Scream 6's Directors Hid Ready Or Not & V/H/S Easter Eggs In The Film
Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett have proven there is plenty more for "Scream" to offer, following their work behind the cameras on the fifth and sixth installments of the series. The subway scene in "Scream 6" alone should solidify their positions as the stewards of the franchise going forward.
Not only was the scene one of the best and most disturbing moments in "Scream 6," but a subway car filled with people in Halloween costumes gave the directing duo a blank slate to throw in numerous Easter eggs. Although the costume department deserves much of the praise, Bettinelli-Olpin told Comicbook.com that he made sure to include a reference to Radio Silence's first project. "I know one of the ones [people didn't catch], we did a fun one just for us, which was our first feature anthology was 'V/H/S,' and so we dressed Tara, Jenna's character, and her friends as the 'V/H/S' characters, which was dumb as f**k and also, we were like, 'Let's just have some fun with this,'" he explained.
The subway scene also includes an Easter egg for another one of their projects, "Ready or Not." "There's a background performer dressed as Grace, Samara Weaving's character in 'Ready or Not,' that one was one of my favorites," cinematographer Brett Jutkiewicz, who worked on the film with Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett, told Screen Rant.
Scream 6 includes an astounding number of Easter eggs
The "Scream 6" Easter egg train didn't stop there, as Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett used the latest installment to showcase their love for the horror genre. In an interview with Variety, costume designer Avery Plewes revealed that she and the creative duo managed to sneak in over 50 Easter eggs, with the majority being horror-themed references.
Surprising no one, the subway scene includes most of those Easter eggs, with the production's costume department crafting hundreds of costumes for the 140 extras the shoot required. "It was a 25/75 rule, where 25% of the costumes were creepy at the beginning, and then it just progressively got worse," Plewes told Variety, revealing the extras would exit the subway car, change costumes, and reappear in different outfits.
For the horror references, Plewes said the team started with Wes Craven, who directed the first four "Scream" movies, moving on to "A-list horror villains, new and old, and then stuff that feels really relevant today." "Scream 6" included Easter eggs to Craven's "A Nightmare on Elm Street," "The People Under the Stairs," and more. For the modern horror references, the team wanted to highlight Ari Aster, Jordan Peele, and others that are pushing the genre forward, including Easter eggs for "Nope," "Us," "Midsommar," and "X."