Spoilers ahead for the new Scream movie! If you haven’t seen the slasher, you’ve been warned.
The horror movie renaissance has been going strong for years now, and it’s showing no signs of slowing down. As such, it’s the perfect time for the new Scream movie, since the franchise is known for deconstructing the genre. There are a few surprise returns in the slasher, and Scream producer Chad Villella confirmed that easter eggs reveal the fate of more legacy characters. And one has already been spotted.
The new Scream is largely focused on new characters, especially Melissa Barrera’s protagonist Sam. But longtime fans will be delighted in some surprise character returns, including Heather Matarazzo as Randy’s sister Martha Meeks. I had the privilege of speaking with directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett ahead of Scream’s release, as well as their collaborator and producer Chad Villella. When I asked if they were tempted to bring in more survivors from the franchise, Villella told me:
Yeah, I think there are some very obvious ones that we brought in this movie back that you actually see in the movie. We actually allude to some easter eggs to other character’s potential survival and that they’re still alive in the world of Woodsboro. So it’s definitely worth doing a deep dive in everything you see on screen to see who might be alive.
Do you hear that sound? It's hardcore Scream fans clamoring to their second screening of the new sequel. There were a ton of easter eggs and visual nods to the previous four movies, and it seems that some are more significant than others. But which characters could end up appearing in a possible sequel?
Because I couldn’t help myself, I pressed the Scream directors and producer about one character in particular: Hayden Panettiere’s Kirby Reed from the fourth movie. After all, we never saw her eyes actually close after being stabbed by Rory Culkin’s Charlie in Act 3. Co-director Matt Bettinelli-Olpin jumped in during the chat, telling me:
Just a friendly tip if you watch the movie really closely you might find something.
With Scream now in theaters, myself and other fans have been able to find exactly where Kirby is referenced in the new movie. It happens fairly early in the sequel’s runtime, where Jack Quaid’s Richie is watching YouTube videos to familiarize himself with the Woodsboro killings. There we see the thumbnail of a video with “Woodsboro Survivor” Kirby Reed. So while she doesn’t actually appear in the new movie, it seems Hayden Panettiere’s fan favorite character did actually survive the events of Scream 4.
This is one thrilling update, one that could potentially come into play if Scream gets another sequel. Could Hayden Panettiere appear in the next movie as Kirby? One could only hope.
In the meantime, it remains to be seen what other easter eggs are decoded as moviegoers go see the new slasher installment on repeated views. It’s always fun to track the killer on a second watch, but it’s clear that the filmmakers behind the new movie also added more exciting nods for the fans.
Scream is in theaters now. Be sure to check out the 2022 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience.
