After nearly 20 years away from the franchise, Shawn and Marlon Wayans are back where fans know they belong: inside the wild world of “Scary Movie.” 

The brothers sat down with BET and said returning to the series didn’t feel like a restart. “It’s just like a high school reunion,” Shawn said of stepping back into the “Scary Movie” universe. “As soon as you get to school and you see everybody on that first day, everybody’s seeing each other again for the first time with big hugs and big laughs.” Marlon agreed, adding that the energy on set felt strong from the start. He said, “When they say ‘action,’ everybody’s still on point, everybody’s actually better now than they were then.”

That mix of comfort and confidence is part of what makes the return so appealing. The brothers know what “Scary Movie” means to audiences, especially Black viewers who have long connected to the way the franchise reflects the experience of watching horror. “Black people tell you not to go in there. Nobody ever listens,” Shawn laughed. 

“It’s a conversation when Black people watch horror,” Marlon added, referencing the iconic performance in the movie theater that Regina Hall gave as “Brenda” in the first installment. The comedy in that moment is that Black people are known to yell at the screen, and apparently, with “Scary Movie 6,” that tradition will continue. 

Both brothers also made it clear they are approaching the comedy with the same intention that shaped their earlier work. “We do everything with kid gloves,” Marlon said. “We do it with love. There's nothing we've ever done that's been truly just offensive. That's not the way our humor works.” He added that laughter itself is the point, “The world needs a big ass laugh.”

And if the brothers have their way, that’s what people will remember about them and about their comedy. Asked what they hope audiences say about the Wayans name, Marlon pointed to the emotional impact. People should say, he said, “they really contributed to my life’s smile.” For a franchise and career built on making people talk to the screen, laugh hard and loudly, that feels exactly right.

“Scary Movie 6” is in theaters now.