To the ever dwindling credit of Jason Friedberg & Aaron Seltzer, the writing duo responsible for some of the worst comedies of the last decade, before their work became synonymous with critical hyperbole like “worst film ever” and “the problem with Hollywood today”, they wrote Spy Hard and Scary Movie, respectable parodies for the espionage action thriller and horror films. And though they’re credited with the “characters” for Scary Movie 3, most of the jokes came from Craig Mazin and Pat Proft, two writers whose writing legacy is only slightly better than Friedberg and Seltzer’s. So what made the difference? None of those hacks were directing. Much to the benefit of Scary Movie 3 and the audiences who had the chance to see it, the directing duties fell on the shoulders of comedy guru David Zucker, whose track record in zany comedy is matched by no other.
Just like Scary Movie 2, the third film is as much a vindication of horror films as it is American pop culture – and once again that’s both a blessing and a curse. Taking its story cues from M. Night Shyamalan’s Signs, Scary Movie 3 sees a smart shift away from drug and potty humor towards some truly well-timed physical gags that put the second film to shame and makes its own mark that just about rivals the original in belly laughs.
Blu-ray Bonus Features
Besides a decent audio commentary and a series of featurettes, there’s really only one extra on the disc worth watching: “Hulk vs. Aliens” a look at the creation of the film’s weird alternate ending. To the film’s credit, the Blooper and Outtakes reel doesn’t put the feature to shame, funny as it is.
"Scary Movie 3" is on sale September 20, 2011 and is not rated. Comedy, Horror. Directed by David Zucker. Written by Craig Mazin, Pat Proft. Starring Anna Faris, Charlie Sheen, Regina Hall, Simon Rex.
