Horror fans will be well acquainted with directorWes Craven’s cameo in 1996’sScream, where he is dressed asFreddy Krueger (Robert Englund), but this is not the only Easter Egg forA Nightmare on Elm Streetcontained within the cult ’90s meta horror. It’s a famous and cheeky nod to Craven’s enduring horror icon and the director himself, but the self-referential nods inScreamdidn’t stop there. HadscreenwriterKevin Williamsongotten his way, there would have been a nice connection between the final girl of the ’80s and the final girl of the ‘90s. But what was not in the script and what many fans have probably missed is acallback between the victims of Freddy and Ghostface.
‘Scream’s Tatum Dressed Like a Character From ‘Nightmare on Elm Street’
Rose McGowan’s bubbly performance as Tatum Riley is one reason it hurts to see Ghostface cut her chances of making it into the sequel. Every time Tatum is on the screen, she isn’t just hilarious with snarky comments. She’s also a style icon, with a wardrobe as distinct asCourteney Cox’s Gale Weathers. In creating the various looks for Tatum, McGowan had a hand in dressing her character, and this led to a happy accident where she selected an outfit that keen-eyed fans may suspect is a nod to the firstNightmare on Elm Street. In aninterview with ELLE.com, McGowan revealed she was unimpressed with the tomboy outfits that Tatum was supposed to wear.
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Even the most observant horror fan might miss this.
The actress took it upon herself to shop for Tatum’s wardrobe at a local mall, where she got cloud pajamas and two patterned skirts, plus a “10” T-shirt. It’s that latter piece of clothing that shouldstand out to a horror fan.McGowan got it approved, and Tatum wears it during the scenes at Woodsboro High School when classes are canceled.The cropped jersey could remind audiences of the one worn by Glen (Johnny Depp), the boyfriend of Nancy (Heather Langenkamp), inthe firstNightmare on Elm Street.On Glen’s final night, he wore a white cropped jersey with blue and red stripes to bed before Freddy attacked. While it’s not an exact match — Tatum’s jersey is mostly silver — the similarities are there.
Costume designer forScream,Cynthia Bergstrom, talked about the outfit inan interview with NYLON.She loved it, but went on to say, “It might have been on purpose from her, and Wes went with it, but I don’t actually know if Rose did that as an homage to Johnny.” Although McGowan didn’t confirm if the nod was purposeful, she did share in her interview with ELLE that while she would never have worn the top, she believed it fit Tatum’s personality. Even though it wasn’t a direct Easter egg, it works just as well. Because ofWes Craven’s significance in the horror genre, the cropped jersey can be seen asone of the many callbacks to Craven’s 1984 slasher.Tatum’s jersey is hiding in plain sight, just like the following Easter eggs.
There Was a Horror Callback in ‘Scream’ That Got Cut
When Principal Himbry (Henry Winkler) investigates a strange noise, he runs into Fred,played by Wes Craven,trying to clean the hallways. The director is dressed in a fedora and striped sweater which, although not tattered or burned, is clearly an homage to Freddy Krueger. A less on-the-nose Easter egg can be spotted among the side characters. Sheriff Burke (Joseph Whipp) is unable to stopthe carnage in Woodsboro, and a close-up of his boots turns him into a red herring for being the masked killer. Burke is a haggard authority figure who becomes a funny contrast to the inexperienced Deputy Dewey (David Arquette), but itwasn’t the first time Whipp had played an ineffective cop in a horror film by Wes Craven.When the mysterious deaths of local teens stump the police inNightmare, one of them is Sgt. Parker, played by a decade younger Whipp.
A more obscure Easter egg would have tied Nancy and Sidney together, had it not been cut from the film. Houses don’t offer protection inANightmare on Elm Street, where falling asleep in your bed is a death wish, and inScream, where locking your doors is useless when Ghostface is already hiding inside. Screenwriter Kevin Williamsonincluded a specific connection to the neighborhoodthat Freddy terrorized when hisoriginal script had Sidney live on Elm Street.It got cut andScream(2022)brought it back to confirm the street that Sidney had lived on, with a comment by Tara (Jenna Ortega) in the opening and a passing shot of the street later on. Other than an address between two final girls,the name “Elm Street” has a deeper meaning.
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Craven explained in the 2010 documentary,Never Sleep Again, that he picked the street namebecause he wanted “a place that was just pure Americana,” and it had been the name of the main street of the town where he had an old job, while also being the name of the street where JFK was assassinated. The tworepresented the best and worst of the United States, perfect for the cozy Americana towns of Springwood and Woodsboro that feel like real places, making the scares hit that much harder. If it can happenthere, maybe it could happen in your town too.
In the decades since they were released,A Nightmare on Elm StreetandScreamhave been seminal horror films with an impact that can still be felt. Put together, and they make forthe perfect double featurewhere fans can pick out the references from Freddy’s debut that were put into the introduction of Ghostface. Make sure you’re up-to-date on thesehorror Easter eggs.If you get a sinister phone call asking trivia questions about these films, you’ll be prepared.
