Editorials
‘Scream VI’ – Identifying All the Franchise Easter Eggs in the Ghostface Shrine!
“I’m something different.” So says Ghostface to Gale Weathers in the new trailer for Scream VI, reinforcing the “New York. New rules.” tagline. And while that may be true, there’s certainly no shortage of references to the past. The trailer reveals Ghostface’s macabre shine featuring wardrobe and props from both past killers and their victims.
Here are all the Scream VI Easter Eggs we spotted in the new trailer…
Steve’s varsity jacket – Ghostface’s first victim in the original Scream is Casey’s boyfriend, Steve (“He’s big and he plays football, and he’ll kick the shit out of you!”). His Woodsboro High School varsity jacket is on a mannequin along with the duct tape that was used to bound him and, it appears, the actual chair he was murdered in.
Stu’s robe – I know a lot of fans want to see Stu return, but all signs point to him being dead. The Hugh Hefner-esque red robe that he rocks over his sweater at the party in Scream is on display.
Stu’s TV – Speaking of Stu’s fate, brightening the footage reveals the TV that crushed his head in the background of the shrine.
Tatum’s outfit – Who could forget the loud outfit that Tatum wore to the house party in Scream? Both the short sleeve turtleneck sweater and the kaleidoscopic skirt are on display.
Billy’s shirt – Billy made a posthumous return in Scream (2022), but his shirt from the original film is prominently displayed. The white tee is stained red with a combination of real blood and corn syrup (“Same stuff they used for pig’s blood in Carrie.”)
Kenny’s hat – A baseball hat is displayed backwards on a mannequin. That has to belong to Kenny, Gale’s ill-fated cameraman from Scream.
Aeschylus props – A mask from Windsor College’s stage production of Aeschylus’ Greek tragedy Agamemnon is featured, along with the sun prop on which Derek was crucified before being shot in Scream 2.
Debbie’s outfit – The blazer that Debbie Salt (AKA Nancy Loomis) wears during Scream 2‘s big reveal is on a mannequin, accompanied by the pistol she used to shoot Mickey.
Stab 3 production materials – The slate from the set of Stab 3, a script for the movie, and a film reel from Scream 3 are visible.
Fax machine – Scream 3‘s infamous, electricity-defying fax machine can be glimpsed, half charred as the result of the explosion that killed Tom.
Frying pan – Bodyguard Steve Stone is hit with a frying pan after being stabbed in the back by Ghostface in Scream 3, and that very pan appears to be part of the collection.
Olivia’s shirt – Olivia suffered one of the franchise’s most grisly demises in Scream 4, and Ghostface has her bloody, tattered shirt to prove it.
Jill’s outfit – Sorry for those hoping for Jill to return, but her bloody flannel shirt from Scream 4 seems to confirm that she’s gone for good. But hey, at least Kirby is back!
Woodsboro Police uniform – A bloody Woodsboro Police uniform can be seen behind Dermot Mulroney. It’s hard to tell for sure, but it could belong to Dewey from Scream or Scream 2 or either Hoss or Perkins from Scream 4.
Gale Weathers books – Several of Gale’s books — including College Terror, Hollywood Horror: the True Story of Stab 3, Knife of Doom, Clock of Doom, and Knife of the Hunter — can be seen in a display case.
Ghostface robes – Nine different black robes are carefully arranged on stage. That’s one for each killer (Billy, Stu, Mickey, Debbie, Roman, Charlie, Jill, Amber, and Richie), so our new Ghostface is nothing if not thorough.
Stab memorabilia – A case full of Stab memorabilia features a mask, fake knife, and costume like the ones handed out in the opening of Scream 2, along with Blu-rays, a shirt, and more.
Woodsboro High flag – What appears to be a Woodsboro High flag hangs from a flagpole. The school is prominently featured in both the original Scream and Scream (2022).
Bloody knife – The trailer shows Sam inspecting a bloody knife from the Ghostface collection. Although its origin is impossible to define, I wonder if it’s from the events of Scream (2022) — perhaps the one she used to kill Richie — given Sam’s attraction to it.
