Despite their films being panned by critics, the Wayans family ended up making more money at the North American box office than any single installment in the Scream series. The movie sparked a franchise that includes 6 films in total, with the most recent released earlier this month. Each film varies wildly in style, mocking not just horror movies but celebrities, politics, and race relations. The newest installment marks the return of the Wayans family to the franchise and opened with record-breaking numbers, proving that spoofs can still be popular even after references fade from people’s memories. With that being said, some Scary Movie entries hold up better than others. Here is our official ranking of every film in the franchise!
Scary Movie 5 (2013)
Directed by Malcolm E. Lee and co-written by former director David Zucker, the 5th installment of the franchise suffers mostly due to its lack of core cast members. Anna Faris and Regina Hall have always been the heart of Scary Movie, and without them, this film feels aimless. Riffing off of Paranormal Activity, Black Swan, and more buzzworthy films from that time period, the film follows a couple who move into a haunted house. While it has some memorable moments, the majority of the jokes feel like desperate attempts to maintain an audience rather than genuine comedy. (Stream on Paramount+ and Pluto TV)
Scary Movie 4 (2006)
This is the second Scary Movie film by veteran director David Zucker, most known for the first two Naked Gun movies as well as Airplane!. While Zucker is a comedy legend and the jokes certainly land better than in the following film, Scary Movie 4 differs from the others in that it makes more fun of celebrity gossip than horror movies. Very few of the movies that are referenced are actually scary. The central plot is a spoof of War of the Worlds, a sci-fi movie about an alien invasion. The film also parodies Brokeback Mountain and Million Dollar Baby, neither of which are scary in the slightest. The film’s opening, featuring Shaq and Dr. Phil, and the riff of M. Knight Shyamalan’s The Village, easily provoke the best laughs of the movie. (Stream on Paramount+ and Pluto TV)
Scary Movie 2 (2001)
Scary Movie 2 came out just a year after the original film, and it’s obvious in how rushed it feels. While the Wayanses inject the film with the same absurd humor as the first, the pivot away from slashers is noticeable. The majority of the film is a spoof of The Haunting, which just doesn’t have the same legendary status as Scream, the original movie’s parody. Chris Elliott, David Cross, and Tim Curry are magnificent additions to the cast (especially Elliott). This movie has its moments, but it simply doesn’t live up to its immediate predecessor. (Stream on Paramount+ and Pluto TV)
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