Scary Movie 6, the latest entry in the long-running horror spoof franchise, debuted on Rotten Tomatoes with a shockingly low 20% score from critics.
While that number has climbed somewhat since then, the film remains firmly in rotten territory. Yet Scary Movie 6 arrives just months after Michael debuted with a Rotten Tomatoes score of 27%. The biopic went on to become a massive hit with audiences and at the box office.
‘SCARY MOVIE 6’ debuts with 20% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Read our review: https://t.co/N79FXnWzLt pic.twitter.com/eJYnMFjBpP
— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) June 4, 2026
The comparison has led some observers to wonder why Scary Movie 6 is scoring so poorly—and whether the critical backlash could actually signal that the film will connect with moviegoers.
A Controversial First Impression
Early promotion for Scary Movie 6 set a controversial tone.
The first trailer opened with a pronouns joke. As the killer—a combination of the doll from M3GAN and Ghostface—commits his first fatality, a woman shouts, “Oh my God, he stabbed her!”
The Killer in the Scary Movie trailer – YouTube @paramountpictures
“I’m not her! My pronouns are they/them,” the victim corrects her. “He stabbed them!”
Even the killer appears confused, highlighting the absurdity of the moment. Another gag leans into racial humor, while the trailer repeatedly warns audiences that “this summer, there are no safe spaces.”
Trailers are designed to give audiences a taste of what they can expect from a movie. At the same time, viewers generally hope the best jokes are being saved for the finished film. So far, however, Rotten Tomatoes critics do not appear to be laughing at Scary Movie 6.
Critics Say the Jokes Don’t Land
Many of the reviews collected on Rotten Tomatoes suggest that Scary Movie 6 simply tries to do too much.
IGN’s Eric Goldman writes that the “joke success rate is unfortunately on the low side, feeling like maybe 3 or 4 out of every 10 jokes hit the mark.”
Critic Richard Crouse echoes that sentiment, describing the film as a “firehose of references, crude puns and goofy gags.”
Anna Farris in Scary Movie 6 – Paramount Pictures, YouTube
READ: Epic Universe’s New Permits May Show New Dark Universe Attraction Coming
Simon Crook of Time Out similarly argues that the movie is “sketch comedy at a hyperactive pace, tossing out clunkers and punchlines, just to see what sticks.”
That rapid-fire, hit-or-miss style of humor may be exactly what fans of spoof comedies have come to expect. After all, the original Scary Movie films were rarely praised for subtlety.
Is the Real Issue the Humor?
However, some critics appear to take issue with more than just the number of jokes.
William Bibbiani of The Wrap argues that Scary Movie 6 is attempting to “revive the franchise, not update it.” He adds, “If anything, the film’s stubborn insistence that nothing about Scary Movie needs to change and it’s the children who are wrong now makes its profane and controversial jokes feel conservative.”
Marlon Wayans in Scary Movie 6 – Paramount Pictures, YouTube
READ: Paramount Sets K-Pop Movie Release Date for 2027
That criticism is notable because the filmmakers have been explicit about their intentions.
Marlon Wayans Wanted to “Cancel Cancel Culture”
Last March, star and co-writer Marlon Wayans explained what he hoped to accomplish with the new film.
“What we’re trying to do is bring back laughter,” he said. “This is about bringing back comedy the way it used to be. And I think the only way to do it is you have to cancel the cancel culture.”
Whether audiences agree with critics remains to be seen. With Wayans promising a return to “equal opportunity offender” comedy and a film that openly mocks everything from pronouns to modern horror trends, the divide between critics and moviegoers could become just as interesting as the movie itself.
Does the score on Rotten Tomatoes change whether or not you see a movie? Sound off in the comments and let us know!
