# Scary Movie 4
**Scary Movie 4** is a 2006 American parody comedy film directed by [David Zucker](https://www.edgepedia.org/david-zucker), the fourth installment of the [Scary Movie](https://www.edgepedia.org/scary-movie) franchise, in which [Anna Faris](https://www.edgepedia.org/anna-faris)'s Cindy Campbell and her friend Brenda (Regina Hall) team up with Tom Ryan (Craig Bierko) to save the world from a hostile alien invasion while spoofing films including *War of the Worlds*, *Saw II*, *Million Dollar Baby*, and *The Village*.[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/64016-SCARY-MOVIE-4?cxt=filmography) • [2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/scary_movie_4?page=1) It opened in Los Angeles and New York on April 14, 2006, distributed by Dimension Films.[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/64016-SCARY-MOVIE-4?cxt=filmography)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release | Los Angeles and New York openings April 14, 2006; distributed by Dimension Films[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/64016-SCARY-MOVIE-4?cxt=filmography) |
| Director and writers | Directed by David Zucker; written by Craig Mazin, Jim Abrahams, and Pat Proft[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/64016-SCARY-MOVIE-4?cxt=filmography) |
| Format | PG-13, 83 minutes; genres comedy, science fiction, and horror[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/64016-SCARY-MOVIE-4?cxt=filmography) |
| Main cast | Anna Faris (Cindy), Regina Hall (Brenda), Craig Bierko (Tom), Bill Pullman (Henry Hale), Anthony Anderson (Mahalik)[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/64016-SCARY-MOVIE-4?cxt=filmography) |
| Parody targets | *War of the Worlds*, *Saw II*, *Million Dollar Baby*, and *The Village*[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/scary_movie_4?page=1) |
| Budget and returns | $40,000,000 production budget; worldwide box office 4.5 times the production budget[3](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Scary-Movie-4-%282006%29) |
| Critical scores | 34% on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer (127 reviews); 51% Popcornmeter from more than 250,000 ratings[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/scary_movie_4?page=1) |
## Spoilers
### Plot and parody targets
The story follows dim-witted Cindy Campbell and her sex-crazed friend Brenda, who join the cute-but-clueless Tom Ryan to save the world from a hostile alien invasion. The film's targets include *War of the Worlds*, *Saw II*, *Million Dollar Baby*, and *The Village*.[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/scary_movie_4?page=1) Celebrity cameos include [Carmen Electra](https://www.edgepedia.org/carmen-electra), Shaquille O'Neal, Dr. [Phil McGraw](https://www.edgepedia.org/phil-mcgraw), Bill Pullman, Molly Shannon, and [Michael Madsen](https://www.edgepedia.org/michael-madsen).[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/scary_movie_4?page=1) The film also parodies Tom Cruise's jumping-and-laughing appearance on the Oprah Winfrey show, following its take on *War of the Worlds*.[7](https://misacor.org.au/movie-reviews/414-signis-reviews-2006/file) One sequence imagines a president who cares more about a fictional pet than thousands of real-world deaths, an inversion of George W. Bush's reading a children's book during the September 11 attacks.[8](https://www.dreadcentral.com/editorials/560331/scary-movie-4-is-still-scarily-relevant-in-2026/)
### Place in the franchise
Since 2000 the franchise had taken swipes at hit horror films and other pop culture phenomena, with Zucker directing the third and fourth entries after the [Wayans family](https://www.edgepedia.org/wayans-family) departed the series.[4](https://objects.lib.uidaho.edu/argonaut/pdf/arg-2006-04-18.pdf) *Scary Movie 4* was followed by *Scary Movie 5* in 2013, which lampooned *Mama* and *Black Swan*; the series then lay dormant until a sixth film, officially titled *Scary Movie*, arrived in 2026 with Faris and Hall returning.[8](https://www.dreadcentral.com/editorials/560331/scary-movie-4-is-still-scarily-relevant-in-2026/) • [12](https://www.paramountplus.com/sneak-peak/where-to-watch-scary-movie-2026) The film remains available on streaming services including [Paramount+](https://www.edgepedia.org/paramount) and, in the United Kingdom, Disney+.[13](https://www.justwatch.com/uk/movie/scary-movie-4)
## Production
The film was produced by Brad Grey Pictures with Robert K. Weiss and [Craig Mazin](https://www.edgepedia.org/craig-mazin) as producers, photographed by Thomas E. Ackerman, and edited by Craig P. Herring and Tom Lewis.[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/64016-SCARY-MOVIE-4?cxt=filmography) Its characters derive from the original *Scary Movie* (2000), credited to Shawn Wayans, Marlon Wayans, Buddy Johnson, Phil Beauman, Jason Friedberg, and Aaron Seltzer.[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/64016-SCARY-MOVIE-4?cxt=filmography) Zucker, who had directed the classic slapstick spoof *Airplane!* as well as *Scary Movie 3*, returned for the fourth entry.[4](https://objects.lib.uidaho.edu/argonaut/pdf/arg-2006-04-18.pdf) In an interview around the film's release he noted that he does not like horror movies, the genre he spoofs, and that much of the comedy comes from cultural references.[5](https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/scary-movie-director-serious-comedy-39658/)
