‘Scary Movie’ Buried a Horror Parody Franchise Worth Resurrecting

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Combining jokes from various movie genres is often a gamble, and we saw that with the decline of parody films in the mid-2000s. Overloading movies with too many pop culture references simply didn’t resonate with viewers. However, the Scary Movie series has remained surprisingly successful, consistently earning money at the box office and receiving good audience reviews. Plus, with new horror movies being released all the time, it provides a constant source of material for jokes. In fact, a reboot is already in the works! But looking back 25 years, the original Scary Movie ended up overshadowing another deserving horror comedy.

The comedy-horror film Scary Movie was a huge hit when it came out in July 2000, becoming one of the year’s top-grossing R-rated movies. Its success quickly led to imitators, and one of those was Shriek If You Know What I Did Last Friday the 13th. This film went straight to DVD just seven months after Scary Movie and wasn’t well-received by viewers or critics. But does Shriek deserve all the criticism it gets?

This Horror Spoof Has Some Great Moments

While Tiffani Amber Thiessen (known from Saved By The Bell) and Coolio are featured in most of the movie’s advertising, they actually play smaller roles in Shriek. Thiessen appears as a news reporter who provides comedic commentary, and Coolio plays the high school principal, but only appears in a few scenes. The movie’s humor is really what drives the story. Not every joke lands, but the funny moments are enough to keep things moving forward.

Okay, as a huge horror fan, I have to say this new movie is wild! They just have Chucky walking around the high school like it’s totally normal, and honestly, the main characters don’t even seem that phased. But it’s the killer who’s really getting a lot of funny moments. I mean, he’s doing weird things to try and get to people – like winning a track race just to stalk someone, or casually hiding under a lunch table right in front of everyone! And the big reveal? Forget the classic Ghostface mask, he’s got a whole collection of ridiculous ones! It’s a bit spoiled in the trailer, but it’s a really clever twist. Seriously, this movie isn’t afraid to make ‘the killer’ look totally silly, and I’m here for it!

​​​​​’Shriek’s Parodies All Over the Place


Like most parody films, Shriek delivers jokes quickly – even faster than Scary Movie. While some viewers might enjoy this rapid-fire style from writers Sue Bailey and Joe Nelms, it ultimately becomes the movie’s biggest flaw. This is particularly noticeable in the second half, when the characters gather in a single location. This limited setting doesn’t help the increasingly childish and crude humor, making it fall flat.

The movie Shriek is a mixed bag – some parts work, and others don’t. Like many parody films, it throws references to a lot of different movies hoping something will land with viewers. It heavily references Scream and I Know What You Did Last Summer (similar to Scary Movie), but also includes nods to Grease, Dawson’s Creek, and the less successful film Teaching Mrs. Tingle. To really succeed, a parody needs jokes that appeal to the audience, not just from popular movies. In fact, Shriek is funniest when it comes up with original jokes or pokes fun at the horror genre itself, rather than relying on references to other types of films.

Many people, particularly on IMDb, prefer Shriek to Scary Movie. While Shriek matches Scary Movie in terms of mature content like violence, sex, and language, it manages to be just as funny without going as far. However, its less successful jokes actually hold it back, especially since it already relies heavily on copying other movies. Luckily, Shriek If You Know What I Did Last Friday the 13th is currently available to stream for free on Tubi, so it’s worth checking out.

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2025-11-10 04:18