Scary Movie 2 (2001)

Keenen Ivory Wayans

USA

80 mins, color, English

Sequels bad. Sequels very bad. Never has a sequel fallen so fast and so low as the successor to Wayans bros' SCARY MOVIE, which was a very funny and sometimes clever spoof of teen films, from popular slasher flicks, to popular WB dramas. The keyword here being "popular" and it is the first clue as to why SCARY MOVIE 2 is the miserable failure that it is. If one is doing spoofs, one better make damn sure that the material being made fun of is (a) popular, (b) popular, (c) popular, or (d) all of the above. That is, for a parody to work, the source must be well known (and preferably liked as well). But the 7 (yeah, count 'em, seven) writers have to be taught the basics of humor.

The problem? While its predecessor capitalized on the insane and largely undeserved popularity of SCREAM, along with a host of other, and better, films, like THE MATRIX, SCARY MOVIE 2 is based around THE HAUNTING, a mostly boring special effects showcase that was neither scary nor entertaining. It serves the spoof right for it is also neither funny nor clever. To top it off, the box office flop of the source should have clued somebody at Dimension that the material is weak. THE HAUNTING vanished after a few runs and I can only remember it because I own the DVD (for no good reason, don't pry). I suspect most viewers won't be able to recall even that much.

Some may think that the scenes designed to mock THE EXORCIST are funny. They are not. Even James Woods' guest appearance deserves all the vomit that was spit in that room. Although not a fan, I can take one or two fart jokes, just because I know they are designed to appeal to the grunting beer-guzzling frat boys in the audience. I am also sometimes known to snicker at gross-out jokes, but not too often. However, even my generally high level of tolerance could not stomach Woods' exercise in excruciating shitting in the first 10 mins of the movie. Yuck! Triple yuck! Who comes up with that? Who, in the world, could possibly think it is funny?

Also, Austin Powers peeing for 5 minutes was funny because we did not get to see the fluid. That's why the girl peeing for 5 minutes in SCARY MOVIE 2 was simply gross. In THE EXORCIST it was scary because it was unusual, a sign of the evil that had possessed her. Here it's simply a lot of bad taste presented in the least funny way one can imagine.

Its humorless bad taste and indulgence in repetitive "sex" fart jokes make SCARY MOVIE the least desirable viewing experience of this summer thus far (and the list of candidates is long, believe me). With most of the jokes were recycled from the original, plus a few almost entertaining moments, like the spoof of CHARLIE'S ANGELS, this movie should be avoided by all with less than jaded tastes. Sensible people, who do not want their sense of humor stultified, should avoid.

August 10, 2001.