Homophobia and sexism abound in puerile 'A Haunted House'

In recent years, the fine art of the film spoof has been completely lost in a blitzkrieg of lazy, crass parodies lacking any subtlety or invention.

The ‘Scary Movie’ series, which began in 2000 and has somehow spluttered and wheezed to five installments so far, is a lamentable case in point. Created to tap into the popularity of Wes Craven’s slasher ‘Scream’, the foul-mouthed horror-comedy franchise has repeatedly taken pot shots at easy targets, trading mean-spirited, base humour for pitiful laughs.