Scary Movie is a 2000
comedy-parody filmComedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
directed by
Keenen Ivory WayansKeenen Ivory Wayans is an American actor, comedian, director and writer known as the host and creator of the FOX sketch comedy series In Living Color, which also starred Jim Carrey, Jamie Foxx, brothers Damon Wayans, Shawn Wayans and Marlon Wayans, sister Kim Wayans, David Alan Grier, Tommy...
, as part of
Warner Bros. Entertainment. It is an
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
dark comedyA black comedy, or dark comedy, is a comic work that employs black humor or gallows humor. The definition of black humor is problematic; it has been argued that it corresponds to the earlier concept of gallows humor; and that, as humor has been defined since Freud as a comedic act that anesthetizes...
which heavily
parodiesA parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...
the
horrorHorror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
,
slasherA slasher film is a type of horror film typically involving a psychopathic killer stalking and killing a sequence of victims in a graphically violent manner, often with a cutting tool such as a knife or axe...
, and
mysteryMystery film is a sub-genre of the more general category of crime film and at times the thriller genre. It focuses on the efforts of the detective, private investigator or amateur sleuth to solve the mysterious circumstances of a crime by means of clues, investigation, and clever deduction.The...
genres. Several mid- and late-90s films and TV shows are spoofed, most predominantly
ScreamScream is a 1996 American slasher film written by Kevin Williamson and directed by Wes Craven. The film stars Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, Drew Barrymore, and David Arquette...
and
I Know What You Did Last SummerI Know What You Did Last Summer is a 1997 American horror film. The film stars Jennifer Love Hewitt, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ryan Phillippe and Freddie Prinze Jr. The screenplay was written by Kevin Williamson, writer of Scream, and very loosely based on Lois Duncan's popular novel of the same title...
, along with
The Sixth SenseThe Sixth Sense is a 1999 American psychological thriller film written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan. The film tells the story of Cole Sear , a troubled, isolated boy who is able to see and talk to the dead, and an equally troubled child psychologist who tries to help him...
,
The Usual SuspectsThe Usual Suspects is a 1995 American neo-noir film written by Christopher McQuarrie and directed by Bryan Singer. It stars Stephen Baldwin, Gabriel Byrne, Benicio del Toro, Chazz Palminteri, Kevin Pollak, Kevin Spacey and Pete Postlethwaite....
,
The MatrixThe Matrix is a 1999 science fiction-action film written and directed by Larry and Andy Wachowski, starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Joe Pantoliano, and Hugo Weaving...
,
The Blair Witch ProjectThe Blair Witch Project is a 1999 American horror film pieced together from amateur footage. The film was produced by the Haxan Films production company. The film relates the story of three student filmmakers The Blair Witch Project is a 1999 American horror film pieced together from amateur...
, and
Dawson's CreekDawson's Creek is an American teen drama television series which debuted on January 20, 1998, on The WB Television Network and was produced by Sony Pictures Television. The show is set in the fictional seaside town of Capeside, Massachusetts, and in Boston, Massachusetts, during the later seasons...
.
The tagline reads
"No mercy. No shame. No sequel.", the last reference being an ironic nod towards the tendency of popular horror movies becoming cash cow franchises. 2001 saw the release of
Scary Movie 2Scary Movie 2 is a 2001 parody film. It is the second film of the Scary Movie franchise. Though part of the first Scary Movies tagline read "...No sequel," this film's tagline compensated by adding "We lied"....
, whose tagline stated
"We lied". Later video covers of the first film frequently drop the tagline's third statement. The film was originally titled "
Last Summer I Screamed Because Halloween Fell on Friday the 13th".
Scary Movie was followed by three more sequels
Scary Movie 2Scary Movie 2 is a 2001 parody film. It is the second film of the Scary Movie franchise. Though part of the first Scary Movies tagline read "...No sequel," this film's tagline compensated by adding "We lied"....
(2001),
Scary Movie 3Scary Movie 3 is a 2003 American science fiction comedy film, which parodies the horror, sci-fi, and mystery genres, directed by David Zucker. It is the third film of the Scary Movie franchise, as well as the first to have no involvement from the Wayans family...
(2003), and
Scary Movie 4Scary Movie 4 is the fourth film of the Scary Movie franchise, directed by David Zucker, written by Jim Abrahams, Craig Mazin and Pat Proft, and produced by Craig Mazin and Robert K. Weiss. It is distributed by The Weinstein Company via its Dimension Films unit in the U.S. and Television, and...
