I enjoyed every minute of this lowbrow, sloppy seconds send-up.

Rating: 10/10 (22 March 2008)

If you thought "Scary Movie" scraped the bottom of the proverbial barrel for its bowel humor, "Scary Movie 2" plumbs even deeper depths of depravity with its politically daring social commentary and its scatological satire. Basically, audiences that roared at "Scary Movie" should relish this hilarious as hell sequel with its inventive ghostly special effects and audacious, envelop pushing ribald humor. The pea-green soup projectile vomiting parody of "The Exorcist" alone should prompt the Vatican to condemn the Wayans Brothers' latest installment as blasphemous while its ridiculing of Firestone Tires during a game of chicken in wheelchairs must have seemed too opportune to pass up. "Scary Movie" director Keenen Ivory Wayans, writers Shawn & Marlon Wayans, and a quintet of other scribes skewer the conventions and clichés of supernatural haunted house chillers instead of "Scream" slasher sagas. For the record, "Scary Movie 2" roasts "Hollow Man," "Titanic," "What Lies Beneath," "Hannibal," "Cast Away," "The Haunting," "Charlie's Angels," and many other demonic possession epics.
"Scary Movie 2" spoofs "The Exorcist" in a hysterical eight-minute prologue. Father McFeely (James Woods of "Once Upon A Time in America") shows up to exorcise the demons from Megan Voorhees (Latasha Lyonne of "American Pie"), but finds himself caught in the middle of a three way barf-a-rama that leaves everybody drenched before they pull guns on Megan. Anyway, during the exorcism, Megan turns to McFeely's sidekick Father Harris (ex-Conan O'Brien host Andy Richter) and quizzes the young priest about the whereabouts of his momma. The infuriated cleric demands that his mom come out of the head whirling witch. No sooner has he uttered his ultimatum that dear old mom peels back the bed covers near Megan, gives her son a dirty look, snaps "You're no fun," and exits the room.
Abruptly, the action shifts to Jefferson University. An inscription on a monument of Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemmings surrounded by a brood of nappy haired children reads: "Once you go black, you never go back!" Cindy (Anna Faris of "Scary Movie"), gay football champ Ray (Shawn Wayans), dope-smoking Shorty (Marlon Wayans), and Ray's loquacious girlfriend Brenda (Regina Hall of "Enemy of the State") are all attending college now a year after the first "Scary Movie" ended. Their sexually randy psychology professor, Dr. Oldman (Tim Curry of "The Rocky Horror Picture Show"), and his defiant wheelchair bound graduate student Dwight (David Cross of "Small Soldiers") have arranged for them and some other volunteers to spend the weekend at a spooky mansion. They are participating in a sleep disorders study which really amounts to nothing more than an attempt to document paranormal activity.
Director Keenen Ivory Wayans pulls out all stops in this no-holds-barred, R-rated farce. Chris Elliot steals the show as a creepy caretaker with a deformed hand. Ultimately, "Scary Movie 2" surpasses "Scary Movie" with its ripe supply of shameless, slapstick shenanigans. Call me sick, but I enjoyed every minute of this lowbrow, sloppy seconds send-up.