''Scary Movie 4'' is a 2006 American

parody film A parody film or spoof film is a subgenre of comedy film that lampoons other film genres or films as pastiches, works created by imitation of the style of many different films reassembled together. Although the subgenre is often overlooked by cri ...

directed by

David Zucker David Samuel Zucker (born October 16, 1947) is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. Associated mostly with parody comedies, Zucker is recognized for collaborating with Jim Abrahams and his brother Jerry as part of Zucker, Ab ...

, written by

Jim Abrahams James Steven Abrahams (May 10, 1944 – November 26, 2024) was an American film director and writer, best known as a member of Zucker, Abrahams and Zucker. Life and career James Steven Abrahams was born on May 10, 1944, to a Jewish family in ...

Craig Mazin Craig Mazin (born 1971) is an American writer, director, and producer. He is best known for creating, writing, and producing the HBO historical disaster drama miniseries ''Chernobyl (miniseries), Chernobyl'' (2019) and co-creating, co-writing, an ...

, and Pat Proft, and produced by Mazin and Robert K. Weiss. It is the sequel to '' Scary Movie 3'' and the fourth installment in the ''Scary Movie'' film series, as well as the first film in the franchise to be released by

The Weinstein Company The Weinstein Company, LLC (usually credited or abbreviated as TWC) was an American independent film production and distribution company, which was founded in New York City by Bob and Harvey Weinstein on March 10, 2005. TWC was one of the larg ...

(TWC) following the purchase of

Dimension Films Dimension Films was an American independent film and television production and distribution label founded in 1992, and currently owned by independent studio Lantern Entertainment. Formally one of the American " mini-majors" (i.e., small to m ...

from

Miramax Films Miramax, LLC, formerly known as Miramax Films, is an American independent film and television production and distribution company owned by beIN Media Group and Paramount Global. Based in Los Angeles, California, it was founded on December 19, ...

(who did still co-produce the film). The film stars

Anna Faris Anna Kay Faris ( ; born November 29, 1976) is an American actress. Known for playing comedic roles, she rose to prominence with the lead part of Cindy Campbell in the Scary Movie (film series), ''Scary Movie'' films (2000–2006). Her film credi ...

Regina Hall Regina Lee Hall (born December 12, 1970) is an American actress. She rose to prominence for her role as Brenda Meeks in the comedy horror ''Scary Movie'' film series (2000–2006). Hall received critical acclaim for her role in the film '' Sup ...

, Craig Bierko,

Bill Pullman William Pullman (born December 17, 1953) is an American actor. After graduating with a Master of Fine Arts degree in theater, he was an adjunct professor at Montana State University before deciding to pursue acting. Pullman made his film debut i ...

Anthony Anderson Anthony Anderson (born August 15, 1970) is an American actor, comedian, and television host. He is known for his leading roles in television shows such as Andre "Dre" Johnson on the comedy series ''Black-ish'' (2014–2022), Marlin Boulet on the ...

Carmen Electra Carmen Electra (born Tara Leigh Patrick, April 20, 1972) is an American actress, model, singer, and media personality. She began her career as a singer after moving to Minneapolis where she met Prince (musician), Prince who produced her Carm ...

, Chris Elliott,

Kevin Hart Kevin Darnell Hart (born July 6, 1979) is an American comedian and actor. The accolades he has received include the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor and nominations for two Grammy Awards and four Primetime Emmy Awards. After winning se ...

, Cloris Leachman,

Michael Madsen Michael Madsen (born September 25, 1957) is an American actor. Alongside his frequent collaborations with Quentin Tarantino—''Reservoir Dogs'' (1992), ''Kill Bill: Volume 2'' (2004), ''The Hateful Eight'' (2015), and ''Once Upon a Time in Hol ...

, Dr. Phil McGraw,

Leslie Nielsen Leslie William Nielsen (February 11, 1926November 28, 2010) was a Canadian actor and comedian. With a career spanning 60 years, he appeared in more than 100 films and 150 television programs, portraying more than 220 characters. He made his a ...

