Light amusement...but nothing further

Every generation deserves its own spoof movie to rule them all. David Zucker's 1980s classic comedy Flying High! (known as Airplane! in America) still remains to be the king of all spoof films. Before him it was Mel Brooks with such films as Young Frankenstein and Blazing Saddles. Despite internet rumours that rapidly circulated, Scary Movie is definitely not the definitive spoof movie of this generation. The film is brisk and silly and, even though it's not one of the best spoof movies of late, Scary Movie is filled with side-splitting laughs and some clever parodying.

This film sets a new standard for low-brow humour, even by the standards of the Wayan brothers. How low-brow are we talking? Try to imagine the sort of profanity ridden things 12-year-old boys exchange when they think no-one else is watching them. Start at that point and move your way down.

The script of this movie is ostensibly based upon the plot of Wes Craven's Scream. The original title of this film was Scream If You Know What I Did Last Halloween which will pretty much sum up the films that it ultimately parodies. Fundamentally every major film hit of the 1990s - from The Matrix to The Blair Witch Project...even a bit of American Pie - is shamelessly parodied. The film is merely a spoof that also shows how talentless the Wayan brothers are at screenwriting due to their lack of class and civility. Through their eyes as much profanity, dirty language, nudity, sex jokes and crude humour as possible equals a funny comedy. Sorry guys, but good humour means witty jokes and dialogue. Flying High! and classic Mel Brooks movies got away with a PG rating without the profanity. I suggest you take notes from the comedic genius those filmmakers exhibit.

Anyway, Scary Movie takes the central plots of Scream and I Know What You Did Last Summer and amalgamates them in solidarity. One of the immediate key flaws that can already be indicated is that Scream is itself a parody of the slasher genre. It's an intelligent flick that uses all the clichés in more realistic situations: parodying the genre while also being part of the genre. The same cannot be said for Scary Movie.

A serial killer wearing a ghoulish mask begins stalking the teenage population of a simple suburban community. Cindy Campbell (Faris) and her group of friends are still harbouring a secret amongst them: that they accidentally killed a man on Halloween a year earlier. It seems the serial killer is targeting Cindy and her group of friends who were involved in the accidental killing. As the victim count rises, Cindy must survive the carnage and stop the killer.

The film is literally beleaguered with standard one-dimensional characters and mindless spoofs. As this is just a spoof movie meant for light entertainment, it's kind of easy to overlook these flaws. Your enjoyment of Scary Movie depends on your age range and taste for comedy. If profanity easily turns you off, this film is not for you at all. If you're not comfortable with gore and sexual references I suggest you never opt to watch this one. When I first saw this movie I was 11 years old and absolutely hated it as I fell into the aforementioned demographic. Now, upon revisiting, I've matured and have become more comfortable with laughing at this kind of film. It's not a masterpiece by any means and it never will be; however the film is riddled with a few notable laughs that come so commonly that I literally almost choked on my own saliva.

This is one of those comedies that should only be screened to a vast audience, and preferably an audience whose standards for comedy aren't too high. There are a few funny moments of course, but this is not going to be remembered as a film on par with The Godfather. Followed by Scary Movie 2. Be sure to stay until the end of the credits.

6.1/10