Is 'Scary Movie 6' a Hilarious Comeback or Just Cringe? The Wayans Brothers Return - Film Review

The Wayans brothers are back, finally. Since they were dropped from their own franchise after the second Scary Movie the films took a drastic decline in quality and humour. In saying that, spoof movies are rarely masterpieces, the spoof genre is usually reasonably cheap to make and quick to distribute but regardless of this, The Wayans brothers always delivered quality jokes and memorable gags that I personally still quote to this day. Scary Movie (2026) has zero brain cells but did we expect anything more? 

Mel Brooks, easily regarded as the king of spoof comedies always lived by the philosophy of having a deep affection for the genre you are spoofing in order to make the film work. I believe the Wayans brothers love cinema, specifically horror and you can feel it in the films they reference. Scary Movie (2026) had an outrageous amount of references, political, sociological and pop culture. Scary Movie (2026) is a huge return for the brothers, this is their chance to prove their eye for comedy and it worked for me. The screening was full of laughter, roaring laughter I would describe it as and it was so much fun on the big screen. It’s going to be a financial success but critically, people will hate this but trust me when I say, Scary Movie (2026) has gone back to its core. The Wayans brothers were genuinely able to recreate their style of humour from the early 2000s and it was brilliant. 

Personally, I had a lot of fun with the film but I’m biased because I love spoofs but critically, Scary Movie (2026) is just a bunch of sketches rolled into one amalgamation of chaos.

Anna Faris, Regina Hall, Marlon Wayans, Shawn Wayans, Dave Sheridan, Jon Abrahams, Cheri Oteri, Chris Elliott and Lochlyn Munro all reprise their roles in this instalment of the franchise. It was a throwback to see them all again on the big screen and they all jumped back into their old selves with ease. Anna Faris and Regina Hall are spectacularly funny and I love to see female comics working alongside one another. They has some memorable scenes with the Wayans brothers and it was just as special to see them on screen again as Shorty and Ray. 

In regard to the new cast, I want to highlight Olivia Rose Keegan as Sara, Cindy’s daughter. When I tell you she was able to embody Anna Faris’s voice and mannerisms to an extend where I thought they were actually related, her performance was a huge standout for me and she merged into the cast perfectly. My only other comments on the performances would be, I wanted much more of Chris Elliott, we only got one scene from Hanson and that is simply not enough. Also, how is Doofy back? I have no idea but I must ignore that or it will eat me alive. 

Overall, Scary Movie (2026) is a return to form for the Wayans brothers and as someone who enjoys their style of comedy and grew up watching the first two Scary Movies an embarrassing amount of times, I am truly happy to see them on the big screen again. In saying that, despite my personal connection to the original films, Scary Movie (2026) critically lacks narrative structure. This instalment seemed to shoe-horn a lot of references in rather than naturally incorporate them into the story which sometimes felt a little jarring (specifically the K-Pop Demon Hunters scene). Also, do I think the writers incorporated a handful of mean-spirited jokes targeted at queer community just to ruffle a few feathers, yes. Did those jokes make the film funnier, no and it was simply to encourage a few gasps. 

Now, I can see this films flaws and there are a few but I did have fun in the cinema. I like this style of comedy, whether every joke landed or not is a personal experience and connection to the material but for me, it was mostly a really fun, stupid, slapstick, chaotic, ridiculous, throwback to the early 2000’s spoof genre.

Probe Points

★★★☆☆

Film References I Noticed:

Weapons 

It follows 

Halloween (2018) 

Scream 

Scream 6 core storyline 

The substance 

Sinners

White chicks 

John wick 

Get out 

Wednesday 

Terrifier 

Long legs 

Megan 

Smile 

Ma 

Final destination 

K pop demon hunters 

Wicked 

Michael