The teaser trailer has been released for the much anticipated Scream VI. Directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, better known as of the filmmaking collective Radio Silence, return to direct this sixth entry of the long-running slasher franchise. This entry moves the narrative from the town of Woodsboro to New York City.
The teaser is set predominantly aboard a packed subway car ridden by returning cast Melissa Barrera as Sam Carpenter, Jenna Ortega as Sam's sister Tara, Mason Gooding as Chad Meeks-Martin, and Jasmin Savoy Brown as Chad's twin sister Mindy. The group finds themselves stalked by the new Ghostface, who is hiding among a group of engers wearing Halloween costumes. Several horror Easter Eggs are made through these costumes throughout the teaser.
Ready Or Not (2019)
About 20 seconds into the teaser, behind a man wearing a costume similar to Shao Kahn from Mortal Kombat, a woman can be seen walking down the stairs dressed as Grace (Samara Weaving) from Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett's 2019 breakthrough film Ready or Not. The woman is sporting Grace's iconic appearance, wearing a wedding dress with an ammo belt. Ready or Not star Weaving is set to appear in Scream VI in a yet-to-be-disclosed role. The fact that Samara Weaving plays a character in Scream VI adds the interesting conundrum about how Ready or Not can even exist in the Scream universe.
Trick 'r Treat (2007)
At the 23-second mark of the teaser, there is a glimpse of what can be interpreted as someone wearing a generic zombie skeleton mask. However, the look is quite similar to the costumes worn in Michael Dougherty's Trick 'r Treat, when a cruel trick is played upon Rhonda (Samm Todd) by her fellow trick-or-treaters, only for them to meet comeuppance when the real victims of the Halloween School bus Massacre surface. ittedly, this might not be the intended reference for this costume, though the similarities are striking if it is a coincidence.
Creep (2014)
Immediately after the zombie mask comes another possibly generic costume of someone wearing a werewolf mask. However, the mask has a similar style and color to the wolf mask worn by Mark Duplass' character of Josef in the 2014 indie horror film Creep and its 2016 sequel, both written and directed by Patrick Brice. Ghostface might reference indie horror films such as Creep in Scream VI. However, like the zombie, this Easter Egg might be purely coincidental.
The Babadook (2014)
The main cast makes their first appearance 25 seconds into the teaser. Right behind them is a man very obviously dressed as the titular villain of Jennifer Kent's The Babadook. This is in direct reference to the opening scene of 2022's Scream, where Jenna Ortega's Tara Carpenter called The Babadook her favorite horror movie, citing it as an example of the elevated horror trend. This is further referenced by how the man dressed as The Babadook seems to be in Tara's direct line of vision.
Hellraiser And Friday The 13th
When Ghostface appears 28 seconds into the teaser, he is surrounded by the previously mentioned Easter Eggs of the zombie, werewolf, and Grace from Ready or Not. However, some horror legends can also be spotted around the Scream villain. Immediately behind Ghostface is a man dressed as Pinhead from the Hellraiser franchise. Seated on the right side of the frame is the familiar hockey mask-wearing visage of Friday the 13th villain Jason Voorhees. This is one of the few times the teaser features easily recognizable mainstream horror characters that aren't open to interpretation.
J-Horror (Ringu, Ju-On)
Another shot of Ghostface 34 seconds into the teaser provides a more centered look at the Jason Voorhees costume. Also visible behind Ghostface is a woman taking on the traditional Kaiden appearance prominent in Japanese folklore, typically depicted as a female ghost with long black hair. This look became popular in J-horror, with characters such as Sadako in Ringu (The Ring) and Kayako in Ju-on (The Grudge).
The remainder of the teaser involves Ghostface targeting Jasmin Savoy Brown's character of Mindy Meeks-Martin. The teaser makes it appear like Mindy will become a victim, though it also might be misdirection. Her fate will be answered when Scream VI is released in March 2023.
