From the Universal Classic Monsters of the early 1900s to icons of the genre like Stephen King and M. Night Shyamalan, horror has transcended generations and remained a worldwide phenomenon in the film world for over a century.
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In the age of scavenging for Easter eggs in film and television, the horror genre has been full of them for decades. From the meaning behind Dr. Loomis' name to a very special Scream cameo to a hidden gem in Rocky Horror Picture Show you'll need to see to believe, Easter eggs hide in all of your favorite horror films.
1 Watching 'The Thing' ('Halloween,' 'Halloween Ends')
Before she's stalked by Michael Myers and discovers all her friends have been murdered, Laurie Strode spends Halloween night babysitting Tommy Doyle in 1978's Halloween. Between carving a jack-o-lantern and reading a bedtime story, one of the things Laurie does with Tommy is watch The Thing from Another World.
Already a meta moment as horror movie characters watch another horror movie, fast forward to Halloween Ends when babysitter Corey puts on 1982's The Thing on Halloween night and not only does it act as an Easter egg for the first Halloween film, but doubles as an Easter egg for the film's creator John Carpenter, who directed the remake Corey watches.
2 Horror Props ('Bride Of Chucky')
The Child's Play film series slowly turned into what's known as the Chucky franchise with each new film that was made, and each new character that was added. In 1998's Bride of Chucky, the film introduces another killer doll who doubles as Chucky's lover, Tiffany.
But it's when Tiffany heads to the police station to get Chucky's remains from the evidence locker that an iconic pile of Easter eggs shows up. Inside the locker are Michael Myers' mask from Halloween, Freddy Krueger's glove from A Nightmare on Elm Street, Jason Voorhees' hockey mask from the Friday the 13th franchise and Leatherface's chainsaw from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
3 Pennywise Doll ('It')
Before It was remade in 2017 starring a whole new cast of iconic actors, the first adaptation of the Stephen King novel came in the form of a miniseries on ABC in 1990 of the same name. The two-part series brought Pennywise to life with a colorful clown costume, poofy hair and a big, red nose.
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While the 2017 remake portrays Pennywise with much darker features, an eviler grin and a dirty, gray costume, the original Pennywise makes a cameo in the film. When Richie approaches the room full of clown dolls, one of the dolls is wearing the original Pennywise's costume with similar facial features.
4 Sam's Lollipop ('Krampus')
Krampus tells a Christmastime horror story about a young boy named Max who lures in the wrath of the mythical demon when he loses his Christmas spirit. Directed by Michael Dougherty, it's no surprise that another beloved horror villain's weapon wound up sneaking into the film.
In a deleted scene from the 2015 movie, when young Max offers his cousins some leftover Halloween candy, you can spot Sam's iconic lollipop weapon from 2007's Trick 'r Treat, which Dougherty also directed, confirming fans' theories the two films take place in the same universe.
5 Dr. Loomis' Name ('Halloween')
Donald Pleasance was known as Dr. Sam Loomis in the first five of the Michael Myers-themed Halloween films, acting as the killer's doctor who helped save the lives of several Haddonfield residents during Michael's reigns of terror each Halloween.
While most people remember the name Sam Loomis from Halloween, it actually pays homage to Psycho, where John Gavin starred as a character named Sam Loomis while Jamie Lee Curtis' real-life mother Janet Leigh played Marion Crane. Later in 1995's Scream, naming the killer Billy Loomis would pay homage to Halloween's Dr. Loomis.
6 Jason On Elm Street ('Behind The Mask: The Rise Of Leslie Vernon')
Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon was a comedic take on your classic slasher, following a horror megafan who idolizes serial killers like Michael Myers, Freddy Krueger and Jason Voorhees and decides to create his own legacy. While the 2006 film is full of Easter eggs, one, in particular, pulls double duty.
During a scene filmed in front of a house numbered 1428, made memorable in A Nightmare on Elm Street, actor Kane Hodder - who famously played Jason Voorhees in Friday the 13th franchise - portrays an Elm Street resident who is seen going into the iconic house.
7 Jigsaw's Cameo ('Insideous')
While the supernatural horror franchise Insidious garnered five films about evil spirits stalking a family, it's the original 2010 movie that started it all, and also holds an Easter egg for another famous horror franchise made by the same duo.
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While Josh talks on the phone in his classroom, a doodle can be seen on the chalkboard behind him of Jigsaw, the tricycle-riding puppet from the Saw franchise, a nod to the fact both Insidious and Saw were created by horror duo James Wan and Leigh Whannell.
8 Marion Crane's Car ('Halloween H20')
Janet Leigh is best remembered for playing Marion Crane in 1960s Psycho, who unforgettably gets stabbed in the shower by Norman Bates. Almost 40 years after the horror classic, Leigh popped into another horror franchise with a special vehicle and for a special reason.
Leigh played Norma Watson in 1998's Halloween: H20 alongside her real-life daughter and Halloween franchise final girl Jamie Lee Curtis, but the Easter egg doesn't stop there. When Norma leaves, she stands in front of a 1957 Ford, just like the one Marion drives in Psycho.
9 Wes Craven's Krueger Cameo ('Scream')
Wes Craven'sScream was a whole new generation of flashing when it introduced Sidney Prescott as the target of a masked serial killer. While the film pays homage to several horror movies that came before it, one Easter egg stands out.
Just before the principal gets murdered, he encounters the school janitor named Fred, wearing a red and green striped sweater made famous by Freddy Krueger. But the Easter egg continues due to Fred acting as a cameo by creator Wes Craven, who previously created A Nightmare on Elm Street.
10 A Literal Easter Egg ('Rocky Horror Picture Show')
Rocky Horror Picture Show came out in 1975 and now acts as a Halloween-time cult classic that follows a couple on a journey through Frankenstein's castle where they encounter an ensemble of spooky characters.
The film includes an Easter egg in the literal sense when you can spot an actual Easter egg hiding beneath Frank-N-Furter's throne. According to Eeggs.com, the cast and crew partook in an Easter egg hunt one day on set and didn't find them all, leaving for the accidental egg to be left in the film.
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