Scary Movie

Starring: Anna Faris, Marlon Wayans, Shawn Wayans, Jon Abrahams, Regina Hall, Shannon Elizabeth, James Van Der Beek (cameo), Cheri Oteri, Dave Sheridan, Carmen Electra, Kurt Kuller
Directed by: Keenen Ivory Wayans
Genre: Comedy, Horror
Rating: R
2000

Times Seen:
Tim: 2

Summary: A group of high school students struggle to stay alive after a serial killer strikes their school.

Review:

Tim: This is a really stupid, mostly unfunny movie. The film is basically just a jumbled mess of spoofs of horror movies. The story doesn't make a lot of sense, simply because it's only loosely in place- just enough to connect one spoof to another. This creates a disjointed viewing experience. Even if a moment is funny (and the humorous ones are few and far between), it disappears as we get into the next awful moment. This is the type of film that takes the shotgun approach to comedy- throw everything up on the screen, hoping something actually sticks with the audience. That's no way to make a good movie.

I will admit that it's somewhat impressive how the movie spoofs popular horror movies. The writers were obviously familiar with those movies and jumped on every chance to make fun of them or create a silly situation out of a similar event. This doesn't take a great deal of intellect, however. There were some funny moments when you thought, "Oh I remember that moment", but that amounts to very little.

I was actually very surprised how closely the film followed Scream. It does throw in a few other moments from movies like I Know What You Did Last Summer, but most of the film is directly ripped off from Scream. I wish this film had been a bit more imaginative and borrowed from other films. As such, this movie feels too redundant.

The cast isn't great. I did like Anna Faris in the lead role, simply because she is so willing to look stupid. That's essential for anyone starring in a spoof. Marlon Wayans was mostly annoying. Shawn Wayans did create quite a few laughs with his character. Shannon Elizabeth was fine, but as I've said in other movies, she's not a good actress at all. I liked seeing James Van Der Beek in a short cameo. Carmen Electra has a memorable but ultimately pointless role. The cast was not great in any sense.

I honestly believe there is a place in Hollywood for spoofs. However, they are a very difficult type of film to pull off. Scary Movie was interesting because it recognized the growing trend of popularity for slasher horror films in Hollywood, and capitalized on that. Unfortunately, the movie we get is a stupid, sophomoric attempt at humor. I appreciate the way this movie spoofed others, but as a whole, this is a bad movie and a disappointment.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 5.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend:
Scary Movie 2, Scary Movie 3, Scary Movie 4, Scream, I Know What You Did Last Summer