In many ways, Scary Movie (2026) feels like a bookend to the last decade or so of horror. That probably sounds insane to you, but stay with me here! After departing from their iconic parody franchise over two decades ago due to pay disputes, Marlon, Shawn, and Keenen Ivory Wayans have reunited for their first film collaboration since 2009’s Dance Flick. It’s no secret that the Scary Movie franchise started to dip in quality after the Wayans family was no longer involved. Yes, Scary Movie 3 and 4 have some memorable moments thanks to the always-funny Anna Faris and Regina Hall, but there are key ingredients to the Wayans’ sense of humor that cannot be easily replicated.
Let’s get this straight: if you don’t care for the Scary Movie series or any of the Wayans’ other works, there’s not much for you here. But if you love the Wayans brothers, you’re in for a treat. Moreover, there is something actually sweet and charming in the way the Wayans frame their return metatextually. Scary Movie 6, simply titled Scary Movie à la Halloween (2018) and Scream (2022), works just enough as a statement on legacy sequels as it does on the Wayans’ own Hollywood legacy. Given that the legacy sequel trend has seemingly died down now, Scary Movie (2026) feels like the Wayans closing one chapter of horror and opening another.
A Legacy Sequel Within A Legacy Sequel
Perhaps the funniest thing about Scary Movie (2026) is that it’s a direct riff on Scream (2022), which itself was trying to comment on legacy sequels. When Tuesday (Savannah Lee Nassif), a parody of Jenna Ortega’s character from Scream and Wednesday Addams, is attacked and hospitalized by Ghostface, her older sister Sara (Olivia Rose Keegan) steps in to protect her. But she can’t stop Ghostface alone, so she reaches out to their estranged mother, who is none other than Cindy Campbell (Anna Faris). Just like Jamie Lee Curtis’ Laurie Strode, Cindy has since turned into a survivalist hermit. If they are to stop this new Ghostface, the opposing generations must learn how to accept each other and work together.
In reuniting with her daughter, who is just as much an airhead, Cindy crosses paths with the rest of the legacy cast. Her old best friend Brenda Meeks (Regina Hall) is the mother of the stand-ins for Jasmin Savoy Brown and Mason Gooding’s Scream characters. She hilariously sports an Octavia Spencer Ma bob cut as she tries to be a “cool mother” and stay close to her kids. Literally, almost every character from Scream (2022) is parodied here. We have the evil boyfriend who is not-so-secretly Ghostface (Cameron Scott Roberts) and is also just named “Jack” after Jack Quaid. Ruby Snowber, the Mikey Madison stand-in, does a pretty great job of capturing her mannerisms in a silly way, too.
The Iconic Core Four
Then, of course, there’s Shorty Meeks (Marlon Wayans) and Ray Wilkins (Shawn Wayans), who get the most solo bits here out of anybody. More “Gay Ray” jokes than before, and more “chronic” puns and scenes involving Shorty getting high as hell. Is it a little self-indulgent? Maybe. However, you can genuinely feel just how ecstatic the Wayans are to be back. Their comedic timing hasn’t waned in all these years, and neither has that of Anna Faris or Regina Hall. When all four of them are together on screen, earnestly committing as much to the bit as they can, you would be a true prude not to laugh. For many people, seeing these icons together again will be enough.
Courtesy of Paramount
The enduring dynamic of the legacy cast is what saves Scary Movie (2026) from crumbling. The majority of scenes spoofing Scream (2022) are especially clever and funny as intended. It’s not until the second half of the film that the Wayans start throwing too many spoofs at the wall. Truly, the funniest jokes and laugh-out-loud gags have mainly been hidden from the trailers. But, somehow, certain horror movie references that have been heavily capitalized on the posters and promotion either barely have a presence or are plainly not that funny. I’m talking about horror films like Weapons (2025), Sinners (2025), Longlegs (2024), and The Substance (2024), which, unfortunately, make for some of the lesser moments in Scary Movie (2026).
