The turn of the millennium saw the release and massive success of Scary Movie. Several sequels later, the spoof genre had risen to unbearable cinematic heights, and for a short period of time was considered (for some reason) the pinnacle of comedy. However, ranking the Scary Movie franchise is not as straightforward as it seems.
Each movie spoofs multiple other films. Though they primarily focus on horror movies and horror tropes, their spoofs grow broader with each instalment, making their status as horror comedies considerably harder to define. For the purposes of this list, we’re considering them simple spoof comedies, and judging them on their own comic value and cinematic merit. With that in mind, here’s the Scary Movie franchise, ranked from worst to best.
5. Scary Movie 5 (2013)
By far the worst of the franchise is Scary Movie 5. The fifth movie follows a couple who move into a home filled with security cameras after adopting three highly disturbed children rescued from thew clutches of a malevolent entity known as “Mama”. It struggles to work either as a comedy or a horror movie, and instead feels like a disconnected series of unfunny comedic set pieces.
Scary Movie 5 primarily spoofs Mama and Paranormal Activity. However, it also lampoons the stories of Black Swan and Rise of the Planet of the Apes, despite neither of them being connected to the horror genre. However, this deviation from the brief isn’t what makes it the worst of the franchise.
It’s important to consider the timing of the film’s release. By 2013, spoof movies had fallen from grace, and had become bargain bin fare for stoners and preteens with low expectations. The act of making Scary Movie 5 was itself something of a spoof of the franchise’s prior success, as it was never going to achieve any meaningful popularity. Sadly, the result is every bit as unwatchable as it sounds.