Scary Movie (2026) | Film Review
- Adam Williams
- 4 minutes ago
- 4 min read
After years of false starts, rumours and failed attempts to resurrect the franchise, Scary Movie finally returns in 2026, bringing back familiar faces, outrageous parody humour and the kind of dumb, unapologetic comedy that made the first two films cult classics. While it never quite reaches the heights of those first two classics, there's still plenty of fun to be had for fans willing to switch their brains off and embrace the chaos.
I'll get the biggest negative out of the way first: I absolutely hated the opening. The franchise has always thrived on pushing boundaries and delivering ridiculous humour, but this opening sequence completely missed the mark for me. I sat there genuinely questioning whether I wanted to continue watching. The jokes landed with a thud, the entire sequence felt painfully forced, and it was easily the lowest point of the entire film.
Thankfully, things improve considerably once the film gets going.
What immediately stands out is how good it feels seeing much of the cast reunited again. There's an undeniable sense of nostalgia watching these characters back together, and for large portions of the runtime it genuinely feels like the franchise has returned to the style and energy that made the first two films so memorable. For the most part, the comedy works. There are some genuinely hilarious moments scattered throughout the film, along with several well-written jokes and visual gags that had me laughing far more than I expected. That isn't to say every joke lands. Far from it.
One of the film's biggest problems is knowing when to stop. Several skits, gags and parody sequences go on far longer than they should have. It occasionally felt like they were determined to squeeze every possible laugh from a joke long after it's already peaked. Had some of these scenes been tighter and more restrained, they would've been significantly funnier. Instead, the film occasionally falls into the trap of mistaking more screen time for more comedy.
The structure also feels noticeably weaker than the original trilogy. While the film loosely uses Scream (2022) as its foundation, the plot often feels secondary to the jokes themselves. The first two films, and even Scary Movie 3, managed to maintain a stronger narrative flow while delivering their parodies. Here, the experience feels more like a collection of comedy sketches stitched together under a thin overarching premise. It's entertaining enough, but it lacks the cohesion that helped elevate some of the earlier entries. I know a few people didn’t like the ending, but I loved it to be honest – I’m already excited for the seventh film. And with the film hitting over $105 million in its opening weekend, I don’t think we’ll be waiting long for a sequel.
Another disappointment comes from the return of Bobby and Hanson. Considering how much anticipation surrounded seeing these characters back in the franchise, their appearances feel surprisingly underutilised. Neither gets enough meaningful material to work with, and both end up feeling somewhat wasted when compared to the potential they brought to the table. Just would’ve liked to have seen more of them.
Scary Movie (2026) | Film Review
The cast in general were fantastic to be fair, even the newcomers brought something unique to the table. Do have to give a shout out to Olivia Rose Keegan; she absolutely nailed it as Cindy’s daughter! From the mannerisms, speech, ditsy way she carries herself – mirrored her Mum in the earlier films. The undisputed MVP, however, is Doofy (closely followed by Shorty).
Every single time he's on screen, the film comes alive. Not only does he steal virtually every scene he's in, but the ridiculous backstory explaining what happened after he was revealed as the killer in the original Scary Movie is comedy gold. It's exactly the kind of absurd franchise continuity joke that this series excels at, and it got one of the biggest laughs in the cinema.
The cameos deserve a mention too. There are several fun surprise appearances throughout, but one particular cameo arriving shortly after the The Substance (2024) parody absolutely killed me. It's one of those moments that's best experienced without spoilers, but it was easily one of the film's standout comedic highlights.
At the end of the day, Scary Movie (2026) is exactly what it sets out to be: a dumb, silly, unapologetically ridiculous spoof movie. It knows precisely what it is and commits wholeheartedly to that identity. Not every joke works, some sequences drag far longer than they should, and the overall story lacks the structure of the franchise's best entries, but there's still plenty of entertainment to be found here. Certainly doesn’t deserve the amount of shit it’s been getting online. In regards to where I’d rank it, I’d say fourth after the first three films.
Scary Movie (2000)
Scary Movie 2 (2001)
Scary Movie 3 (2004)
Scary Movie (2026)
Scary Movie 4 (2006)
Scary Movie 5 (2013)
If you're expecting clever satire, deep storytelling or a sophisticated comedy masterpiece, you'll probably leave disappointed. If you're looking for a fun night filled with outrageous gags, nostalgic callbacks and a healthy dose of stupidity, Scary Movie delivers exactly what it promises.
At the end of the day, all reviews (all of ours included) are just the writer’s opinion on the film. So the one thing I’ll urge anyone to do, is go check it out and make up your own mind. Trip to the cinema is only going to help an industry that’s already in trouble as well, so win win really.
Scary Movie is out now. You can check out the trailer below.
