What’s your favorite scary horror-parody movie?
Chances are it’s Scary Movie, the comedy written by and starring Shawn Wayans and Marlon Wayans and directed by Keenen Ivory Wayans that became the surprise hit no one saw coming when it hit theaters 20 years ago.
Made for just $19 million, Scary Movie, which parodied hit slasher films like Scream and I Know What You Did Last Summer, went on to make $278 million at the box office, breaking the record at the time for highest gross for a movie helmed by a Black director, helping to launch the careers of stars Anna Faris and Regina Hall, and spawning four sequels.
In honor of the hit film’s 20th anniversary, we’re revealing some secrets you might not know, like which actors turned down major roles in the movie, the celebrity the studio didn’t want in the film and the unusual original title of the script. Plus, one of the movie’s breakout stars reveals she was told not to do the movie before signing on.