With more than a decade between the last movie in the series and the next, that leaves a generation’s worth of horror movies for the new film to put in its sights and mercilessly mock. Now that the trailer has arrived for Scary Movie 6, we know which films released since then that they’ll actually roast. Though the new film is heavy on movies from the last three years, it showcases that the creators have been paying attention to horror, even if some of the films have more parody potential than others.
11) M3GAN
The trouble with both M3GAN and any parody of the character is that the crux of all jokes about the film boils down to the viral nature of one sequence from the trailer, not even the movie itself, but the trailer. Ahead of the release of the film, M3GAN doing her dance in the hallway before killing someone quickly became a meme and even sold the idea of a tone for the film that the movie itself simply did not match. Even though the original film is only four years old, the gag is already played out, as the world roundly rejected M3GAN 2.0. As a result, any parody of it being released in 2026 that is simply a repetition of what was done in the movie itself, with no additional gags or eccentricities, adds nothing and barely even makes a joke at all.
10) Terrifier 3
For horror fans, it’s validating to see an independently produced series like Terrifier become so ubiquitous and aligned with the larger tastes of the genre that it’s noteworthy enough to be a part of the parodies in Scary Movie. It’s a feat that other independent films in the space simply won’t achieve, despite similar box office success (films like The Black Phone, Old, and Candyman appear absent from the trailer, though they could still appear in the film). That said, the extent of the parody of Terrifier in the Scary Movie 6 trailer appears to be…just a sequence that would happen in a Terrifier movie. What’s the joke? Here’s the character you recognize, doing a thing that makes sense? There’s potential in a good joke about Terrifier, but the trailer is uh..hiding it.
9) The Substance
Like Terrifier, Scary Movie 6 going out of its way to roast The Substance is a sure sign that they have their finger on the pulse of the genre. That said, the bar for a parody of The Substance, a film that exists in a heightened state with a bizarre tone, is a tough one to clear. One assumes, based on the trailer, that the joke here could just be a gag that boils it down to “haha plastic surgery” or “Ozempic, haha!” neither of which would really be that funny, or even do anything distinct with a parody. Hopefully, there’s more to it because they’ve already nailed the aesthetic of the film.
8) Get Out
Almost ten years since Get Out was released, Jordan Peele’s film may have once been considered too important to be parodied, which gives the Wayons plenty of material to work with since the film was held in such a high regard upon release. One hopes that the idea of a parody of the Sunken Place could go in any number of directions, but hopefully, it’s something a little smarter than just what is seen in the trailer, with Shorty just being sucked into a chair. It’s worth noting that Marlon Wayans has a Peele-connection, starring in the Peele-produced HIM last year, perhaps getting our hopes up that he’ll bring the director in for a cameo to make fun of his own movie.
7) Smile
As successful as the Smile movies have been, the central gag of the movie being what it is (Creepy smiling people! That’s it!) hopefully allows for the series to be properly roasted. One of the strengths of the Scary Movie films is that the characters can respond to the elements of famous horror movies in a way that the audience themselves believe they would react, like hitting a creepy smiling guy with a bedpan. Fingers crossed there’s more where this came from.
6) Weapons
The thing about Weapons, unlike other horror movies being parodied in Scary Movie 6, is that it already has its own wicked sense of humor. Is it possible that the finale of Weapons will be funnier than anything in Scary Movie 6? Yes. Is it also possible that Scary Movie 6 may put a spin on little white kids running down the street with their arms out that is able to make us laugh? 100%. That said, trying to do a parody of Aunt Gladys, a character who is already quite funny, seems like a tough task.
5) MA
The elements of MA likely to be parodied seem limited to the aesthetic of Octavia Spencer’s character (the film itself, once again, is also quite funny), but what makes this an exciting thing for Scary Movie 6 to parody is who is in the costume. Regina Hall’s Brenda is the funniest character in the entire franchise, so re-introducing her to the audience with a parody of MA not only feels like the perfect way to do that but gives her a distinct opportunity to stretch her legs and remind us why she’s so funny. Again, though, the gags from MA that have become memes in the years since mean there’s a high bar to clear for Scary Movie 6.
4) Sinners
Sinners remaining as culturally prescient as it has been over the past year sets it up to have a lot of parody potential; what remains to be seen is how those parodies are carried out. From the trailer, Scary Movie 6 appears to have latched onto bigger elements of Sinners more so than some of the other films featured, with jokes roasting both Remmick the vampire trying to enter the juke joint, but also Sammie coming home to his father’s church. These little touchstones have the makings of good jokes about the movie that go further than a lot of the other punchlines in the trailer, and hopefully, there’s more to it in the final film.
3) Halloween
After Regina Hall’s Brenda, the only other lasting character from the Scary Movie series is Anna Faris as Cindy, and like Brenda, her first appearance in the trailer for Scary Movie 6 is not only a great parody but reminds us why we love her. Faris’ Cindy taking on a parody of Jamie Lee Curtis in 2018’s Halloween not only works from an aesthetic level but a narrative one. Faris is not only a great comedic voice but an ace physical performer, both of which come through in the trailer. After three movies with JLC as the elder Laurie Strode in the Halloween series (plus countless copycats), hopefully, Faris’s Cindy can fully bring this horror trope to an end.
2) Longlegs
One of the most exciting things about Scary Movie 6 has been the confirmation that Chris Elliott will return as Hanson, the butler from Scary Movie 2. A rare character that was well-received and funny, who never returned to the series, there was already a lot of potential, but the fact that Scary Movie 6 has confirmed Hanson will fully become a parody of Nicolas Cage in Longlegs is almost too good to be true. Cage’s performance in Longlegs is noteworthy, but what the Scary Movie 6 trailer makes clear is that there is a shocking amount of overlap between his bizarre serial killer and the tiny-handed Hanson.
1) Scream
Though the new Scream movies have been financially successful, they’ve also made some bizarre creative decisions, including largely abandoning the idea of the franchise as a whole by ignoring meta-textual jokes about horror movies in the modern era. So not only does Scary Movie 6 have a great opportunity to make fun of a franchise that has lost its way (don’t forget, the series began as a full Scream parody), but it might actually be able to comment on the genre in a better way overall.
