Shriek If You Know What I Did Last Friday the 13th (2000) Revisited – Horror Party Movies

Ah, the spoof movie – a delightful cinematic concoction that turns the serious into the ridiculous, often with hilarious results. From Mel Brooks’ timeless classics like Young Frankenstein and Blazing Saddles to the anarchic charm of the Zucker Brothers’ Airplane!, spoof movies have long been a beloved staple for audiences craving a good laugh. These films expertly parody genres, tropes, and iconic scenes, turning them on their heads with sharp wit and irreverent humor. The late ’90s and early 2000s saw a resurgence of this genre, most notably with the release of the wildly successful Scary Movie in 2000, which lampooned contemporary horror films with reckless abandon. However, while Scary Movie was making waves and redefining the horror-comedy landscape, another spoof film was quietly waiting in the wings. Made before the Wayans’ entry, this hidden gem took a similar aim at the horror genre, mixing self-aware humor with a keen eye for the absurd. Its release may have been overshadowed by its more famous counterpart. Still, it showed the spoof genre’s creative and comedic potential, offering its unique and uproarious take on the slasher film clichés we all know and love. I’m Mike Conway for JoBlo Horror, and we are paying a visit to Scary Movie’s overlooked twin cousin with Shriek If You Know What I Did Last Friday the 13th, today on Horror Party Movies.

Shriek If You Know What I Did Last Friday the 13th (watch it HERE) is a parody that stitches together elements from a slew of iconic horror films into a single, hilariously absurd flick. The story unfolds in the small town of Bulimia Falls, centering around Bulimia Falls High School, where a group of stereotypical high school students finds themselves stalked by a masked killer.

New kid on the block, Dawson Deery, a socially awkward yet endearing nerd, becomes entangled in the mystery when he and his friends receive ominous notes warning that someone knows their dark secrets. The group comprises Barbara Primesuspect, the tough yet somewhat clueless final girl; Slab O’Beef, the dim-witted jock; Boner, the sex-obsessed nerd; and Martina Matinez, the snarky goth girl.

As the body count rises, the friends must navigate a series of ridiculous and over-the-top scenarios, each one lampooning familiar horror tropes. They encounter everything from bumbling law enforcement to bizarre red herrings, all while trying to unmask the killer.

So what type of party is Shriek If…you know what? I’m not saying that long ass name again. Let’s get to the party meter. According to my scale, Shriek’s slapstick humor is a prime candidate for a good time. As always, I’ll be making a drink to accompany the movie. So, let’s hop behind the bar and get right to it.

GREASED FRIGHTENING

2oz Vodka

1oz Midori

3oz Sprite

Float Grenadine

As with any game, there are some basic rules you can follow or modify.

For today’s game, take a drink when:

With any non-horror movie parody

When there’s a kill in the background

When you find yourself saying “They couldn’t make this movie today.”

When someone says “Boner”

If alcohol isn’t your bag, there are plenty of other things to choose from. Cannabis, if legal in your state, delta 8, 9, 10, or whatever the hell number they’re at now, caffeine, hot sauce, anything. Just know your tolerance. This is supposed to be fun; we don’t want to send you to the hospital. Basically, don’t be a dumbass.

So, does Shriek stand toe-to-toe with the other horror parody?

The movie opens with a parody of the iconic opening to Scream. Stepping in the shoes of Drew Barrymore’s Casey Becker is Screw Frombehind, played by Aimee Graham. While alone in the house, putting the finishing touches on a comically large cake, she gets a phone call from none other than The Killer. The fact that he goes by no other name than “The Killer” is pretty humorous and a fun gag throughout the movie. Sure, compared to studio comedies, the budget here is pretty lacking. But, just moments into the phone call, the killer falls into the pool. It’s that type of dumb-ass comedy throughout that helps you forget the production value. While Scary Movie also famously parodied the suspenseful intro, Shriek takes a more slapstick approach. From Screw’s frantic and overly long chase around a birthday cake, to an escape attempt which leads her straight into a bug zapper, resulting in an unexpectedly hilarious electrocution. The Killer’s subsequent disappointment and accidental mask transformation from the Bloody Murder mask to the comically large Ghostface mask, thanks to a lit cigarette, is pretty damn clever.

The main story focuses on Dawson Deery, the new kid at Bulimia Falls High School. He quickly falls in with a quirky group of friends. There’s Boner, the dorky virgin who feels more like a stand in Shitbreak from American Pie. While most of you folks may remember him as Johnathan from Buffy, he will always be Vincent from Seinfeld to me. Then there’s Slab, the dumb jock taking over the role from Freddie Prinze Jr. Barbara Primesuspect, the beautiful blonde kielbasa queen, spoofing her fellow Buffy star, Sarah Michelle Gellar. Here’s a fun little tidbit: This school was also the filming location for the kickass Jawbreaker, which also starred Julie Benz. Finally, there is Martina Martinez, the goth girl who is more in line with someone from The Craft. Dawson has a serious crush on her, though he can’t figure out exactly what team she plays for. Of course, since it was shot in 1999, naturally, there will be plenty of jokes about the stereotypes of same-sex orientation. But with this movie, they are so tame it’s hardly offensive compared to the likes of other spoof movies.

EmpTV News reporter Hagitha Utslay is covering the recent killings. She’s not only reporting on the crime but has also turned it into a best-selling pop-up book. She wastes no time pointing fingers at Dawson, accusing him of being the killer. Also hot on the case is Barbara’s brother Doughy. He’s an inept mall cop who is bumbling his way through the hunt for the killer because the mask was stolen from a Spencers.

Adding to the cast is Shirley Jones as Nurse Kevorkian. Another 60s TV star, Rose Marie as Mrs Tingle. And, hey, look, there’s Beans from Even Stevens as Chucky. Finally, Coolio, as Principal Interest, or The Administrator Formally Known as Principal, rounds out our cast of characters. Color me purple and impressed because his take on Prince is up there with Chappelle’s version. RIP, man.

