The creators of the sixth installment in the Scary Movie franchise say the film aims to counter what they view as today’s “censorious” culture through exaggerated horror parody and off-color humor. The Wayans family, who launched the politically incorrect spoof nearly three decades ago, return to US cinemas this Friday, describing the timing as especially relevant.
Shawn Wayans told AFP at the Los Angeles premiere that the film speaks directly to current cultural tensions. “I think that it’s an important movie right now for the culture, so that we can handle cancel culture in a whole another way,” he said, adding that comedy remains essential. “Just because cancel culture exists, it doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t have laughter anymore... it’s healing, it’s medicine.”
His sister, Kim Wayans, echoed the sentiment, arguing that society should be more willing to laugh at sensitive topics. “Tonight we’re going to cancel cancel culture — that’s what this movie is going to do,” she said.
Director Michael Tiddes described balancing the film’s layered approach as a key challenge, combining satire of modern horror films with the Wayans family’s signature comedic style and a coherent narrative structure. “You had to find a balance between the movies we were spoofing... and also our own story,” he said.
The film reunites Shawn, Marlon, Kim, and Damon Wayans, alongside returning cast members including Anna Faris, Regina Hall, Jon Abrahams, and Cheri Oteri, reviving characters such as Doofy from the original Scream parody.
Staying true to its roots, the new installment satirises recent horror titles including The Substance, Sinners, Smile, Weapons, Longlegs, Terrifier, and the series Wednesday.
The project marks a full family return to the franchise, with multiple Wayans siblings contributing to the script and younger relatives, including Gregg Wayans, also joining the production team.
Gregg Wayans, 37, said the series remains timeless because of its broad, boundary-pushing humor. “People want to laugh... they’re just waiting for filmmakers like my family to stop abiding by all the rules,” he said, calling the revival “the first step” in bringing back “rule-breakers” to comedy. -AFP
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