Various character sketches can also be seen throughout the shrine, along with other Easter Egg objects I wasn’t able to identify from the brief glimpses we get in the Scream VI trailer.
Did I miss anything? Let me know in the comments!
Found footage movies rely on immersion and a particular kind of suspension of disbelief in order to scare viewers, so it stands to reason that playing along with the “kayfabe” of it all is necessary for these movies to be effective. However, despite being something of a purist when it comes to in-universe recordings, I’ve come to accept that traditional productions can benefit from the occasional injection of found footage thrills.
For instance, Kane Parsons’ Backrooms adaptation makes genius use of the analog gimmick in order to trap us in the titular rooms alongside our main characters before effortlessly switching back to a more cinematic language. In honor of these dynamic films that manage to combine the best of both worlds, today I’d like to share six other hybrid horror movies that successfully incorporate found footage into their scares!
For the purposes of this list, “hybrid” horror movies are defined as any flick that shifts between diegetic recordings and traditional filming techniques for a significant amount of time (or at least for pivotal scenes).
As usual, don’t forget to comment below with your own hybrid favorites if you think a particularly freaky one was missed.
With that out of the way, onto the list!
5. The Last Broadcast (1998)
Internet critics may have overstated the influence that Stefan Avalos and Lance Weiler’s The Last Broadcast had on The Blair Witch Project, but the found footage subgenre still owes a huge debt to this underrated piece of avant-garde filmmaking. However, while the movie sets itself up as a documentary about the disappearance of a group of cryptid-hunters attempting to track down the Jersey Devil, things take a darker and much more grounded turn towards the final act.
I won’t get into details in order to avoid spoilers, but suffice to say that the jarring shift in perspective actually helps to sell the idea that everything we’ve seen before the finale was an attempt at using filmmaking to manipulate the public perception of a “real” incident.
Not bad for a movie with a $900 budget!
4. Cam (2018)
When you consider just how much the internet affects our daily lives, it’s strange that we don’t see Screenlife elements pop up in more movies these days. For instance, Isa Mazzei & Daniel Goldhaber’s highly underrated Cam only works as a freaky parable about online sex-work because it masterfully balances Madeline Brewer’s intimate moments with highly immersive segments within cyberspace.
While one might argue that the entire film could have been produced as a Screenlife experience, the hybrid approach allows the filmmakers to explore our main character’s life beyond the screens – with the duality of modern human existence actually becoming a recurring theme in the story.
3. Banshee Chapter (2013)
Most of H.P. Lovecraft’s popular stories were told in the epistolary format (where the text is presented as an in-universe compilation of letters or personal notes), so it makes sense that a spiritually faithful adaptation of his work would incorporate elements from the modern-day equivalent to epistolary fiction – found footage!
That’s why Blair Erickson’s Banshee Chapter is such an effective scare-fest, as this hybrid adaptation of From Beyond -retold through a conspiratorial lens as it references MK-Ultra and even secretive numbers stations- immerses viewers in a mind-bending tapestry of Cosmic Horror that blurs the line between fiction and reality.
2. The Deep House (2019)
The underwater setting does a lot of the heavy lifting when it comes to Alexandre Bustillo and Julien Maury’s The Deep House, with the film being especially uncomfortable if you’re already scared of tight spaces and being deprived of oxygen. However, even the universally unsettling elements of the flick only work because the POV often shifts into claustrophobic footage courtesy of our main characters’ GoPro cameras.
Telling the story of a couple of YouTubers who encounter a haunted house at the bottom of an artificial lake while vacationing in France, The Deep House’s first-person exploration sequences contain some of the film’s scariest moments. In fact, I’d argue that the movie didn’t even need ghosts, as becoming trapped in the titular House already sounds like a fate worse than death.
1. Behind The Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon (2006)
My personal favorite instance of filmmakers successfully managing to combine traditional cinematography with POV filmmaking, Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon, is proof that the two formats can co-exist if the right story comes along.
After all, what better way to conclude a mockumentary all about reality getting increasingly more cinematic than by ditching the found footage gimmick altogether during the finale? Not only does this shift in presentation work on a conceptual level, but it also elevates Behind The Mask into a proper Slasher, which is probably why we’re so excited for that long-overdue sequel!
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