The first trailer for the latest installment in the “Scary Movie” franchise premiered this weekend, strategically released ahead of screenings for “Scream 7.” The trailer signals a return to the franchise’s roots in parody, targeting recent horror hits and broader cultural trends, according to Paramount Pictures.
The new film, officially titled “Scary Movie,” reunites original cast members Marlon Wayans, Shawn Wayans, Anna Faris, and Regina Hall, decades after their characters first faced a masked killer. The trailer depicts the “core four” confronting a new serial killer although simultaneously lampooning the current wave of horror reboots and sequels.
The trailer’s humor extends beyond horror tropes, incorporating references to films like “Terrifier,” “M3GAN,” “The Substance,” and “Sinners,” as well as the Netflix series “Wednesday.” According to reports, the film also includes jokes referencing contemporary social issues, including a scene involving pronoun usage.
Marlon Wayans, who also co-wrote the script with his brother Shawn and Keenen Ivory Wayans, recently explained that the humor aims to be organic to the characters, rather than simply a collection of topical jokes. “Our brand of humor is never that,” Wayans told GamesRadar. “If you look at Scary Movie, Scary Movie 2, it wasn’t, ‘Hey, let’s just throw everything in there’. We threw in everything that was organic to the characters.”
Directed by Michael Tiddes and co-starring Jon Abrahams, Lochlyn Munro, Cheri Oteri, Dave Sheridan, Damon Wayans Jr., Anthony Anderson and Chris Elliott, “Scary Movie” is scheduled for release on June 12. The release of the trailer has generated significant attention, particularly given its placement alongside the opening weekend of “Scream 7,” a film within the highly genre it intends to satirize.