A spoof on the slasher genre brings with it one important question – can it
be spoofed after Scream? Wes Craven’s smart and sassy post-modern satire
seemed to have said it all. So director Wayans and his writers say what
could not be said and what no one else thought to say in those other films,
choosing to mix the wilder elements of a Porky’s-style comedy with the
slasher films that are the staple of ever teenager’s cinema going.
From the moment Carmen Electra does her Drew Barrymore impersonation in the
amusing Scream-style opening, running through sprinklers, losing her clothes
and tossing her hair in gorgeous slow-motion, there can be no doubt which
way the sharp satirical point is directed.
Soon there will be more deaths, as the fickle finger of suspicion does all
kinds of weird things to the hapless high school kids in small-town middle
America, four of whom harbour a deadly, fishy secret from the previous
summer. Sensing a story, pushy newswoman Gail Hailstorm (Oteri) comes to
town, and proceeds to wreck havoc, turning to retarded wannabe policeman
Doofy (Sheridan) for an inside track on events. But events have moved on…
Sex, death and humour in its many forms are on show in Wayans’ brisk, crude, and gleefully down-market comedy. Anyone offended by overt sexuality, silly
plotting and cheesy stereotypes would probably not be watching the films
that this spoof so cheerfully bases itself on in the first place, so have no
business expecting this to be any less exploitative.
A passing knowledge of those other films is a help in getting the humour
here, but it stands quite well on its own too, and benefits from the
eye-catching performances of Shawn Wayans and Anna Faris.
OVERALL SUMMARY
Coming from Miramax, the spiritual home of the Scream trilogy, this fun-
fuelled spoof may seem just a bit incestuous but it’s funny more often than
not, and that in the end is the greater purpose that it serves.
