8 Easter eggs, references, and callbacks you might have missed in 'Scream 6'

Although Neve Campbell doesn't reprise her role as Sidney Prescott in the film, there are still a few legacy characters on the scene to help figure out who the new Ghostface is.

"Scream 4" alumni Hayden Panettiere returns as "Scream 4" survivor Kirby Reed, who has since gone on to become an FBI agent.

Kirby's still a horror fan, even trading genre opinions with resident expert Mindy Meeks-Martin (Jasmin Savoy Brown), but she hasn't forgotten her own run-in with Ghostface.

In the movie, she even lifts her shirt to show off the stab wound that Charlie Walker (Rory Culkin) gave her back in 2011. 

It's a good nod to the sequel, especially since it was the last one directed by Wes Craven before his death.

Part of Sam Carpenter's (Melissa Barrera) story in "Scream 6" is that she is facing accusations in the press and on social media that she's the mastermind behind the Ghostface killings in "Scream 5."

In fact, there is a gaggle of reporters waiting for Sam and Tara (Jenna Ortega) when they leave the police station after being questioned, when Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox) shows up to cover the news.

Unfortunately for Gale, the sisters weren't impressed that the reporter wrote a book all about Richie and Amber Freeman's (Mikey Madison) killing spree from the previous film — with Sam trying to punch Gale in the face. 

The seasoned reporter dodges it, pointing out that this isn't the first time this has happened to her, referring to the time that Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) punched her way back in 1996's "Scream."

But what Gale doesn't see coming is Tara waiting for an opportunity to let loose with a right hook, which really catches her off-guard. It's a nice way of honoring Sidney and the original movie, while keeping things fresh for Sam and Tara.

Since the gang has backup from the FBI courtesy of Kirby, they try to turn the tables on Ghostface by trying to track down his location by tracing a phone call from the killer.

While Sam and Tara try and lure him out by walking around a park, Kirby, Chad (Mason Gooding) and Mindy Meeks-Martin (Jasmin Savoy Brown) are hiding in a disguised van trying to trace the call.

This harks back to "Scream 2," in which Randy Meeks (Jamie Kennedy) was hunted by Ghostface in broad daylight as he walked through a park while talking to the killer on the phone.

The film nerd was ultimately murdered when Ghostface pulled him into a van and stabbed him to death. So, there is another callback here to the previous films as Mindy points out the parallels of them hiding out in a van in broad daylight.

Of course, Richie Kirsch's shrine to all things Ghostface, Woodsboro, and "Stab" features a number of callbacks to the whole franchise.

First and foremost, it houses every single Ghostface outfit belonging to the various killers over the years. But there are also a number of bloody personal items scattered across the abandoned theater.

From the first "Scream" movie, there's the outfit worn by Tatum Riley (Rose McGowan) when she was crushed in the garage door, Stu Macher's (Matthew Lillard) red robe, and the TV that Sidney pushes onto his head.

There's also Steven Orth's (Kevin Patrick Wells) letterman jacket that he was wearing when he was murdered in front of his girlfriend Casey Becker (Drew Barrymore) in the opening scene, and of course, Billy Loomis' (Skeet Ulrich) bloody white T-shirt is also on display. 

The theater also houses a number of stage decorations and props used in the "Agamemnon" play that Sidney was meant to star in at college in "Scream 2." Richie has also tracked down Nancy Loomis' white jacket, still covered in blood from when Cotton Weary (Liev Schrieber) shot the killer in the chest.

There are plenty of "Stab" posters and memorabilia scattered around the theater, which isn't surprising since Richie was a huge fan of the franchise. But a "Stab 3" clapperboard has to be a reference to Roman Bridger (Scott Foley), the director of the "Stab" sequel and Sidney's secret brother.

Richie was also interested in the events of "Scream 4," since he collected Jill Roberts' (Emma Roberts) plaid shirt, and a Woodsboro police officer's bloodstained uniform. He even has the shirt worn by Olivia Morris (Marielle Jaffe) when she was butchered to death in her own bedroom. Yikes.

Before getting their hands on Ghostface, "Scream 6" directors Tyler Gillett and Matt Bettinelli-Olpin showed exactly what they can do with the horror-comedy "Ready or Not."

It starred Samara Weaving as Grace, a bride forced into a sadistic game of hide and seek on her wedding night. 

Not only does Weaving show up as one of the opening kills in "Scream 6," but her character gets an homage in the lengthy subway scene, which takes place on Halloween, so there are plenty of people dressed in fancy dress costumes.

In one blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment, a woman dressed as Grace can be seen walking down the subway stairs in a white wedding dress with a shotgun bandolier across her torso — which is Grace's iconic look for the 2019 movie. Well, "Scream" has always been meta.

But the subway scene continues to pay homage to a number of other iconic horror movies, as a number of New Yorkers are dressed in fancy dress costumes. 

Gillett and Bettinelli-Olpin take great pleasure in showing off a number of revelers dressed as Pinhead from "Hellraiser," Billy the Puppet from "Saw," the Tethered from "Us," and even the titular entity from Jennifer Kent's "The Babadook."

There are a few other fun horror references scattered throughout the scene as well, including someone dressed as the hockey mask-wearing Jason Voorhees. Horror fans will know this is a particularly fun nod because "Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan" also sees the killer rampaging through New York, much like Ghostface in "Scream 6."

The sequence references a few pop culture icons too, including David Bowie's Ziggy Stardust, while someone else dressed as Julia Fox in the clawed hand dress that she wore to the Oscars in 2022.

Don't say we didn't warn you! There are actually three killers in "Scream 6," and they're all related to Richie Kirsch.

Detective Bailey (Dermot Mulroney) is actually Richie's grieving father, while Quinn (Liana Liberato) and Ethan (Jack Champion) are his siblings. 

Their whole motivation is to get revenge on Sam for murdering Richie at the end of "Scream 5" by smearing her name in the press and online before framing her for all the murders. 

This is a great parallel to 1997's "Scream 2," which also sees Sidney go to college and try to live a normal life before being hunted by Ghostface again. The reveal in that sequel was that journalist Debbie Salt (Laurie Metcalf) was actually Billy's mother, Nancy Loomis. 

Nancy recruited film fan Mickey Altieri (Timothy Olyphant) to help her get revenge on Sidney for killing Billy in the first film.

So, it makes sense that Richie's father is the main villain this time around, as the franchise always has a way of being self-referential.

Richie Kirsch might've been a hardcore "Stab" fan, but his film interests were clearly much wider than just horror. While his own film plays on the projector during the climax, a title card reads "Directed by Richie Kirsch" in a font that will look familiar to "Twin Peaks" fans.

The red text is highlighted in green, making it pop against the picture behind it — and it's clearly a riff on the "Twin Peaks" credits, with Richie putting his own spin on the "Directed by David Lynch" card. 

If that wasn't enough, the image behind it is a continuous shot of a Ghostface mask, which looks quite abstract and Lynchian.