Scary Movie (DVD)

Author's product rating:   

Did you enjoy it?	Liked it
Story	Good
Characters / Performances	Good
Special Effects	Standard
How does it compare to similar films?	Good

Advantages:	Funny Parody of the Horror genre
Disadvantages:	Lacks any real sense of plot line development

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

It's an interesting concept to make a parody of a satire, however with 'Scary Movie' this is exactly what has been done, taking the storyline of 'Scream' and turning it into a comedic spoof. Although 'Scream' is the main film parodied here, they've also lifted plot line development from 'I know What You Did Last Summer', have given the film a 'Matrix' and a 'Blair Witch Project' style sequence, and make reference to 'The Sixth Sense' and 'The Exorcist'. The 'Scary Movie' franchise has obviously been a popular one with each film doing extremely well at the Box Office, and with four already having been released and another on the way, it seems that they're unlikely to let up writing and releasing these films until they get so bad that they go straight to DVD. With working titles such as 'Last Summer I Screamed Because Halloween Fell on Friday the 13th' and 'Scream If You Know What I Did Last Halloween', this film probably wouldn't have developed much of an interest and I doubt it would have gained much of a theatrical release if at all. This is the first in the series, sticking mainly to the horror genre as becomes increasingly less apparent as the films go by, and as a horror fan this is probably the one of the four so far that has appealed to me most.

٭~ The Plot~٭

If a plot outline is what you're after, having not seen this film or the films that it's based on then here goes. The film begins with Carmen Electra's character Drew answering the phone to the films killer while she is making herself some popcorn to sit down and eat while watching a film. In the vain of 'Scream' she is quickly killed and we are then introduced to the characters that we will spend most of the remaining duration of the film with; Cindy, Bobby, Buffy, Gregg, Ray, Brenda, and Brenda's stoner brother Shorty. Although not a part of the group of friends and main plot, Shorty is still an important character within this parody who is involved in some amusing scenes. The group are talking and Cindy and Gregg reveal that they've both had messages that simply state 'I Know What You Did Last Halloween'. With them reminiscing we now get a flashback to last Halloween when the six of them were driving along an empty road when they hit something in the road, turning out to be a person. The group are shown to pack the body they hit into their boot before proceeding to drive off and dump him into a lake and agree never to talk about this occurrence again. One by one the group begin to be killed off, developing the popular 'Who's Next' Horror convention as we watch on to see who if anyone will survive, climaxing in the house party scene from 'Scream'.

٭~My Opinion~٭

With the joint storyline of 'Scream'/'I Know What You Did Last Summer' working well, scenes integrating other films into this parody are able to come in without making the film seem too cluttered. The parody itself works well, with the film retaining continuity as the storyline progresses and the references to other films not detracting from the plot at all. 'Scary Movie' is not as the title suggest a scary movie, so there's no need for hiding behind the sofa moments, it's just plain fun. So if you're after something that's going to be intellectually stimulating then this is not the film for you, if you're after a couple of cheap laughs however then this may well be right up your street. Although never going to be to everyone's taste, the Scary Movie franchise has earned its status through producing amusing films that although may not have great longevity, for purposes of watching once or twice/coming back to every once in a while, they are good films.

If you know the plot of 'Scream' well then you'll be able to take a stab at who the killers are going to be right from the offset pretty much, as apart from a few amusing plot twists, it sticks to the 'Scream' plot fairly rigidly and uses the 'Scream' storyline as a basis to bring in the elements of other films. Obviously the film doesn't have the scare factor of 'Scream' as this just wasn't intended when the film was made, it's a black comedy which has been made purely on the basis of fun to ridicule the conventions of the horror genre and turn horror into humour.

Although not one of the main group of friends, Marlon Wayans as Shorty is probably one of my favourites here providing a good few laughs throughout the film with his stoner antics. The scene in which he and his group of friends get stoned with the killer in the Scream masks is probably one of my favourites in this film, as the first time you see the stoned Scream mask it will have you in fits of laughter as it just looks so ridiculous.

The acting is of course not of an Oscar winning standard, however everyone in the film really puts in a decent performance and there is no one that ever really disappoints. American Pie's Shannon Elizabeth plays her role well as Buffy Gilmore, however it is Anna Faris as Cindy Campbell that steals the show really, playing her role as a naïve, sexually inexperienced school girl extremely well. Since appearing in 'Scary Movie', she has shown her ability as a great performer by putting in superb roles in films such as 'Just Friends', 'Waiting', and 'My Super Ex-Girlfriend'. Not only is she good to look at but she is also a great actress, playing her role in this particular film extremely well as ever. Before landing her role in 'Scary Movie', Anna Faris hadn't really done a lot, however since taking on a recurring role as Cindy Campbell in all of the 'Scary Movie' films, she has obviously gained respect and notoriety as she has gone on to appear in a number of high profile roles. Obviously with a role in a film of this sort, Anna Faris performance is not sensational, however she does prove herself to be a good actress and definitely proves to be the stand out performance within the film.

