Welcome to the Ghostface Glossary, a guide to every horror reference and nod throughout all six films in the Scream franchise thus far. Click the link to see previous articles.
After a lot of pausing, rewinding, and zooming in, as well as researching, we’re catching all of the many horror-specific references Williamson, Craven, and Co. included in this beloved postmodern slasher franchise. If we’ve forgotten any glaring ones, kindly let us know.
“Who gives a fuck about movies?!”
“Forget about the movies— the movies don’t matter.” Jason Voorhees, Patrick Bateman, Frank Zito. Now Ghostface. New York City may be the most exciting city in the world, but it can also be one of the scariest, and it was only a matter of time before Scream migrated from sleepy Woodsboro to the East Coast, giving much-needed kinetic energy and gritty set pieces to the long-running, postmodern slasher franchise. Once again written by James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick, with direction from Radio Silence, Scream VI revives the franchise with yet another subversive opening, a total of five Ghostface killers, and it’s also stuffed to the guts with horror nods that each feel like tiny love letters to us horror buffs. What it may lack in Neve Campbell and biting horror commentary compared to its predecessor, VI provides the audience with more emotional attachment to the “Core Four” and gives the seemingly unkillable Gale Weathers a quite literal run for her money. In Ghostface 2022 voice, it’s an honor to present all the horror references for Scream VI (2023) in their respective order of occurrence.
Here are all the Easter Eggs we spotted in Scream VI…
Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan (1989): Let’s get the obvious out of the way- any slasher villain that ventures to the Big Apple is nodding this ’89 sequel. Radio Silence makes the joke before you have to, as first aptly named Ghostface killer Jason is seen watching it within the first 10 minutes of the film. “We’re nothing if not subtle,” Radio Silence jokes within the director’s commentary Blu-ray feature.
The Babysitter (2017) and Cocaine Bear (2023): In the film’s opening sequence, as we meet Samara Weaving’s Professor Laura Crane, she looks at her phone to see her lost date calling her (or, at least who she thinks she’s talking to.) The pictured man from the dating app is none other than screenwriter Jimmy Warden, responsible for the two listed films, as well as Weaving’s real-life husband.
Psycho (1960): Laura Crane’s name, of course, is a nod to Janet Leigh’s doomed Marion Crane from the Hitchcock classic. The movie poster is also spotted adorned the walls of opening Ghostface killers Jason and Greg’s apartment.
I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997): Laura finally meeting her demise as she’s slumped against the wall in an alleyway is a tribute to Sarah Michelle Gellar’s Helen Shivers’ death in the post-Scream slasher.
More posters for Der Golem (1920), The Phantom of the Opera (1925), Metropolis (1927), Vertigo (1958) and Dracula are adorned on Jason and Greg’s walls.
Four Flies On Grey Velvet (1971): Jason is wearing a shirt that says “Mosche di Velluto Grigio,” aka the Italian title of this Argento classic. Mindy also mocks Jason for being “obsessed with Argento” later.
A flyer of horror metal band Ice Nine Kills is on the fridge of Jason and Greg’s apartment.
A hefty stack of Fangoria magazines appears in frame, underneath the Psycho poster. Later in the subway scene, an extra rocks a Fango shirt, as well. (We confirmed these with Radio Silence’s Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, as they’re both blink-and-you’ll-miss-it.)
Jason and Greg own a tiny Cthulhu illustration on their fridge.
Friday the 13th Part II (1981): Scream VI’s Jason discovering the decapitated head and body of roommate Greg in the fridge, moments before getting killed himself, is a great nod to Friday’s Jason storing Mrs. Voorhees’ head in Alice’s fridge before immediately killing her, too.
Little plush dolls of The Addams Family, Pennywise, Leatherface, and Annabelle are decorated within closeted horror fan’s Dr. Stone’s therapy office. And another nod to the Addams Family can be seen in the frat party sequence, as a partygoer is dressed as Wednesday Addams. A small Pazuzu statue similar to the one from The Exorcist also lurks in his office.
A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984): After her therapy session is cut short, Sam passes the dorm building called “ElmCourt.” There’s also a frat party attendee in a #10 jersey similar to Johnny Depp’s Glen in the film— a reoccurring reference throughout the Scream franchise.
V/H/S (2012): At the frat party, Tara is dressed as a pirate, an extra is dressed as a teddy bear, and another actor was supposed to be costumed as a Unabomber before contracting Covid— a niche nod to Radio Silence’s short from the 2012 found footage anthology.
Ethan’s costume is a nod to horror comedy Murder Party (2007) in which the lead wears a cardboard suit of armor, as well.
The Grudge (2004): Mindy’s girlfriend Anika’s last name is Kayoko, an ode to the similarly named antagonist, Kayako.
Sam’s California address on her driver’s license left at the crime scene was the late Wes Craven’s actual address before his death.
Halloween (1978): Sam’s secret “cute boy” boyfriend living in the building across from hers is named Danny Brackett, a likely homage to Annie Brackett.
“Abe Snake” aka Wes Craven’s pseudonym: The bodega scene takes place in “Abe’s Snake,” which is a loving nod to the professional name Craven used to release his adult films back in the 1970s. As this idea came from Ice Nine Kill’s singer Spencer Charnas, the band flyer on the fridge in the earlier scene says their show will take place at the “Abe‘s Snake Pit,” as well.
