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12 Not-Too-Spooky Halloween Movies for the Whole Family

Halloween is always a night of creative costumes, delicious candy and fun frights. Of course, kids love the opportunity to challenge their courage by entering haunted houses, swapping spine-chilling stories and watching scary movies . That’s a lot of spookiness for one day, though, and with the wrong film, they may be too frightened to fall asleep at bedtime. (And of course, getting them to bed in time for you to enjoy a proper horror film , like a Stephen King adaptation or classic vampire flick might be an important part of your grown-up Halloween experience!)

Fortunately, there are lots of wonderfully fun — and only slightly creepy — movies out there that kids will enjoy this year. From oldies like Hocus Pocus  to newer films like a stellar remake of The Witches , this list has plenty of options that’ll delight much more than they’ll scare. Check out 12 of the best kid-friendly Halloween flicks that make not-too-spooky treats for the entire family!

Goosebumps (2015)

The Goosebumps  book series by R.L. Stine has thrilled kids across the world since the 1990s. The series has been adapted for both TV and film, including a newer franchise for younger generations who aren’t familiar with these classics.

The 2015 flick, aptly titled Goosebumps , stars Jack Black as a fictionalized version of Stine alongside Dylan Minnette, who plays his teenage neighbor. The two team up to take down monsters from the Goosebumps  series that have managed to escape from the books and cause chaos in the real world. The film is frightening fun for kids, and there’s enough action to keep parents entertained — especially if they’re former fans of the series.

Hocus Pocus (1993)

A trio of 300-year-old witches (Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy and Sarah Jessica Parker) conjures up a little bit of hocus pocus in this Halloween classic. The 1993 film centers on what happens when the Sanderson sisters are accidentally brought back from the dead on All Hallow’s Eve.

Attempting to recapture their youth, the witches plan to steal the souls of the children of Salem, Massachusetts, so they can live for eternity. Three kids, a talking black cat and, eventually, a friendly zombie have to work together to stop the sinister sisters before it’s too late. Hocus Pocus  is certain to put a spell on you  this Halloween.  

Spirited Away (2001)

If you’re new to the world of Miyazaki , Spirited Away is a great place to start. This classic film from Studio Ghibli follows our protagonist Chihiro, just as she and her parents move to a new town. As they explore, they find what appears to be an abandoned theme park, but Chihiro quickly realizes that she has somehow crossed into the realm of spirits. Oh, and her parents have been turned into pigs. As she learns to navigate the spirit world, and ultimately free herself and her parents, she meets many memorable characters along the way.

The film won an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature Film and became the top-grossing film in Japanese history. Don’t let the strange plot deter you. This film has won the hearts of many, and is a perfect addition to a Halloween lineup for the whole family.

Ghostbusters (1984)

These guys ain’t afraid of no ghosts, probably because the ghosts in this film aren’t too scary. This family-friendly comedy-horror was a smash at the box office in the 80s and has retained its appeal in the decades to follow. Sequels and remakes have attempted to capitalize on the success of the original, but have repeatedly fallen short.

Pop some popcorn and prepare to be entertained as a trio of paranormal exterminators face off against a gluttonous ghost, a pack of demonic dogs, and the iconic Stay Puft Marshmallow Man.

Monsters, Inc. (2001)

Monsters, Inc . is a fun comedy about — what else? — two monsters, Mike (Billy Crystal) and Sulley (John Goodman), who are the number-one scare team at the scream-processing factory in the town of Monstropolis. The film, released in 2001, follows their misadventures after a human girl named Boo makes her way into their world.

Together, the two have to figure out a way to get Boo home before anyone discovers this unimaginable mistake. Despite their best efforts, which include dressing Boo up as a baby monster, they run into plenty of roadblocks along the way. Kids will probably fall in love with the cuddly Sulley before they feel an ounce of fear during this film!