As the day goes on, students keep dropping like flies in the background. In class, each friend gets a creepy letter from the killer, revealing their deepest secrets from the summer before. This sends them into flashbacks of a wild night of drunk driving when they hit a deer and dumped it in the sea. The dirty laundry? Martina skipped giving her grandma laxatives, Boner accidentally got his brother killed in prison, Slab smoked his uncle’s ashes thinking it was something else, and Barbara committed the heinous crime of removing the “do not remove” tag from a mattress. And how does Dawson fit into all of this? Well, let’s just say it’s something that is best left to be seen.

Keeping Scream as its backbone, the story culminates at a house party. Only this time, instead of being aware they are in a horror movie, they are aware they are in a parody.

On paper, this easily looks like it completely ripped off Scary Movie. However, it just so happened to be a coincidence that they both came out around the same time. In fact, Shriek was in production before the Wayans rolled the camera. Lionsgate planned a theatrical release but then saw the finished product and put it on hold. Scary Movie was released in the summer of 2000, and Shriek became the subject of snickers in the local video stores.

But just because it was deemed unreleasable in theaters doesn’t mean it’s unwatchable. I’d go as far as to say it’s every bit as entertaining as the other movie. It just has a different flavor. From the get-go, the movie wears its intentions on its sleeve. It’s not about reinventing the wheel; it’s about giving it a humorous spin. Scary Movie thrived on its raunchy humor and shock value, pushing the envelope with its explicit jokes and physical comedy. Shriek, on the other hand, embraced a more absurd and surreal style. Its humor is less about gross-out gags and more about clever wordplay and ridiculous situations. The director of this film, John Blanchard, knew a thing or two about absurd comedy, having had roots from The Kids in the Hall to MadTV. Shriek actually plays more like a very long Mad TV sketch, with alums David Herman and Artie Lange making cameos.

When I was a kid, you were either a fan of Mad TV or SNL. There was no in-between, or at least in my circle of friends. Mad TV was the king of late-night parody in the ’90s. Not only did the show give us memorable characters, but also hilarious spoofs of movies and TV shows. For example, check out the edited Sopranos skit or even Gump Fiction from their first episode. Shriek doesn’t just stop with horror. It also spoofs movies like Grease, complete with a musical number, to a laugh-out-loud moment inspired by Porky’s.

When it comes to the main cast of “teens” in the movie, while all are entertaining on screen, one truly stands out among the rest: Simon Rex as Slab O Beef. That’s right, kids, Dirt Nasty himself is in this movie. His portrayal of the stereotypical dim-witted jock is spot-on, and his impeccable timing and physical comedy make him one of the film’s highlights. But the one scene that cracked me up was when he attempted to read his “I know what you did last Hanukkah” note. It’s a small recurring gag, but it got a big laugh from me every time. Slab’s antics at the party further showcase Simon Rex’s comedic talents. When he takes steroids to impress his friends, and the result is his head literally exploding, the scene is both shocking and uproariously funny. And yes, he may have crossed over to the other side as George in Scary Movie 3, but we can’t forget his roots.

Tiffani-Amber Thiessen’s Hagitha Utslay the EmpTV News reporter, is another comedic highlight. Her character’s absurdity rivals that of Gail Hailstorm from Scary Movie. Hagitha’s relentless accusations against Dawson, despite the mounting evidence pointing elsewhere, and her obliviousness to her own cameraman’s murder are played for maximum comedic effect. Her flirtation with Doughy, played by Tom Arnold, the bumbling security guard, adds another layer of humor. Almost every word that comes out of Tom Arnold’s mouth is hilarious. But then again, this is coming from a guy who thinks his 1996 movie The Stupids is funny as hell.

The film’s climax at Slab’s party is a perfect blend of parody and slapstick, much like the house party finale in Scary Movie. Boner’s misguided attempt to lose his virginity, only to suffer a heart attack, and Barbara’s allergic reaction to bee stings during a chase with the Killer, are examples of how Shriek turns horror scenarios on their head with comedic twists.

It’s hard not to compare this to Scary Movie, but another thing that has an advantage over it is that Shriek only has two writers. The problem with Scary Movie is that it’s chock full of pop culture references that were only funny for the time. You have Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer to thank for that. Who are they, you ask? They are the ones pretty much responsible for the slew of shitty spoof movies in the 2000s like Date Movie, Meet the Spartans, Vampires Suck, and so on. God, those were the fucking worst. Yes, Shiek has its share of pop culture references, too. But it’s minimal, like the Mentos parody or even a whole chase scene devoted to VH1’s Pop-Up Video.

They say not to judge a book by its cover. And the same should be said here because look at this movie’s cover. What in the name of 2000s Photoshop is going on there? And what the hell is going on with Coolio? He’s got top billing on the cover, but it looks like they grabbed a candid photo. Like, he’s saying “Hey, man, I’m going to the store, yall need anything?” And then, someone takes his picture at that moment and slaps it on the poster. Anyway, yea, the moral of the story, don’t judge a film by its shitty cover.

Shriek If You Know What I Did Last Friday the 13th was finally released during USA’s Shriek Week in October, 2000. In the end, while I still find the stoner comedy of Scary Movie funnier, I still think this is a hidden gem that shouldn’t be overlooked. One thing is for certain, it’s miles funnier over Scary Movie 4 and 5. What do you think of Shriek? Let us know in the comments, and we will see you on the next one.

A couple previous episodes of the Best Horror Party Movies series can be seen below. To see more, and to check out some of our other shows, head over to the JoBlo Horror Originals YouTube channel – and subscribe while you’re there!