---
title: "Scary Movie"
year: 2000
kind: "film"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/scary-movie-2000"
fi1m_id: "scary-movie-2000"
imdb_id: "tt0175142"
tmdb_id: 4247
wikidata_id: "Q219424"
fi1m_score: 63
critics_score: 56
critics_reviews: 9
published: "2026-10-05T02:05:15.000897+00:00"
updated: "2026-10-05T02:05:15.522952+00:00"
region: "HU"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Scary Movie (2000)

Directed by Keenen Ivory Wayans · 1h 28m · NMHH 18 · Comedy

## Identity

Scary Movie

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/scary-movie-2000
- **Type:** Film
- **Fi1m ID:** scary-movie-2000
- **IMDb ID:** tt0175142
- **TMDB ID:** 4247
- **Wikidata ID:** Q219424
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0175142/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/4247, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q219424

**Fi1m score: 63** · Critics 56 from 9 reviews

*In a sentence:* Anna Faris keeps a straight face through material that would make a schoolboy ask for a little restraint

> Keenen Ivory Wayans’s horror spoof gets enough laughs from Anna Faris and its physical comedy to survive some idle writing. The gross-out jokes are much less dependable than the cast, so tolerance matters.

## Synopsis

Cindy (Anna Faris), Brenda (Regina Hall) and Shorty (Marlon Wayans) feature in this horror spoof alongside Ray (Shawn Wayans), Bobby (Jon Abrahams), Greg (Lochlyn Munro) and Buffy (Shannon Elizabeth). Carmen Electra plays Drew, with Cheri Oteri as Gail Hailstorm and Kurt Fuller as The Sheriff. The comedy combines slapstick with gross-out humour and recreations of scenes from other films, including *The Matrix* and *The Blair Witch Project*. Keenen Ivory Wayans directs the ensemble, working from a screenplay credited to six writers.

## Review

Keenen Ivory Wayans makes *Scary Movie* with an uncomplicated aim: to turn familiar horror into rude physical comedy. It is funny enough to reward an appetite for that, though the weaker jokes make the 88 minutes feel less brisk than they should. The film is happiest when somebody has worked out a piece of slapstick and given a performer space to sell it. The references alone earn rather less of our goodwill.

Anna Faris gives Cindy the commitment this material needs, resisting the temptation to stand outside the joke and congratulate us for recognising it. We need somebody to take the nonsense seriously, and she makes that seem a reasonable use of her time. Regina Hall’s Brenda and Dave Sheridan help keep the performances lively when the writing grows thin. There is pleasure in watching actors work this hard at being ridiculous, even when the joke they have been handed scarcely merits the effort.

The pastiches are more attentive than the film’s general scruffiness suggests. Francis Kenny’s cinematography and Robb Wilson King’s production design help make the imitations of [*The Matrix*](https://film.one/film/the-matrix) and [*The Blair Witch Project*](https://film.one/film/the-blair-witch-project) recognisable before the comedy starts pulling them apart. We laughed at the send-up of *The Matrix*, because the care taken over the imitation makes the foolishness funnier. That care is welcome in a comedy elsewhere content with a much rougher standard.

Mark Helfrich’s editing has an uneven comic rhythm: we want less time with the weak jokes and more confidence in the good ones. Some slapstick lands cleanly, while the stretches between can feel oddly underpowered for such a busy comedy. Keenen Ivory Wayans gets plenty of energy from the ensemble, but is less reliable at deciding when a gag has exhausted its welcome. David Kitay supplies serviceable music, though the performers’ timing contributes more to the successful jokes than the score does.

The screenplay, credited to Shawn Wayans, Aaron Seltzer, Marlon Wayans, Jason Friedberg, Buddy Johnson and Phil Beauman, is too willing to mistake vulgarity for a finished joke. Gross-out humour is not a fault in itself; there is nothing especially admirable about making a polite spoof. The trouble comes when vulgarity does all the work and there is no comic surprise beyond how far the film is prepared to go. Those passages feel lazy beside the more carefully arranged physical jokes.

