written by talented people devolve by using jokes I could see on a newsfeed.
Scary Movie (2026) is a welcome return of the parody genre despite its flaws. It’s strong when it’s using its metaphor and physical comedy, and flounders when it relies on cutaways and nostalgia bait. The new cast it introduces offer a promising future for the series along with its OG cast that prove they have what it takes to crucify horror movies. I love it and urge everyone to see it.
7 Wazzups out of 10.