The Witches (2020)

The Witches  (2020) is a fantasy-comedy film based on Roald Dahl’s novel of the same name. This reimagining of the original 1990 film follows an orphaned boy who goes to live with his grandmother in Alabama. After coming across a witch, the boy and his grandmother flee to a hotel to escape her evil clutches. However, the world’s Grand High Witch happens to be staying there — along with disguised, diabolical witches from all over the world who are helping her turn children into mice.

This remake of The Witches  is an HBO Max  original starring Anne Hathaway, Octavia Spencer and Stanley Tucci — and it’s certainly a top choice for your family’s Halloween movie marathon.

Coraline (2009)

The 2009 animated film Coraline  is based on a dark fantasy novella of the same name. With Dakota Fanning voicing the titular character, the movie follows a young girl who discovers an alternate world that closely mirrors her own — but seemingly much happier. It’s complete with a parallel family that appears, at first sight, to be much better than the one she has.

However, when Coraline’s Other Mother (Teri Hatcher) and the rest of this parallel family try to keep her in their new world forever, she has to fight to make it back home. Kids are sure to find the stop-motion animation and colorful sets of Coraline  enchanting.

Beetlejuice (1988)

In the 1988 film, Beetlejuice , a couple dies in a car accident and finds themselves stuck in their former country home instead of a pleasant afterlife. When a new family moves in to the farmhouse, the dead couple tries to scare them away, but to no avail. They enlist the help of the troublemaking poltergeist Beetlejuice, who turns out to be a hazard to everyone involved.

The classic film has an all-star cast that includes Michael Keaton, Geena Davis, Alec Baldwin and Winona Ryder. Directed by Tim Burton, the movie offers a comedic twist on a supernatural tale that families will enjoy. Just don’t be surprised if the film’s soundtrack sparks an impromptu dance party.

Halloweentown (1998)

Starring Kimberly J. Brown and the late, great Debbie Reynolds, Halloweentown  is a Disney Channel original movie that premiered in 1998. Today, it’s revered as a classic Halloween film among the now-adults who grew up watching it every year decades ago.

On her 13th birthday, Marnie Cromwell discovers that she’s a witch, as is everyone else in her family. She and her younger siblings sneak off to Halloweentown, where her grandmother lives, to learn more about their family’s history and so Marnie can begin her witch training before it’s too late. The visit goes awry when they discover that an evil force is attempting to take over the town — but with a little magic, Marnie and her siblings can save the day.

The Addams Family (2019)

There have been several reimaginings of the original Addams Family  over the years — did you know the first cartoons were created in 1938? — but this animated film from 2019 is an especially fun version for kids. In the movie, Gomez, Morticia and the rest of the Addams clan prepare to welcome relatives for a visit. But when a TV personality attempts to get rid of them, the family has to prove that their creepy and kooky ways are no threat to their idyllic neighborhood.

The Addams Family  features the voiceover talents of Oscar Isaac, Charlize Theron, Alison Janney, Chloë Grace Moretz and others. If your family can’t get enough of this endearingly macabre group, you’ll be happy to know a sequel was just released — and it’s available to rent on streaming .

Labyrinth (1986)

It’s time to pass this cornerstone of Halloween weirdness to a new generation! The 1986 film Labyrinth  is a cult classic for so many reasons, from its fantastical setting to its magical plot to the fact that it stars the one and only David Bowie — and includes danceworthy original songs from the Starman himself.

The story follows teenager Sarah (Jennifer Connelly) as she travels through an otherworldly maze, solving riddles to rescue her baby brother from Bowie’s Jareth the Goblin King. Most of the film’s main characters are played by puppets from Jim Henson’s Creature Shop, which is sure to delight kids (and deliver you an enjoyable dose of nostalgia).

The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

You can’t have a kid-approved Halloween movie fest without watching 1993’s The Nightmare Before Christmas . The story follows Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King of Halloween Town, who’s grown bored with the same old scare routine of Halloween each year. When he stumbles upon a door to Christmas Town, he decides to put his own twist on the holiday, causing complete havoc in the process.

