When viewers think of the greatest comedies of all time, the same few films often come up on the list: Caddyshack, Flaming Saddlesthe 1933 Marx Brothers classic Duck soup. Charlie Chaplin, the King of Comedy during the silent movie era, usually has a few movies on the list as well. Arguments could even be made for more recent hits such as Stupid and stupid, AnchormanAnd Wedding Crashers. But there is one gem from the early 2000s that is often overlooked: Scary movie 3.
A spoof of mostly iconic horror films, the original Scary Movie was a blockbuster in 2000. With an estimated budget of $19 million, it grossed US$278 million worldwide. It spawned four sequels and multiple parody franchises that all had the word “Movie” in the title Not another teen movieAnd Epic movie. Some sequels and most spin-off franchises are forgettable. But then there is Scary movie 3. It’s that rare sequel that’s just as good, if not better, than its predecessors. It is full of laughable moments and celebrity cameos and jokes about a lot of of famous movies. Some are well-known horror films, while others are cultural phenomena of the time. Here are all the movies that Scary movie 3parodies.
Drawing (2002)
This is the most obvious spoof in the movie. Similar to M. Night Shyamalan’s sci-fi movie Signs, Scary movie 3 mainly focuses on a widower (played by Charlie Sheen instead of Mel Gibson) and his family, as they grapple with strange happenings on their farm. But instead of finding cryptic crop circles, they stumble upon hysterically blatant messages carved into their cornfield, like the words “ATTACK HERE” with an arrow pointing directly at the family’s home. The movie even parodies Shyamalan himself in a scene with one of the most subtly hilarious lines ever (“Tom, I need a ride home”).
Like with characters, humanity learns that aliens are among them through a series of comedic newsreels, showing an alien strolling past some lecherous dogs or chilling at an open-air party as revelers throw up projectiles. But not like characters, aliens are not here to destroy humanity. They have come to destroy a very familiar and evil little girl.
The Ring (2002)
The ring used to be The exorcist of the early 2000s. It was that horror movie everyone was afraid of. So of course, Scary movie 3 had to have fun with it. Here, an evil tape, complete with an evil child named Tabitha, threatens to kill main character Cindy (Anna Faris) and the rest of humanity in seven days – and those poor aliens, too, who were just trying to watch Pooty Tongs.
The murder movie is in Scary movie 3 is a gag reel that fakes The ring. For example, the iconic ring from the classic horror movie turns out to be a man sitting on the toilet Scary movie 3. But the real treat comes when Cindy’s best friend Brenda (Regina Hall) throws down along with Tabitha after crawling out of the TV and carelessly gets water all over Brenda’s floor.
8 miles (2002)
In 2002, rapper Eminem was the biggest superstar in the world, and 8 miles, his semi-autobiographical film, was one of the best films of the year. It even won the Academy Award for Best Original Song for it lose yourself, which Eminem performed during a surprise appearance at the 2020 Oscars. In scary movie 3, George (Simon Rex) spoofs Eminem, and so does Joaquin Phoenix characters, by being an aspiring white rapper, just looking for his chance to blow. He raps Fat Joe to gain street fame and hangs out with Mahalik (Anthony Anderson) and CJ, played by the then unknown Kevin Hart. However, George’s rap career takes a turn when he accidentally impersonates a KKK member – a joke that may be a little harder to swallow in 2023.
Reloading The Matrix (2003)
The Matrix is a sci-fi franchise that defined the turn of the century and made viewers question the nature of their reality. Since its release in 1999, The Matrix has gone down as one of the best sci-fi movies ever made. It was also one of them Scary movies favorite movies to fake. The original poked fun at the iconic, visually stunning fight scenes from the first Matrix, such as dodging bullets with grueling moves.
Scary movie 3 took his shots at the sequel, Reload the Matrix, and featured several notable actors in parodied roles: Queen Latifah as an Oracle-esque character and Eddie Griffin as Orpheus. The Architect was played to perfection by comedy legend George Carlin paralleling a complicated scene from Reload the Matrix that viewers needed a dictionary to understand it properly.
The Others (2001)
The others is a 2001 gem that belongs in the discussion of the greatest horror films ever made. It stars Nicole Kidman and features one of the greatest twists in movie history. The shoutout is in Scary movie 3 is fast, but it ends up creating one of the funniest, most memorable scenes in the movie. Equivalent to The others, Charlie Sheen’s character suspects an imposter posing as his daughter, hidden under a white communion dress. When he takes the dress off, it’s not his daughter, or an alien, or a ghostly old woman he finds lurking underneath. It is, of course, Michael Jackson.
In the 1990s and 2000s, Jackson abandoned his image of a global best-selling musician. His changed appearance caused raised eyebrows and the child molestation charges against him dominated the headlines. Scary movie 3 mocked his dance moves and the infamous moment when he let his son Blanket dangle over a hotel balcony in Berlin. At the end of the scene, Sheen’s character finds a bodysuit belonging to Michael Jackson discarded on his farm, hinting that the King of Pop was actually an alien all along.
Aeroplane! (1980)
This one is more of a tribute than a parody. Scary movie 3 was directed by David Zucker, who also co-directed the 1980 comedy classic Aeroplane!. Aeroplane! follows a flight of crazy crew members and passengers, one of whom is forced to fly the plane after the pilots fall ill. One of the stars of the comedy is comedy legend Leslie Nielsen, who also plays the dumb president of the United States in Scary movie 3.
Nielsen’s performance is full of idiotic phrases and absurd moments, like when he reveals that he pees out of his index finger like the alien visitors to America. But the most obvious Aeroplane! reference comes when Nielsen repeats his iconic line at the end of scary movie 3, after storming through a door and knocking the evil Tabitha back into her pit: “I want to wish you both the best of luck. We are all counting on you.”
Under the spell of the Ring
Under the spell of the Ring is another early 2000s franchise juggernaut. It is an epic fantasy adventure trilogy based on the best-selling novels of the same name. All three movies are well reviewed and loved. The last movie in the series, The return of the kingmade movie history when it became the first fantasy film to win the Academy Award for Best Picture in 2004. Scary movie 3 is short and sweet. In the opening scene, Kate (Jenny McCarthy) tells girlfriend Becca (Pamela Anderson) about a videotape that kills the viewer in seven days.
Suddenly the phone rings and Kate hands it to Becca to answer. “Hello?” she asks terrified. “I’m coming for you, my love,” says an eerie voice, mimicking Gollum Under the spell of the Ring. But Becca just rolls her eyes. “Hi mom,” she replies annoyed.
Minority Report (2002)
This jab is a bit more subtle. Another entry in the list of the best sci-fi movies ever made, Minority Report is based on the novella by science fiction mastermind Philip K. Dick. It introduces the audience to a perfect society without crime or murder – thanks in part to precognitive triplets, who can see a crime before it happens. In scary movie 3, Cindy’s accident-prone nephew Cody (Drew Mikuska) has premonitions and eerily reveals them to various characters in the film. “Smoke all you want,” he tells a cigarette smoker, “you’ll get hit by a bus.”
Air Force One (1997)
In the action hit of 1997 Air Force One, Harrison Ford plays the perfect American president: capable, handsome and tough. Here the president takes on terrorists who have hijacked his famous plane, Air Force One. While thinking about what to do during a crisis, Scary movie 3 The US President wonders, “I wonder what President Ford would have done.” Then he glances at a presidential portrait hanging on the wall next to him. But it’s not the real US President Gerald Ford. It’s Harrison Ford’s Air Force One.