Paramount Pictures releases Scary Movie in cinemas across the UK and Ireland on June 5, 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.
Review
The world has radically changed in the 13 years since the Scary Movie franchise last graced our screens. Our relationship with spoof comedy and satire has been irrevocably altered by deep political and societal divides. Streaming has held a sharp knife to the throat of the theatrical experience. Parody has been written off by the left and the right as offensive propaganda. But that hasn’t stopped the returning Wayans Brothers from attempting to bulldoze barriers and recapture the sharp-witted magic of the 2000s.
For those on the periphery of the Scary Movie controversy, the Wayans birthed the franchise at the turn of the millennium and worked on both the first and second movie. For the third through fifth the franchise Miramax moved in a different creative direction, effectively taking the franchise out of the hands of its creators. Though original stars Anna Faris and Regina Hall stuck around for the third and fourth films even they moved on by 2013’s Scary Movie 5.
Cut to 2026 where Miramax and new partners Paramount Pictures have reunited Faris, Hall and all three of the Wayans Brothers in an attempt to restore Scary Movie to its place in parody cinema’s hall of fame. Riding high on the success of last year’s Naked Gun it certainly seems the audience still has an appetite for referential, meta-driven comedy. But with 13 years of horror hits to choose from the new Scary Movie stumbles quickly out of the gate due to its overtly maximalist approach to storytelling.
Looking back to the first Scary Movie it balanced two major influences whilst passing references to several more. Scream and I Know What You Did Last Summer were the backbone on which to build a core narrative through line that had breathing room to pull in references and commentary on other IPs. The formula was dynamite and quickly proved successful. But rather than return to that for this new film brothers Marlon, Shawn and Keenan plus their nephew Craig Wayans and co-writer Rick Alvarez take an approach which feels more like an episode of Saturday Night Live. Though 2022’s Scream does become a point to circle back to throughout a lack of narrative focus means that often from one scene to the next the source of inspiration alters.
Scream will lead into Final Destination and then on to Get Out, stopping in-between for a segue to K-Pop Demon Hunters. The scope is impressive, taking in every major horror hit of the last decade including recent Academy Award-winners Weapons and Sinners. But this maximalism feels unfocussed. The approach is more throw everything at the wall and see what sticks rather than organically stitching together a patchwork that hilariously lambasts the genre’s incredible return to prominence in the cinematic landscape.
The film works best when it looks inwards. The moment that Faris’ Cindy and Hall’s Brenda reunite on screen is Scary Movie gold. Likewise it’s great to catch up with Shorty (Marlon Wayans) who has now become a crypto-millionaire and influencer, naturally, and Ray (Shawn Wayans) who still isn’t quite sure whether he’s comfortable being gay or not. The dynamic between the four is still undeniable, causing the biggest laughs from the audience. In the latter moments of the film the Wayans’ confront both Cindy/Anna and Brenda/Regina for staying with the franchise after their unceremonious exit. Easily the best writing of the entire film, it blurs the lines between actor and character, confronting the franchise’s checkered past whilst turning it into parody canon fodder. More of these moments would easily have strengthened what ultimately is a weak narrative.
The new cast members: Olivia Rose Keegan, Cameron Scott Roberts, Benny Zielke, Ruby Snowber, Savannah Lee Nassif and Sydney Park all take on roles from Scream 2022. Keegan is an irrepressible reflection of Faris in the original film both in performance and appearance. You could easily convince me they were mother and daughter. Whilst Roberts slots into the Jack Quaid role well whilst simultaneously having fun with the fact we already know his character’s direction of travel. The kids easily match the energy the OG cast brought back in 2000 which goes a long way to ensuring that Scary Movie remains entertaining for its lightning 96 minute runtime. Their fates are all ultimately wrapped in another of the film’s inward looking flourishes of success.
Perhaps the biggest surprise for many will be how the film handles the cultural minefield it willingly steps into in 2026. Pronouns, trans rights, so-called “woke” culture, Republican politics and influencer narcissism are all fair game here. But the Wayans approach each of these targets with the same irreverent even-handedness that defined the originals. Nobody is safe and nobody is singled out. Impressively, the intention never feels malicious. It feels like the work of filmmakers who are laughing with the culture rather than those of us navigating it. Inevitably some in the audience will take offence and that’s their prerogative. But it’s important that Scary Movie hold a mirror up to 2026 with the same unapologetically mischievous grin it brought to 2000.
Ultimately the success of Scary Movie’s return will be decided by the court of public opinion. It’s a turn of events worthy of one of the film’s own jokes: seeing the audience debate the film’s merits and weaknesses on social media with fiery passion. But for me the uphill battle to prove Scary Movie still has relevance in 2026 runs out of steam before reaching the summit. There are highlights along the way, but it doesn’t overcome an unfocussed script which is distracted by a wealth of influence rather than picking its targets carefully.
Verdict
Scary Movie returns to cinemas swinging and occasionally landing a home run with the same sharp-tongued precision that made it a phenomenon. But here the Wayans have tried to parody 13 years of horror in 96 minutes and the seams show all too easily. When it slows down and looks inward it’s genuinely brilliant. When it doesn’t it’s a blur. The appetite is clearly still there but the execution requires a fresh coat of paint.
⭐⭐⭐
