The latest addition to the Scary Movie franchise is here, and fans are ready for it.
Scary Movie 6 is reuniting Marlon, Shawn, and Keenen Wayans. This marks the first time in 18 years (since Scary Movie 5) that they are going to write a new installment together.
What the Trailer Showed
Directed by Rick Alvarez and Michael Tiddes, the trailer showed many popular horror movies being parodied from the last several years. It’s what the Scary Movie films are rooted in. It includes recent hits like Sinners, Weapons, The Substance, and Netflix’s “Wednesday.” The trailer begins with a spoof of the Ghostface subway scene from Scream 6, with many costume characters surrounding the scene. It includes the robot killer M3gan, Jason from Friday the 13th, and Leatherface from Texas Chainsaw Massacre. The Wayans reunite with Regina Hall and Anna Faris, who take on Ghostface and poke fun at Get Out, Smile, and Longlegs along the way.
Other Returning Cast
Newcomers
- The Wayans’ nephew Damon Wayans Jr.
- Their sister Kim Wayans
- Heidi Gardner
- Olivia Rose Keegan
- Savannah Lee Nassif
- Cameron Scott Roberts
- Sydney Park
- Greg Wayans
- Ruby Snowber
- Benny Zielke.
How the Franchise Started
How did this franchise come to be? Back in 2000, parody films were all the rage. There were spoofs of everything everywhere, and they were genuinely funny. It was then Scary Movie entered the scene and changed everything. It pulled in massive revenue while also turning into a beloved franchise. Its crude and rude funny humor didn’t pull any punches.
Scary Movie
The very first Scary Movie was a mashup of Scream and I Know What You Did Last Summer, where a group of stupid teenagers is stalked by an even dumber serial killer (who’s more serial than killer) about a year after they accidentally killed the man with their car and got rid of the body. It sounds familiar, but no one could have imagined the success of the first film. This led to studios wanting to push out more.
Scary Movie 2
Then Scary Movie 2 was a parody of The Haunting, where a creepy, perverted professor uses a bunch of teenagers as bait to try to study ghosts in an old mansion.
Scary Movie 3
One of the most well-known in the franchise, Scary Movie 3, was a parody of The Ring. But it also had the aliens from Signs thrown into the mix.
Scar Movie 4
Scary Movie 4 was based on the War of the Worlds. The story followed Cindy trying to solve the mystery of a ghost boy haunting her house.
Scary Movie 5
Scary Movie 5, which didn’t have any of the previous main cast, attempted to parody the horror film Mama, where a couple adopts three children only to find out they’re being haunted by demons.
Where the Franchise Went Downhill
So how did the franchise go from a giant success to fans not wanting any more of it?
The Wayne brothers weren’t new to comedy when Scary Movie dropped. Keenan and Damon had already had a reputation as the creators of the “In Living Color” sketch show that gave us Jim Carrey. Keenen even debuted with the film I’m Gonna Git You, Sucka. Shawn and Marlon were also doing their own thing, with sitcoms like “The Wayans Bros.” This is when Dimension Films greenlit Scary Movie and gave them a budget of $19 million. It may sound like a lot, but it’s comparatively tiny when you remember that the film made a total of $278 million worldwide. This made it the highest-grossing film ever directed by an African American filmmaker at the time.
It seemed that audiences couldn’t get enough of the film. Brenda’s scream, over-the-top sex jokes, and, of course, the “wazzup” gag took over pop culture.
Every dollar was being stretched behind the scenes too. Heavily relying on practical effects and simple sketch style, the Wayans often reused sets and shot scenes quickly. They went along with the cast improv and single takes rather than reshoots. The original title for the film was “Last Summer I Screamed Because Friday the 13th Fell on Halloween.” Doesn’t really give subtlety. It was clearly a mouthful, so choosing Scary Movie instead was a smart move.
It initially was not supposed to have any sequels at all, as the tagline notes, “no mercy, no shame, no sequel.” But we all know what happened next.
Where Did the Wayans Go?
Things got messy behind the scenes, as it went from an R-rated film to a mediocre PG-13 franchise. After Scary Movie 2, the Wayans were practically fired from the film. It was said that they were given an immense rush to get Scary Movie 2 ready for release. And then, when Scary Movie 3 came around, they were offered the same deal that they had been offered for the first film. For the success of their films, seemed not fair. It was said that they didn’t even know that the studio moved ahead with the film without them. The brothers had to read about it in the papers, and it seemed that the studio stole their work and pitch for the third film.
Clearly, the franchise didn’t succeed as well as it did when the Wayans were there.
But now they have returned and have the rights to their creation. It already looks like a riot and continues with its raunchy humor that pushes people out of their comfort zones. We can’t wait to see Scary Movie 6 on June 12.
