Review of Scary Movie: Double Pack (2 Discs)

Introduction

This double pack contains both standard DVD releases of the two films.

Scary Movie
Gross out comedy hit the big time in the late 90s, after the success of movies such as American Pie. Another good comedy source was the spoof, so here is a mixture of the two...with lots of added raunchiness.

The plot of Scary Movie (or make that agenda) is simple: rip off as many horror movies and pop culture references as possible in 85 minutes. It`s main `parody base` is Scream, hence the appearance of Ghostface, who is killing off local teens, causing mass hysteria and coverage from news teams, including that of Gail Hailstorm (who of course is ripping off Courteney Cox Arquette`s character in the Scream trilogy).

As well as the serial killer premise, there is also a whole host of other goodies to watch out for, such as a blatant bullet-time parody of The Matrix and the "I see dead people" line from M. Night Shyamalan`s The Sixth Sense.

This was written by Shawn (who plays Ray) and Marlon Wayans (who plays Shorty), both of whom have some serious (and rewarding) acting experience under their belts, and it was directed by their older brother, Keenan Ivory Wayans, who also has some acting experience.

Scary Movie 2
No mercy. No shame. No sequel.

Yeah right. Due to the usual syndrome of bloating the Hollywood cash cow, Miramax wanted a sequel to their surprise 2000 hit, and Shawn and Marlon Wayans were again hired to write it (as well as numerous other writers), and Keenan Ivory Wayans returns to direct.

The original Scary Movie was just that, original. It worked, although it did overdose on certain elements. So, before I saw the second instalment I wasn`t expecting much. A re-hash of the same jokes, and nothing more.

First things first, the `plot` (as if either movie has a real plot) is that a Professor (played by Tim Curry) is taking his class to a house for a weekend to do some `tests`. Not giving anything away, but at the end of the last movie, a certain character died, and has magically re-appeared (due to the law of sequels). Anyway, getting back to the story, this re-appeared character, plus three characters from the original movie (Cindy, Shorty and Brenda) go to the house along with some new characters.

From then on in, Scary Movie 2 rips off the supernatural, and recent blockbusters (Charlie`s Angels, Mission Impossible 2 et cetera), with thankfully, some fresh jokes. And of course gross-out comedy makes another appearance. `Less clothes` indeed...

Video

Scary Movie
It is presented in 2.35:1 Anamorphic Widescreen, with the palette used well. The visuals are deep, and the colours varied, and there are no compression signs. The print is always crisp and clear, like most Buena Vista titles.

Like most spoofs, Scary Movie does boast quite a few visual jokes, and there is a good contrast between the different scenes. And, since I suppose you could call this a slasher movie, there are quite a few murders on screen, each with a unique style, some mimicking Scream and I Know What You Did Last Summer, and others unique to the Scary Movie world.

Scary Movie 2
It is presented in 1.85:1 Anamorphic Widescreen, with no compression signs visible. The visuals are deep, and the print is always crisp and clear. Another good Buena Vista transfer.

Like the first, Scary Movie 2 does have some visual humour, whether it`s Shorty getting rolled up into a joint or a blatant Hollow Man stroke Mission Impossible 2 parody scene.

Audio

Scary Movie
A DD 5.1 track is on offer here, and it features a crisp and clear main audio stream, complimenting the dialogue well. However, the surrounds don`t have an incredibly active life - although certain scenes make use of them, they appear to be slightly flat.

Quibble aside, the dialogue is sharp and on the ball, and is clever in places, but slightly excessive in others.

Scary Movie 2
A DD 5.1 track is on offer, with good use of the surrounds. The main audio stream is crisp and clear, and the subwoofer gets a good workout in certain places.

The script, whilst enjoyable, just doesn`t compare unfortunately to the original. The laughs are slightly forced, the situations are similar...all in all it is a lazy bit of writing to be honest.

Features

Scary Movie
Behind the Scenes Featurette - with a running time of just over 6 minutes, this is a brief, yet informative, insight into the production. It focuses on how the Wayans came up with the idea, and a few soundbites from the cast.

Deleted Scenes - there are 6 scenes here, starting with the best: `Hop-A-Long Shorty`, an amusing scene showing how the teens are handling the presence of a serial killer! There are 2 more original scenes, involving Gail setting up a surveillance camera and the subsequent scene of Shorty watching the footage gathered from it. The last 3 are just extensions from scenes already in the movie, which add little.

Theatrical Trailer - self-explanatory.

Sneak Peeks - 3 trailers of other Buena Vista releases: Gone In 60 Seconds, Scream 3 and Coyote Ugly.

DVD-ROM Features - a fairly good selection here.

The menus are animated visually, with some soundbites from the movie, and as always, provide chapter selection and language setup. There is also a booklet containing production notes inside the case.

Scary Movie 2
Behind the Scenes Featurette - a 7 minute insight, containing a few soundbites with the Wayans brothers and the usual back-slapping that now plays such a part in DVD featurettes. Brief, but still watchable.

Deleted/Extended Scenes - 19 (count `em!) deleted or extended scenes, which, although they don`t add much, do contain a couple of rib-tickling moments. The best one in my opinion is the disabled Dwight using his scooter after he gets out of his car. There are also 3 alternate endings, 2 of which are similar to the one used in the final cut, but one of them is more original (and the better for it) - it is a good parody of the Pearl Harbor money shot...meaning the bit where the camera follows a missile as it descends from a bomber. Overall, this section contains a lot of depth, which is good to see.

Here Kitty, Kitty - a very short featurette explaining how they controlled the cat (it was a stuffed prop) in certain scenes.

Special Effects Tour - another featurette that does what it says on the tin.

Behind the Makeup - same as above, but focusing on how they did the makeup in the movie. Highlights include how they did the Hollow Man green screen parody and how they used the tongue in The Exorcist parody.

Stills Gallery - over 50 stills from the movie.

Conclusion

Scary Movie
The movie is original (or make that was, since its release, numerous tacky comedies have tried to repeat its success), and although it overdoes it in places, there is no denying that Scary Movie does have its finger on the pulse so to speak.

Keenan Ivory Wayans directs the movie intelligently, emphasing certain things in the foreground and background well.

Disc wise, everything is solid apart from a slightly lacklustre audio track and fairly sparse extras. Where`s the commentary track or more detailed documentary?

Overall, this is a good package, definitely worth a rent, and it wouldn`t be that bad an idea to purchase it either. Sorted!

Scary Movie 2
Although the script may lack, there are still moments that will make you chuckle, but it just isn`t enough. Disc wise, everything is good, especially the in-depth extras (a commentary would have made them perfect), so this isn`t a bad rental choice.

The time for Scary Movie has now passed, as, after two movies, a third would really be putting pressure on the cow.

The scores below are averaged from the scores for the two individual discs.