The spooky-but-fun Tim Burton film stars Chris Sarandon, Catherine O’Hara and Ken Page. What’s even better about this classic is that it doubles as a Halloween and  Christmas movie — and there’s no better time of year to get into the holiday spirit!

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Ghostface (Scary Movie)

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Doofy Gilmore , also known as Ghostface or The Killer , is the main antagonist of the 2000 parody comedy film Scary Movie . He is a local young man in Stevenson County, California who feigned mental retardation and dresses up as a nefarious serial killer similar to the Ghostface killer from Scream . He is also the brother of Buffy Gilmore.

He was portrayed by Dave Sheridan .

• 1 Biography
• 2 Personality
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Biography [ ]

Doofy is a mentally disabled employee and Buffy Gilmore's brother who works as an assistant for the Stevenson County Sheriff's Department where he is often mocked and teased by the regular officers. Reporter Gail Hailstorm flirts with Doofy in order to obtain information for her news report. He later accidentally reveals himself as her informant during a news broadcast.

At home, Doofy uses the vacuum cleaner to masturbate despite the fact his mother tells him not to do it. He is home with Cindy Campbell stays over and the Ghostface Killer calls her.

Cindy eventually realizes that Doofy is the original Ghostface killer that murdered Drew Decker, possibly because he was infatuated with her and she didn't return his feelings. It's also revealed he killed everyone else as well excluding Shorty who was killed by Bobby Prinze and Ray Wilkins with Doofy killing them and attempting to kill Cindy. Doofy, however, manages to escape town ahead of the police.

Doofy's mental disability is also revealed to be fake as Doofy is seen walking normally, ripping off his fake mustache and the top of his cop uniform, lighting a cigarette and hopping into a car with Gail and throwing his fake backpack out of the car.

Personality [ ]

Doofy is a severely intellectually disabled person with limited cognitive and social skills. At the time of the murders, he said he was almost twenty-six years (placing his birth in or around 1974). He works at the local Stevenson County Sheriff's Department as an assistant in some capacity, but he considers himself a police officer worthy of respect, even if the other officers treat him otherwise.

Despite being an adult, he still acts like a kid with an interest in bodily fluids and placing his finger up his rectum. He is somewhat ambivalent about his sexuality, using a vacuum cleaner to fulfill his sexual needs until meeting Gail Hailstorm, who seduces him to get information from him.

He also had infatuations with Drew Decker, whom he murdered for not returning his affection, and with Cindy Campbell. Because of the murder, he might be borderline psychotic.

Victims [ ]

• Drew Decker - Stabbed to death off-screen.
• Greg Phillipe - Throat slit.
• Miss Congeniality - Killed off-screen.
• Buffy Gilmore - Head chopped off with a cleaver.
• Heather's Boyfriend - Killed off-screen.
• Heather - Stabbed three times.
• Tina - Crushed inside a garage door.
• Dookie - Slashed with either a docker's hook or hunting knife.
• Shorty's Friend - Slashed with either a docker's hook or hunting knife.
• Ray Wilkins - Impaled through the back and chest with a docker's hook.
• Doofy is the only main villain in the Scary Movie franchise to be human. The rest have been ghosts, demons and extraterrestrials.
• An early draft of Scary Movie 5 predicted Doofy's return as the main antagonist.
• Despite Doofy’s killing spree, it is unclear why he had a reason to kill his sister Buffy.

Navigation [ ]

• 1 Venom (Marvel's Spider-Man)
• 2 Kraven the Hunter (Marvel's Spider-Man)
• 3 Michael Myers (original)

Why Scary Movie 4 Is the Funniest Entry in the Franchise

Perhaps it isn't that Scary Movie 4 is "the funniest" but rather just the least bad of the lot.

Following the turn of the millennium saw the horror genre sent up for all it had in the brilliantly titled Scary Movie (while spoofing the Scream series among others, Scary Movie was the film's original title before settling for Scream ). Headed by a collective of the Wayans brothers (having found success with their hood spoof in Don't Be a Menace in South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood ), their sights turned to the teen horrors at the time and most notably Wes Craven's highly successful Scream and its antagonist Ghostface .

