Welcome to Horror Explorer, a curated column showcasing the month’s best movies, series, books and everything else spooky worth checking out. I’m William Earl, the executive digital director of Variety and the publication’s resident horror enthusiast. Please drop me a line at wearl@variety.com if there’s something I should check out for next month’s missive. 

“I’ve been waiting for this moment,” says Anna Faris. The celebrated actress and comedian is on top of the box office once more, as “Scary Movie,” the sixth installment in the popular horror-spoof series, opened to a franchise-best $55 million last weekend. It all came to fruition thanks to Marlon Wayans, whose family was callously […]

SPOILER ALERT: This story contains details about “Scary Movie 6,” now in theaters. Carmen Electra is back for more “Scary Movie.” The actress returns to the franchise’s sixth installment after appearing in the first film’s now iconic opening scene that spoofed Drew Barrymore in the original “Scream.” Electra later appeared in “Scary Movie 4,” one […]

On the surface, “Scary Movie” may seem like just another summer sequel mining nostalgia for profit. But for Marlon Wayans, the film’s writer, producer and star, it represents the culmination of a quarter-century battle to wrest control of his family’s franchise back from its pillagers, as well as a promise he’d made to his dying […]

Another scary movie is coming to the box office — but there should be more laughs than screams coming from theatergoers. The latest horror parody in Paramount and Miramax’s “Scary Movie” franchise is hitting theaters this weekend and has made $7.7 million in previews. Paramount is projecting a $40 million opening for “Scary Movie,” though […]

Steven Spielberg’s sci-fi thriller “Disclosure Day” made first contact with theaters on Friday and landed at No. 1 on the domestic box office charts. “Disclosure Day” made $19 million on opening day from 3,824 North American theaters and is expected to gross $44 million by the end of the weekend. Universal spent $115 million on […]

Anna Faris’ iconic role as Cindy in the horror parody feature film series Scary Movie almost went to another actress, revealed writer, producer and star Marlon Wayans. In a recent interview with Entertainment Tonight, Faris asked Marlon Wayans and Shawn Wayans if there was “ever a celebrity that desperately wanted to be in a Scary Movie, […]

For the May 20 issue of Variety, I spoke with Marlon Wayans about his extraordinary journey from a New York City housing project to Hollywood stardom, as well as his long-awaited return to the “Scary Movie” franchise after it was snatched away from him and his brothers by the “tyrant” Weinsteins. We covered quite a […]

On today’s episode of “Daily Variety” podcast, Variety’s Brent Lang breaks down a busy weekend at the turnstiles as “Scary Movie” returned for its first installment in 13 years – and the first in 25 years with a Wayans at the helm. And it was a truly scary weekend for Amazon MGM Studios’ “Masters of […]

SUNDAY AM: Paramount-Miramax’s Scary Movie didn’t let go of its record this weekend with the best opening the Wayans Brothers franchise has ever seen in its 26-history with $55M, and even better, it marks the comedy fratellos return to the franchise after the original Scary Movie and Scary Movie 2. As we told you all […]

Paramount and Miramax’s revival of Scary Movie from the Wayans Brothers looks to be the “it” pic this weekend, in what’s a very positive sign for comedy on the big screen with a $40 million stateside and $70M outlook. For a pure comedy to open to $40M, that’s like, wow, the biggest since God knows […]

Over his decades in entertainment, “Scary Movie” creator and star Marlon Wayans has confronted the same prejudices: Hollywood is convinced that international audiences won’t show up for comedies or films starring Black actors. “We’re trying to erase that old-school stigma,” says Wayans, who returned — along with several of his brothers — to the horror […]