(2006). Its title serves as a homage to the production title of
ScreamScream is a 1996 American slasher film written by Kevin Williamson and directed by Wes Craven. The film stars Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, Drew Barrymore, and David Arquette...
, which was also released through
Dimension FilmsDimension Films is a motion picture unit currently a part of The Weinstein Company. It was formerly used as Bob Weinstein's label within Miramax Films, to produce and release genre films...
. In 2012,
Scary Movie 5 will be released.
Plot
An 18-year-old girl named Drew Decker (
Carmen ElectraTara Leigh Patrick , professionally known as Carmen Electra, is an American glamour model, actress, television personality, singer, and dancer...
) receives a threatening phone call while home alone one night. In an opening which closely mirrors
ScreamScream is a 1996 American slasher film written by Kevin Williamson and directed by Wes Craven. The film stars Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, Drew Barrymore, and David Arquette...
, Drew is chased outside by
GhostfaceGhostface is a fictional identity adopted by the main antagonists in the Scream series of slasher films. The character is voiced by Roger L. Jackson regardless of who is behind the mask...
, who then rips off her sweater and skirt, leaving her clothed in her white bra and thong. Drew runs through her garden sprinklers but she is then stabbed in the
breastThe breast is the upper ventral region of the torso of a primate, in left and right sides, which in a female contains the mammary gland that secretes milk used to feed infants.Both men and women develop breasts from the same embryological tissues...
by Ghostface, removing one of her
siliconeSilicones are inert, synthetic compounds with a variety of forms and uses. Typically heat-resistant and rubber-like, they are used in sealants, adhesives, lubricants, medical applications , cookware, and insulation....
breast implants, hit by a car driven by her father (who was getting
oral sexOral sex is sexual activity involving the stimulation of the genitalia of a sex partner by the use of the mouth, tongue, teeth or throat. Cunnilingus refers to oral sex performed on females while fellatio refer to oral sex performed on males. Anilingus refers to oral stimulation of a person's anus...
by his wife so he didn't notice Drew), and then killed by Ghostface.
The next day, Cindy Campbell (
Anna FarisAnna Kay Faris is an American actress, singer and comedienne. She is known for her starring role in the Scary Movie film series, as well as roles in The Hot Chick , Lost in Translation , Just Friends , My Super Ex-Girlfriend , Smiley Face , and The House Bunny...
), meets up with her boyfriend Bobby Prinze (
Jon AbrahamsJon Avery Abrahams is an American film and television actor.-Life and career:Abrahams attended Saint Ann's School in Brooklyn....
) and her friends, Brenda Meeks (
Regina HallRegina Hall is an American film and television actress known for her lead role of Brenda Meeks in the Scary Movie films and as Corretta Lipp in the FOX comedy-drama Ally McBeal.-Personal life:...
), Ray Wilkins (
Shawn Wayans), Greg Phillipe (
Lochlyn MunroRichard Laughlain "Lochlyn" Munro is a Canadian actor.-Life and career:Munro was born in Lac La Hache, British Columbia. He started his acting career after a serious sports injury ended his dream of playing professional hockey. While playing music in various clubs around Vancouver, British...
), and Buffy Gilmore (
Shannon ElizabethShannon Elizabeth is an American actress and former fashion model. Elizabeth is well known for her roles in comedy films such as Scary Movie, American Pie, and Jay And Silent Bob Strike Back. She is also well known for her work in horror films such as Thirteen Ghosts, Cursed, and Night of the Demons...
). Various news teams - including hack reporter Gail Hailstorm (
Cheri OteriCheri Oteri is an American comic actress, best known for her roles as a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 1995 to 2000.-Personal life:...
