Wikipedia

Scary Movie (film series)

Scary Movie is an American parody film series that primarily spoofs horror films and other popular culture. The films have collectively grossed $1 billion at the worldwide box office.

Scary Movie
Official film series logo
Created by
Owners
Years2000–present
Films and television
Film(s)

Films

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Film U.S. release date Director(s) Screenwriter(s) Story by Producer(s)
Scary Movie July 7, 2000 Keenen Ivory Wayans Shawn Wayans, Marlon Wayans, Buddy Johnson, Phil Beauman & Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer Eric L. Gold, Lee R. Mayes, Bo Zenga
Scary Movie 2 July 4, 2001 Shawn Wayans, Marlon Wayans, Alyson Fouse, Greg Grabianski, Dave Polsky, Michael Anthony Snowden & Craig Wayans Eric L. Gold
Scary Movie 3 October 24, 2003 David Zucker Craig Mazin & Pat Proft Robert K. Weiss
Scary Movie 4 April 14, 2006 Craig Mazin & Jim Abrahams & Pat Proft Craig Mazin Robert K. Weiss and Craig Mazin
Scary Movie 5 April 12, 2013 Malcolm D. Lee David Zucker & Pat Proft David Zucker and Phil Dornfeld
Scary Movie June 5, 2026 Michael Tiddes Marlon Wayans & Shawn Wayans & Keenen Ivory Wayans & Rick Alvarez Marlon Wayans, Shawn Wayans, Keenen Ivory Wayans, Craig Wayans, Rick Alvarez

Scary Movie (2000)

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Scary Movie is the first film of the franchise and directed by Keenen Ivory Wayans.[1] It is the highest-grossing film of the franchise, with $278,019,771 worldwide.[2]

The film's plot mainly spoofs the slasher film genre, most notably the Scream and I Know What You Did Last Summer franchises,[3] and it follows a group of clueless teenagers, led by the lovable, but dim-witted Cindy Campbell, who are stalked by a bumbling Ghostface-esque serial killer one year after disposing of the body of a man they accidentally hit with their car.

Scary Movie 2 (2001)

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Scary Movie 2 is the second film of the franchise and was also directed by Wayans. It grossed $141,220,678 worldwide and is the second lowest-grossing film of the franchise.[4] This is the last film to receive an R-rating and also marked the end of the Wayans siblings' involvement with the franchise, until the development of the sixth film.[5]

The film is a parody of supernatural films, most notably The Haunting (1999),[3] with the plot following a perverted college professor who tricks a group of unsuspecting students, including Cindy and her friends, into visiting a haunted mansion for a fake sleep-disorder study, using them as bait to capture a ghostly menace.

Scary Movie 3 (2003)

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Scary Movie 3 is the third film of the franchise and was directed by David Zucker. With $220,673,217 earned worldwide, it is the second highest-grossing film in the franchise.[6] This was the first Scary Movie film to receive a PG-13 rating, as well as the first film to have no involvement from the Wayans family.[5]

Michael Jackson planned to sue the filmmakers for Edward Moss parodying him in such a way that made him seem like a child molester and having a fake nose.[7]

The plot of the film is a spoof of the films Signs and The Ring (both 2002). It follows Cindy, now a TV reporter, as she investigates a cursed videotape that kills viewers in seven days while uncovering a link to mysterious crop circles and an impending alien invasion. To save the world, she must team up with the clueless U.S. President and two local farmer brothers to stop the supernatural and extraterrestrial threats before her time runs out.

Scary Movie 4 (2006)

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Scary Movie 4 is the fourth film of the franchise and was also directed by Zucker. With $178,710,620 at the worldwide box office, it ranks as the franchise's third highest-grossing film.[8]

The film's main targets of spoofs were The Grudge (2004), War of the Worlds (2005), The Village (2004) and the Saw franchise.[3] The film follows Cindy as she discovers her new house, where she works as a caretaker, is haunted by a ghostly boy, forcing her to team up with her clueless neighbor to save the world from an invasion of alien "Tr-iPods".