With its gross-out humor and stoned disposition, and based on a $19 million budget the first Scary Movie was hit with horny teens and smokers and raked in over $278 million worldwide. A green-fingered sequel was greenlit of the first film's success and the smutty series was off.

Humor in Low-Hanging Fruit

In the swap from Scary Movie 2 to Scary Movie 3 , the series had lost the Wayans but had gained proven spoof royalty in David Zucker (of Airplane and Naked Gun fame). On the one hand, the least funny thing about the first two films had gone in one Marlon Wayans, while the more experienced Zucker could bring with him proven talent and former co-workers in Charlie Sheen ( Hot Shots ) and Leslie Nielsen ( Naked Gun ).

Related: Here's Every Scary Movie in the Horror-Comedy Franchise, Ranked

As the director, Zucker could also effectively promote the real breakout star of the previous films Anna Faris to leading woman status. On the other hand, however, that trademark Wayans bodily functions and stoner comedy and what had been distinctly their own baby, was now more of a point-and-shoot affair as it recognized what was popular in cinemas at the time and then mocked it. This meant that the promising semi-original storyline of Scary Movie 2 and its haunted house setup, along with its use of practical effects , puppetry, and stop-motion, would not be elaborated on in a follow-up.

All the same, Scary Movie 3 presented an uptick in the series with its new additions of proven stars in Sheen and Nielson slotting right in. In their ranking of all the Scary Movies , Collider actually rated the third film highest. Calling it "consistently funny", they go on to write the following.

The most well-written, tightly paced, and clever out of the five Scary Movie films, Scary Movie 3 deserves your time if you’re a fan of the spoof genre.

Scary Movie 4

By 2006, the series, still chowing down on the lowest hanging of fruit but still going strong, had reached its fourth iteration. The industry had moved on from the slasher trend, and as such Scary Movie's lampooning would too. Continuing on from his helming of the third, David Zucker would direct Scary Movie 4 and with it spoof the spookier hits of the time including Spielberg's remake of War of the Worlds , The Grudge , The Village , and Saw (while touching on Brokeback Mountain , for some reason).

And while as clumsy as any of the other movies in the series, what emerges is a fourth installment that uses its previous film as a jumping-off point while gamely capitalizing on the moments that worked. Anna Faris, a very talented physical performer, is given the most screen time of all the films, and rightly so. Ditto, Leslie Nielsen's incompetent President Harris shows the legendary actor's willingness to commit to the gag when showing us his naked gun and baring all in front of the entirety of the United Nations when an alien ray zaps away his clothes.

And while not directly, Scary Movie 4's bit player Kevin Hart and its screenwriter Craig Mazin ( Chornobyl, The Last of Us ) are now both the biggest names in Hollywood at the moment. Who knows if either of them would have had the opportunity to thrive on their own projects if they hadn't played their parts in Scary Movie 4 .

When In Doubt, Go For Slapstick

The gross-out gags are still unfortunately included but the jokes and trademark slapstick here are such a constant that it doesn't stink up the scene for too long. With a machine gun quality of accuracy in its humor (fast, lots hit, but some really don't) the film informs us from the very first second how the rest of the run time is going to play out. As one Shaquille O'Neal finds himself a captive, his leg shackled, he tries to establish where exactly he is. At 7' 1", O'Neal stands up and hits his head on a pipe. Readjusting, he stands at full height and then hits his head on the ceiling.

Related: Scary Movie 2: Every Horror Movie Parodied in the Film

Also for perhaps the first time in the series, this one uses actual jokes too (and a great one about Detroit). While some of it hasn't aged tremendously well (no one under 20 will know what an iPod is now), the content at the very least doesn't just bash gay individuals or the disabled for cheap content like the first two did.

Bigger Scope, Bigger Ambition?