There is also a basic difficulty with sending up horror that already knows its own habits. A spoof needs to find something those films have missed, or at least make the familiar absurdity funnier. *Scary Movie* manages that often enough in its physical comedy, but its borrowed references can feel like prompts waiting for a better gag. The acting carries it through some thin stretches.

For an evening of crude comedy, there is enough here to justify the occasional groan, particularly from Anna Faris and the more exact parodies. We would not recommend it as a sharp examination of horror, and the gross-out material is a substantial part of the bargain. Its 18 certificate ought to discourage anyone expecting something mild. Come for the cast, with a generous tolerance for jokes that should have stayed unwritten.

*Fi1m score 63, published 5 October 2026.*

## What the critics say

The reviews split evenly between positive, mixed and negative responses to Scary Movie, with little agreement on how reliably its jokes land. Supporters find it frequently funny, praising the cast’s commitment and Keenen Ivory Wayans’s brisk, light-touch direction. Anna Faris draws particular praise, while even some less enthusiastic critics acknowledge effective slapstick and carefully executed spoofs of familiar scenes. The broadest agreement is that there are laughs here; their frequency is another matter.

Reservations centre on uneven pacing, awkward references and gross-out humour that some find more vulgar than funny. Radio Times also questions the purpose of parodying horror films that already satirise themselves. The spread is wide, running from enthusiastic approval of the gag rate to near-dismissal of the comedy as witless. Notably, the strongly negative Evening Standard still admires the precision of the pastiches, especially those drawing on The Blair Witch Project and The Matrix.

## Straight answers

**Is Scary Movie worth watching?**

*Scary Movie* is worth watching if crude slapstick is your sort of comedy, though our score of 63 reflects some lazy writing and uneven pacing. Anna Faris’s straight-faced commitment and the carefully staged parodies supply enough laughs, but we recommend it only with a generous tolerance for gross-out jokes that mistake vulgarity for comic surprise.

**How long is Scary Movie, and what is it rated?**

*Scary Movie* runs 1h 28m and is rated 18 by the NMHH in Hungary. It is a comedy film.

**Where can I watch Scary Movie in Hungary?**

*Scary Movie* is streaming on SkyShowtime and Amazon Prime Video in Hungary, and it is also available to rent from Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV from Ft 790. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service.

**How violent or frightening is Scary Movie, and is it suitable for children?**

*Scary Movie* has a UK 18 certificate and is not suitable for children; its rude physical comedy and substantial gross-out humour also make it a poor choice for anyone expecting a mild spoof. We find the emphasis is on crude laughs rather than sustained fear, but that does not make it suitable for younger teenagers.

**How does Scary Movie compare to Shaun of the Dead?**

*Scary Movie* offers crude slapstick and recognisable film parodies, while [*Shaun of the Dead*](https://film.one/film/shaun-of-the-dead) is the stronger choice for comedy with characters worth caring about. Both benefit from committed performers, but we recommend *Shaun of the Dead* for its attention to ordinary failings and danger that counts; *Scary Movie* suits an appetite for broad, gross-out silliness.