Scary Movie 5 (2013)

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Scary Movie 5 is the fifth film of the franchise and was directed by Malcolm D. Lee. It is the only film in the franchise to not star Anna Faris and Regina Hall.[9] It grossed $78,613,981 worldwide and became the lowest-grossing film of the franchise.[10]

The Paranormal Activity films, Mama (2013), Black Swan (2010) and Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011) are primarily parodied, and follows a young couple who, after adopting three feral children, must use home surveillance cameras and supernatural experts to battle a malevolent demon haunting their home.

Scary Movie (2026)

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In April 2024, it was announced that a new film was in development, with producer Neal H. Moritz attached to the project. Production will be financed entirely by Miramax, while Paramount Pictures will distribute the movie. In October 2024, it was confirmed that the Wayans brothers would reunite for the first time in 18 years to develop the new film.[11][12][13] It will be the first film in the series not to be produced by Dimension Films, due to the company being shut down on July 16, 2018 following The Weinstein Company's liquidation,[14][15] and the second film in the series to be produced by Miramax.[16] In August 2025, Regina Hall and Anna Faris were confirmed to reprise their roles as Brenda Meeks and Cindy Campbell, respectively.[17] The film began filming in October 2025 and was released on June 5, 2026,[18][19][20] after previously being slated to release on June 12.[21]

Recurring cast and characters

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List indicators

This section includes characters who will appear or have appeared in two or more films in the series.

  • An empty grey cell indicates the character was not in the film, or that the character's official presence has not yet been confirmed.
  •  C indicates a cameo role.
  •  P indicates an appearance in onscreen photographs.
  •  U indicates an uncredited appearance.
  •  V indicates a voice-only role.
Cast members Films
Scary Movie Scary Movie 2 Scary Movie 3 Scary Movie 4 Scary Movie 5 Scary Movie
2000 2001 2003 2006 2013 2026
Anna Faris Cindy Campbell Cindy Campbell
Regina Hall Brenda Meeks Brenda Meeks
Marlon Wayans Shorty Meeks Shorty Meeks / Tiffany Wilson / Joe Jackson / Count Brolockula
Shawn Wayans Ray Wilkins Ray Wilkins
Carmen Electra Drew Decker Holly BartenderC
Jon Abrahams Bobby Prinze Bobby PrinzeC
Lochlyn Munro Greg Phillippe Greg Phillippe
Dave Sheridan Doofy Gilmore / The Killer Doofy Gilmore / GhostfaceV
Cheri Oteri Gail Hailstorm Gail Hailstorm
Chris Elliott Hanson Ezekiel Shorthands
Charlie Sheen Tom Logan Tom LoganCU Charlie Sanders
Simon Rex George Logan George LoganC Dan Sanders
Anthony Anderson Mahalik Phifer Himself
Kevin Hart CJ Iz
Leslie Nielsen President Baxter Harris
Drew Mikuska Cody Campbell Cody CampbellP
Darrell Hammond Father Muldoon Dr. Hall
Edward Moss Michael Jackson
Molly Shannon Marilyn Heather Darcy
Shaquille O'Neal Himself Himself

Additional crew and production details

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Film Crew/Detail
Cinematographer Editor(s) Composer Production companies Distributing companies Running time
Scary Movie (2000) Francis Kenny Mark Helfrich David Kitay Wayans Bros. Entertainment,
Gold/Miller Productions,
Brad Grey Pictures		 Miramax Films 88 minutes
Scary Movie 2 (2001) Steven Berstein Tom Nordberg, Richard Pearson & Peter Teschner Dimension Films 82 minutes
Scary Movie 3 (2003) Mark Irwin Jon Poll James L. Venable Brad Grey Pictures 86 minutes
Scary Movie 4 (2006) Thomas E. Ackerman Craig Herring & Tom Lewis Dimension Films,
Miramax Films,
Brad Grey Pictures		 The Weinstein Company 84 minutes
Scary Movie 5 (2013) Steven Douglas Smith Sam Seig Brad Grey Pictures,
DZE		 Dimension Films 86 minutes
Scary Movie (2026) Terry Stacey Jonathan Schwartz Haim Mazar Miramax,
Wayans Bros. Entertainment		 Paramount Pictures 96 minutes

Production

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Parodies

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Scary Movie's (2000) main parodies are of Scream (1996) and I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997). The rest of its elements are from The Exorcist (1973), The Shining (1980), Kazaam (1996), Election (1999), Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997–2003), The Matrix (1999), The Blair Witch Project (1999), and The Sixth Sense (1999).[3]

