And so it begins! During this Scream-filled weekend leading up to the release of Scream VI, I had the pleasure of visiting the Scream VI Stabby Meal event and the Scream VI Experience in Santa Monica, California. Both were a true treat and good time for any diehard franchise fan, but the Scream VI Experience in particular included a few Easter eggs that could wind up playing a big part in the new movie due out on March 10th.
After the latest massacre in Woodsboro, Scream VI sees Sam (Melissa Barrera), Tara (Jenna Ortega), Chad (Mason Gooding), and Mindy (Jasmin Savoy Brown) take off and start fresh elsewhere for school. However, as always, Ghostface returns, and, for the first time ever, the killer(s) hunt their victims in a big city — New York City.
As revealed in the trailer, Scream VI’s Ghostface is “something different,” but also appears to be well-connected to the past given the shrine to other killers and victims. Not only did the Scream VI Experience feature a recreation of that shrine with screen-used props from the film, but it also had a bodega with other curious details hidden throughout the space.
Gale’s New Book
In the bodega, there was a stack of familiar Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox) penned classics like The Woodsboro Murders and Hollywood Horror, and Sidney Prescott’s (Neve Campbell) book, Out of Darkness, but there was also one we haven’t seen before, Requel: Terror Returns to Woodsboro. Given that title one can assume that Gale did indeed write a book about the events of Scream 2022 after all, which is a bit of a surprise given her comments about writing more books in that movie.
While Sidney and Gale are on their way to the old Macher house to help stop whatever massacre the killers have planned, Gale mentions, “If I hadn’t written that book about your mother, none of this would have happened.” Even though Sidney insists that’s not true, she does say, “After tonight, no more books, no more movies, no more fucking Ghostface.”
Later on, after the bloodbath, Sam asks Gale how she’s doing. Gale replies, “Ask me in a few days,” and then says, “But at least I know what I’m gonna write about.” Sam asks what and Gale tells her, “Not this. Those fuckers can die in anonymity. Maybe something about a good man who used to be the sheriff here once.”
Is that indeed what Requel: Terror Returns to Woodsboro is about? The title suggests the book does cover the bloodshed, but perhaps the tone and/or perspective shifts to allow the piece to explore those events without glorifying the killers, but rather, to highlight the bravery of a certain beloved franchise hero.
Billy Loomis’ Ghostface Mask
Scream VI is set to feature a new Ghostface mask. Rather than the typical fresh-out-of-the-bag white design, this one’s extremely warned looking — as though it’s old and has been heavily used. But whose is it?
There are two trailer clues to suggest it's Billy Loomis' (Skeet Ulrich) mask. Let's begin with the big one -- the shrine. The existence of such a collection immediately suggests that this weathered mask belongs to a previous killer. However, while all of the mannequins in the shrine have robes, none have masks on. So we can't look for confirmation there.
However, there's also a shot in the trailer where Sam is holding that exact mask. Given the fact that her hands and the mask itself have blood on them, it seems likely that this shot is from the tail end of the movie, after the third act bloodbath. Perhaps Sam's decided she's the one to keep her father's mask and steals it from the crime scene.
All trailer signs point to Billy and now the Scream VI Experience confirms it. In the shrine recreation at the event, there was indeed one mannequin and it had a robe and a mask, the grayish, cracked mask from the trailer. That mannequin was labeled "Billy Loomis."
More Fun Details
In addition to that confirmation and reveal, the Scream VI Experience also included a number of clever Easter eggs in the bodega. You can catch photos of those as well as some of the props in the recreated shrine and images of the Stabby Meal below.
Scream VI arrives in theaters on March 10th.
