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The cinematic world was abuzz this week with the release of the trailer for the latest installment in the Scary Movie series, now simply titled Scary Movie in line with the trend of streamlined reboot titles. This unexpected revelation played in theaters ahead of the much-anticipated Scream 7, catching audiences by surprise before it made its online debut a few days later. With its release slated for June, it marks yet another addition to a year rich in parodic comedies, following the release of a new Naked Gun and the English period spoof Fackham Hall, which premiered on HBO Max after a limited theatrical run. Could it be that spoof movies, those comedic films that satirize other movies through a blend of genre clichés, visual gags, and slapstick humor reminiscent of MAD Magazine, are making a triumphant return?
In an ironic twist, the genre’s previous heyday also marked its creative decline. The early 2000s saw the rise of the Scary Movie franchise, sparking a flood of similar films not seen since the aftermath of Hot Shots! in the 1990s. Despite this boom, few managed to capture the clever spoofing style perfected by the Zucker, Abrahams, and Zucker trio with their 1980 classic Airplane! Instead, many offerings veered towards the simplistic, with even the subsequent Scary Movie 3 directed by one of the Zucker brothers, failing to recapture the original’s wit. The genre quickly became dominated by Aaron Seltzer and Jason Friedberg, whose names became synonymous with a less sophisticated brand of comedy.
Interestingly, Friedberg and Seltzer were not part of the team that developed the original Scary Movie with the Wayans Brothers. Their project, titled Scream If You Know What I Did Last Halloween, mirrored the Wayans’ approach to spoofing urban films in Don’t Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood. Although both projects were eventually merged, it remains uncertain how much of Friedberg and Seltzer’s script influenced the final film, which was ultimately realized by the Wayans and their collaborators.
Nevertheless, the success of Scary Movie paved the way for Friedberg and Seltzer to create their own brand of spoofs, resulting in films like Date Movie, Epic Movie, and Disaster Movie. These films, often criticized for their loosely connected skits and juvenile humor, share a lineage with Scary Movie in their revue-style approach, bouncing between scenes from different movies without much cohesion. Unlike the structured parody seen in Airplane! or Hot Shots!, which cleverly remade films like Top Gun with a comedic twist, many of these later spoofs relied on mere recognition of scenes rather than true parody.
This is where Fackham Hall distinguishes itself, transcending the superficial mimicry typical of YouTube-style pastiche. By honing in on a specific genre, namely British period dramas like Downton Abbey and Gosford Park, the film adeptly satirizes a genre that, while occasionally humorous, maintains a serious tone ripe for parody. Director Jim O’Hanlon and his team of writers skillfully exploit this seriousness, crafting a spoof that stands out in an era where many parodies struggle to find their footing.
Fackham has some spoof-movie-style sidebars that the new Naked Gun is disciplined enough to avoid: For a time it becomes a murder mystery so it can zing the Kenneth Branagh-directed Poirot movies, for example. (The 2025 Naked Gun, meanwhile, takes those opportunities to develop its own absurdities; hence the tangent about a snowman that comes to life, not a spoof of Jack Frost so much as just Akiva Schaefer going Lonely Island-style nuts.) But it doesn’t randomly throw in some guys dressed as Mario and Luigi or something just because that movie was a big hit a couple of years ago. It sticks to goofing on Downton Abbey and its ilk, with a story legible enough to follow even if you haven’t memorized that series (or, in my case, seen more than fragments and trailers).
Fair to point out, too, that I did not find Fackham Hall laugh-out-loud funny. It’s more amusing than hilarious; there’s nothing quite as inspired as the gravelly seriousness with which Liam Neeson and Danny Huston approach their Naked Gun roles. But the movie understands something that future spoofs would do well to learn: That it’s not worth chucking the whole movie into nonsenseland just to get a big, cheap laugh of recognition. That shamelessness is also what a lot of people love about the Scary Movie series, and spoofs in general; fans aren’t going to get nitpicky about the original sin of Scary Movie “spoofing” a slasher series that has plenty of its own self-referential genre parody going on. But as with a lot of comedy, it sure is helpful if the people making it can keep a straight face.
Jesse Hassenger (@rockmarooned) is a writer living in Brooklyn podcasting at www.sportsalcohol.com. He’s a regular contributor to The A.V. Club, Polygon, and The Guardian, among others.
Stream Fackham Hall on HBO Max