Do You Like Horror Parodies? The Scary Movie Franchise Is Getting Brought Back From The Dead
It's been more than 10 years since the world was subjected to the last "Scary Movie" sequel, but as is the case with any famous horror movie villain, it's practically impossible to keep this series down forever. And now Paramount Pictures plans to breathe new life into this particular franchise. The studio will be teaming up with Miramax to resurrect the "Scary Movie" franchise with a brand new installment. Production begins this fall, and the film will be in theaters in 2025.
Variety reports that producer Neal H. Moritz, who is best known for producing the "Fast and Furious" movies for Universal, will be producing this new iteration. Moritz was not directly associated with any of the previous five "Scary Movie" films, but interestingly, he did produce a couple of horror flicks that were parodied in those early versions, including "I Know What You Did Last Summer" and "Urban Legend." He also has some experience in the parody space, having produced 2001's "Not Another Teen Movie."
Horror is always ripe for parody
The "Scary Movie" films were staples of early 2000s studio comedies, poking fun at all of the biggest horror franchises of that era and also incorporating shots at whatever pop culture trends were happening in the moment. (To give you a sense of what I mean, 2013's "Scary Movie V" begins with then-tabloid fixtures Charlie Sheen and Lindsay Lohan making a sex tape.) The commentary was never particularly trenchant, the satire never particularly clever or interesting — these movies were basically a thinly-veiled excuse for teenagers to go to the multiplex at their local mall, laugh at stuff they recognized for a couple of hours, and never think about any of this ever again. That formula was ridiculously profitable — the franchise has cleared more than $900 million — but eventually, blatant rip-offs like "Meet the Spartans," "Epic Movie," and "Superhero Movie" contributed to an over-saturation that killed this whole parody genre. Until now.
Those who are old enough to remember these movies might roll their eyes at the prospect of more "Scary Movie" films. But considering how much the horror genre has changed in the past 10 years, there's plenty of opportunity to poke fun at the newly developed tropes and aesthetic choices that permeate those films these days. (There's probably enough for an entire movie that only parodies A24 horror films, for example.)
Part of me is hoping this new version dispenses with the dumb pop culture references and tries a more focused approach ... but another part would be totally okay with this version shoehorning in whatever moronic celebrity cameos they can squeeze in. Maybe every generation needs its own brainless excuse to waste time at the theater and laugh with their friends. Who am I to judge? Plus, if absolutely nothing else, the original batch of movies served as proving grounds for some notable actors (Anna Faris, Regina Hall, Natasha Lyonne, Kevin Hart, and Terry Crews, to name a few), so maybe the next class of up-and-coming actors will pop up here before blowing up into something bigger later on.