Scary Movie Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		2.0

Scary Movie Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman November 22, 2019

Some nine years before there was the vintage 2000 Keenen Ivory Wayans offering Scary Movie, there was, well, Scary Movie. While those two titles are obviously the same, this particular Scary Movie actually presages and/or echoes other efforts without that title but with similar plot mechanics, like the relatively recent Hell Fest, at least in terms of placing events in an amusement park like setting where it’s not always apparent if what is being witnessed is actual violence or simply part of some carnival like ambience. This Scary Movie is touted on the back cover of this American Genre Film Archive release as having been “never legitimately distributed until this very moment”, but the intervening years at least have offered this curious outing the benefit of increasing renown for its star, John Hawkes.

Hawkes portrays a complete nerd named Warren, the kind of guy who keeps the top button on his shirt buttoned, but who still manages to find a date named Barbara (Suzanne Aldrich), albeit only because Warren’s somewhat less nerdy friend Brad (Jason Waller) has facilitated things courtesy of Brad’s girlfriend Shelly (Viriginia Pratt). In what is almost the exact same plot motif as the one used in Hell Fest (and several other horror films), this quartet is celebrating Halloween by attending a kind of haunted house amusement park. That said, Scary Movie , perhaps due at least in part to its miniscule budget, takes an inordinate amount of time to actually get in the haunted house, and so horror fans looking for regular adrenaline jolts courtesy of more traditional slasher mechanics are probably going to find at least the first part of this film a gigantic bore.

There are some rather interesting allusions to unbalanced mental states and dreamscapes in Scary Movie, and there’s also an evident and kind of cheeky sense of humor running through the proceedings, but the ambiguity of who’s killing whom (if indeed anyone is being killed) is never really exploited fully enough, and the humor never really reaches the gonzo heights of a film like The Evil Dead. There are a few passing gross out moments here, and it’s really fun to see Hawkes in such an unexpected role, but Scary Movie probably is best approached as a curio rather than an undiscovered gem.

Scary Movie Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Scary Movie is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of the American Genre Film Archive with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.33:1. The back cover of this release touts this as a "2K preservation from the original 16mm negative", and that smaller format source generates an at times rather gritty appearance, one that can lead to slight pixellation in the grain in dark moments especially, as perhaps can be gleaned from some of the screenshots accompanying this review. In better lighting, things look considerably less "textured", with a more organic looking grain field. The palette pops quite nicely throughout this presentation, especially some of the extremely vivid reds. It doesn't appear that any major restoration has been done here, as there are evident signs of age related wear and tear.

Scary Movie Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Scary Movie features a nice sounding DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track that provides good support for the film's often goofy dialogue, along with occasional sound effects and a rather nice, evocatively spooky, score by Hank Hehmsoth. There are occasional boosts of decently full sounding low end, especially toward the end of the film. While obviously a low budget effort without huge mix ambitions, the sound of this track is surprisingly spry and enjoyable.

Scary Movie Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Commentary by Director Daniel Erickson is moderated by Joseph A. Ziemba from the American Genre Film Archive, who appears to be a major fan of the film.


• Little Hero (1080p; 6:57) is an early short film by Daniel Erickson.


• Mr. Pumpkin (1080p; 11:27) is an early short film by Daniel Erickson.


• Original Teaser Trailer (Unseen Since 1991) (1080p; 00:17) is literally just a title card with a sku barcode underneath.


• Photo Gallery (1080p)

Scary Movie Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

It's engaging in a kind of unexpected way to see a visceral actor like John Hawkes in such a nerdy role, and Hawkes delivers an enjoyably goofy performance here. The film itself could have probably used some more deliberate shaping, especially in an over extended "set up" that my hunch is some will feel goes on too long. AGFA continues to bring out some really unusual cult items, and fans of Hawkes in particular may well want to check out this early effort by the actor. Technical merits are generally okay (video) to good (audio), and the supplements appealing, for those considering a purchase.