Scary Movie (2000)



Movie Title: Scary Movie

Year Released: 2000

Rated: R

Runtime: 1h 30min

Genre: Comedy, Horror

Director: Keenen Ivory Wayans

Writer: Shawn Wayans, Marlon Wayans, Buddy Johnson, Phil Beauman, Jason Friedberg, Aaron Seltzer

Starring: Anna Faris, Dave Sheridan, Jon Abrahams, Regina Hall, Shannon Elizabeth, Lochlyn Munro, Kurt Fuller, Cheri Oteri, Carmen Electra, Marlon Wayans, Shawn Wayans

Review: Defying the very notion of good taste, Scary Movie out-parodies the pop culture parodies with a no-holds barred assault on the most popular images and talked-about moments from recent films, television and commercials. The film boldly fires barbs at the classic scenes from Scream, The Sixth Sense, The Matrix, I Know What You Did Last Summer, and The Blair Witch Project, then goes on to mock a whole myriad of teen movie clichés, no matter the genre.

I feel like Scary Movie is one of those films that is going to be hit and miss depending on the audience. I personally think it's a lot of fun, but parody films certainly aren't for everyone. This film is intentionally cheesy, and while some might see that as annoying, I think the humor is well-placed, clever, and witty. It also helps if you're someone who has seen the source material that the film is derived from. Watching Scary Movie without watching Scream and I Know What You Did Last Summer is counterproductive because a lot of the humor comes from poking fun at those two films. Having seen both of those films prior to watching Scary Movie, I found this movie to be absolutely hilarious. The comedy here is mostly crude and dumb, but it plays to every corny horror movie cliché in the book. Not just horror movies, but late '90s teen movies in general are drawn on for inspiration. Specifically, this film features 30-something-year-old actors playing high school students, the overly-excited high school boy who is trying desperately to lose his virginity, as well as an inept female lead who haphazardly escapes the killer while being unable to identify the culprit. The ghostface killer and the garage scene from Scream are present. There is also a flashback to a year prior after an unfortunate automobile accident death a la I Know What You Did Last Summer. These are also prime examples of callbacks to late '90s teen horrors. While Scary Movie isn't the best film ever made, I do commend the Wayans brothers for clever writing and for developing a film that both makes fun and pays homage to the films that have come before it. The result is an outrageously entertaining flick!

Stars (out of 4):
       

Fun Fact: Scary Movie was the working title of Scream, which is the main movie parodied.



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