Penguin Trailer: Did You Notice the Batman, Halloween and IT Easter Eggs in Keerthy Suresh’s Serial Killer Movie?

Keerthy Suresh is wowing her fans and non-fans with the trailer of her latest film, Penguin. A serial killer thriller, Penguin finds itself releasing straight to Amazon Prime Video platform thanks to the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. Penguin managed to grab the eyeballs with its short teaser itself, giving us the creeps with its eerie atmosphere and stomach-wrenching premise. The movie is backed by the maverick Karthik Subbaraj and is directed by Eshavar Karthic (in his debut). Penguin Trailer: Keerthy Suresh Is Chasing A Serial Killer In This Hauntingly Impressive New Footage (Watch).

The makers dropped a new trailer on June 11, and it continues to keep the intrigue and the tension alive, with Santhosh Narayanan's music and Kharthik Phalani's cinematography playing their part as well. And of course, Keerthy playing a mother, distraught one at that, allows us to see a new range in performance of the National Award winning actress (Mahanathi).

If you have seen Karthik Subbaraj movies, you know that he loves to add a lot of meta references and easter eggs in the films. Tamil films made parallels with Penguin trailer with that of another cult serial killer Tamil film, Raatsasan. That seems a very obvious comparison. But there's more. Penguin Trailer: 10 Chilling Shots From Keerthy Suresh's Upcoming Film That Set The Eerie Atmosphere (See Pics).

But before that, check the trailer first before you read ahead:

The first teaser that hinted at infant-killing (shudder) reminded some fans of the eerie 2015 film The Witch. The trailer of Penguin, while chilling, doesn't betray any supernatural aspects unlike The Witch. Speaking of more horror influences, the mysterious serial killer in Penguin uses a Charlie Chaplin mask, as you can see below.

This reminded us of how the iconic villain of the Halloween series, Michael Myers, uses a William Shatner mask based on his Star Trek character Captain Kirk.

Moving ahead, did you notice Penguin's not to IT, the hit horror movie based on Stephen King's novel by the same name? Not just that both movies revolved around its villain's love for killing children, but something else too. Notice the below frame in the Penguin trailer?

That yellow raincoat which that unfortunate kid is wearing looks to be a nod to the same coloured jacket that IT's first victim in the film, young Georgie, was wearing before he was taken  into the sewers by the evil clown.

Penguin also offers the slyest nod to another iconic villain. Before we get into that, I want you guys to have a look at the below still, featuring the film's masked antagonist. Noticed his umbrella?

Done? Now revisit the title of the film. Apart from the bird that's found in the polar regions, the closest thing that the word Penguin reminds you of is the infamous enemy of Batman, the Penguin. The character is always seen carrying around an umbrella, which was also used in the film, Batman Returns, where Danny DeVito played the character.

Of course, the title here stands for its protagonist than the antagonist, as the females of the Emperor Penguin species are considered one of the most protective mothers in animal kingdoms. But, we cannot help but draw this comparison, and we bet now even you can't stop thinking about it!

Penguin, also shot in Telugu language, will be streaming on Amazon Prime video from June 19.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 11, 2020 02:48 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).