WARNING: The following contains major spoilers for Scream, now playing in theaters.
One of the most charming aspects of the Scream franchise is how much it dedicates itself to slipping in clever horror homages -- and the new film is no different. And while it spends the bulk of its time lovingly making callbacks to all four early Scream installments, it does include a memorable reference to one of horror's first slasher films, 1960's Psycho.
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock, Psycho came out the same year as Peeping Tom. While the latter was told from the perspective of the brutal killer, Psycho birthed what we now know as the slasher formula: a surprising opening kill (it was shocking when a then-iconic Janet Leigh was killed off so early), the hunt for whodunit, and the vicarious thrill of watching someone else be killed before they know it's going to happen. Both films launched the slasher genre, but it's Psycho that inspired filmmakers to play with the concept of dramatic irony in kills, and 2022's Scream pays loving tribute to its infamous shower scene.
In Psycho, Norman Bates sneaks up on Marion Crane as she's taking a shower, and stabs her to death. In 2022's Scream, Ghostface plays with a familiar setup: Right after the teens learn Ghostface is killing those related to the original Woodsboro murders, Wes Hicks (Dylan Minnette) goes home to shower. His mother, Sheriff Judy Hicks (Marley Shelton), leaves to pick up their dinner, but soon Ghostface calls to taunt her. As Wes showers, Ghostface stalks around the bathroom -- although Wes is as completely unaware as Psycho's Marion Crane was. Ghostface asks Judy if she ever saw Psycho, and she races home to save her son.
Of course, Scream doesn't kill Wes in the shower -- that would be too on the nose -- but it tips its hat to that moment, which builds wonderful tension. Because horror buffs are familiar with that iconic Psycho sequence, it's difficult not to wonder exactly when Ghostface's knife will slash. However, Wes' murder occurs outside of the bathroom. Before he dies, Wes notices he has a missed call from his mother, and then meets a tragic fate.
One of the more interesting things about this callback is how it changes the way Scream fans look at, and relate to, Sheriff Judy Hicks. Eleven years have passed since we last saw her in Scream 4, and this incarnation of her has built her entire life around her son, and controlling Woodsboro.
Whereas in Psycho, it's Norman who can't quite let go of his mother -- and their entangled relationship -- and that causes his demise, Scream flips that idea on its head. It's Judy's overwhelming love for her son, and the need to be right. that dooms her. When Judy returns home to save Wes from Ghostface alone, she's swiftly murdered on her doorstep. She doesn't call for help, contact Dewey Riley or even listen to Sam previously when she's warned that a killer is on the loose. Scream shows how Judy's determination to be everything for her son -- and Woodsboro -- costs them both their lives.