Publication Date: 06-03-2026

Scary Movie 5 (2013) review

Dir. Malcolm D. Lee

By: Steve Pulaski

Rating: ½★

“It was just a bad movie. Believe me. Don’t bother going to see that movie. Or renting it, or anything. It’s not worth your time.” – Malcolm D. Lee on his film, Scary Movie 5

Scary Movie 5 is among the worst movies I’ve ever seen. Considering Scary Movie 2 was, in some sense, foundational for my sense of humor as a kid, the comedown, in my eyes, is borderline unquantifiable.

The film is a failure so miserable that, to be honest, it fits germanely beside other loathsome parody movies of its era, the likes of which helmed by Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer (Date Movie, Disaster Movie). These are movies that don’t have the wit nor wherewithal to poke and prod genre-conventions and cliches to which audiences have become accustomed. When watching a film like Airplane!, it almost makes you a more aware moviegoer because you’re seeing how often these cliches are used and how laughable they actually are when put to a sillier context. Even the original Scary Movie gleefully took the piss out of the slasher genre.

Scary Movie 5 has nothing — simply nothing — to work with, and for 86 minutes, it lumbers lifelessly to the next inane and boring parody before abandoning it almost entirely. There’s so much going on, while simultaneously so little, that the film gets its story lost. It keeps changing tones, elements, characters, and events to the point that this is nothing more than an overlong collage of cheaply redone scenes from other films of recent years.

Mama, Paranormal Activity, Black Swan, and Rise of the Planet of the Apes are the films primary sources of inspiration. Right off the bat, boy are we a dated party-guest trying desperately to be in-the-loop. Bloody Disgusting’s website tells me Scary Movie 5 began shooting in September 2012, but the film managed to incorporate parodies of Mama and Evil Dead (2013), which didn’t hit theaters until the first and second quarters of 2013. This was obviously a move to try and remain current by the time the film came out. However, because these movies weren’t out at the time, the material used to parody them is thin and taken from the trailers, which isn’t very convincing. More fittingly, though, it reeks of desperation.

For the first time in the franchise’s history, Anna Faris and Regina Hall do not appear at all, and the dubious honor of being the lead is Ashley Tisdale, who is completely set adrift with such rotten material. Simon Rex returns, but not as George, as he was in Scary Movie 3. Other stars such as Lindsay Lohan, Charlie Sheen, Snoop Dogg (as if Mac & Devin Go to High School wasn’t embarrassing enough), Mike Tyson, Jerry O’Connell, and Katt Williams pop up in cameos in a film. Nobody looks to be trying here, and frankly, they don’t need to. Pat Proft and David Zucker’s screenplay leaves almost no imagination, and in just over an hour’s worth of time manages to make every joke go on for way too long. It makes for one of the most joyless movie experiences I’ve had in my life,

The first Scary Movie was a nifty little feature, following in the footsteps of Scream to a reasonably charming effect. The second film is one of the few cases where the sequel is actually more impressive and funnier than the original film (the same thing happened with Scream 2, in my opinion). The third has its moments, while the fourth showed a precipitous fall from gracelessness.

The word for Scary Movie 5 is “lifeless,” as everything from the film’s writing, acting, and even directing by Malcolm D. Lee seems to be nothing more than a pitiful cash-in on material gone dry. When a film dedicated to lampooning other films is trying this hard to make the audiences laugh, it doesn’t seem to be any better, more sophisticated, or even on level comparable to the films being mocked. Don’t take my word for it. Take Malcolm D. Lee’s word.

My review of Scary Movie (2000)
My review of Scary Movie 2
My review of Scary Movie 3
My review of Scary Movie 4
My review of Scary Movie (2026)

Starring: Ashley Tisdale, Simon Rex, Erica Ash, Molly Shannon, Heather Locklear, J.P. Manoux, Jerry O’Connell, Charlie Sheen, Lindsay Lohan, Mike Tyson, Snoop Dogg, and Katt Williams. Directed by: Malcolm D. Lee.