Like Big Shaq's frame, the scope of the film is also the series' biggest. While set entirely in the United States, the whole world is involved when the tripod aliens attack with this movie catering for that with by far the best production value yet. With multiple locations and convincing effects that mirror the source material it sets out to parody really helps the comedy feel more genuine, with the spoofing of The Village in particular looking remarkably close to the real thing (and simultaneously mocking how poor that film really was).

Silly, often straight-up stupid, and regularly focused on just making funnies about men getting hit in the testicles, you know what you're going to get with one of the Scary Movies and the fourth film is the best one. Then again, at the end of the day, arguably none of the Scary Movies are very good at all. In fact, every single one of them all kind of sucks. And by that reckoning, perhaps it isn't that Scary Movie 4 is "the funniest" but rather just the least bad? And, hey, the less said about Scary Movie 5 , the better.

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Scary Movie 4

Alexa top questions.

• How long is Scary Movie 4? 1 hour and 23 minutes
• When was Scary Movie 4 released? April 14, 2006
• What is the IMDb rating of Scary Movie 4? 5.1 out of 10
• Who stars in Scary Movie 4? Anna Faris , Regina Hall , and Craig Bierko
• Who wrote Scary Movie 4? Marlon Wayans , Shawn Wayans , Craig Mazin , Jim Abrahams , Pat Proft , Jason Friedberg , Aaron Seltzer , Buddy Johnson , and Phil Beauman
• Who directed Scary Movie 4? David Zucker
• Who was the composer for Scary Movie 4? James L. Venable
• Who was the producer of Scary Movie 4? Craig Mazin and Robert K. Weiss
• Who was the executive producer of Scary Movie 4? Harvey Weinstein and Bob Weinstein
• Who was the cinematographer for Scary Movie 4? Thomas E. Ackerman
• Who was the editor of Scary Movie 4? Craig Herring and Tom Lewis
• Who are the characters in Scary Movie 4? Cindy Campbell, Brenda Meeks, Tom Logan, Henry Hale, Mahalik, President Baxter Harris, Marilyn, Oliver, Ezekiel, Holly, and others
• What is the plot of Scary Movie 4? Cindy finds out the house she lives in is haunted by a little boy and goes on a quest to find out who killed him and why. Also, Alien "Tr-iPods" are invading the world and she has to uncover the secret in order to stop them.
• What was the budget for Scary Movie 4? $45 million
• How much did Scary Movie 4 earn at the worldwide box office? $178 million
• How much did Scary Movie 4 earn at the US box office? $90.7 million
• What is Scary Movie 4 rated? PG-13
• What genre is Scary Movie 4? Comedy
• How many awards has Scary Movie 4 won? 1 award
• How many awards has Scary Movie 4 been nominated for? 4 nominations

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Review: SCARY MOVIE 4

An archive review from the gingold files..

Editor's Note: This was originally published for FANGORIA on April 13, 2006, and we're proud to share it as part of The Gingold Files .

Scary Movie 4 is the kind of movie that defies much in the way of in-depth analysis; you either laugh at its rapid-fire assault of horror and other pop-culture spoofery, or you don’t. And I laughed—about as much as I did at the previous entry in this series, and certainly more than at either of the first two films. So, in lieu of an introspective critique of the sociopolitical undertones of people-getting-smashed-in-the-face-and-groin jokes, here are some random thoughts the movie engendered:

