This horror-films-parody series seemingly refuses to die, resurfacing with its sixth installment 13 years after its predecessor. With the Wayans Brothers back in creative control, original stars Anna Faris and Regina King on board, and plenty of new horror franchises begging to be spoofed, the pieces were seemingly in place for a triumphant return. Unfortunately, the most crucial piece of satire is the writing, a glaring weakness for this humorless train wreck.
Buy Scary MovieThe primary inspiration for the series continues to be the Scream movies, which of course have had their own rebirth in the intervening years since Scary Movie 5. Ghostface is a regular presence throughout the film, even though continuing to hang this film’s premise on Scream is ironic considering that Scream films are themselves built to parody horror-film tropes. A handful of recent horror films are targets, although not as many or as extensive as you might expect, with fairly limited pokes at top contenders including Sinners, Weapons, M3GAN, Smile, and The Substance. I got exactly one laugh out of the film, and it was during The Substance parody when the star’s newly hatched body was revealed to be a surprise guest from another Wayans vehicle.
Weirdly, Longlegs gets more time than most of the biggies, while non-horror titles also get send-ups, including K-Pop Demon Hunters, Wicked, Everything Everywhere All at Once, The Help, and even 12 Years a Slave. Who even remembers those last two enough to get the references, especially in their target young audience? The biggest writing innovation seems to be including a goth girl in the new cast named Tuesday. Hilarious. None of the new-generation actors impress, leaving the four tired original cast members to attempt in vain to wrangle some chuckles out of the shoddy writing.
This being the worst timeline, even the writing somehow didn’t sink the film in theaters. In spite of middling critical and audience feedback, the film somehow clawed out $230M in worldwide grosses, seemingly ensuring that we still haven’t put it in the grave. Maybe next time the Wayans Brothers can put a little effort into their script before the cameras roll, because it sure didn’t happen this time.
Even on 4K, the movie looks cheap, with no-frills cinematography, sets, and costumes. Sound is slightly better, presented in Dolby Atmos to get the full spatial surround of Ghostface’s constant zany comings and goings. The 4K package does not include a Blu-ray disc, but does include a digital copy, which of course still isn’t Movies Anywhere compatible as a Paramount release. Bonus features are brief looks at the returning stars, the new cast members, the Wayans family dynamic, and dissection of a scene.
