Scary Movie 4

Cindy Campbell returns to a new nightmare that blends a haunted house with over the top spoofing. She moves into a home where a restless child's ghost flickers through walls and shadows, and she sets out to learn what happened to the kid and why the spirit lingers. At the same time the world faces a spoofed alien invasion featuring goofy gadgets and a parade of ridiculous misunderstandings, and Cindy must untangle the competing mysteries before chaos erupts. The film sticks to the franchise's fast paced sight gags and character catchphrases, delivering a barrage of parodies of recent horror hits while keeping her core mission clear. It's breezy comedy aimed at fans who enjoy broad, self aware humor everywhere tonight.

Directed by David Zucker and released in 2006, this installment keeps the Scary Movie franchise moving with fast paced spoof humor. It leans on current horror hits for punchlines and features a writing team including Craig Mazin and Pat Proft, plus cameos and pratfalls that fans expect.

Worldwide gross was about 178.7 million against a 40 million budget, making it a profitable entry in the franchise and signaling strong audience appetite for broad parody in the mid 2000s. Its broad appeal drew families and spoof fans widely.

Within the mid 2000s spoof trend, Scary Movie 4 helped cement the idea that horror films could be fair game for rapid fire jokes and cultural references. Its humor relies on rapid gags. Its playful riffs on haunted houses and alien invasions reflect the era's appetite for self aware humor.

Critical response was mixed, with fans appreciating the franchise's familiarity and brisk pace while critics noted a formulaic punchline based approach. The film foregrounds parody of haunted tropes and sci fi invasion tropes, turning fear into broad comic setup. Critics acknowledged a familiar brisk pace, though some called it repetitive.