Prepare to (Not) Be Offended
Next comes up the conversation of being offensive, or rather, inoffensive. The marketing for Scary Movie (2026) has promised a comedy that will cross every line and offend an endless number of groups. The Wayans themselves have beaten this point to death in the press, too. Thus, it’s quite ironic to discover that this latest Scary Movie is not that extreme in its humor. It’s as brash as it should be, taking jabs at both sides of the political spectrum, from dated republicans and crazy right-wingers to young social justice warriors and wokeness. The script also includes jokes about the #MeToo movement, pronouns, and the trans community. Yet, most of these jokes are not mean-spirited, because that’s not comedy!
While certain viewers who can’t take a joke will surely be upset, the jokes themselves are not really that offensive in nature. At worst, they come off as older writers trying to sound hip or tap into the humor of younger audiences. Scary Movie (2026), at its best, takes jabs at all kinds of groups in a way that invites them to share the laughter (except for crazy white people, of course). It’s classic Wayans humor, which makes this “get ready to be offended” motto in the lead-up to the film feel all the more bizarre. In truth, this Scary Movie is not any fouler than the first two.
‘Scary Movie’ is Back, and Maybe That’s Not a Bad Thing
The number of incredibly hilarious highs in Scary Movie (2026) is barely longer than the number of painfully unfunny lows. In other words, it can be a mixed bag at times. Yet, by the film’s end, the Wayans Bros. make a statement about their worth and why this franchise needed them more than they needed it in the long run. How they tie this back to the rejection of modern horror legacy sequels makes the price of admission worth it. There’s something oddly profound about seeing the Wayans stand side by side with Anna Faris and Regina Hall, basically look into the camera, and reject the notion of ever being replaced.
Does every joke land in Scary Movie (2026)? Aboslutley not. Does it sometimes feel like it’s squeezing in too many bits just for the sake of referencing another recent horror film? Yes. To the Wayans’ credit, they have enough self-awareness to know when too much is too much. In the end, they make a pretty endearing case for why this spoof franchise deserves to live on, and that it will always have new jokes to deliver. Whether those jokes work or not is up to us to decide, though it’s hard to think of any other comedians who have this kind of sincere love for horror and are willing to put themselves in the most absurd scenarios to honor it.
Scary Movie is back, and if the Wayans want to poke fun at Obsession or Backrooms in the next one, is that really such a bad thing?
★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
‘Scary Movie’ hits theaters on June 5!
Release Date: June 5, 2026.
Directed by Michael Tiddes.
Screenplay by Marlon Wayans, Shawn Wayans, Keenen Ivory Wayans, Craig Wayans, & Rick Alvarez.
Based on characters created by Shawn Wayans, Marlon Wayans, Buddy Johnson, Phil Beauman, Jason Friedberg, & Aaron Seltzer.
Produced by Marlon Wayans, Shawn Wayans, Craig Wayans, Neal H. Moritz, & Rick Alvarez.
Executive Producers: Jonathan Glickman, Alexandra Loewy, Marsha L. Swinton, Marc Weinstock, & Marc Weinstock.
Main Cast: Marlon Wayans, Shawn Wayans, Anna Faris, Regina Hall, Olivia Rose Keegan, Savannah Lee Nassif, Cameron Scott Roberts, Sydney Park, Ruby Snowber, Lochlyn Munro, Cheri Oteri, Dave Sheridan, Chris Eilliot, Heidi Gardner, Jon Abrahams, Damon Wayans Jr., Gregg Wayans, Kim Wayans, Benny Zielke, & Anthony Anderson.
Cinematographer: Terry Stacey.
Composer: Haim Mazar.
Editor: Jonathan Schwartz.
Production Companies: Miramax & Wayans Bros. Entertainment.
Distributor: Paramount Pictures.
Runtime: 96 minutes.
Rated R.
