The Scary Movie films should, in theory, be one of the few franchises that actually warrant numerous sequels – with the very idea behind the films being that they spoof other features which have been released around that time. Sadly, even with all the new material at their disposal, the filmmakers have no good ideas in how to turn those film references into actual comedy.
Led by High School Musical’s Ashley Tisdale and Scary Movie favourite Simon Rex (whose idea of funny is apparently to be beaten over the head repeatedly with a series of inanimate objects!), this new film uses horror movie Mama as its base, with the arrival of feral children and a creepy house filled to the brim with cameras. It’s Mama meets Paranormal Activity but the horror here is in just how bad it is. The ‘jokes’ (I use the term loosely!) are all rooted in stereotypes and clichés and are constantly patronising and degrading. The cameos overall are horrendous, with the bar set by the appalling Charlie Sheen and Lindsay Lohan opening sequence.
Surprisingly, I did find myself laughing in parts – though it seemed to be more thanks to my game of ‘spot the reference’. They really have crammed a lot in here, from Fifty Shades of Grey to Sinister via Black Swan – and when a geek like me starts to see how many references you can spot, it becomes a slightly more enjoyable experience.
The only genuinely funny part of Scary Movie 5 is when the outtakes appear in the credits but it is certainly not worth sitting through the rest of the film just for that. They really should have stopped making these films after the first one. This is a lesson in how NOT to make a comedy.
Amanda has awarded Scary Movie 5 one Torch of Truth
1/5