Shaquille O'Neal Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal ( ; born March 6, 1972), commonly known as Shaq ( ), is an American former professional basketball player who is a sports analyst on the television program ''Inside the NBA''. He is a and Center (basketball), center ...

and Molly Shannon. The film marks the final franchise appearances of the main stars, Faris and Hall (who portray Cindy and Brenda, respectively), and concludes the original story arc. This was initially intended to be the final film in the ''Scary Movie'' film series, until '' Scary Movie 5'' was released in 2013. The film grossed $178 million on a $40 million budget, becoming the third highest-grossing film in the series.

Plot

and Dr. Phil wake up to find themselves chained to pipes in a bathroom. A villainous Puppet appears on a television screen and reveals that the room is slowly filling with nerve gas. To escape, Shaquille must shoot a basket to obtain two hacksaws, which Dr. Phil realizes are intended for their feet. However, Dr. Phil saws off the wrong foot and faints, leaving both to die. Meanwhile, Cindy Campbell visits her brother-in-law, Tom Logan, in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. Her husband, George, has died, and her nephew, Cody, is enrolled in a military academy, leaving her heartbroken and lonely. Tom's attempted suicide results in him ingesting

viagra Sildenafil, sold under the brand name Viagra among others, is a medication used to treat erectile dysfunction and pulmonary arterial hypertension. It is also sometimes used off-label for the treatment of certain symptoms in secondary Ray ...

, which greatly swells his penis and causes his death when he falls off the railing. Afterwards, Cindy takes a job caring for Mrs. Norris, who lives in a haunted house. Next door is Tom Ryan, who runs into George's friends Mahalik and CJ and learns about their homosexual one-night stand. He is greeted at home by the arrival of his estranged children, Robbie and Rachel. The following day, Cindy bonds with Tom, confiding to him about George's death in a fateful boxing match. They both realize their newfound love but are interrupted by a gigantic

tripod A tripod is a portable three-legged frame or stand, used as a platform for supporting the weight and maintaining the stability of some other object. The three-legged (triangular stance) design provides good stability against gravitational loads ...

that starts vaporizing the city's residents. Cindy converses in what appears to be Japanese (but in reality is just a dialogue composed of random Japanese terms) with the haunted house's ghost, a silent boy with pale skin, learning that the answer to the invasion is his father's heart. While Tom leaves the city with his children, Cindy reunites with her friend, Brenda Meeks, who is inexplicably alive after she died in the previous film. Following the Japanese boy's directions, they head to the countryside and end up in a mysterious, isolated community. They are captured and put on trial, headed by Henry Hale. The result allows them to live, but never to leave the village. Meanwhile, there is an emergency U.N. meeting, headed by the eccentric

U.S. President The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal government of t ...

Baxter Harris, who is reluctant to stop reading " My Pet Duck." The meeting goes awry when a malfunctioning alien weapon renders everyone naked. Tom and his children drive in a war between the U.S. military and the aliens. Excited by the conflict, Robbie runs away, while the tripod takes Tom and Rachel. Back in the village, Henry is killed by the village loon, Ezekiel, who reveals to Cindy that he fathered the Japanese boy, who was killed during Cindy's boxing match. Cindy and Brenda are soon taken by the tripod and sent to the bathroom seen in the prologue. They get stuck in the Venus flytrap from '' Saw II''. Cindy manages to get through the puppet's challenge but is threatened with the safety of Tom and his children, who are put in traps. Looking at a toilet with the "heart" nearby, Cindy realizes that the Puppet, through Henry's wife, is the true biological father of the Japanese boy. Seeing how far Tom would go to save his children, the Puppet, who realizes his mistakes, apologizes for the invasion and releases them. Robbie and Rachel successfully return to their mother, who is revealed to have married a much older man. Brenda also becomes romantically involved with the Puppet's human brother, Zoltar. An epilogue set one month afterwards, narrated by James Earl Jones who is subsequently hit by a bus, reveals Brenda's giving birth to her child with Zoltar, Mahalik and CJ resuming their relationship, and President Harris being content with his duck. Meanwhile, Tom appears in ''

