# Scary Movie (film series)

Scary Movie is a series of American parody films, mainly focusing on spoofing horror films. The films have a combined gross of almost $900 million at the worldwide box office. The two recurring actresses are Anna Faris and Regina Hall as Cindy Campbell and Brenda Meeks, respectively, appearing in all installments except the fifth film. A sixth film is in development.

## Films

| Film | U.S. release date | Director | Screenwriter(s) | Story by | Producer(s) | Status |
| Scary Movie | July 7, 2000 (2000-07-07) | Keenen Ivory Wayans | Shawn Wayans, Marlon Wayans, Buddy Johnson, Phil Beauman, & Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer | Shawn Wayans, Marlon Wayans, Buddy Johnson, Phil Beauman, & Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer | Eric L. Gold, Lee R. Mayes, Bo Zenga | Released |
| Scary Movie 2 | July 4, 2001 (2001-07-04) | Keenen Ivory Wayans | Shawn Wayans, Marlon Wayans, Alyson Fouse, Greg Grabianski, Dave Polsky, Michael Anthony Snowden, & Craig Wayans | Shawn Wayans, Marlon Wayans, Alyson Fouse, Greg Grabianski, Dave Polsky, Michael Anthony Snowden, & Craig Wayans | Eric L. Gold | Released |
| Scary Movie 3 | October 24, 2003 (2003-10-24) | David Zucker | Craig Mazin & Pat Proft | Craig Mazin & Pat Proft | Robert K. Weiss | Released |
| Scary Movie 4 | April 14, 2006 (2006-04-14) | David Zucker | Craig Mazin, Jim Abrahams, & Pat Proft | Craig Mazin | Robert K. Weiss & Craig Mazin | Released |
| Scary Movie 5 | April 12, 2013 (2013-04-12) | Malcolm D. Lee | Pat Proft & David Zucker | Pat Proft & David Zucker | David Zucker & Phil Dornfeld | Released |
| Scary Movie 6 | June 12, 2026 (2026-06-12) | TBA | Marlon Wayans, Shawn Wayans & Keenen Ivory Wayans & Rick Alvarez | Marlon Wayans, Shawn Wayans & Keenen Ivory Wayans & Rick Alvarez | Neal H. Moritz, Marlon Wayans, Shawn Wayans, Keenen Ivory Wayans & Rick Alvarez | In development |

### Scary Movie (2000)

Scary Movie is the first film of the franchise and directed by Keenen Ivory Wayans. It was the highest-grossing film of the series, with $278,019,771 worldwide. It is a spoof of several films and television series, with a primary focus on Scream (1996) and I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997).
After a group of teenagers (consisting of Cindy Campbell (Anna Faris), Bobby Prinze (Jon Abrahams), Buffy Gilmore (Shannon Elizabeth), Greg Phillipe (Lochlyn Munro), Ray Wilkins (Shawn Wayans), and Brenda Meeks (Regina Hall)) accidentally hit a man with their car, they decide to dump his body in a lake and never talk about it again. A year later someone wearing a Ghostface mask and robe kills them one by one.

### Scary Movie 2 (2001)

Scary Movie 2 is the second film of the franchise. It grossed $141,220,678 worldwide. This is the last installment to receive an R-rating and also marked the end of the Wayans siblings' involvement with the franchise, until the development of the sixth film.
The film starts with a parody of The Exorcist (1973), in which Megan Voorhees (sharing the same last name as the fictional serial killer Jason Voorhees) is possessed by Hugh Kane, and two priests, Father McFeely and Father Harris (James Woods and Andy Richter) have to force Hugh Kane out. But after Megan insults McFeely's mother he shoots her in the head. Cindy, Brenda, Ray, and Shorty return in this film. Greg, Buffy, and Bobby are replaced by Buddy (Christopher Masterson), Theo (Kathleen Robertson), and Alex (Tori Spelling). The film then merges into a parody of House on Haunted Hill (1999) with the story beginning when a perverted college professor, Professor Oldman (Tim Curry) and his wheel-chair bound assistant, Dwight (David Cross), plan to study ghosts inside a haunted mansion with the clueless teens as bait. At the house, strange things happen: Ray gets attacked by a clown (whom he also rapes), Shorty gets attacked by a living marijuana plant, Cindy gets in a fight with a possessed cat, and Dwight gets into an argument with a foul-mouthed bird. When they find out about the professor's plan they try to escape the house, finding out that there is a ghost who still lives in the house. They must defeat the ghost in order to escape.

