If you grew up in the early 2000s, you probably remember the absolute chaos of the Wayans brothers. I’m talking about that specific brand of "turn your brain off" humor that defined a generation of sleepovers. Scary Movie didn’t just spoof Scream; it basically took the entire concept of the "final girl" and turned it into a slapstick punchline. Finding movies like Scary Movie today is actually harder than you’d think because the genre sort of ate itself alive.
There was a moment where every single blockbuster had a "Movie" attached to its title. Epic Movie, Date Movie, Disaster Movie. Honestly? Most of them were pretty bad. But the ones that hit? They hit different. We’re looking for that specific blend of meta-commentary and toilet humor.
The Golden Era of the Spoof
Before Cindy Campbell was fighting off ghostface knock-offs, there was Airplane!. If you haven't seen it, stop everything. It’s the blueprint. Jim Abrahams and the Zucker brothers realized that if you have actors deliver the most insane, nonsensical lines with a completely straight face, it’s comedy gold. Leslie Nielsen became a god of this genre for a reason.
When you look for movies like Scary Movie, you're usually looking for that relentless gag rate. The 1990s gave us Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood. It’s a mouthful. It’s also arguably the funniest thing the Wayans family ever produced. It poked fun at the "hood movie" trend of the early 90s—think Boyz n the Hood or Menace II Society—with the same irreverence that Scary Movie used for slashers.
Why Slasher Parodies Work So Well
Horror is ripe for mockery. Why? Because the characters are usually idiots. We all yell at the screen when the girl runs upstairs instead of out the front door. Movies like Scary Movie capitalize on that frustration.
✨ Don't miss: The Lil Wayne Tracklist for Tha Carter 3: What Most People Get Wrong
A Haunted House (2013) tried to do for the "found footage" genre what the original did for slashers. Marlon Wayans returned to the well here. While critics absolutely hated it—seriously, it has like a 9% on Rotten Tomatoes—audiences who miss that 2000s vibe kind of loved it. It’s crude. It’s offensive. It’s exactly what you expect.
Then you have Tucker & Dale vs. Evil. This one is a bit more sophisticated, but it captures the spirit perfectly. It flips the "hillbilly horror" trope on its head. Instead of the backwoods guys being the killers, they’re actually just two sweet dudes who keep witnessing college kids accidentally kill themselves through sheer stupidity. It’s a "horror comedy" that feels like a spiritual successor to the parody boom.
The Problem With the "Movie" Franchise
We have to talk about Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer. These guys were writers on the first Scary Movie, and they eventually went on to create a string of parodies that almost killed the genre. Date Movie, Epic Movie, and Meet the Spartans relied heavily on pop culture references that aged like milk.
If a joke depends on you remembering a specific 2007 Gatorade commercial, it’s not going to be funny in 2026. This is where the original Scary Movie succeeded where others failed. It focused on the tropes of horror, not just the celebrities of the week.
🔗 Read more: Songs by Tyler Childers: What Most People Get Wrong
Best Movies Like Scary Movie to Watch Tonight
If you’re hosting a movie night and need that specific vibe, here’s a breakdown of what actually holds up.
Not Another Teen Movie (2001)
This is arguably the best parody of the era. It takes on She’s All That, 10 Things I Hate About You, and Varsity Blues. Chris Evans is in it, wearing a whipped cream bikini. It’s peak cinema. The "Janey’s got a gun" bit still kills me. It understands that teen movies are inherently melodramatic and leans into it with zero shame.
Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping (2016)
A bit more modern, but if you like the "mockumentary" style of movies like Scary Movie, The Lonely Island delivered a masterpiece here. It’s a direct parody of music documentaries like Justin Bieber’s Never Say Never. Andy Samberg plays a delusional pop star with a 32-person "toner" crew. It’s fast-paced, the songs are actually good, and the cameos are insane.
Wet Hot American Summer (2001)
This one is a bit of a cult classic. It parodies the 1980s summer camp movies. The cast is a "who’s who" of people before they were famous: Paul Rudd, Amy Poehler, Bradley Cooper. The joke is that they are all clearly 30-year-olds playing 16-year-olds. It’s absurd. There’s a talking can of vegetables. It captures that "nothing makes sense" energy perfectly.
💡 You might also like: Questions From Black Card Revoked: The Culture Test That Might Just Get You Roasted
The Evolution of Meta-Comedy
The "spoof" has changed. Nowadays, horror movies often parody themselves. Take Scream (2022) or Scream VI. They are so self-aware that they almost function as movies like Scary Movie while still being actual horror films. They talk about "requels" and "elevated horror."
But let's be real. Sometimes you don't want "elevated." You want a guy getting hit in the face with a shovel.
You might want to check out Shaun of the Dead. It’s often called a parody, but Edgar Wright prefers the term "Zom-Com." It respects the genre while making fun of it. The scene where they beat a zombie to the beat of Queen’s "Don't Stop Me Now" is legendary. It’s more clever than Scary Movie, but the DNA is the same.
Why the Humor is Controversial Now
Looking back at these films, a lot of the jokes are... rough. The early 2000s were a wild west of "everything is fair game" comedy. A lot of movies like Scary Movie haven't aged perfectly in terms of social sensitivity. But there’s a raw, unfiltered energy there that modern, polished comedies often lack. They weren't afraid to look stupid. They weren't trying to be "important."
Actionable Steps for Your Next Binge
If you want to dive back into this world, don't just grab the first thing you see on a streaming service. Most "spoof" movies from 2005-2015 are genuinely unwatchable.
- Start with the classics. Re-watch the first Scary Movie and then jump straight to Not Another Teen Movie. This gives you the best of the "Wayans/Seltzer" era before it got too repetitive.
- Explore the "Zucker, Abrahams, and Zucker" (ZAZ) catalog. If you like the rapid-fire jokes, Top Secret! and The Naked Gun are essential viewing.
- Look for the "Black Comedy" crossovers. Films like The Blackening (2022) are the modern evolution. It asks the question: "If the Black characters in a horror movie actually did the smart thing, would they survive?" It’s funny, sharp, and feels like the spiritual grandchild of the Wayans' work.
- Avoid anything with "Disaster" or "Extreme" in the title. Trust me. Just don't do it to yourself. They are 80 minutes of your life you'll never get back.
The reality is that movies like Scary Movie represent a very specific moment in pop culture. They were the original "memes" before memes existed. They took the things we all noticed about movies and put them on the big screen. Whether it’s a killer who keeps tripping over his own robe or a girl who can’t see the giant killer standing right behind her, these movies remind us that cinema is often ridiculous—and that’s why we love it.