1 of 5 | Shorty (Marlon Wayans) goes live in “Scary Movie,” in theaters Friday. Photo courtesy of Paramount Pictures
LOS ANGELES, June 4 (UPI) — In 2000, Scary Movie used Scream as the bones for a witty horror parody. The fifth Scream from 2022 provides far less focus, relevance or insight for 2026’s Scary Movie, in theaters Friday.
After a cameo-heavy pretitle sequence, Brenda Meeks (Regina Hall) sees her children (Gregg Wayans and Sydney Park) off to school. They go to high school with Cindy Campbell’s (Anna Faris) daughters, Sara (Olivia Rose Keegan, doing Faris’s breathy voice) and Tuesday (Savannah Lee Nassif).
Cindy has fortified her house like Laurie Strode in the 2018 Halloween waiting for Ghostface’s return. The main joke is that everybody thinks the killer is obviously Sara’s boyfriend, Jack (Cameron Scott Roberts).
That’s the beginning of a joke, naming him after Jack Quaid in the fifth Scream, but the comedy does not go anywhere with it. They also recreate the one Scream (2022) scene about a new generation trying to save the franchise, but fail to deliver a new perspective.
In fact, Scary Movie 6 seems more regressive than the first film 26 years ago. The film mentions as many political buzzwords as it can think of but at best has no commentary on them, and at worst reinforces prejudiced points.
When a nurse (Kim Wayans) claims to be a DEI hire, it could indicate that she’s worried others will wrongly blame her for mistakes based on unsubstantiated claims. Much more likely, it seems they wanted to include the phrase “DEI hire” and didn’t think what the joke about it would be.
A joke about confusing giving one’s heart to the world with a Nazi salute is less an evaluation and more a reminder that Elon Musk said that’s what he meant on inauguration night. The character revealed to have participated in January 6 does seem to imply a condemnation.
Jokes about pronouns and Sheriff Greg’s (Lochlyn Munro) trans son (Benny Zielke) aren’t as bad as they could be but still seem like the writers don’t understand what being trans or nonbinary means. They think it’s funny enough for people to still be misgendering in 2026.
The film casts a wide net including Donald Trump, flat earthers, the Epstein Files, P-Diddy, ICE and other famous figures. They can claim they’re making fun of both sides, but in the end they’re making fun of neither and just name dropping.
The first Scary Movie also incorporated I Know What You DId Last Summer and other popular movies, and Scary Movie (2026) has many more sporadic parodies.
Ray (Shawn Wayans) is still obviously closeted, a joke this movie even calls out as 2000s era homophobia, and makes a veiled confession in the Sinners church for some reason. Get Out, M3gan, Longlegs, Terrifier (3 specifically), Weapons, The Substance and even other Wayans movies get referenced.
A random KPop Demon Hunters parody is cute. A Michael spoof is general enough that clearly they knew the Jackson biopic would be released months prior and included something.
A scene about COVID precautions seems completely unaware that there was an actual COVID-themed horror movie, Sick, that they could have satirized.
Slapstick pratfalls are well-executed, including Cindy’s booby traps with cartoonishly oversized mallets and a Final Destination background gag. Director Michael Tiddes nails the timing even if the material is lackluster.
The funniest sequence is a livestream hosted by resident stoner Shorty (Marlon Wayans) that’s just full of silly goofs.
Characters mentioning other movies the actors portraying them were in isn’t really a joke. It’s another reference without commentary, just like the bad spoofs that imitated Scary Movie would make.
Jokes about the Wayans being forced out of Scary Movie 3 and 4 have to be explained because the general audience doesn’t follow industry deals.
In 2000, Scary Movie scathingly satirized a horror movement that was still on the rise. On the eve of a new phase with Backrooms and Obsession, the 2026 Scary Movie has little to say about horror hits that have already come and gone.
Fred Topel, who attended film school at Ithaca College, is a UPI entertainment writer based in Los Angeles. He has been a professional film critic since 1999, a Rotten Tomatoes critic since 2001, and a member of the Television Critics Association since 2012 and the Critics Choice Association since 2023. Read more of his work in Entertainment.
Cast member Anna Faris attends the premiere of “Scary Movie” in Los Angeles on June 3, 2026. Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI | License Photo