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956): Dr. Stone is watching the very on-the-nose scene of “They’re here already! You’re next!” before he is, in fact, next to die.
The horror YouTube channel Dead Meat’s logo can be found on a VHS tape in front of Dr. Stone’s television set.
X (2022) or Pearl (2022): The knock at Dr. Stone’s door was originally reported to be the same sound effect used in X, performed by Ti West himself. However, in the director’s commentary, Radio Silence says it’s actually from its prequel, Pearl, so we’re citing both. Radio Silence had originally planned on taping a poster from X onto Tara’s wall but ultimately decided against it.
Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2022), Halloween Resurrection (2002), Alien 3 (1992), Saw III (2006), A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987): This time around, Mindy’s speech is dedicated to franchises, as she explains to Chad, Quinn, Anika, Ethan, and the Carpenter sisters that—ta da!— they’re existing in somebody’s fucked up franchise. The fates of legacy characters in several of these recent installments remains unsafe, she explains. Mindy refers to Sally Hardesty’s death from the latest TCM and also namedrops Laurie Strode, Ellen Ripley, Jigsaw, and Nancy Thompson as fellow franchise martyrs in their respective sequels.
Psycho (1960): The gag of discovering Quinn’s gentleman caller’s bloodied corpse in the shower tub is another gesture to the seminal classic.
Nerve (2016): In one of the film’s key nerve-wracking moments, Ghostface terrorizes the crew by shaking and rattling the ladder to Danny’s apartment window, causing Anika to ultimately plummet to her death. The crawling-across-a-ladder bit is also used in this Emma Roberts-starring thriller (a previous wearer of the Ghostface mask in 4.)
A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984), Friday the 13th Part II (1981) and Final Chapter (1984), Psycho II (1983), and Candyman (1992, 2021): Best Nightmare on Elm Street? “The original,” resident horror lovers Mindy and Kirby say in unison. However, they disagree on the best Friday movie. They also nod the indeed underrated Psycho sequel and agree that both versions of Candyman rule. Game recognize game. Side note, Kirby’s styling in these scenes, with the cropped, blond wig and leather jacket attire, must be a nod to Bride of Chucky’s (1998) Tiffany.
Killer Klowns from Outer Space (1988): A background extra can be seen wearing a Killer Clowns mask while the gang is at the NYC park, hoping to bait Ghostface.
Ahh, the subway scene. A Scream VI scene so rich in horror Easter Eggs that it may be one of the most ambitious meta sequences throughout the entire franchise. If only real-life Halloween party costumes were half as cool as the ones designed by VI’s costume designer Avery Plewes.
Here are all the horror-specific costumes we could spot (some of these costumes are slightly easier to spot in the Blu-ray bonus features):
Jason Voorhees, Michael Myers, Leatherface, Pinhead, Freddy Krueger, Chucky and Tiffany Valentine, Jigsaw, Pennywise and Georgie from It (1990, 2017), Children of the Corn (1984), Dani from Midsommar (2019), Grace from Radio Silence’s Ready or Not (2019), the Grady Twins and Dick Hallorann from The Shining (1980), The Babadook (2014), Carrie (1976), The Tethered from Us (2019), Eyes Without a Face (1960), Sam from Trick ’r Treat (2007), Samara from The Ring (2002), Kayako from The Grudge (2004), The Handmaid’s Tale (2017-), Peachfuzz from Creep (2014), Regan from The Exorcist (1973), Papa Legba from American Horror Story: Coven (2012-2013), Tippi from The Birds (1963), Emerald from Nope (2022), The Grabber’s mask from The Black Phone (2022), Alice Sweet Alice (1976), Shaun of the Dead (2004), Videodrome (1983), The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975), The Nun (2018), and lesser mainstream Wes Craven classics such as The Last House on the Left (1972), Deadly Blessing (1981), Deadly Friend (1986), Shocker (1989), The People Under the Stairs (1991), and Vampire in Brooklyn (1995). The crew can also be heard chanting “Evil Dies Tonight!” from Halloween Kills (2021) in the background.
The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975): Kirby is standing outside the old theater marquee, where the (remaining) letters spell out the title of the beloved horror musical.
Happy Birthday to Me (1981) and Psycho II (1983): The shot of Tara stabbing the knife through Ethan’s mouth agape recalls Lila Crane’s death in Psycho II and the skewer-about-to-enter-mouth image on Birthday’s movie poster.
Zombie (1979) and X (2022): Sam offs Detective Bailey, aka Richie’s dad aka one of the three Ghostfaces, for good with a knife through his eye— adding to the roster of Zombie’s and X’s eye-penetrating trauma, as a splinter pierces an eyeball in the former and an eyeball gets pitchforked in the latter.
Twin Peaks series (1990-1991): The font that is used for “Written & Directed by Richie Kirsch” behind Sam and Tara is the same font within the David Lynch series, as writer Guy Busick is a massive fan.
Ready or Not (2019): The bloodied and battered Sam and Tara sitting on the stage with the fire from Richie’s movie projected in the background is an homage to the final shot of Radio Silence’s 2019 film, when a bloodied, battered, and jaded Grace sits down in front of the flames and smokes a cigarette in the aftermath.
Did you spot any Scream VI Easter Eggs that we missed? Sound off below.
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