SCARY MOVIE
(director/writer: Michael Tiddes; screenwriters:
Marlon Wayans, Shawn Wayans, Keenen Ivory Wayans, Craig Wayans, Rick Alvarez; cinematographer: Terry Stacey; editor: Jonathan Schwartz; music: Haim Mazar; cast: Olivia Rose Keegan (Sara), Anna Faris (Cindy Campbell), Regina Hall (Brenda Meeks), Marlon Wayans (Shorty Meeks), Shawn Wayans (Ray Wilkins),
Kenan Thompson (Michael Jackson imitator), Dave Sheridan (Doofy Gilmore), Lochlyn Munro (Greg, sheriff), Kim Wayans (Nurse Ratchett), Cheri Oteri (Gail Hailstorm), Chris Elliott (Hanson), Heidi Gardner (Agent Underwood), Cameron Scott Roberts (Jack), Savannah Lee Nassif (Tuesday),
Gregg Wayans (Brad), Sydney Park (Dei Meeks),
Ruby Snowber (Elle); Runtime: 96; MPAA Rating: R; producers: Neal H. Moritz, Rick Alvarez, Marlon Wayans,
Shawn Wayans, Craig Wayans; Paramount; 2026)
“This raunchy pic is the bottom of the barrel in entertainment.”
Reviewed by Dennis Schwartz
A low-brow, unfunny, comedy/horror pic, the sixth in the Wayans franchise that started in 2000 and is the first since 2013. It’s weakly directed by Michael Tiddes (“Sextuple”/”Naked”) and dumbly co-written by him and Marlon Wayans, Shawn Wayans, Keenen Ivory Wayans, Craig Wayans, and Rick Alvarez. This raunchy pic is the bottom of the barrel in entertainment. Its plot is similar to Scream 7. There are lame cameos by Carmen Electra and Shaq O’Neil.
The masked killer Ghostface returns to Woodsville after attacking Shorty (Marlon Wayans), Ray (Shawn Wayans), Cindy (Anna Faris) and Brenda (Regina Hall) 26 years ago. This time he targets their kids. This makes Sara (Olivia Rose Keegan) unite again with her mom Cindy, who reunites with Brenda. The incident is covered by the newspaper reporter Gail (Cheri Oteri), as bodies pile up at an amusement park massacre.
A number of sketches follow with dated racial jokes and a plot that leaves us guessing who’s the serial killer. It follows the two families involved–the Meeks family, with the moronic stoner Shorty Meeks (Marlon Wayans), his sister Brenda and her politically correct college-age children Dei (Sydney Park), and Brad (Gregg Wayans); the other family, the Campbells, are led by single mother Cindy, whose teenage daughters Sara and Tuesday (Savannah Lee Nassif) are estranged from her.
There’s no reason for this tiresome spoof on horror pics to have been made. The franchise is dead, even if the filmmakers can’t smell the stink.
REVIEWED ON 6/9/2026 GRADE: C-
dennisschwartzreviews.com