Scary Movie

Scary Movie (1991) - I have never judged a movie for the amount of times the lead actor made me twitch.

But it happened with this one.

All I know is that it might take me two weeks to stop twitching after watching this brilliant performance by John Hawkes.

Holy smokes. What a workout for your nervous system.

I never knew that this Scary Movie existed nearly a decade before the horror comedy franchise started up in 2000.

This one might have a tinge of dark comedy in it, but it's definitely not silly funny.

John Hawkes plays Warren, a young man who is battling many things in his head.

He's shy. A nerd. Paranoid. Phobic.

The last place in the world Warren should be is at a Halloween festival in his small town in Texas, one that has a particularly aggressive haunted house of horror.

Warren is dragged there by his friend Jerry (Mark Vogues), who sets him up with a girl named Barbara (Suzanne Aldrich). She's a bit gothy and borderline slutty, and should run for the hills rather than link up with Warren. But she tries to give him a chance, God bless her.

The bottom line is, though, Warren is afraid of girls, afraid of haunted houses, afraid of bullies, afraid of everything. And he shows it. When everyone around him catches on, they make fun of and poke at him. Poor Warren gets more and more nervous and paranoid.

To top it off, Warren hears about a serial killer named John Louis Barker (Lee Gettys), who has broken out of custody and could be on his way to the very Halloween festival.

Warren, of course, thinks that Barker will be waiting for him in the haunted house of horror. And of course, he is forced to go in.

The twitching has only begun.

I'll give it to you straight. This is not a slick or lavishly produced movie. If you're looking for gore, there's not a whole lot, and what there is isn't particularly impressive. There are no real naughty bits. If you are easily annoyed by a nervous lead player, it'll have you heading for the exit early on.

I wasn't annoyed. I thought Hawkes hit it out of the park with his portrayal of high-level paranoid Warren. The haunted house of horror, on the cheap, grimy level of low-budget movies, I thought was pretty cool.

This is the type of movie you can turn on and it instantly feels like Halloween. A great film to watch between Sept-Oct or anytime of the year if you are like me. Add it to your Halloween watch list! It will stay forever.

This film has it all! Scary Movie is a truly one of a kind watch that's also perfect for Spooky Season! The film's haunted house setting really brings back those memories of nostalgia while the plot commands your attention leading to a pretty amazing twist towards the end of the film. Huge thumbs up from me!

Nerdy Warren (John Hawkes) is left by his friend to take Barbara into the haunted fun house. People prank on him and everybody including Barbara laughs at him. He overhears a police radio announcing a manhunt for an escaped maniac killer. He tells his friends but nobody believes him. There's a spooky fun house, a serial killer on the loose, and it's Halloween. Nothing could go wrong.

While I like the premise, I never bought the killer. It needs to show someone doing something. Without that, this is just a series of horror rooms with a crazed Warren running away from an unseen boogey man. Hawkes is pretty good and his acting is better than the bad movie production. This idea may work better as a TV episode for Twilight Zone.

Before there were Haunt (2019), Hell Fest (2018), and The Houses October Built (2014), there was Scary Movie (1991). As one of the early "haunted attraction gone wrong" films, Scary Movie helps sets the scene with loving tributes to retro Halloween visuals, classic horror movies, and clever whodunnits. Director Daniel Erickson's 1986 short film Mr. Pumpkin previously glimpsed his particular brand of mischievous Halloween fun, which is now on full display throughout Scary Movie. Even Butch "Eddie Munster" Patrick is on board for this campy ride!

One thing that surprised me about Scary Movie was the genuinely twisting mystery at the heart of it. I know my plot predictions were thrown off at least once during the course of the action. I was also impressed by how little profanity and adult content were used to tell the story; there is just enough edge sprinkled across the cast of characters to make them unique, without becoming overbearingly explicit. If you're looking for an edgier film with a similar aesthetic, The Funhouse (1981) is always available to view - but I personally prefer Scary Movie for this very reason, considering how seamlessly it blends with the 1980s/1990s general audience Halloween content I grew up watching on television.

Make no mistake, this is a horror film with blood in all the right places - but one which keeps you guessing and laughing all the same. I hope more viewers come to find this hidden gem for their Halloween movie nights. While I understand that it might not necessarily be a great fit for everyone, it is sure to tickle the funny bones of viewers interested in 1980s horror, haunted attractions, and lovingly-executed independent filmmaking. The aesthetic is nostalgic, the mystery is strong, and the cast delivers for an all-around Halloween treat.

SIMILAR TO: The Funhouse (1981), Hell Fest (2018), Scream (1996), Evil Dead 2 (1987)

FURTHER VIEWING: Mr. Pumpkin (1986)