If you've seen 'Scream' then you will recognise many of the characters in the film such as news reporter Gail Hailstorm who is based on the 'Scream' Courtney Cox character Gale Weathers and the main group of friends that take on the persona's of their 'Scream' counterparts well. You'll also notice that Shannon Elizabeth's character 'Buffy' is involved in a beauty pageant, a scene similar to that of the one seen in 'I Know What You Did Last Summer', a film which of course featured Sarah Michelle Gellar, the actress who played Buffy The Vampire Slayer in the popular TV series. This is not the only nod towards popular culture within the film, with the 'What's up' Budweiser commercial also cropping up. It is easy to see that with 'Scary Movie', we not only have a spoofed nod towards horror, but we also frequently see references to popular culture creeping in.

As with any parody, the film is extremely self aware, making references to how 'if this was a movie then we'd all be played by people in their later twenties/early thirties' and other such scenes where the camera crew are shown and where they speak of 'Scream' and 'I Know What You Did Last Summer' and how these films didn't make sense. These self aware lines provide a few laughs and although not the best bits in the film, without them you'd be left wondering where they were. The self awareness of this film although at times can be amusing, at others it may make you cringe such as where a close up on Cindy results in the camera smacking her in the face. The film is a bit hit and miss, and while some of the jokes will have you in fits of laughter, others will make you pull a face and wonder why it was included.

The problem with this film lies in the fact that you need to really know the films that it is parodying in order to understand and appreciate it fully. I'm not saying that you need to have watched all the films that are referenced, however an underlying knowledge of 'Scream' and 'I Know What You Did Last Summer' in particular is beneficial in order for you to understand where the humour is coming in through parodying these films. If you've not seen either of these films then I would advise checking them out before giving 'Scary Movie' a try as without doing so some of the film may go over your head a bit so that's my advice.

Although the film provides a fair few laughs, it is not consistently funny throughout, so at times you may find yourself a bit bored but will still find yourself watching on - kind of like Big Brother where you continue to watch just in case something good does eventually happen. Unlike Big Brother however, you do occasionally come across some good bits and so baring with the film when it's not at its funniest is advised. 'Scary Movie' is probably not going to be amongst your favourite films of all time, however for it's 85 minute duration at least it should keep you entertained with a good bit of light hearted fun. More could have been done with this film I feel, however all in all it is a cleverly written piece of cinema and probably my favourite of the lot. 'Scary Movie' is a decent offering that will have you laughing at numerous points throughout.

٭~Extras~٭

♠~Additional Scenes~♠

A common feature amongst DVD's is to contain extra scenes, usually ones which were cut from the theatrical showing for one reason or another. 'Scary Movie' is no exception this rule and in addition to the film itself, in the 'Bonus Material' section we get six additional scenes. As I've mentioned before, Shorty is probably my favourite character in the film for comedic value and it is again he that shines through in these scenes. There are two scenes here that obviously didn't make it into the film as they are similar cuts to two of the sequences within the film only not quite as good, however there are also four 'new' sequences we get to see with two of these for me really shining through. These scenes are 'Hop-A-Long Shorty' in which Shorty is involved in an amusing sex sequence, and 'Shorty Watches Girl On Surveillance Camera', another amusing scene in which we see him watching surveillance camera footage which he believes to be a horror film, however he is interrupted by a knock at the door meaning that he misses the death of the girl that he has been watching running from the killer (the girl that knocked at his door). These are both good scenes, however the latter leads on from a rather boring scene which is also only featured in these additional scenes in which news reporter Gail Hailstorm sets up video cameras outside Cindy's house while the party is taking place so it is obvious why it was not included despite the fact that it's an amusing sequence.

♠~Behind The Scenes~♠

This is an interesting featurette as we get to hear some of the characters views on the film and their ideas about what the film was trying to achieve. I always enjoy watching these kind of featurettes with films as they often tend to reflect my own thoughts and feelings and back up my insights into the films. We get to hear from the main cast here and it's always nice to see characters speak outside of their roles and give their own insights into the film. I think that this is a cleverly put together piece and is definitely a joy to watch having seen the film, so if you own the DVD and have not yet checked out this feature then I'd advise that you do. At just under 7 minutes long, this feature is not too long as is sometimes the case when films do this, yet it is an interesting feature to watch and have on a DVD and I'm glad that they chose to include this.

♠~Theatrical Trailer~♠

The theatrical trailer for 'Scary Movie' sets the scene well, giving an understanding of the films that are going to be referenced within the film. I feel that this is a decent trailer for the film as it certainly gives us a good understanding of what 'Scary Movie' is going to be about and what sort of thing we can expect from the film. Anyone watching this trailer at a cinema at the time would have been able to understand whether or not they would be interested in this film so I feel that this is a well produced trailer that doesn't give too many of the good gags away, but does capture your interest and set up your expectations for the film.

Director: Keenen Ivory Wayans
Year of release: 2000
Genre: Horror Spoof
Language: English
Runtime: 85 mins
BBFC Rating: 18