Summer School Just Brilliantly Paid Tribute To This $291M Horror Hit

Warning: This article contains spoilers for Pretty Little Liars: Summer School, episode 3, “Sweet Sixteen.”

Pretty Little Liars: Summer School episode 3 paid tribute to a newer, hit horror movie that brought in $291 million at the box office. The Pretty Little Liars franchise has released the newest season of the original show’s best spinoff – Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin. The second season, which released its first two episodes on May 9, has been marketed as Pretty Little Liars: Summer School, focusing on the summer after the Archie Waters attack when PLL’s new villain Bloody Rose Waters goes after the girls.

The spinoff has excelled at including subtle Pretty Little Liars Easter eggs, adding enjoyment for viewers who watched the original series. However, these are far from the only references included in the show. The best horror franchises and the genre as a whole have heavily influenced Summer School. While the genre tends to lean into the classics, Pretty Little Liars: Summer School episode 3 pulled inspiration from a popular horror movie that came out in 2023.

Pretty Little Liars: Summer School Episode 3 Paid Tribute To The Five Nights At Freddy’s Movie

Rose E. Ricotta’s Is The Equivalent Of Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzaria

In Pretty Little Liars: Summer School episode 3, “Sweet Sixteen” Bloody Rose tricks Mouse into going to a place called Rose E. Ricotta’s for a murderous birthday surprise. Rose E. Ricotta’s is a subtle reference to the movie Five Nights at Freddy’s. Both Rose E. Ricotta’s and Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzaria are shut down and abandoned kids’ restaurants with terrifying animatronics. The grungy visuals and dark lighting also look remarkably similar, making the homage more noticeable. The moment when the animatronics start singing gives the same eerie feeling.

In addition to being a great horror movie reference, it is the horror movie that best fits with Mouse as a character. Due to being sheltered, she maintains the most childlike qualities. She and her mom are also obsessed with Disney, which includes anthropomorphized animals, kind of like the animatronics at the restaurants.

Pretty Little Liars: Summer School Continues To Nail Its Horror References

PLL: Summer School Constantly References Great Horror Movies

Five Nights at Freddy’s is just the most recent horror movie pastiche in Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin and Summer School.Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin’s easter eggs included references to Halloween, Carrie, Rosemary’s Baby, and Psycho – to name a few examples. Thus far, in the second season, other horror movie pastiches have included Slenderman and I Know What You Did Last Summer. Bloody Rose’s cabin in the woods looks nearly identical to the one in Evil Dead. Kelly’s church also gives off strong Midsommar vibes, though it hasn’t directly paralleled any scenes or visuals yet.

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Pretty Little Liars: Summer School Set Up A Villain Twist Similar To This 44-Year-Old Horror Franchise

Pretty Little Liars: Summer School introduced the new antagonist, Bloody Rose, setting up a possible villain twist from a beloved horror franchise.

The episodes also have frequent horror Easter eggs, especially in scenes with Tabby, throughout the dialogue and set. Every one of these references has added excitement to the show, which leans more into the horror/thriller genre than that of the drama/mystery genre, setting it apart from the original PLL. The show will undoubtedly continue to add more horror references to both popular horror franchises and more niche films only recognizable to horror buffs in the audience, making Pretty Little Liars: Summer School a great and unique spinoff series.