The Oprah Winfrey Show ''The Oprah Winfrey Show'' is an American first-run syndicated talk show that was hosted by Oprah Winfrey. The show ran for twenty-five seasons from September 8, 1986, to May 25, 2011, in which it broadcast 4,561 episodes. The show was taped i ...

'' and wildly confesses his love for Cindy by jumping around, throwing Cindy across the room, then breaking Oprah's wrists and hitting her with a chair afterwards.

Cast

as Cindy Campbell *

as Brenda Meeks * Craig Bierko as Tom Ryan *

as President Baxter Harris *

as Henry Hale *

as Mahalik Phifer *

as CJ Iz * Beau Mirchoff as Robbie Ryan * Conchita Campbell as Rachel Ryan * Molly Shannon as Marilyn *

as Oliver * Chris Elliott as Ezekiel *

as Holly * Cloris Leachman as Emma Norris * Garrett Masuda as Japanese Ghost Boy *

as Saw Villain (voice) * DeRay Davis as Marvin * Henry Mah as Mr. Koji * Patrice O'Neal as Rashed/CrackHead * Tomoko Sato as Japanese Ghost Woman * Kathryn Dobbs as School Teacher * Bryan Callen as Agent Harper *

as Zoltar (voice) * Angelique Naude as Waitress * Rorelee Tio as Yoko * Allison Warren as Polish Delegate * Edward Moss as

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Michael Jackson, one of the most culturally significan ...

* Champagne Powell as Don King *

Dave Attell David Attell (born January 18, 1965) is an American stand-up comedian, actor and writer best known as the host of Comedy Central's '' Insomniac with Dave Attell.'' Early life Attell was born in the New York City borough of Queens to a Jewish fa ...

as Knifeman * John Reardon as Jeremiah * Kimani Ray Smith as Cutman * Dale Wolfe as Hang Gliding Man

Cameo appearances

as himself * Dr.

Phil McGraw Phillip Calvin McGraw (born September 1, 1950), also known as Dr. Phil, is an American television personality and author who is best known for hosting the talk show '' Dr. Phil''. He holds a doctorate in clinical psychology, though he ceased ...

as himself * Simon Rex as George Logan *

Charlie Sheen Carlos Irwin Estévez (born September 3, 1965), known professionally as Charlie Sheen, is an American actor. He is known as a leading man in film and television. Sheen has received numerous accolades including a Golden Globe Award as well as ...

as Tom Logan (uncredited) *

Debra Wilson Debra Wilson is an American actress and comedian. She is the longest-serving original cast member on the sketch comedy series ''Mad TV'', having appeared on the show's first eight seasons from 1995 to 2003. As a voice actress, she has voiced va ...

Oprah Winfrey Oprah Gail Winfrey (; born Orpah Gail Winfrey; January 29, 1954) is an American television presenter, talk show host, television producer, actress, author, and media proprietor. She is best known for her talk show, ''The Oprah Winfrey Show' ...

* James Earl Jones as Narrator / Himself * Holly Madison, Bridget Marquardt and Kendra Wilkinson as girls in Tom's bed *

Lil Jon Jonathan H. Smith (born January 17, 1971), better known by his stage name Lil Jon, is an American rapper, DJ, and record producer. Regarded as a progenitor of the club-oriented hip-hop subgenre crunk, his production and voice presence were inst ...

as himself *

Fabolous John David Jackson (born November 18, 1977), known professionally as Fabolous, is an American rapper. Raised in Brooklyn, he first gained recognition for his ability upon performing live on DJ Clue's WQHT, Hot 97 radio show. Jackson then signed ...