) - converge on the school in the wake of Drew's brutal death. Gail hooks up with Buffy's mentally disabled brother Doofy (Dave Sheridan), hoping to milk the facts out of him. One day, while Cindy is in class, someone mysteriously leaves a note saying I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST HALLOWEEN. Cindy then realizes that Drew's murder occurred exactly one year after she and her friends accidentally killed a man during a wild car ride (but the man is shown only to be unconscious and tries to tell them before being knocked out again). Unwilling to face incarceration, the next day a series of increasingly bizarre events take place. Various members of the group receive threatening notes from Ghostface and are rapidly dispatched, but most remain steadfastly oblivious to the rising body count. The killer then attacks Cindy in her house. She tries to call the police but the killer escapes. Bobby arrives at her house but Ghostface (before he left) drops the knife and gloves which leads Cindy to thinking that Bobby is the killer the police arrest him (though he is let out the next day). Greg is killed by Ghostface in plain view. Buffy tries to get help, but Buffy is at a beauty pageant but her talent was acting so they thought the cries were part of her act. Buffy, high on the success brought by the murder, becomes Ghostface's next victim. During the murder, Buffy thinks it's a game, so she does every cliche done by a white female in a horror film. Ghostface decapitates her (even though her head keeps talking afterwards). Later, Ghostface sticks his
penisThe penis is a biological feature of male animals including both vertebrates and invertebrates...
through Ray's head, seemingly killing him. Ghostface then attempts to dispose of Brenda during a showing of
Shakespeare in LoveShakespeare in Love is a 1998 British-American comedy film directed by John Madden and written by Marc Norman and playwright Tom Stoppard....
, but the moviegoers, fed up with Brenda's ghetto antics during the movie, kill her before Ghostface can.
Cindy throws a house party, hoping for safety in numbers. During the party, Bobby and Cindy go up stairs and have
sexIn biology, sex is a process of combining and mixing genetic traits, often resulting in the specialization of organisms into a male or female variety . Sexual reproduction involves combining specialized cells to form offspring that inherit traits from both parents...
, no longer making Cindy a virgin. Ghostface unexpectedly appears and stabs Bobby, before disappearing quickly. Cindy gets a gun from a drawer near the entrance, Bobby follows and she tends to his wounds. Shorty (
Marlon WayansMarlon L. Wayans is an American actor, model producer, comedian, writer, and director of movies, beginning with his role as a pedestrian in I'm Gonna Git You Sucka in 1988...
), Brenda's
stonerCannabis is a genus of flowering plants that includes three putative species, Cannabis sativa, Cannabis indica, and Cannabis ruderalis. These three taxa are indigenous to Central Asia, and South Asia. Cannabis has long been used for fibre , for seed and seed oils, for medicinal purposes, and as a...
brother, comes up from the basement and informs them that the killer has murdered everybody in the house. Bobby takes the gun and shoots Shorty, revealing that his wound was an elaborate ruse. Ray then arrives on the scene - whereupon Bobby reveals to Cindy that he is now a homosexual, and so is Ray, but Ray immediately denies it confirming that he is straight. They announce their plan to kill her father and frame her sister. Bobby says he did it because Cindy never had sex with him and Bobby gleefully points out that even though their plan lacks sense it doesn't matter, since horror movies are not noted for their logic, they also say that are just copying the killer and are not the actual killers ("We're copying a killer that already exists."). Ray and Bobby also came up with a plan to make themselves look like heroes by giving each other stab wounds to indicate they fought her. But, Ray stabs Bobby repeatedly and nearly kills him revealing his motive was because his favorite show
The Wayans Bros.The Wayans Bros. is a situation comedy that aired from 1995 to 1999 on The WB. The series starred real-life brothers Shawn Wayans and Marlon Wayans. Both brothers were already well-known from the sketch comedy show In Living Color...
had been cancelled.
However, the real Ghostface abruptly turns up and stabs Ray, who collapses on top of Bobby in the
Doggy styleDoggy style is a group of sex positions in which the receiving partner crouches on all fours with the legs slightly apart...
position. The killer then attacks Cindy, but she successfully subdues him by employing moves copied from
The MatrixThe Matrix is a 1999 science fiction-action film written and directed by Larry and Andy Wachowski, starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Joe Pantoliano, and Hugo Weaving...
and kicks him through a window. Nonetheless, Ghostface vanishes before the police arrive.
At the police station, Cindy and the local sheriff (
Kurt FullerKurt Fuller is an American character actor. He has appeared in a number of television, film, and stage projects. He graduated from Lincoln High School in Stockton, California in 1971.-Career:...
) realise that (through a montage similar to that of
The Usual SuspectsThe Usual Suspects is a 1995 American neo-noir film written by Christopher McQuarrie and directed by Bryan Singer. It stars Stephen Baldwin, Gabriel Byrne, Benicio del Toro, Chazz Palminteri, Kevin Pollak, Kevin Spacey and Pete Postlethwaite....
