After 13 Years, Scary Movie Returns With a Ghastly RT Score

The Scary Movie franchise has officially returned after an extended hiatus, dropping the newest installment in theaters 13 years after the last one. In terms of its reception, the sixth movie is off to a rough start, debuting with an unfortunate score on Rotten Tomatoes.

As of now, the new Scary Movie has an approval rating of 27% on Rotten Tomatoes. It’s possible that filmgoers will be more appreciative of the movie, though this remains to be seen, as there is not yet a tabulated audience score for the sequel. As for the critics, reviewers are suggesting that the humor of Scary Movie 6, which is officially titled as simply Scary Movie, is outdated and “devoid of many laughs.”

Critics Say Scary Movie’s Humor Is Outdated

As Nikki Baughan of Screen International writes, “While the jokes come thick and fast, it’s all so obvious, scattershot and immediately dated that nothing lands. It’s not funny or clever, provocative or edgy — it’s just boring.”

“This kind of broad, slapstick parody needs a steady stream of laugh-out-loud moments, but the new Scary Movie generates barely a trickle,” The Hollywood Reporter’s David Rooney also says.

Feeling that the sequel didn’t live up to its expected potential, another review by Doug Jamieson of The Jam Report adds, “If anyone could restore the franchise to its former glory, surely it would be the people responsible for making it a phenomenon in the first place. That makes the resulting film all the more disappointing.”

CBR’s own Caralynn Matassa was also left unimpressed, calling the sequel “more cringe than clever” with its comedy. She further notes, “Scary Movie simply tries too hard to be subversive, seemingly just for the sake of being subversive, but instead, more often than not, lands on the most obvious joke or bit.”

It’s Not Unusual for Scary Movie to Garner Negative Reviews

All things considered, the rough reviews don’t necessarily mean that there won’t be fans of the franchise who can appreciate the sixth film. It is worth noting that every installment of the franchise has a negative score on Rotten Tomatoes. The highest-rated movie of them all is the very first one from 2000, which holds a 52% approval rating and a 43% audience score. At the same time, it is considered by many fans to be an underrated cult classic and one of the best horror parody movies of all time.

The new Scary Movie finally brought the Wayans Brothers back to the franchise after their departure past the original two films. Michael Tiddes directed. Marlon and Shawn Wayans joined several other returning actors to star in the sequel, including Anna Faris, Regina Hall, Cheri Oteri, David Sheridan, and Chris Elliott. It pokes fun at several horror movie releases of recent years, like M3GAN, Weapons, Smile, and The Substance.

Scary Movie is now playing in movie theaters.

Release Date

June 5, 2026

Runtime

95 Minutes

Director

Michael Tiddes

Writers

Craig Wayans, Keenen Ivory Wayans, Marlon Wayans, Rick Alvarez, Shawn Wayans

Producers

Craig Wayans, Keenen Ivory Wayans, Marlon Wayans, Rick Alvarez, Shawn Wayans

Cast

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  Marlon Wayans

  Shorty Meeks

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