This Day In Film: Scary Movie
(Photo: Wayans Bros. Entertainment)
By the year 2000, movie theaters had been bombarded with a wave of teen-centered horror flicks. With movies like Scream and I Know What You Did Last Summer, the fad seemed like it would never end. So, it was bound to happen that someone would eventually make fun of the trend.
Enter Scary Movie, a parody directed by Keenan Ivory Wayans and starring his brothers Shawn and Marlon Wayans. The movie took plenty of shots at the various horror franchises of the time and ultimately became one in its own right. The plot centered on a group of dumb teenagers being hounded by an incompetent serial killer a year after they disposed the body of a man they accidentally killed.
Also starring in the movie was Carmen Electra, Regina Hall and American Pie’s Shannon Elizabeth. Scary Movie was not praised for any innovation to the satirical genre, but was lauded for effectively poking fun at slasher flicks. The film was made with a modest sum of $19 million but went on to gross more than $278 million worldwide. Its fourth sequel is due for release in 2012.