The Scary Movie franchise is a series of horror spoof comedies that began in 2000 with Keenen Ivory Wayans directing a script co-written by Shawn and Marlon Wayans, built around the slasher wave that Scream started. Anna Faris plays Cindy Campbell, who goes from a masked killer's target in the first movie to the center of a long run of parodies that take on everything from The Ring to Paranormal Activity. Six movies are out so far, from Scary Movie in 2000 through the 2026 film known as Scary Movie 6, which Michael Tiddes directed for Paramount and Miramax. The Wayans family left after the second movie and returned for the 2026 film, which brought back Anna Faris, Regina Hall, Marlon Wayans, and Shawn Wayans as the original characters. This page covers every Scary Movie movie in order, the main characters, the horror movies each film parodies, how the series changed hands, and what comes after Scary Movie 6.
The Scary Movie films are easy to follow because the release order is also the story order. The only wrinkle is that the 2026 film works as a spiritual sequel to the first two movies and mostly skips the fifth.
Keenen Ivory Wayans directed the original, which follows Cindy Campbell, Brenda Meeks, Ray Wilkins, Shorty Meeks, and their friends as a masked killer picks them off after a cover-up. It parodies Scream and I Know What You Did Last Summer, and it also takes shots at The Matrix, The Blair Witch Project, and The Sixth Sense.
Keenen Ivory Wayans directed the sequel, which sends Cindy and the group into a haunted mansion run by a professor with an experiment on his mind. The main targets are The Haunting and The Exorcist. Shawn and Marlon Wayans wrote and starred in this one, and it was the last movie they were part of until 2026.
David Zucker, the director behind Airplane! and The Naked Gun, took over for the third movie. Cindy is now a news reporter investigating a cursed videotape and mysterious crop circles alongside Brenda, and Leslie Nielsen plays President Harris. The film spoofs The Ring, Signs, and 8 Mile.
Zucker directed the fourth movie too, with Anna Faris and Regina Hall returning and Leslie Nielsen back as President Harris. Cindy works as a caregiver who runs into a haunted house and an alien invasion, and the movie goes after The Grudge, War of the Worlds, Saw, The Village, and Brokeback Mountain.
Malcolm D. Lee directed this entry, which Dimension Films released with a new cast led by Ashley Tisdale and Simon Rex. Charlie Sheen and Lindsay Lohan open the movie in a Paranormal Activity parody, and the rest of the film spoofs Mama, Black Swan, and Evil Dead. Anna Faris and Regina Hall do not appear in it.
Michael Tiddes directed the 2026 film, officially titled Scary Movie and widely called Scary Movie 6. It reunites Anna Faris, Regina Hall, Marlon Wayans, and Shawn Wayans, and it reached theaters on June 5, 2026, before moving to Paramount+ on September 3, 2026. The full plot, cast, and parody list are on the Scary Movie 6 movie page.
Anna Faris plays Cindy Campbell and Regina Hall plays Brenda Meeks, and the two appear together in the first four movies and the 2026 film. Marlon Wayans plays Shorty Meeks and Shawn Wayans plays Ray Wilkins in the first two movies and again in 2026.
The original supporting cast includes Dave Sheridan as Doofy Gilmore, Cheri Oteri as Gail Hailstorm, Lochlyn Munro as Greg Phillippe, and Jon Abrahams as Bobby Prinze, and all of them return in 2026. Leslie Nielsen plays President Harris in the third and fourth movies.
The Wayans family left the series after Scary Movie 2, and David Zucker took over the third and fourth movies. Marlon Wayans has publicly said the family lost control of the franchise. In 2024, Miramax and Paramount announced a new Scary Movie with Keenen Ivory, Shawn, and Marlon Wayans writing and producing, alongside Rick Alvarez and producer Neal H. Moritz.
Marlon Wayans has teased a Scary Movie 7 around the release of the 2026 film, but no release date or official announcement has been confirmed. The 2026 movie opened to $55 million domestically, which gives Paramount a reason to keep going, and Miramax and Paramount already have a first-look partnership in place.
There are six Scary Movie movies so far, released in 2000, 2001, 2003, 2006, 2013, and 2026.
Anna Faris plays Cindy Campbell in the first four movies and in the 2026 film, Scary Movie 6.
Scary Movie 6 is described as a spiritual sequel to the first two movies rather than a direct follow-up to Scary Movie 5.
Leslie Nielsen plays President Harris in Scary Movie 3 and Scary Movie 4.
Marlon Wayans has teased it, but no Scary Movie 7 has been officially announced.