PopHorror Let's Get Scared
What can be said about parody movies that hasn’t been said a million times already? Well, almost everything. The best part about the wide array of this genre is the unique humor that the writers and directors come up with. Some are great, and some are a hit and miss. The Scary Movie (click here for our Scary Movie retro review) franchise is a collection of parody films that rises to the top of pack. Seeing as how it’s one of my favorite films that I view at least twice a week, I am so excited to talk about some of my favorite features of this scary yet not so scary movie.
I bought Scary Movie 2 when it was released July 4, 2001, and as soon as I popped it in my DVD player, I was instantly loving it. Not only does it feature some incredibly talented guest appearances, but it made fun of some of the scariest movies to date. From the first scene with James Woods coming in as Father McFeely, the always talented and beautiful Veronica Cartwright as the Chris MacNeil-esque mother and Natasha Lyonne as Megan, I can honestly say that Scary Movie 2 became one of my favorite Exorcist movies of all time. With over the top effects and mediocre makeup, the opening scene is perfectly balanced between ridiculous and hilarious. The beginning is one of my favorite parts of the film, and to this day, I still laugh when I see it.
As we have come to expect, Marlon and Shawn Wayans have a unique and peculiar way of writing their parodies, and their brother, Director Keenen Ivory Wayans, jumps into the stories with both feet. Rather than starting over with a new cast to replace the murdered victims from the previous movies, they bring them back without explanation. You just have to go with it. We do get to see new cast members added to the storyline, including Tim Curry as a perverse professor, and Chris Elliot as Hanson the caretaker. Hanson is one of the funniest and oddest characters to exist in that film, and every scene with him is funny as hell. Basically, we get a parody of so many horror films mashed into one giant combination of storylines that go nowhere but are so funny we just let it go.
We can’t forget to mention the returning cast of Cindy (Anna Faris), Shorty (Marlon Wayans) and Ray (Shawn Wayans), and last but not least, Brenda (Regina Hall). As I said, some of them are magically back from the dead, but hey… it’s a movie, so enjoy it. Ranging in storylines from The Haunting and What Lies Beneath, the all out ridiculousness is so memorable and laughable that you can’t help but love it. Thanks to this film, so many of the scariest horror movies have been tainted to the point where watching the actual films makes me chuckle. But trust me, I’m not complaining.
Once again, let me say happy anniversary to Scary Movie 2, one of the most influential parody films in my life. You give me laughs when I need it yet still trigger the creepy love for horror films inside me. Well done, Scary Movie 2, well done!