### Reviews we read (9)

- **Los Angeles Times** (80/100, inferred): The capsule finds the film frequently hilarious. It praises Keenen Ivory Wayans’ light touch and Anna Faris’s lively ensemble. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2000-dec-14-ca-65193-story.html)
- **Total Film**, Total Film (4/5): The review finds the film crude, disposable fun and praises how often its jokes land. It singles out the energetic cast and Keenen Ivory Wayans’s fleet-footed direction. [Read](https://www.gamesradar.com/scary-movie-review/)
- **Variety**, Joe Leydon (80/100, inferred): The review finds the film a gleefully outrageous, consistently funny spoof with strong breakout appeal. It singles out the high hit rate of its gags and the cast’s committed performances. [Read](https://variety.com/2000/film/reviews/scary-movie-1200462600/)
- **Screen Daily**, Mike Goodridge (64/100, inferred): The page identifies this as a review, but its critical verdict is inaccessible. The available text does not reveal what the critic praised or criticized. [Read](https://www.screendaily.com/scary-movie/402938.article)
- **Radio Times**, Joanna Berry (3/5): Berry finds enough laughs to make the spoof worthwhile, despite questioning the point of parodying films that already satirize horror. She singles out the send-up of The Matrix as especially funny. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-ke9218/scary-movie/)
- **Empire**, Mark Dinning (35/100, inferred): Dinning finds the film often pointless and uneven, though it can still provoke laughs. He singles out its slapstick set pieces as occasional bright spots amid awkward references and lapses in momentum. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/scary-movie-review/)
- **Time Out**, NF (30/100, inferred): The review is negative, calling the comedy scattershot and stupid. It also criticizes the film’s added gross-out humor. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/scary-movie)
- **Evening Standard** (20/100, inferred): The critic finds the film witless and excessively vulgar, despite occasionally laughing at it. They praise the clever, carefully executed pastiches, especially its recreations of scenes from The Blair Witch Project and The Matrix. [Read](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/scary-movie-7433615.html)
- **Eye for Film**, Keith Hennessey Brown (60/100, inferred): The critic finds the film hit-and-miss but funny enough to be worthwhile, ultimately calling it middling. He singles out Anna Faris and Dave Sheridan as the standout performers. [Read](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/scary-movie-film-review-by-keith-hennessey-brown)

## Details

- **Director:** Keenen Ivory Wayans
- **Director:** Keenen Ivory Wayans
- **Screenplay:** Phil Beauman, Marlon Wayans, Shawn Wayans, Jason Friedberg, Buddy Johnson, Aaron Seltzer
- **Cinematography:** Francis Kenny
- **Editor:** Mark Helfrich
- **Music:** David Kitay
- **Production design:** Robb Wilson King
- **Costume design:** Darryle Johnson
- **Producer:** Lee R. Mayes, Marlon Wayans, Shawn Wayans
- **Cast:** Anna Faris as Cindy; Regina Hall as Brenda; Marlon Wayans as Shorty; Shawn Wayans as Ray; Jon Abrahams as Bobby; Lochlyn Munro as Greg; Shannon Elizabeth as Buffy; Dave Sheridan as The Killer / Doofy
- **Runtime:** 1h 28m
- **Certificate (NMHH):** 18
- **Release (Hungary):** 12 October 2000
- **Genres:** Comedy
- **Budget:** $19 million
- **Box office:** $278 million
- **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTLPULt0eJ4

## Where to watch in Hungary

- SkyShowtime: streaming, hd
- Amazon Prime Video: add-on
- Amazon Prime Video: rent Ft 790, hd
- Apple TV: rent Ft 799, hd
- Apple TV: buy Ft 1,790, sd
- Amazon Prime Video: buy Ft 2,290, hd

*Checked 2026-10-05.*

Also available in: AR, AT, AU, BE, BG, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, EC, EE, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, HK, HR, HU, ID, IE, IL, IN, IT, JP, KR, LT, MX, MY, NL, NO, NZ, PA, PE, PH, PL, PT, RO, RS, SE, SG, SI, SK, TH, UA, US, VN, ZA. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## If you liked this

- *Young Frankenstein* (1974): For horror parody that pays close attention to the films it borrows.
- *Shaun of the Dead* (2004), Fi1m 85: Another horror comedy with committed performers, but rather more affection for its characters. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/shaun-of-the-dead.md)
- *What We Do in the Shadows* (2014): Domestic squabbles give the supernatural jokes a steadier supply of comic detail.
- *One Cut of the Dead* (2017): For patient viewers who enjoy horror comedy built around carefully prepared surprises.
- *The Final Girls* (2015): Slasher conventions get another comic working-over, with more warmth beneath the blood.

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/scary-movie-2000