Scary Movie 5 is considered by many as one of the worst movies ever made, so much so that it even earned a minuscule 4 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. However, this goofy parody has aged shockingly well, and while it may not be for everyone, it's certainly not the trash fire it was originally made out to be.
The Scary Movie franchise has always been a staple in the parody movie sub-genre, but the idea to reboot the franchise entirely for the fifth installment was never something fans necessarily wanted. So, when the film was released in 2013, the series had already lost its momentum, and people were going in expecting it to be awful.
The fact that Scary Movie 5 didn't feature any of the original cast members and its existence almost felt pointless led any random cameo or bizarre gag to be overlooked. But now, seven years later, aspects of the low-brow comedy that once seemed meaningless now offer a strange sense of nostalgia that provides a reason to watch the movie, something that many didn't believe it had initially.
For instance, the pairing of Snoop Dogg and Mac Miller as two stoners who stumble upon some deranged children in the woods may have felt like nonsense in 2013, but since Miller passed away tragically two years ago, there is a new sentimentality found in watching what was the rapper's only acting role in a feature film. Instead of judging the randomness of the sequence, it's now easier to enjoy Snoop Dogg and Mac Miller having fun with the sheer insanity of the screenplay that they are given.
The film's level of insanity with its jokes is another facet that can be appreciated more so in this current time period. At the time, the jokes may have felt ridiculous and too convoluted, but now, that type of humor is a more popular brand that is featured in things like The Eric Andre Show. On top of that, because of how unpredictable the time we now live in is, this anything-can-happen style of humor feels more relatable. In one shot mimicking Paranormal Activity, an empty street is shown, before a random car explodes for no reason. This could have seemed cheap and lazy when it was first released, but this is just the kind of gonzo weirdness that many people are now itching to consume.
From the way the critics ravaged this campy sequel, it would seem as though the movie was just a rehash of other films and had no originality at all. However, that's far from the truth, as Scary Movie 5 features a segment that depicts vacuums coming alive and throwing a party. The vacuums look as though they were made via stop-motion animation, and it appeared as though this took a lot of time and effort to achieve. A film as abysmal and poorly-made as the one described by critics normally wouldn't feature something so involved and well-crafted.
Obviously, Scary Movie 5 is far from great cinema, but it has that so-bad-it's-good quality that is worth a second look, especially for fans of the franchise. Movies such as Sharknado and Zombeavers capture a similar essence that only certain films can; movies that are unashamed to go as far as they want to and have fun doing it, no matter how technically bad they may be considered.
The movie is also ridiculously watchable, starting with a meta opening gag featuring Charlie Sheen and Lindsay Lohan having an intimate encounter where literally anything goes. Some parodies will lure you in with a star-studded opening and then bore you for the rest of the runtime. Scary Movie 5 immediately cuts to Snoop Dogg and Mac Miller after the opening, proving to the audience that if they just lose their inhibitions and forget any preconceived notions, they will be in for a raunchy, cameo-filled comedy that is worth the watch.