) Doofy - the only one who knew about the car accident - was actually faking his disability and is the true killer . Unfortunately, Doofy has already escaped with Gail Hailstorm. Upon finding his discarded disguise in the street, Cindy begins screaming "No" to the heavens - and gets run over by a car, presumably killing her (though she returns in the
sequelScary Movie 2 is a 2001 parody film. It is the second film of the Scary Movie franchise. Though part of the first Scary Movies tagline read "...No sequel," this film's tagline compensated by adding "We lied"....
alive and well).
As the credits roll, Shorty - parodying the rules of survival in
ScreamScream is a series of American horror slasher films created by Kevin Williamson and Wes Craven. The films star Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, and David Arquette. The series has grossed over $600 million in worldwide box-office receipts and consists, to date, of four motion pictures...
- explains via videocassette that he may be in prison or deceased, but provides rules for surviving such a situation... which turn out to be instructions for surviving a
snatch-and-runShoplifting is theft of goods from a retail establishment. It is one of the most common property crimes dealt with by police and courts....
.
Cast
- Anna Faris
Anna Kay Faris is an American actress, singer and comedienne. She is known for her starring role in the Scary Movie film series, as well as roles in The Hot Chick , Lost in Translation , Just Friends , My Super Ex-Girlfriend , Smiley Face , and The House Bunny...
as Cindy Campbell
- Dave Sheridan as Doofy Gilmore / The Killer
- Jon Abrahams
Jon Avery Abrahams is an American film and television actor.-Life and career:Abrahams attended Saint Ann's School in Brooklyn....
as Bobby Prinze
- Marlon Wayans
Marlon L. Wayans is an American actor, model producer, comedian, writer, and director of movies, beginning with his role as a pedestrian in I'm Gonna Git You Sucka in 1988...
as Shorty Meeks
- Shannon Elizabeth
Shannon Elizabeth is an American actress and former fashion model. Elizabeth is well known for her roles in comedy films such as Scary Movie, American Pie, and Jay And Silent Bob Strike Back. She is also well known for her work in horror films such as Thirteen Ghosts, Cursed, and Night of the Demons...
as Buffy Gilmore
- Regina Hall
Regina Hall is an American film and television actress known for her lead role of Brenda Meeks in the Scary Movie films and as Corretta Lipp in the FOX comedy-drama Ally McBeal.-Personal life:...
as Brenda Meeks
- Shawn Wayans as Ray Wilkins
- Lochlyn Munro
Richard Laughlain "Lochlyn" Munro is a Canadian actor.-Life and career:Munro was born in Lac La Hache, British Columbia. He started his acting career after a serious sports injury ended his dream of playing professional hockey. While playing music in various clubs around Vancouver, British...
as Greg Phillipe
- Cheri Oteri
Cheri Oteri is an American comic actress, best known for her roles as a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 1995 to 2000.-Personal life:...
as Gail Hailstorm
- Kurt Fuller
Kurt Fuller is an American character actor. He has appeared in a number of television, film, and stage projects. He graduated from Lincoln High School in Stockton, California in 1971.-Career:...
as The Sheriff
- Carmen Electra
Tara Leigh Patrick , professionally known as Carmen Electra, is an American glamour model, actress, television personality, singer, and dancer...
as Drew Decker
- Rick Ducommun
Richard "Rick" Ducommun is a Canadian actor and comedian, often seen in supporting roles on both television and the silver screen.Ducommun was born in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan...
as Mr. Campbell
- Jayne Trcka
-Biography:Jayne grew up in St. Paul, Minnesota with her family. She studied gymnastics and other sports in school. She started weight training after moving to southern California in 1986. By 1988, she was competing in bodybuilding shows. In 1998 she quit her job with the postal service to...
as Miss Mann
- Kelly Coffield Park
Kelly Coffield Park is an American actress and comedian. She is known for being one of two white members of the original cast in the sketch comedy television series In Living Color ....
as the History Teacher
- David L. Lander
David L. Lander is an American actor, comedian, composer, musician, and baseball scout. David is also the Goodwill Ambassador for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.- Biography :...
as Principal 'Squiggy' Squiggman
- Marissa Jaret Winokur
Marissa Jaret Winokur , sometimes credited as Marissa Winokur, is an American actress known for her performance as Tracy Turnblad in the highly successful Broadway musical adaptation of John Waters' film Hairspray, as well as her work on the Pamela Anderson sitcom Stacked...
as Tina, the Garage Victim
- Keenan Ivory Wayans as Slave
- Robert Jacks
Robert Jacks is an Australian painter, sculptor and printmaker.Born in Melbourne, Australia. He studied sculpture from 1958 to 1960 at the Prahran Technical College, Melbourne, and painting in 1961 and 1962 at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology .In 1966 he had his first solo exhibition at...
