Well, if the movies it spoofed are back, Scary Movie might as well try again with a new film in 2026. Scream and Halloween have produced latter-day chapters with identical titles to their previous installments, so the Wayans brothers’ return to lowbrow, deliberately boundary-crossing parody was all but inevitable.
Does the Scary Movie Spoof Formula Hold Up in 2026?
Inevitably, you’ll find yourself laughing at Scary Movie. There are two reasons that this film, shaggy and overstuffed though it is, will have you unleashing guilty chuckles: there are some very funny performers, and there are so many jokes being hurled at you that some can’t help but hit.
It’s comedy by shotgun; more pellets are going to miss than hit, but the ones that land might do some damage.
Fortunately, most of the assembled roster is likable. Anna Faris and Regina Hall remain hilarious; Marlon Wayans travels way over the top but gathers plenty of laughs on the journey. The cast list is massive and predictably contains plenty of unannounced cameos; a few game players — Olivia Rose Keegan, Dave Sheridan, Heidi Gardner and Benny Zielke among them — rise above the noise.
Leave Your Inner Critic at the Door
Wayans has made it clear that a return to Scary Movie is an opportunity to transgress, deliberately playing with all manner of taboo or broadly offensive topics — and mocking the idea of offensive comedy itself. Just as inevitably as some jokes will make you guffaw, others will make you cringe; such lines cannot be approached without occasionally tripping over them.
It’s hard to take true offense, though; as Eminem said in a decades-old song borrowed by Scary Movie’s trailer, this film is “just obscene.” It does not seek to upset only to lampoon. While there are some modern sensibilities that won’t be able to accept that approach (and are perfectly justified in avoiding the film as a result), the intent is mostly harmless.
It’d be silly to call Scary Movie a fine example of filmmaking — and the series has never aspired to that goal. (Even rating it on a star meter like the one above feels slightly inappropriate.) It’s a collection of gags, gentle shots at recent hits and cheap laughs. In that attempt, it does just fine.
He-Man and One Jonas Brother Walk Into a Cinema
In Power Ballad, a compelling dram-edy from Once director John Carney, Paul Rudd gets a night of rock-star attention that quickly turns sour. A wedding-band frontman and loving family man, he’s invited to a late-night jam session after a pop star (Nick Jonas) recognizes his talent. The drunken collaboration leads to a stolen song turned megahit, sending our hard-luck hero on a journey for recognition. Rudd’s elevated everyman persona works perfectly, and the script expertly tiptoes between realism and fantasy. It’s an undeniable crowd-pleaser … even if the signature song probably should’ve been a bit more catchy.
Rumor has it that there’s a new adventure for He-Man — the live-action beat-em-up Masters of the Universe — simply because the success of Barbie sent Hollywood on a quest for more marketable toy lines. Why did Amazon/MGM think the line of quasi-beloved, broadly forgotten ’80s action figures was worth 141 minutes and $200 million dollars in budget? Your guess is as good as mine. Early reviews are lukewarm, though, so if you still have Skeletor somewhere in your house, have at it.
The well-reviewed Carolina Caroline, a modern Bonnie and Clyde tale that was a hit at the Toronto International Film Festival, gets a limited release this weekend. Check the listings at your local arthouse; the increasingly can’t-miss Samara Weaving stars alongside Kyle Gallner and Kyra Sedgwick.
One of the best comedies of the ’90s returns to theaters for a 30th-anniversary victory lap … even if it can’t walk in shoes. Robin Williams, Nathan Lane, Hank Azaria and Gene Hackman star in The Birdcage; catch it via Fathom’s Big Screen Classics series this Sunday and Wednesday.
Story by Sean Collier
Photos © Paramount Pictures
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