Long-time horror fans are counting down the days till Scary Movie 6 releases. Through this excitement, fans are also critical of the marketing efforts that overplay the offensive content.
Nothing is more annoying than someone continuously poking you in the side and going, “Is this annoying? Does it bother you? Look at how mad you’re getting!” Especially when you don’t care. That is the angle that this film has taken in its marketing. While the Scary Movie franchise has always played into offensive comedy, this approach has more fans scratching their heads over being “triggered.”
This article will cover some of these marketing tactics, their critiques, and decide if Scary Movie 6 will be as successful as anticipated or if it will be a huge flop.
Origins
The first Scary Movie was released July 7, 2000. Shawn and Marlon Wayans wrote the film while their brother, Keenen Ivory Wayans directed. In a 2017 interview with Entertainment Weekly, Shawn describes how he thought of the movie during the slasher surge of the 90s.
“We just found these [slasher] movies to be kind of ridiculous, and I thought it would be funny to do a parody. But it was one of the hardest movies to write. It looks like a silly, slapstick film, but it was not an easy movie to execute.”
Shawn Wayans.
With a concept and a few interesting minds put together, the Scream spoof was a huge success. What followed was a franchise full of great films and absolutely horrible ones. This franchise would reach audiences in different generations, including those of us now.
Scary Movie (2000)
The original Scary Movie was a massive success. Its opening weekend made $42.3 million. Fans had several different opinions on the first film; some found it to be a fun parody of the most iconic horror films of the decade where others thought the comedy fell flat. Either way, it garnered enough attention to inspire a sequel.
Cindy Campbell, played by Anna Faris, is the ditsy lead and final girl of the franchise. Her name is a play on Sydney from Scream. Cindy finds herself in an uncomfortable situation with her boyfriend, Bobby, and best friends, Shorty, Brenda, Ray, and Greg after they have accidentally killed a man while driving under the influence. The group is stalked by a killer wearing a ghost mask.
A complicated franchise
Cindy is the star of the first four films. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Faris reveals that the studio never asked her to return. Even if they did, she was firm that she would not return without Regina Hall and other original cast members.
Dimension Films, led by Bob Weinstein, wanted to reboot the Scary Movie franchise. Their ideas were so far off from what the Wayans originally wanted that the brothers stopped writing the films. On IMDb, Shawn is credited as a writer for the fifth film, but Marlon wanted no part in it. That’s why the last film feels so out of place in the franchise.
Scary Movie 6
After a 13 year hiatus, The Wayans return to write and produce the long-awaited 6th film. The film will hit theaters June 5th! It is a spiritual sequel to the first and second Scary Movie films, disregarding the third, fourth, and fifth.
What films are being parodied?
Based on the trailer, we can expect to see these movies parodied: Longlegs, Halloween, Terrifier 3, Scream (Of course), Get Out, M3GAN, The Substance, Weapons, Sinners, and Smile. There are other smaller references and cameos, but I will leave you to spot the most recognizable.
Cast List
Scary Movie 6 promises to reunite the original cast members and other Scary Movie alumni. Anna Faris and Regina Hall are returning as the franchise’s scream queens, Cindy Campbell and Brenda Meeks. Also returning are Marlon (Shorty Meeks) and Shawn (Ray Wilkins) Wayans. Jon Abrahams will reprise his role as Bobby Prinze, Dave Sheridan as Doofy Gilmore, Lochlyn Monroe as Greg Phillippe, and finally, Cheri Oteri as Gail Hailstorm.
Chris Elliot will also return as Hanson who fans may remember as the creepy caretaker of the haunted mansion from the second film.
In an Entertainment Tonight interview, Faris sits with the Wayans as they discuss if they’ve ever given a heads up to actors Michael B. Jordan or Nic Cage that they would be making fun of their characters.
Ghostface returns
It is no secret that the real star of the Scary Movie franchise is Ghostface. This will be no different in the 6th film, as he is featured in many scenes throughout the trailer. In celebration of his comeback with the spoof franchise, the Wayans have launched the “Subservient Ghostface” website. This site allows the viewer to type in a prompt and Ghostface will act out their response. He responds to most prompts by completing the action. For example, if you type in “dance,” Ghostface will dance. The link also includes a link to purchase tickets and a wheel that will choose a prompt for you if you run out of ideas.
Check out “Subservient Ghostface”!
By no surprise, the film will be rated R for extreme language, violence, and drug use.
Letterboxd joins the fun
Letterboxd, an app that allows users to track and write reviews of their favorite films, has been trending alongside the film after an account for Brenda Meeks (Regina Hall) was created. Brenda’s account has Scary Movie, Scary Movie 2, and Scary Movie 6 as her favorited films.
As a letterboxd user myself, her reviews are hilarious. Some of them may even hint towards what we can expect to see in the film.
Wayans plan to cancel “cancel culture”
In a recent Entertainment Weekly interview with Anna Faris and Regina Hall, they discuss the offensive nature of the previous films and how the new installment plans to push even more boundaries. “It’s always been a part of the Wayans Brothers, their electricity. ‘Can we offend you? Will you still love us? Come on, you still love us, don’t you?’” Faris tells Entertainment Weekly.
At the same time, Hall comments that the newer film is “boundary pushing” and will “offend everyone.” Similar comments have been made throughout the film’s marketing process, much to the disappointment of its younger fans.
It reminds me of millennial Eminem fans who spend their time ranting about how easily offended Gen-Z is. Like, you’re 40 and on TikTok complaining… relax.
Scary Movie has always pride itself on making fun of everyone, so the presence of this humor is not a shock. What is more annoying is how the marketing is obsessively reminding its viewers that they “can’t handle” the movie that is being sold to them. It’s a cheap strategy that certainly has people talking, so it’s doing something right, but it is a huge turn off.
Opinion
Scary Movie is rightfully iconic as it perfectly captures the 2000s vibe. It does seem to fall into the “nostalgia trap,” which is when something relies more on being recognizable over giving us anything new. That being said, fans are not lying when they share their excitement for this movie as the box office numbers are huge. It comes with its fair share of controversy, as every other film in the franchise has, but it is expected with these movies.
However, the overly aggressive approach on being “offensive” is something that easily turns fans away. Gen-Z audiences aren’t as measly as they are portrayed to be. Most of us are just tired of comedy that relies solely on stereotypes without any depth. Most of us genuinely don’t care; give us a good movie and a fun time, and you’ve got your audience.
