The big-screen comedy genre faded to black during the woke era.
Comedians were getting canceled for telling the “wrong” jokes. Others were apologizing for bits recorded 10-20 years ago.
A few got attacked on stage for their humor. Is it any wonder R-rated comedies got shelved?
Things are different now, to a degree.
President Donald Trump’s re-election showed Americans were growing tired of the woke rules. Roasts came back with a vengeance, and “cancelled” comics were suddenly hosting “Saturday Night Live.”
Twice.
Is this the moment the woke comedy dam bursts?
The sixth “Scary Movie” installment, simply dubbed “Scary Movie,” released its first trailer today. The “Scary Movie” trailer skewers Republicans and they/them pronouns and more.
No rules. No boundaries. The trailer’s tag line promises just that.
“Every line will be crossed.”
Read the film’s YouTube description and the culture war target becomes crystal clear. “The Wayans are back to cancel the Cancel Culture.”
The Wayans family started the franchise in 2000, and parody maestro David Zucker took over a few films later. The “Airplane!” genius directed chapters 3 and 4 and co-wrote the fifth installment. He has no connection to the newest film, alas.
The Wayans aren’t just a comedy family of the first order. They helped create “In Living Color,” a no-holds-barred answer to “Saturday Night Live” in the 1990s.
Boy, do we miss that sense of humor.
And here’s betting the film, opening June 12, will do boffo box office. The trailer is getting plenty of online attention. Heck, a leaked version of it got eyeballs last week, too.
Plus, the sequel reunites the franchise’s key players — Marlon Wayans (“Shorty”), Shawn Wayans (“Ray”), Anna Faris (“Cindy”) and Regina Hall (“Brenda”). That’s nostalgia on steroids.
The cultural zeitgeist is ready for a movie like “Scary Movie.” We’ve seen a few films attempt to revive raucous comedy for to the masses. But “Ricky Stanicky” debuted on Prime Video, and Jennifer Lawrence’s “No Hard Feelings” debuted before woke began to recede.
Plus, that film’s third act went soft on laughs.
Here’s the official synopsis for “Scary Movie” (2026):
Twenty-six years after outrunning a suspiciously familiar masked killer (“Ghostface”), the Core Four are back in the killer’s crosshairs and no horror movie IP is safe. Marlon Wayans (“Shorty”), Shawn Wayans (“Ray”), Anna Faris (“Cindy”), and Regina Hall (“Brenda”) reunite in Scary Movie alongside returning favorites and fresh faces to slash through reboots, remakes, requels, prequels, sequels, spin-offs, elevated horror, origin stories, anything with the word legacy in it, and every “final chapter” that absolutely isn’t final. Nothing is sacred. No trope survives. Every line gets crossed. The Wayans are back to cancel the Cancel Culture.
