New ‘Scary Movie’ Blends Parody with Absurdity

Teyana Taylor showcases her strong physique when Ghostface, the notorious killer from ‘Scream’, attempts to stab her in the opening scene of the latest ‘Scary Movie’. The attempt ends in failure as the knife bends against her abs. ‘I’m Teyana Taylor,’ she declares, ‘My abs have abs.’ Ghostface acknowledges defeat but mocks Taylor for missing an Oscar win. She retorts by striking him with her Golden Globe.

This scene captures the essence of the Wayans family’s humor: cartoonish, topical, and sometimes absurd. The latest installment of ‘Scary Movie’ reunites the many Wayans with a screenplay by Marlon, Shawn, Keenen Ivory, and Craig Wayans alongside Rick Alvarez. Directed by Michael Tiddes, the film is packed with references to both past and current events, including ICE raids and the ongoing beef between Drake and Kendrick Lamar.

The plot centers around the original ‘Scary Movie’ Core Four: Marlon Wayans’ Shorty, Shawn Wayans’ Ray, Anna Faris’ Cindy, and Regina Hall’s Brenda. Ghostface is hunting them down amid chaos involving various uncredited guest appearances. These characters have now matured, with Cindy battling alcohol misuse and Shorty becoming wealthy from cryptocurrency. One of Cindy’s children struggles with ‘Mommy issues’, hinting at generational clashes.

The satire continues with jokes about Kanye West, COVID-19, and cultural topics like ‘sex-positive’ behaviors and DEI policies. The film’s humor leans heavily on scatology and outdated stereotypes. Actors are advised to lower their Oscar aspirations given the film’s genre, recalling past horror film critiques.

Parody targets range from ‘Terrifier 3’ to ‘Sinners’, along with nods to ‘Silence of the Lambs’, ‘Candyman’, and ‘OnlyFans’. While some jokes hit the mark, others drag, especially references to ‘M3GAN’ and ‘Get Out’. More successful is an amusement park themed around ‘Final Destination’, complete with disastrously crashing rides.

A peculiar segment parodies ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ through animation and altered lyrics, culminating in a strange bed scene. This adds to the film’s pattern of folding back on earlier parodies like returning characters Cheri Oteri’s Gail Hailstorm and Chris Elliott’s odd caretaker with a bizarre hand.

Questions linger about the film’s heavy reliance on the ‘Scream’ franchise and seemingly gratuitous inclusion of sexual props. Despite this, audiences familiar with Wayans comedic style may find moments of hilarity woven into the chaos.

‘Scary Movie’, released by Paramount Pictures, earns an R rating due to explicit content and language, running for 95 minutes. Critics have rated it at one and a half stars out of four, cautioning potential viewers about its crude weapon of humor.