There’s nothing new in noting that horror movies tend to run on pretty rigidly defined nostalgia cycles, as new franchises get big, peter out, and then—more and more frequently in the modern era—manage to scrabble for some fresh life a decade down the line by touting a throwback return, complete with various stars who’ve jumped ship over the years signing back on for a triumphant and blood-soaked second wind. None of which, we’ll also note, makes it any less weird to see the same cycles, having dominated the latter-day fortunes of franchises like Scream and I Know What You Did Last Summer, also get applied to the series that got big by lampooning them.
Which is to say that (per Deadline) Scary Movie 6 has added new stars to its cast list, including two fresh franchise returnees: Cheri Oteri, who had a prominent part riffing on Courtney Cox in the original Scary Movie, and two-time Scary Movie sequel participant Chris Elliott. They join a cast list that’s already filled up nicely with series alumni, most notably Anna Faris and Regina Hall, but also Marlon Wayans, Shawn Wayans, Lochlyn Monroe, Dave Sheridan, and Jon Abrahams. With Marlon and Shawn Wayans also both returning to writing duties, never let it be said that this return installment, the franchise’s first since 2013, will not tap into Scary Movie nostalgia, an actual phenomenon that the human brain is apparently capable of producing. Wonders never cease!
Of course, it’s not all backwards looking: The same cast announcement also noted that the film has added some actual new cast members, some of them not even related to the franchise’s creators. (We kid, but both Kim Wayans and New Girl‘s Damon Wayans Jr. have signed on to the film.) Heidi Gardner, fresh off departing Saturday Night Live ahead of its most recent season, has also joined the cast. Scary Movie 6 is currently aiming at a June 2026 release, arriving just four months after Scream 7 launches its own latest version of the ongoing horror flick nostalgia play.