Scary Movie 2's primary target is The Haunting (1999). The rest of the film contains traces parodies of House on Haunted Hill (1959) and its 1999 remake, The Legend of Hell House (1973), The Exorcist (1973), The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975), The Amityville Horror (1979), The Changeling (1980), Poltergeist (1982), Bloodbath at the House of Death (1984), Titanic (1997), I Still Know What You Did Last Summer (1998), Stigmata (1999), What Lies Beneath (2000), Hollow Man (2000), Charlie's Angels (2000), Dude, Where's My Car? (2000), and Hannibal (2001).[3]

Scary Movie 3's general parodies are of Signs (2002) and The Ring (2002). It also features elements of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974), Airplane! (1980), The Others (2001), Minority Report (2002), 8 Mile (2002), and The Matrix Reloaded (2003).[3]

Scary Movie 4's parodies are of The Village (2004), The Grudge (2004), the Saw franchise (2004–present), and War of the Worlds (2005). It also parodies Million Dollar Baby (2004) and Brokeback Mountain (2005).[3]

Scary Movie 5's central areas of satire are the Paranormal Activity films (2007–present), Black Swan (2010), Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011), and Mama (2013). Other notable parodies are those of the Madea films (2005–present), Inception (2010), Fifty Shades of Grey (2011), The Cabin in the Woods (2011), Sinister, Ted (both 2012), and Evil Dead (2013).[3]

Scary Movie's (2026) primary parody is once again Scream, while parodies of Get Out (2017), Nope (2022), M3GAN (2022), Longlegs (2024), Heretic (2024), Sinners (2025), and Weapons (2025) are featured throughout.[22]

Reception

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Box office

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Film Release date Grosses Budget
Domestic International Worldwide
Scary Movie (2000)[2] July 7, 2000 $157,019,771 $121,000,000 $278,019,771 $19 million
Scary Movie 2[4] July 4, 2001 $71,308,997 $69,911,681 $141,220,678 $45 million
Scary Movie 3[6] October 24, 2003 $110,003,217 $110,670,000 $220,673,217 $48 million
Scary Movie 4[8] April 14, 2006 $90,710,620 $88,000,000 $178,710,620 $40 million
Scary Movie 5[10] April 12, 2013 $32,015,787 $46,598,194 $78,613,981 $20 million
Scary Movie (2026)[23] June 5, 2026 $97,563,273 $104,400,000 $201,963,273 $30 million
Total $558,621,665 $540,579,875 $1,099,201,540 $202 million

Critical response

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Film Rotten Tomatoes Metacritic CinemaScore[24]
Scary Movie (2000) 52% (122 reviews)[25] 48 (32 critic reviews)[26] B−
Scary Movie 2 13% (110 reviews)[27] 29 (25 critic reviews)[28] B
Scary Movie 3 35% (127 reviews)[29] 49 (27 critic reviews)[30] B
Scary Movie 4 34% (127 reviews)[31] 40 (23 critic reviews)[32] C+
Scary Movie 5 4% (51 reviews)[33] 11 (16 critic reviews)[34] C−
Scary Movie (2026) 24% (119 reviews)[35] 38 (27 critic reviews)[36] C+

