Scary Movie 4 (2006)

Movie · 2006 · Comedy · 1h 23m · PG-13 · English

Curator score: 0.6/10 (332.3K ratings)

Bury the grudge. Burn the village. See the saw.

Overview

Cindy finds out the house she lives in is haunted by a little boy and goes on a quest to find out who killed him and why. Also, Alien "Tr-iPods" are invading the world and she has to uncover the secret in order to stop them.

Ratings

Director

David Zucker

Production

Dimension Films, 415 Project, Brad Grey Pictures, Miramax

Cast

Anna Faris, Regina Hall, Craig Bierko, Bill Pullman, Anthony Anderson, Leslie Nielsen, Molly Shannon, Michael Madsen, Chris Elliott, Carmen Electra, Shaquille O'Neal, Phil McGraw, Cloris Leachman, Conchita Campbell, Beau Mirchoff, Kevin Hart, DeRay Davis, Simon Rex, YoungBloodZ, Bryan Callen

Where to watch

fuboTV, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential

Curator Review

Verdict

A scattershot parody sequel that lands a few big gags and a couple of inspired set pieces, but mostly depends on rapid-fire references and broad gross-out humor. If you like early-2000s spoof comedy and don’t mind unevenness, it can still be a fun background watch; if you want tighter writing or more consistent satire, it’s a skip.

Best for

  • fans of broad parody comedies
  • viewers who enjoy crude, lowbrow humor
  • people looking for a nostalgia watch from the mid-2000s
  • audiences who liked the earlier franchise entries

Skip if

  • you want smart, sustained satire
  • you dislike raunchy and juvenile jokes
  • you need strong plotting or character arcs
  • you’re tired of pop-culture-reference comedy

Overview

Scary Movie 4 is the point where the franchise’s joke-per-minute approach starts to feel both its strength and its weakness. It has a few genuinely funny stretches, especially when it commits to absurd visual gags and shamelessly overplays celebrity cameos, but the movie often feels like it’s sprinting from one reference to the next without building much momentum.

Worth noting

The humor is aggressively broad, with a lot of the material aimed at the biggest horror and pop-culture touchstones of the era. When a bit works, it works because the cast fully commits to the stupidity of it; when it doesn’t, the movie can feel repetitive and thin. The result is less a coherent parody than a highlight reel of hit-or-miss sketches.

Bottom line

Still, there’s a certain charm in how unembarrassed it is about being dumb on purpose. If you’re in the mood for a loud, disposable comedy that occasionally punches through the noise with a great gag, it has enough energy to justify a watch. Just don’t expect the jokes to land with any consistency.

Top Letterboxd reviews

William (2★) · 2327 likes

They should resurrect the Scary Movie franchise to spoof A24 horror because I am so tired of their shit

virginfinalgirl (3★) · 2132 likes

this is detroit. this is detroit after the attacks

chris (4★) · 1607 likes

brenda meeks is truly one of the funniest fictional characters ever.

jarod (1★) · 1088 likes

hibachi benihana teriyaki

Sabri Gülseven (4★) · 998 likes

Nissan Honda Mitsubishi Subaru

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Topics

parody, spoof, gross-out comedy, pop culture references, horror satire, raunchy humor, absurdist, 2000s comedy, ensemble comedy, slapstick

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