‘Scary Movie 5’ Review

Stars: Simon Rex, Ashley Tisdale, Charlie Sheen, Lindsay Lohan, Jerry O’Connell, Erica Ash, Katt Williams, Gracie Whitton, Lidia Porto, Katrina Bowden, Snoop Dogg, Tyler Posey, Molly Shannon, Terry Crews | Written by Pat Proft, David Zucker | Directed by Malcolm D. Lee

The Scary Movie series returns to cinemas after a seven-year hiatus with Scary Movie 5,  the fifth installment of the outrageous comedy horror franchise,  which sees happily-married couple Dan (Simon Rex) and Jody (Ashley Tinsdale) notice strange goings on when they return home with their newborn baby. They soon deduce that they’re being terrorized by an evil force and decide to use the latest home surveillance equipment to try and snare it for once and for all, with a little help from a panel of experts.

It doesn’t bode well for entry new franchise entry when none of the original cast members, not even the bit-parters, return for the sequel. However not all is lost as, replacing the Wayan Bros., David Zucker joins the team behind the scenes, penning the film with writer Pat Proft. Thankfully for “funny” fans, the duo have one hell of a comedy CV between them, having written some of the 80s most iconic comedies, including Airplane!, Naked Gun, Police Academy, Bachelor Party and Hot Shots! The pair bring a wealth of comedy writing experience to a series that, some thirteen years after first tickling the funnybone of audiences across the globe, really needs an injection of belly laughs…

Scary Movie 5 also fell foul of reshoots. The film was reportedly going to be a spoof of both the Paranormal Activity franchise and Darren Aronofsky’s Black Swan (hence the heavy dose of lesbianism running through the film), but after the success of Mama and the Evil Dead remake and undoubtedly the release of the Wayans Bros. own PA franchise spoof Haunted House, David Zucker and co. decided to reshoot a number of scenes to bring the film up to date with spoofs of the more recent horror successes.

That’s not to say the film isn’t still heavily influenced by the found-footage genre. It is, and that’s sadly to it’s detriment. What also hurts the film is the lack of a familiar central character. Anna Faris was the Scary Movie franchise to many (myself included) and without her this latest installment feels like nothing more than a series of loosely connected sketches – a theme which it shares in common with some of Zucker’s previous productions: The Onion Movie, Superhero Movie and Big Fat Important Movie.

Let’s face facts, nothing I say about Scary Movie 5 will influence you to see the film or not. If you’re a fan of the previous films (which I am to an extent) you’ll go see this one. If you enjoy the films of David Zucker, you’ll probably enjoy this one too. It’s stupid, moronic and just plain daft. If that’s what you’re looking for in a comedy then go see it. If not, avoid.

Scary Movie 5 is in UK cinemas now.