### Scary Movie 3 (2003)

Scary Movie 3 is the third film of the franchise. With $220,673,217 earned worldwide, it is the second most successful film in the franchise. The plot of the film is a spoof of Signs and The Ring (both 2002), as well as several other films and celebrities. Michael Jackson planned to sue the filmmakers for parodying him in such a way that made him seem like a child molester and having a fake nose. This was the first Scary Movie film to receive a PG-13 rating in the United States, as well as the first film to have no involvement from the Wayans family.
The film revolves around strange crop circles found near an old farm and the circulation of an unusual videotape. Upon watching this tape, the phone rings and a creepy voice says: "You're going to die in seven days". Cindy falls in love with a rapper named George (Simon Rex), a parody of Jimmy "B-Rabbit" Smith Jr. of 8 Mile (2002), when she hears that she is to die in seven days. Meanwhile, George and his older brother Tom (Charlie Sheen)—the farmers who discovered the crop circles in their corn field—learn that extraterrestrials are coming to Earth to destroy the killer responsible for the deaths of those who have watched the tape.

### Scary Movie 4 (2006)

Scary Movie 4 is the fourth film of the franchise. With $178,710,620 at the worldwide box office, Scary Movie 4 ranks as the third highest grossing entry. The main target of spoof was The Village, The Grudge, Saw (all three 2004), and War of the Worlds (2005). The film concludes the story-arc that began with the first film and is also the final film in the series to feature any of the original cast members.

### Scary Movie 5 (2013)

Scary Movie 5 is the fifth film of the franchise. It is the only film in the series to not feature Anna Faris and Regina Hall. The film was panned by critics and fans alike, and grossed $78,613,981 worldwide in the box office, thus being the least successful film in the franchise.
Jody (Ashley Tisdale) and Dan Sanders (Simon Rex) move into a new home after adopting three mysterious children. There are video cameras to record the events, and Jody and Dan soon discover that a powerful creature known as "Mama" is haunting them, trying to claim their newly adopted children. The film Mama (2013) is primarily parodied, with scenes parodying the Paranormal Activity films (2007–2021) and Black Swan (2010).

### Scary Movie 6 (2026)

In April 2024, it was announced that a new film was in development, with producer Neal H. Moritz attached to the project. Production will be financed entirely by Miramax, while Paramount Pictures will distribute the movie. Principal photography is expected to commence in late 2024 and is projected for a 2026 release date. It will be the first film in the series not to be produced by Dimension Films (due to the company being inactive since 2019) and the second film in the series to be produced by Miramax. In October 2024, it was confirmed that the Wayans brothers would reunite for the first time in 18 years to develop the new film. The film is scheduled to release on June 12, 2026.

## Recurring cast and characters

This section includes characters who will appear or have appeared in two or more films in the series.
* An empty grey cell indicates the character was not in the film, or that the character's official presence has not yet been confirmed.
* $^U$ indicates an uncredited appearance.
| Actor | Films | Films | Films | Films | Films | Films |
| Actor | Scary Movie | Scary Movie 2 | Scary Movie 3 | Scary Movie 4 | Scary Movie 5 | Scary Movie 6 |
| Actor | 2000 | 2001 | 2003 | 2006 | 2013 | 2026 |
| Anna Faris | Cynthia "Cindy" Campbell | Cynthia "Cindy" Campbell | Cynthia "Cindy" Campbell | Cynthia "Cindy" Campbell | | TBA |
| Regina Hall | Brenda Meeks | Brenda Meeks | Brenda Meeks | Brenda Meeks | | TBA |
| Marlon Wayans | Shorty Meeks | Shorty Meeks | | | | | TBA |
| Shawn Wayans | Ray Wilkins | Ray Wilkins | | | | | TBA |
| Carmen Electra | Drew Decker | | | Holly | | |
| Chris Elliott | | Hanson | | Ezekiel | | |
| Charlie Sheen | | | Tom Logan | Tom Logan | Himself | |
| Simon Rex | | | George Logan | George Logan | Dan Sanders | |
| Anthony Anderson | | | Mahalik | Mahalik | | |
| Kevin Hart | | | CJ Iz | CJ Iz | | |
| Leslie Nielsen | | | President Baxter Harris | President Baxter Harris | | |
| Edward Moss | | | Michael Jackson | Michael Jackson | | |
| Molly Shannon | | | | Marilyn | Heather Darcy | |

