Film Review: Scary Movie (2000)
Nothing illustrates creative bankruptcy of early 21st Century Hollywood like a large number of cheap, poorly made and forgettable parody films. This trend, which appalled serious film critics and cinephiles, could not have been maintained if at least some of those film haven’t achieved success at the box office. Few did so like Scary Movie, 2000 film directed by Keenen Ivory Wayans, a parody of slasher film series which would ultimately spawn a film series of its own.
Protagonist is Cindy Campbell (played by Anna Faris), high school student whose friend Drew Decker (played by Carmen Electra) has been murdered by masked killer. Soon afterwards she notices that she is being stalked by the killer and realises that it has something to do with the accidental killing of a man she and her friends were responsible for one year earlier. Killings continue and she begins to suspect her boyfriend Bobby Prinze (played by Jon Abrahams). He gets arrested, but when her friend Buffy Gilmore (played by Shannon Elizabeth) gets murdered she knows that the killer must be someone else. Hoping to find safety in numbers, she throws a house party, unaware that the killer might be among the people she invited.
Like with so many such parodies, ability to enjoy Scary Movie depends on whether the viewer has watched films being spoofed. That includes Scream, Wes Craven’s film which was responsible for renaissance of the slasher (and was, like Scary Movie, produced by Dimension Films). Other films are I Know What You Did Last Summer and Blair Witch Project. When apparently running out of 1990s slasher films to spoof, scriptwriting team (which includes brothers Shawn and Marlon Wayans; the latter also appearing in the role of Ray) turns to earlier horror classics, as well as some contemporary blockbuster hits like The Matrix. Problem with such approach that many of gags won’t be understood by younger audience, but even bigger is that those gags aren’t funny. Keenen Ivory Wayans, who had some good parodies in his past, like blaxploitation spoof I’m Gonna Git You Sucka, doesn’t feel at home when doing slasher film parodies, and, to make things even worse, Scream itself was parody itself. This makes humour in Scary Movie more “edgy”, or, in other words, more vulgar and less intelligent. The only things that actually makes Scary Movie watchable is enormous comedic talent of Anna Faris, Canadian actress for whom the role of Cindy Campbell was first major career break. But even her talents can’t compensate for the poor quality of film nor can they explain commercial success that led to four sequels.
RATING: 3/10 (+)
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The first Scary Movie it's really good, the next ones are not so much, and yes, you have had to watch the movies which they are making fun of, if not, you're not able to enjoy all the twists and the puns they make. I like to watch the first one to stop thinking, like a detox, just to be dumb and laugh.
This was a novel concept when they made the first one but once they started making them every year I quickly got tired of them. This one was great though.