(uncredited) as Rowdy
- James Van Der Beek
James William Van Der Beek, Jr. is an American television, film, and stage actor, known for his portrayal of Dawson Leery in The WB series Dawson's Creek...
(uncredited) as Dawson LeeryDawson Wade Leery is the central fictional character and the main protagonist of the American television drama Dawson's Creek. The character is portrayed by American actor James Van Der Beek.-Biography:...
Parodies
Much of the humor of
Scary Movie relies upon specific references to other contemporary films.
Roger EbertRoger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
remarked in his review that "to get your money's worth, you need to be familiar with the various teenage horror franchises." Much of the film's plot is modeled after
I Know What You Did Last SummerI Know What You Did Last Summer is a 1997 American horror film. The film stars Jennifer Love Hewitt, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ryan Phillippe and Freddie Prinze Jr. The screenplay was written by Kevin Williamson, writer of Scream, and very loosely based on Lois Duncan's popular novel of the same title...
including the teens' accidental murder of an innocent man on a car ride and Barry's murder onstage. Several elements are borrowed from the
Scream franchise including the character Ghostface, the attack in the movie theatre as modeled after
Scream 2Scream 2 is a 1997 American slasher film created and written by Kevin Williamson and directed by Wes Craven, starring Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, David Arquette, Jamie Kennedy and Liev Schreiber, released on December 12, 1997 as the second installment in the Scream film series...
, and the "rules of a trilogy" video from
Scream 3Scream 3 is a 2000 American slasher film created by Kevin Williamson, directed by Wes Craven and written by Ehren Kruger, starring Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox Arquette and David Arquette, released on February 4, 2000 as the third, and originally, concluding installment in the Scream film series...
. While smoking marijuana, Shorty quips "I see dead people," the line famously spoken by
Haley Joel OsmentHaley Joel Osment is an American actor. After a series of roles in television and film during the 1990s, including a small part in Forrest Gump playing Tom Hanks' title character’s son, Osment rose to fame with his performance as Cole Sear in M...
in
The Sixth SenseThe Sixth Sense is a 1999 American psychological thriller film written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan. The film tells the story of Cole Sear , a troubled, isolated boy who is able to see and talk to the dead, and an equally troubled child psychologist who tries to help him...
. In a chase scene, the film shifts its point of view to that of a hand-held camera with the characters speaking directly to the audience as in
The Blair Witch ProjectThe Blair Witch Project is a 1999 American horror film pieced together from amateur footage. The film was produced by the Haxan Films production company. The film relates the story of three student filmmakers The Blair Witch Project is a 1999 American horror film pieced together from amateur...
.
Many scenes and jokes parody or reference other films outside the horror film genre. The fight between Cindy and the killer heavily mimics
The MatrixThe Matrix is a 1999 science fiction-action film written and directed by Larry and Andy Wachowski, starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Joe Pantoliano, and Hugo Weaving...
, particularly its use of
bullet timeBullet time is a special and visual effect that refers to a digitally enhanced simulation of variable-speed photography used in films, broadcast advertisements, and video games...
. The final scene, in which Doofy stops feigning his disability and drives away with Gail, is a takeoff of the final scene of
The Usual SuspectsThe Usual Suspects is a 1995 American neo-noir film written by Christopher McQuarrie and directed by Bryan Singer. It stars Stephen Baldwin, Gabriel Byrne, Benicio del Toro, Chazz Palminteri, Kevin Pollak, Kevin Spacey and Pete Postlethwaite....
. When asked about her favorite horror movie, Drew answers "
KazaamKazaam is a 1996 comedy film directed by Paul M. Glaser and stars Shaquille O'Neal as the title character Kazaam, a genie who appears from a magic boombox to grant a boy three wishes.-Plot:...
" due to
Shaquille O'NealShaquille Rashaun O'Neal , nicknamed "Shaq" , is a former American professional basketball player. Standing tall and weighing , he was one of the heaviest players ever to play in the NBA...