• It may seem odd that a movie which consists of a string of sketch setpieces has a “Story by” attribution (to Craig Mazin, who also scripted with Jim Abrahams and director Jerry Zucker). But really, credit should be given for weaving the plots of War of the Worlds , Saw and The Grudge (with a side trip to The Village ) into a single narrative that makes a certain amount of sense (on the film’s anarchic terms, anyway).
• Two of the people I saw Scary Movie 4 with had seen few or none of the films being parodied, but found it funny anyway. That’s ’cause Zucker and co. are clever and smart enough not to settle for the simple humor-of-recognition that many similar comedies indulge in. Rather, they build well-timed slapstick and wordplay into the movie-specific situations, thus ensuring its accessibility and a longer shelf life. You don’t have to have seen The Grudge to find it amusing when this film’s ghost boy starts out insect-creeping down a stairway and winds up falling down it.
• Having mentioned in my review of The Village that “Those We Don’t Speak Of” are the only things anyone in the movie seems to talk about, I especially appreciated the fact that Scary Movie 4 has a scene parodying this point.
• When heroine Cindy Campbell (Anna Faris, game and adorable as always) and that spectral kid converse in “Japanese” that consists of phrases like “Teriyaki hibachi sushi” while the subtitles read “You must mistake me for someone who gives a shit,” is the fact that I cracked up a reflection of the filmmakers’ deft timing or my own immaturity? (Note: I was guffawing too much during the scene to take notes, so both those lines may be paraphrases.)
• Dr. Phil can’t act, not even playing himself in the opening Saw takeoff with Shaquille O’Neal. But at least he proves that he’s willing to make fun of his own image, and can take bonks on the head with the best of ’em.
• It’s nice to see Zucker and co. demonstrate that just because the laughs are often cheap, the movie itself need not appear that way. With its sharp, colorful visuals and solid FX work, Scary Movie 4 has a spiffy look missing in the likes of competitors like Date Movie , which looks like it cost less than the price of a ticket to see it.
• Is there a limit to the number of rappers who can make cameo appearances in a single movie? Scary Movie 4 features brief turns by Chingy, Fabolous, Lil’ Jon, Young BloodZ, D-Ray and no doubt others. In addition, the final credits run for so long that it feels like they made up a bunch of fake names for them, just so enough hiphop songs could be played during the end titles to make a soundtrack CD.
• In a scene clearly homaging that classic of ’80s horror The Nude Bomb , the President played by Leslie Nielsen, and the rest of the diplomats in the “un” (er, UN), lose all their clothes. Apparently, Nielsen’s full-backal nakedness was actually performed by a body double. I didn’t spot a credit in the final scroll for the person or persons who cast that stand-in, but whoever it was, they deserved placement right up front with the cinematographer and editor.
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Scary Movie 4

Common sense media reviewers.

Still more insipid movie spoofing. Enough already!

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Typical of this broad comedy franchise, ludicrous

Various stabbings, punchings, shootings, one seppu

Several open-mouthed kisses between primary couple

Right on the edge for language: one f-word; severa

Vaseline; Yahoo.

Character drinks vodka with bottle full of Viagra;

Parents need to know that the film includes assorted violent acts, exaggerated for comedy, such as stabbings, shootings, collisions, car crash, seppuku, a hit to the crotch, running into trees and a building, boxing, necks breaking, Mike Tyson lookalike biting off ears, vehicles and shipyard containers slamming into…

Positive Messages

Typical of this broad comedy franchise, ludicrous behaviors and moral failings.

Violence & Scariness

Various stabbings, punchings, shootings, one seppuku, a crotch-whomping; Dr. Phil hit in head with pipe and ceiling chunks, then saws off his own foot; child appears in photo with automatic weapons; shipyard container splats foreman; Asian woman is missing half her face (coworkers slam her head like a stapler); healthcare manager tries to drown ghost-child; Cindy hit in head with baseball and football; Tom accidentally hits daughter, slams her head in car door, and throws her violently; Million Dollar Baby spoof features multiple necks breaking and Mike Tyson lookalike biting off a pile of ears; Tom shoots himself by accident; alien tripods zap victims; Lil Jon's car crashes; Tom and two others hold gun and knife on one another; fake monsters in village; knife in Henry's chest.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

