You remember 2013? It was a weird time. People were obsessed with the "Harlem Shake," Vine was the hottest thing on the planet, and Dimension Films decided to release the Scary Movie 5 trailer. Honestly, looking back at it now from 2026, it feels like a fever dream from a totally different era of comedy. If you grew up with Anna Faris and the Wayans brothers, that trailer was... a lot to process. It didn't have Cindy. It didn't have Brenda. It basically felt like a different universe.
The Trailer That Changed Everything (For Better or Worse)
When the first Scary Movie 5 trailer dropped, the internet had some feelings. Loud ones. The biggest shocker wasn't the jokes; it was the cast. Instead of the familiar faces we'd loved since 2000, we got Ashley Tisdale leading the charge. Fresh off her High School Musical fame, she was a massive pivot for the series.
The trailer leaned hard on two people: Charlie Sheen and Lindsay Lohan.
At the time, they were the ultimate tabloid magnets. Seeing them jump into bed together for the opening gag was peak "stunt casting." It was clearly meant to grab headlines, and it worked. But if you watch that trailer today, the comedy feels a bit desperate. It was trying so hard to be "current" that it dated itself within about six months.
What did they actually spoof?
The 2013 trailer was basically a "best of" (or worst of) the horror movies from the previous two years. You've got:
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- Paranormal Activity: This was the backbone of the plot. The "hidden camera" footage was everywhere in the teaser.
- Mama: Remember that creepy ghost with the long hair? They parody the feral kids and the "Mama" figure extensively.
- Black Swan: Ashley Tisdale’s character is a ballet dancer, leading to some pretty gross-out gags involving hangnails and competition.
- Rise of the Planet of the Apes: Simon Rex plays a researcher working with an intelligent chimp named Caesar.
- Inception: They even squeezed in a dream-within-a-dream bit with a machine that looks like a toaster.
Why the Scary Movie 5 Trailer Felt Different
There’s a specific vibe to this trailer that sets it apart from the first four films. For one, David Zucker—the legend behind Airplane!—was back as a writer and producer, but the direction came from Malcolm D. Lee. Lee is a talented guy (Undercover Brother is a classic), but the chemistry felt off.
The "Scary MoVie" branding (with the 'V' instead of a 5) was a weird choice. It tried to signal a reboot, but fans just wanted the old gang back. Without Regina Hall’s Brenda Meeks to react to the madness, the jokes in the trailer often landed with a thud.
I actually think the trailer suffered from "Too Many Reshoots Syndrome." If you look closely at the different TV spots that came out later, they started shoving in parodies of the Evil Dead remake and Sinister at the last second. Those movies had just come out! It felt like the editors were frantically gluing new jokes onto the film while it was already in the projector.
The Reality of the Cast
The ensemble was actually pretty impressive on paper. You had:
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- Terry Crews (always a win).
- Snoop Dogg and Mac Miller (RIP) as two guys wandering through the woods.
- Katt Williams as a psychic.
- Molly Shannon doing her best Heather Darcy impression.
- Mike Tyson just... being Mike Tyson.
But even with all those stars, the trailer focused so much on the Lohan/Sheen cameo that the rest of the movie felt like an afterthought. It’s funny because, in the actual film, those two are gone in the first five minutes. The trailer sold a movie that didn't really exist.
Let's talk about the "Gross-Out" factor
The humor in this era of parody was leaning heavily on physical pain and bodily fluids. The trailer features a baby being hit by a ceiling fan. It features a dog being used as a cleaning rag. It’s that specific brand of 2010s "Shock Humor" that doesn't always translate well to a 2026 audience.
Honestly, the most interesting thing about the Scary Movie 5 trailer now is how it served as a tombstone for that style of movie. After this, the big-budget spoof movie basically went extinct for over a decade.
The 2026 Perspective: Why We Care Now
Why are we talking about a 13-year-old trailer? Because Scary Movie 6 is officially happening.
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The news just broke that the Wayans brothers—Marlon, Shawn, and Keenen Ivory—are finally returning to the franchise they started. Paramount and Miramax are putting the band back together. Even better? Anna Faris and Regina Hall are reportedly in talks to return as Cindy and Brenda.
When people watch the Scary Movie 5 trailer today, they aren't looking for the jokes. They’re looking for what went wrong so they can hope the new one goes right. We’ve had a decade of "elevated horror" like Hereditary, Midsommar, and Get Out. There is so much material to mock, and we need the original masters to do it.
How to Revisit the Series
If you’re feeling nostalgic and want to go back through the madness, here is how you should actually handle it.
Don't just jump into the fifth one. Start with the original 2000 film to remember how sharp the satire used to be. Then, watch the Scary Movie 5 trailer on YouTube. It’s a fascinating time capsule of celebrity culture in 2013. You’ll see cameos you completely forgot about—like Sarah Hyland from Modern Family or Tyler Posey from Teen Wolf.
Your next steps for a horror-comedy marathon:
- Watch the trailers first: Sometimes the trailers for these movies are actually funnier than the films because the gags are shorter.
- Compare the "Scream" parodies: See how Ghostface evolved from the 2000 version to the 2013 references.
- Track the cameos: Count how many people in Scary Movie 5 are still famous today. It’s a lower number than you’d think.
- Prep for Scary Movie 6: Keep an eye on the 2026 release schedule. The Wayans are coming back to reclaim their throne, and the hype is already building.
The era of "Scary MoVie" might be over, but the franchise is far from dead. It’s just waiting for the right moment to jump out and yell "Wazzup" again.