as himself/gunman * Chingy as himself * Crystal Lowe as Chingy's girl *

Bubba Sparxxx Warren Anderson Mathis (born March 6, 1977), better known by his stage name Bubba Sparxxx, is an American rapper. His 2001 single, " Ugly" (featuring Timbaland) peaked at number 15 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and led him to sign with Timbaland ...

as hoodlum * Bone Crusher as hoodlum * YoungBloodZ as themselves * Michael McDonald as Tiffany Stone (crossdressing boxer)

Release

Home media

The film was released on

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for digital video disc or digital versatile disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any ki ...

on August 15, 2006, in theatrical (83 minutes), and unrated (89 minutes) editions with deleted scenes,

blooper A blooper, or gag reel, is short clip from a film, television program or video production, usually a deleted scene, containing a mistake made by a member of the cast or crew. It also refers to an error made during a live radio or TV broadcast or ...

s, and outtakes. About 1,581,754 units were sold, bringing in $22,308,989 in revenue.

Reception

Box office

In its opening weekend, the film grossed a total of $40.2 million, the third best opening weekend of the ''Scary Movie'' franchise. It has the best Easter weekend opening weekend ever, beating '' Panic Room'' which made $30.1 million in its opening and also the second best April opening, only $2 million behind '' Anger Managements record. As of October 18, 2006, the film has grossed a total of $90,710,620 at the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

box office and $178,262,620 worldwide.

Critical response

Review aggregation website

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...

reports that 34% of 126 critics gave the film a positive review, with an average rating of 4.60/10. The site's consensus states, "Sure to inspire a few chuckles, but not enough to compensate for the recycled material from its predecessors." On

Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...

, film has an average of 40 out of 100, based on 23 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Audiences surveyed by

CinemaScore CinemaScore is an American market research firm based in Las Vegas. It surveys film audiences to rate their viewing experiences with letter grades, reports the results, and forecasts box office receipts from the data. Background Ed Mintz, who ...

gave the film a grade "C+" on a scale of A+ to F. Stephen Hunter of ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

'' stated that while "''Scary Movie 4'' never takes you close to death by laughter ..it's funny enough to turn the hands on your watch much more quickly than you can believe." Nathan Lee of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

described the film as being "organized on the principle of parody, not plot, ..it's an exercise in lowbrow postmodernism, a movie-movie contraption more nuts than

Charlie Kaufman Charles Stuart Kaufman (; born November 19, 1958) is an American screenwriter, film director, and novelist. Having first come to prominence for writing ''Being John Malkovich'' (1999), ''Adaptation (film), Adaptation'' (2002), and ''Eternal Sun ...

's gnarliest fever dream. It's cleverly stupid."

Accolades

The film won a

Golden Raspberry Award The Golden Raspberry Awards (also known as the Razzies and Razzie Awards) is a parody award show honoring the worst of cinematic failures. Co-founded by University of California, Los Angeles, UCLA film graduates and film industry veterans John ...

for Worst Supporting Actress (

, also in '' Date Movie'').

Sequel

A sequel titled ''Scary Movie 5'', was released in 2013.

References

External links

* * {{Ju-on Scary Movie (film series) 2006 films 2006 comedy horror films 2000s American films 2000s English-language films 2000s parody films 2000s supernatural horror films American comedy horror films American sequel films American supernatural comedy films American supernatural horror films Buena Vista International films Cultural depictions of Michael Jackson Cultural depictions of Tom Cruise Cultural depictions of George W. Bush Dimension Films films Films about fictional presidents of the United States Films directed by David Zucker Films produced by Robert K. Weiss Films scored by James L. Venable Films set in New Jersey Films shot in Vancouver Films with screenplays by Craig Mazin Films with screenplays by Jim Abrahams Films with screenplays by Pat Proft Golden Raspberry Award–winning films Miramax films Parodies of horror The Weinstein Company films English-language comedy horror films