## Additional crew and production details

| Film | Crew/Detail | Crew/Detail | Crew/Detail | Crew/Detail | Crew/Detail | Crew/Detail |
| Film | Cinematographer | Editor(s) | Composer | Production companies | Distributing companies | Running time |
| Scary Movie | Francis Kenny | Mark Helfrich | David Kitay | Wayans Bros. Entertainment, Gold/Miller Productions, Brad Grey Pictures | Miramax Films | 88 minutes |
| Scary Movie 2 | Steven Berstein | Tom Nordberg, Richard Pearson & Peter Teschner | | Wayans Bros. Entertainment, Gold/Miller Productions, Brad Grey Pictures | Dimension Films | 83 minutes |
| Scary Movie 3 | Mark Irwin | Jon Poll | James L. Venable | Brad Grey Pictures | Dimension Films | 84 minutes |
| Scary Movie 4 | Thomas E. Ackerman | Craig Herring & Tom Lewis | James L. Venable | Dimension Films, Miramax Films, Brad Grey Pictures | The Weinstein Company | 83 minutes |
| Scary Movie 5 | Steven Douglas Smith | Sam Seig | James L. Venable | Brad Grey Pictures, DZE | Dimension Films | 86 minutes |
| Scary Movie 6 | TBA | TBA | TBA | Miramax | Paramount Pictures | TBA |

## Production
### Parodies

Scary Movie's main parodies are of Scream (1996) and I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997). The rest of its elements are of Halloween (1978), Friday the 13th, The Shining (both 1980), The Usual Suspects (1995), Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997–2003), The Matrix, The Blair Witch Project, and The Sixth Sense (all three 1999).
Scary Movie 2's primary target is The Haunting (1999). The rest of the film contains traces parodies of House on Haunted Hill (1959) and its 1999 remake, The Legend of Hell House, The Exorcist (both 1973), The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975), The Amityville Horror (1979), The Changeling (1980), Poltergeist (1982), Bloodbath at the House of Death (1984), Titanic (1997), I Still Know What You Did Last Summer (1998), Stigmata (1999), What Lies Beneath, Hollow Man, Charlie's Angels, Dude, Where's My Car? (all four 2000), and Hannibal (2001).
Scary Movie 3's general parodies are of Signs and The Ring (both 2002). It also features elements of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974), Airplane! (1980), The Others (2001), Minority Report, 8 Mile (both 2002), and The Matrix Reloaded (2003).
Scary Movie 4's parodies are of The Village, The Grudge (both 2004), the Saw franchise (2004–present), and War of the Worlds (2005). It also parodies Million Dollar Baby (2004) and Brokeback Mountain (2005).
Scary Movie 5's central areas of satire are the Paranormal Activity films (2007–2021), Black Swan (2010), Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011), and Mama (2013). Other notable parodies are those of the Madea films (2005–present), Inception (2010), Fifty Shades of Grey, The Cabin in the Woods (both 2011), Sinister (2012), and Evil Dead (2013).

## Reception
### Box office performance

| Film | Release date | Box office revenue | Box office revenue | Box office revenue | Budget |
| Film | Release date | North America | Other territories | Worldwide | Budget |
| Scary Movie | July 7, 2000 | $157,019,771 | $121,000,000 | $278,019,771 | $19 million |
| Scary Movie 2 | July 4, 2001 | $71,308,997 | $69,911,681 | $141,220,678 | $45 million |
| Scary Movie 3 | October 24, 2003 | $110,003,217 | $110,670,000 | $220,673,217 | $48 million |
| Scary Movie 4 | April 14, 2006 | $90,710,620 | $88,000,000 | $178,710,620 | $40 million |
| Scary Movie 5 | April 12, 2013 | $32,015,787 | $46,598,194 | $78,613,981 | $20 million |
| Total | Total | $461,058,392 | $436,179,875 | $897,238,267 | $172 million |

### Critical and public response

| Film | Rotten Tomatoes | Metacritic | CinemaScore |
| Scary Movie | 51% (117 reviews) | 48 (32 critic reviews) | B− |
| Scary Movie 2 | 13% (110 reviews) | 29 (25 critic reviews) | B |
| Scary Movie 3 | 35% (127 reviews) | 49 (27 critic reviews) | B |
| Scary Movie 4 | 34% (125 reviews) | 40 (23 critic reviews) | C+ |
| Scary Movie 5 | 4% (50 reviews) | 11 (16 critic reviews) | C− |

## Music
### Soundtracks

* Scary Movie: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (2000)
* Scary Movie 2: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (2001)
* Scary Movie 3: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (2003)
* Scary Movie 4: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (2006)
* Scary Movie 5: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (2013)