Several open-mouthed kisses between primary couple; movie opens with Sir Mix-A-Lot's "Baby Got Back" over jiggling microbes (scene ends with man on bench itching his crotch); Charlie Sheen wakes up with three porn stars, then overdoses on Viagra (causing gigantic erection); Brokeback Mountain spoof; photo shows woman lifting up shirt (nonexplicit); Cindy says she's "taken balls to the face" Cindy appears in shower (shoulders up); village feast table features two roasted pigs in fornicating position; two village members are gay; Carmen Electra wears a corset and fishnets; zap-ray turns evaporates clothes off UN members and U.S. president (he spends minutes not quite showing his butt and front, covered by obstacles; he says he thought his penis was a "zipper," and pulled it up and down); alien snakey-robot appears to fornicate with vacuum cleaner; one torture device has missile pointed at Tom's butt; one bit of torture involve "t---y"-twisting; wiping her lips, Brenda has apparently had oral sex with scary Saw puppet off-screen; Mahalik and CJ show bare butts as they wear chaps; president in bed with a duck.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Right on the edge for language: one f-word; several s-words; slang for sex and genitals; assorted other language ("hell," "pissed," "damn it," "bitch," "snow ho," "ass clown," "turd," "Rumpleforeskin," "p---y").

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Products & Purchases

Drinking, drugs & smoking.

Character drinks vodka with bottle full of Viagra; characters drink beer in a bar; two young black males note a "weed" in the woods (with smoke puffing around them); rap lyrics "blaze up them trees").

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that the film includes assorted violent acts, exaggerated for comedy, such as stabbings, shootings, collisions, car crash, seppuku, a hit to the crotch, running into trees and a building, boxing, necks breaking, Mike Tyson lookalike biting off ears, vehicles and shipyard containers slamming into people, alien tripods zapping people into electricky dust, and U.S. military blowing things up. Tom hits his daughter with suitcase, slams her head in car door, and leaves her outside to be zapped by aliens. Saw spoof includes saw to cut off leg, knife to cut out eyeball, toothy torture helmets, and other mechanical threats. Very little blood visible throughout the film, exaggerated sound effects for breaking bones, some screams of comedic terror. At film's end, Tom ("the man who saved the world") appears on Oprah , where he eats the sofa, punches Oprah (she punches back), smashes her with a chair, breaks her hands, and generally destroys the set. Characters drink vodka and beer; characters refer to "weed." Characters make sexual references (language and some images, with immature joking about nakedness and genitalia). Lots of profanity. In the context of not liking kids, the president says, "Remind me to sign that abortion bill." To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

Where to Watch

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Community Reviews

• Parents say (14)
• Kids say (52)

Based on 14 parent reviews

What's the Story?

In this sequel, Cindy (dauntless Anna Faris) yet again endures a series of physical abuses inspired by several film plots. She starts off in The Grudge , working as a home-caregiver for Mrs. Norris (Cloris Leachman)and a dark-eyed ghost-boy (Garrett Masuda). She and handsome neighbor Tom (Craig Bierko) meet cute when he hits her in the head with a baseball intended to slam into his rebellious son Robbie (Beau Mirchoff). They trade sad romantic histories. When the alien tripods pop out of the ground (from War of the Worlds ), everyone runs in different directions, so they can run into a few hip-hop artists scattered over the landscape (Chingy, Fabolous, and Lil' Jon). Cindy reunites with Brenda (Regina Hall), her best friend from early Scary Movie s. The girls end up in The Village , where they're beaten up by a couple of girls whose old-timey dress they try to steal. More madness and mayhem ensue.

Is It Any Good?

Another movie comedy mash-up, SCARY MOVIE 4 suggests the franchise has run out of steam... again.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about the point of movie spoofs. Do you need to know the original films to get the jokes? Why is this movie series so popular?

Movie Details

• In theaters : April 14, 2006
• On DVD or streaming : August 15, 2006
• Cast : Anna Faris , Craig Bierko , Regina Hall
• Director : David Zucker
• Inclusion Information : Female actors, Black actors
• Studio : Weinstein Co.
• Genre : Comedy
• Run time : 83 minutes
• MPAA rating : PG-13
• MPAA explanation : crude and sexual humor throughout, some comic violence and language.
• Last updated : September 3, 2023

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