Critic Reviews

Mileage seriously varies in terms of the funny here. If you don’t laugh at one bit, don’t worry, because another dozen or two will come flyin’ atcha in a minute. But every time Faris and Hall are onscreen together, Scary Movie comes the closest to hitting a groove.

Scary Movie 6 manages to come across as thoughtless and toothless at the same time.

While the film delivers a fair share of laughs, its barrage of references to recent hit movies calls to mind Pauline Kael’s dismissal of Mel Brooks’ High Anxiety: “This is a child’s idea of satire — imitations, with a funny hat and a leer.”

A familiar stew that’s as scattershot as ever, and engineered to appeal to teens who can’t get enough jokes about sex, race, and movies they’ve already seen.

It feels good to have the Wayans brothers back where they belong, even if Scary Movie isn’t quite up to the level of the first film in the franchise. While it maintains that film’s strengths, the humor doesn’t feel as fresh as it once did. For all their willingness to offend, the Wayanses don’t have anything to say with their jokes, rendering them toothless.

Ultimately, whether or not you will enjoy the new Scary Movie will depend on whether or not you liked the previous five. If you did, this one will feel like a silly reunion with an old friend. If you didn't, this one will not change your mind about the saga's over-the-top antics and gross-out shock humor.

Critics aren’t in on the joke, we are the joke. A bad review for Scary Movie is like giving it five stars.

In 2026, a “Scary Movie” making fun of “Scream” movies, which from the get-go were inside-joke takes on horror films, is like a Russian nesting doll of comedy, where the laughs get smaller with each reveal.

The joke-a-minute formula is very hit-miss.

Do you like Scary Movie!?… Well, there’s a new one and it’s got some funny stuff in it, but just not enough in terms of how many jokes land and how many are duds.