's acting. Cindy becomes aggressive and roars "Say my name!" during sex with Bobby, similar to the sex scene between Michelle and Jim in
American PieAmerican Pie is a 1999 teen comedy film written by Adam Herz. American Pie was the directorial film debut of brothers Paul and Chris Weitz, and the first film in the American Pie film series...
. A trailer for a fictitious sequel to
Amistad titled
Amistad II appears in the movie theater scene. The scene in which Ray is about to stab Bobby to make the police believe they were the victims of the killer borrows heavily from a similar scene that takes place during the climax of
ScreamScream is a 1996 American slasher film written by Kevin Williamson and directed by Wes Craven. The film stars Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, Drew Barrymore, and David Arquette...
.
The film also makes other pop culture references beyond the scope of film, including a brief send-up of
Dawson's CreekDawson's Creek is an American teen drama television series which debuted on January 20, 1998, on The WB Television Network and was produced by Sony Pictures Television. The show is set in the fictional seaside town of Capeside, Massachusetts, and in Boston, Massachusetts, during the later seasons...
and a parody of the
Whassup?Whassup? was a commercial campaign for Anheuser-Busch Budweiser beer from 1999 to 2002. The first spot aired during Monday Night Football, December 20, 1999. The ad campaign was run worldwide and became a pop culture catchphrase...
ad campaign by
BudweiserBudweiser is a German adjective describing something or someone from the city of České Budějovice in Southern Bohemia, Czech Republic.Beer brewing in České Budějovice dates back to the 13th century...
.
Reception
The film received mixed reviews from critics. As saying on
Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
, 53% of critics gave the film a positive review based on 109 reviews.
Joe Leydon of
Entertainment WeeklyEntertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
gave the film a positive review, remarking that the film was "unbounded by taste, inhibition or political correctness" and that "the outer limits of R-rated respectability are stretched, if not shredded" by the movie. By contrast, Roger Ebert did not find the film as innovative, saying that the film lacked "the shocking impact of
Airplane!Airplane! is a 1980 American satirical comedy film directed and written by David Zucker, Jim Abrahams, and Jerry Zucker and released by Paramount Pictures...
, which had the advantage of breaking new ground." However, Ebert did give the film 3 stars out of 4, saying it "delivers the goods" calling the film a "raucous, satirical attack on slasher movies."
Bob Longino of
The Atlanta Journal-ConstitutionThe Atlanta Journal-Constitution is the only major daily newspaper in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, and its suburbs. The AJC, as it is called, is the flagship publication of Cox Enterprises. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is the result of the merger between The Atlanta Journal and The Atlanta...
, felt that the film's crude humor detracted from the film, saying that
Scary Movie "dives so deep into tasteless humor that it's a wonder it landed an R rating instead of an NC-17." Other reviewers, such as A.O. Scott of the
New York Times, argued that the jokes were "annoying less for their vulgarity than for their tiredness." Scott remarked in his review, "Couch-bound pot smokers, prison sex, mannish female gym teachers, those
Whassssup Budweiser commercials -- hasn't it all been done to death?"
Soundtrack
A soundtrack containing
hip hopHip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...
and
alternative rockAlternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
songs from the movie was released on July 4, 2000 by
TVT RecordsTVT Records was an independent US record label founded by Steve Gottlieb. Over the course of its 25 year history the label released some 25 Gold, Platinum and Multi-platinum releases. Its roster included Nine Inch Nails, Ja Rule, Lil Jon, Underworld, The KLF, Sevendust, Brian Jonestown Massacre and...
.
See also
- Shriek If You Know What I Did Last Friday the Thirteenth
Shriek If You Know What I Did Last Friday the Thirteenth is a 2000 American direct-to-video parody film directed by John Blanchard. Several mid and late '90s teen horror films are parodied, as are the slasher films of the '70s and '80s, including the Scream films , Friday the 13th , Halloween , A...
— A spoof of horror movies
- Student Bodies
Student Bodies is a 1981 comedy film written and directed by Mickey Rose, with an uncredited Michael Ritchie co-directing. The film stars Kristen Ritter, Matthew Goldsby, and Cullen Chambers....
— A spoof of horror movies
- Stan Helsing
Stan Helsing is a 2009 parody film, known in some parts of Asia as Scary Movie 5. Not unlike past movies, such as Scary Movie, it directs parodies at horror films...
— A spoof of horror movies