References

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  1. ↑ Nair, Soumya (December 28, 2023). "Watch Every Scary Movie in Order: The Perfect Sequence Guide". movikv.com. Movikv. Retrieved April 2, 2025.
  2. 1 2 "Scary Movie". Box Office Mojo. Amazon. Retrieved February 11, 2025.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Raymond, Adam K. (April 15, 2013). "Every Movie 'Spoofed' in the Scary Movie Franchise". Vulture. Retrieved April 1, 2025.
  4. 1 2 "Scary Movie 2". Box Office Mojo. Amazon. Retrieved February 11, 2025.
  5. 1 2 "Limehouse, Jonathan (October 29, 2024). "'We're Back!!!' Wayans brothers reunite to write script for upcoming 'Scary Movie 6'". USA Today. Retrieved April 2, 2025.
  6. 1 2 "Scary Movie 3". Box Office Mojo. Amazon. Retrieved March 17, 2025.
  7. ↑ "Jacko sues Scary jokers". The Sydney Morning Herald. August 19, 2003. Retrieved March 4, 2026.
  8. 1 2 "Scary Movie 4 (2006) - Financial Information". The Numbers. Retrieved February 11, 2025.
  9. ↑ "Anderson, Ethan (May 7, 2012). "'Scary Movie 5' Plot Details Revealed and Anna Faris Won't Be Back". FirstShowing.net. Retrieved April 3, 2025.
  10. 1 2 "Scary Movie V (2013) - Financial Information". The Numbers. Retrieved February 11, 2025.
  11. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (April 11, 2024). "New Scary Movie In The Works Under Jonathan Glickman's Miramax & Neal H. Moritz – CinemaCon". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
  12. ↑ Couch, Aaron (April 11, 2024). "New Scary Movie in the Works From Paramount". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
  13. ↑ BigBoyTV (December 14, 2024). Marlon Wayans Speaks on Jay Z, Drake Lawsuit, Diddy, New Scary Movie, Health | NEW BIG Interview. Retrieved December 14, 2024 – via YouTube.
  14. ↑ Marotta, Jenna (July 16, 2018). "The Weinstein Company Is No More: Buyer Lantern Capital Partners Rebrands as Lantern Entertainment". IndieWire. Archived from the original on July 18, 2018. Retrieved July 17, 2018.
  15. ↑ Kilday, Gregg (July 16, 2018). "Weinstein Co. Saga Comes to an End as $289 Million Sale to Lantern Closes". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on July 18, 2018. Retrieved July 28, 2018.
  16. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (October 29, 2024). "The Wayans Brothers Reunite For New 'Scary Movie' With Miramax & Paramount". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 29, 2024.
  17. ↑ Briscuso, Lex (August 15, 2025). "Scary Movie 6: Marlon Wayans Confirms Anna Faris and Regina Hall Will Return". IGN. Retrieved August 16, 2025.
  18. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (August 15, 2025). "Regina Hall & Anna Faris Are Back For Screams In Wayans Brothers & Miramax-Paramount's 'Scary Movie' Franchise". Deadline. Retrieved September 15, 2025.
  19. ↑ "D'Alessandro, Anthony (January 24, 2025). "'Scary Movie' Reboot Gets Summer 2026 Theatrical Release". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 4, 2025.
  20. ↑ Miska, Brad (March 3, 2026). "'Scary Movie' Shifts Release Up to June 5, 2026". Dread Central. Retrieved March 3, 2026.
  21. ↑ Gajewski, Ryan (March 3, 2026). "'Scary Movie' Shifts Release to Early June, Will Now Open Opposite 'Masters of the Universe'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 3, 2026.
  22. ↑ Agar, Chris (September 9, 2025). "Scary Movie 6 Will Spoof These Great Horror Movies, According to Marlon Wayans". ComicBook.com. Retrieved September 10, 2025.
  23. ↑ "Scary Movie (2026) - Box Office and Financial Information". The Numbers. Retrieved June 21, 2026.
  24. ↑ "Home - Cinemascore". cinemascore.com. Retrieved March 18, 2025.
  25. ↑ "Scary Movie". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Retrieved June 6, 2026.
  26. ↑ "Scary Movie Reviews". Metacritic. CBS. Retrieved February 11, 2025.
  27. ↑ "Scary Movie 2". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Retrieved June 6, 2026.
  28. ↑ "Scary Movie 2 Reviews". Metacritic. CBS. Retrieved February 11, 2025.
  29. ↑ "Scary Movie 3". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Retrieved June 6, 2026.
  30. ↑ "Scary Movie 3 Reviews". Metacritic. CBS. Retrieved February 11, 2025.
  31. ↑ "Scary Movie 4". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Retrieved June 6, 2026.
  32. ↑ "Scary Movie 4 Reviews". Metacritic. CBS. Retrieved February 11, 2025.
  33. ↑ "Scary Movie V". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Retrieved June 6, 2026.
  34. ↑ "Scary Movie 5 Reviews". Metacritic. CBS. Retrieved February 11, 2025.
  35. ↑ "Scary Movie (2026)". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Retrieved June 14, 2026.
  36. ↑ "Scary Movie (2026) Reviews". Metacritic. CBS. Retrieved June 7, 2026.
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