**A more settled production.** Anna Faris, who has played the sweet, clueless Cindy Campbell in every entry since the 2000 original, said this installment differed from the third: "we came to it with a little more of the script intact, more of a finished product," whereas on *Scary Movie 3* the writers were working as they went, with daily plot changes and additional photography.[6](https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/article/scary-movie-4-anna-faris-and-craig-bierko-do-funny/)
## Reception
The film earned mixed-to-negative reviews. Its Rotten Tomatoes critics consensus reads: "Sure to inspire a few chuckles, but not enough to compensate for the recycled material from its predecessors."[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/scary_movie_4?page=1) Early in its run it stood at 44 percent on the Tomatometer, then the second-best-reviewed film in the series behind the original's 52 percent; the score later settled at 34 percent.[9](https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/article/Critical-Consensus-Boring-To-Be-Wild-And-There-Is-Indeed-Another-Scary-Movie/) • [2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/scary_movie_4?page=1) Audience response was warmer than the critics': 51 percent on the Popcornmeter.[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/scary_movie_4?page=1)
Reviewers singled out both the film's sketch-like construction and its performers. The New York Times's Nathan Lee wrote that "the fun of Scary Movie 4 is that it isn't a movie at all. Organized on the principle of parody, not plot... it's an exercise in lowbrow postmodernism... It's cleverly stupid," scoring it 50.[10](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/scary-movie-4/critic-reviews/) The Baltimore Sun's Chris Kaltenbach (63) praised "Anna Faris, her deadpan comic timing still a joy to watch," while the [New York Daily News](https://www.edgepedia.org/new-york-daily-news) noted that "with no comic carryover from one skit to the next, true belly laughs are few and far between."[10](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/scary-movie-4/critic-reviews/) [The Hollywood Reporter](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-hollywood-reporter)'s Kirk Honeycutt observed that "the humor emphasizes quantity over quality, but the batting average isn't too bad. And where else can you witness Leslie Nielsen do a nude scene?"[10](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/scary-movie-4/critic-reviews/) The Washington Post's Stephen Hunter admitted to being ashamed at having laughed at its humor.[8](https://www.dreadcentral.com/editorials/560331/scary-movie-4-is-still-scarily-relevant-in-2026/)
**Box office.** Against a production budget of $40,000,000, the film's worldwide box office reached 4.5 times that budget, roughly $180 million.[3](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Scary-Movie-4-%282006%29) In Spain, where it opened on June 21, 2006, it sold 856,392 tickets and grossed 4,173,469.42 euros.[11](https://sede.mcu.gob.es/CatalogoICAA/Peliculas/GetPdf?Pelicula=11306) Zucker said he expected the franchise to continue thanks to its big opening weekend, and the Weinstein Company agreed even though critics were less than enthusiastic.[5](https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/scary-movie-director-serious-comedy-39658/)
## References
1. [Scary Movie 4 (2006), AFI Catalog of Feature Films](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/64016-SCARY-MOVIE-4?cxt=filmography)
2. [Scary Movie 4, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/scary_movie_4?page=1)
3. [Scary Movie 4 (2006) – Box Office and Financial Information, The Numbers](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Scary-Movie-4-%282006%29)
4. [The Argonaut, Tuesday, April 18, 2006, University of Idaho](https://objects.lib.uidaho.edu/argonaut/pdf/arg-2006-04-18.pdf)
5. ['Scary Movie 4' Director Serious About Comedy, Backstage](https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/scary-movie-director-serious-comedy-39658/)
6. ["Scary Movie 4": Anna Faris and Craig Bierko Do Funny, Rotten Tomatoes editorial](https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/article/scary-movie-4-anna-faris-and-craig-bierko-do-funny/)
7. [SIGNIS Film Reviews, January 2006](https://misacor.org.au/movie-reviews/414-signis-reviews-2006/file)
8. ['Scary Movie 4' Is Still Scarily Relevant in 2026, Dread Central](https://www.dreadcentral.com/editorials/560331/scary-movie-4-is-still-scarily-relevant-in-2026/)
9. [Critical Consensus: Boring To Be "Wild," And There Is Indeed Another "Scary Movie", Rotten Tomatoes editorial](https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/article/Critical-Consensus-Boring-To-Be-Wild-And-There-Is-Indeed-Another-Scary-Movie/)
10. [Scary Movie 4 critic reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/scary-movie-4/critic-reviews/)
11. [SCARY MOVIE 4, ficha ICAA (Instituto de la Cinematografía y de las Artes Audiovisuales), Spain](https://sede.mcu.gob.es/CatalogoICAA/Peliculas/GetPdf?Pelicula=11306)
12. [Where To Watch Scary Movie 2026, Paramount+ Sneak Peek](https://www.paramountplus.com/sneak-peak/where-to-watch-scary-movie-2026)
13. [Scary Movie 4 (2006) – Where to watch, JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/uk/movie/scary-movie-4)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Franchise and series entries as standalone works › Teen and comedy series film entries › Entries released in the 2000s*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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