Summary
Although it’s short and sweet,Sabrina Carpenter’s “Taste” music video is packed with iconic movie references. This summer,the former Disney Channel actor andGirl Meets Worldstar became a household name thanks to her chart-topping “Espresso”— an undeniable and immensely catchy song of the summer. The whimsical earworm is now certified platinum and, despite being released just a few months ago, Carpenter’s signature tune. While “Espresso” was accompanied by its own music video, there’s no denying that the visuals for “Taste” take things to the next level, especially because of the video’s Easter eggs and movie references.
In between “Espresso” and “Taste,” Sabrina Carpenter released her Jack Antonoff-produced hit “Please Please Please.” That song’s music video, which co-stars Carpenter’s then-real-life boyfriendBarry Keoghan (Saltburn), serves as a sequel to “Espresso,” focusing on Carpenter’s romance with a criminal (Keoghan) who could ruin her reputation. While “Please Please Please” director Bardia Zeinali took inspiration from movies likeNatural Born KillersandThelma & Louise(viaYahoo), “Taste” is much more direct with its movie nods. Directed by Dave Meyers,“Taste” stars Carpenter alongside Jenna Ortega (Wednesday,X) and Rohan Campbell (The Hardy Boys).
8Ginger Snaps
Sabrina Carpenter Remakes The Cult Classic’s Most Iconic Scene
AlthoughSabrina Carpenter doesn’t cameo inDeadpool & Wolverine, the “Taste” music video allows the pop star to reference various cult classic films, includingGinger Snaps. Directed by John Fawcett (Orphan Black), the supernatural horror film stars Emily Perkins and Katharine Isabelle as Brigitte and Ginger Fitzgerald. The morbid sisters find their relationship pushed to the limits afterGinger is bitten by an unknown animal, prompting her transformation into a lycanthrope. One of the cult classic’s more memorable scenes involves a character being impaled by a white picket fence.
Ortega fires a shotgun at Carpenter, causing the singer to fall off a balcony and onto the white picket fence below.
In the “Taste” music video, Sabrina Carpenter breaks into Jenna Ortega’s house to kill her while she’s sleeping — ostensibly in the hopes of winning back Campbell’s “beloved boyfriend.” Ortega wakes up just in time, prompting a scuffle between the two. Ultimately, Ortega fires a shotgun at Carpenter, causing the singer to fall off a balcony and onto the white picket fence below. While Ortega smiles down at Carpenter,the pop star gives her would-be killer the middle finger, making the scene a perfectGinger Snapshomage.
7Death Becomes Her
Without a doubt, Meryl Streep and Goldie Hawn’s cult classic dark comedyDeath Becomes Herserves as the road map for the “Taste” music video’s storyline. Directed by Robert Zemeckis (Back to the Future),Death Becomes Hercenters on two women, Madeline Ashton (Streep) and Helen Sharp (Hawn), who are fighting for the affections of Dr. Ernest Menville (Bruce Willis). Lisle Von Rhuman (Isabella Rossellini) plays a mysterious socialite who, despite being over 70 years old, looks decades younger. It becomes clear that Lisle has let Helen in on her secret to rejuvenation.
Carpenter sports a gory hole in her torso, much like Hawn’s character…
Eager to restore her own withering beauty, Madeline asks Lisle for the same eternal life-granting potion. Bestowed with their supernatural gifts, the two women wage vengeful and violent war on each other. The “Taste” music video might not lean into the whole immortality plot point, but it does pit Carpenter and Ortega against each other in darkly funny ways. In one scene, Carpenter sports a gory hole in her torso, much like Hawn’s character, and, at the end of the video,the two stars replicate Streep and Hawn’s all-black looks from an iconic moment inDeath Becomes Her.
Death Becomes Her: 9 Ways It Still Holds Up Today
Many of the hilarious characters in Death Becomes Her are ageless, and in lots of ways, the film itself is too.
6Kill Bill
Jenna Ortega Dresses Like Daryl Hannah’s Iconic Kill Bill Character
In Quentin Tarantino’sKill Billmovies, Daryl Hannah plays Elle Driver, a member of the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad. Notably, the deadly Elle is missing her right eye, which leads to the character’s iconic eyepatch-wearing look. Although Hannah’s Elle is one of theKill Billmovies' most memorable performances, there’s one Elle Driver costume (and sequence) that’s a particular point of reference in “Taste.” At one point, Elle wears a nurse outfit and tries to poison The Bride (Uma Thurman) with a syringe. In “Taste,“Ortega wears the same costume, including the eyepatch, and attacks Carpenter with defibrillator paddles.
5Psycho
Sabrina Carpenter’s Taste Recreates Alfred Hitchcock’s Iconic Shower Scene
One of the most obvious movie references embedded in “Taste” is a nod to Alfred Hitchcock’sPsycho. One ofHitchcock’s most influential movies,Psychotells the story of a chance encounter between Marion Crane (Janet Leigh), a woman on the run, and Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins), a motel owner with a dark secret. In one of the horror film’s most memorable scenes, Marion is attacked while in the shower, resulting in the ultimate scream queen moment. “Taste” recreates this sequence, witha knife-wielding Carpenter sneaking up on Ortega and Campbell, the video’s scream queen, while they’re in the shower.
4Addams Family Values
Joan Cusack Gets A Visual Shoutout In Sabrina Carpenter’s Taste Music Video
The Addams Family Valuesnod in the “Taste” music video is more of an Easter egg than a full-on reference or recreation. In the film, which is the sequel to 1991’sThe Addams Family, the parents of the titular brood hire a nanny, Debbie Jellinsky (Joan Cusack). Secretly a serial killer, Debbie is a bit of an eccentric herself. She even convinces Morticia (Anjelica Huston) and Gomez (Raul Julia) to send a suspicious Wednesday (Christina Ricci) off to summer camp. In one scene,Debbie sports a white ballgown and a boa, which Carpenter pays homage to in her video.
The homage to Wednesday Addams' nemesis has a little extra meaning since Jenna Ortega plays the character in Netflix’sWednesday.
3Jennifer’s Body
Taste References Megan Fox & Amanda Seyfried’s Cult Classic
Written by Oscar winner Diablo Cody (Juno) and directed by Karyn Kusama (Yellowjackets),Jennifer’s Bodyis the definition of a cult classic film. In the movie, Jennifer (Megan Fox), goes on a killing spree, devouring the flesh of her male classmates after being possessed by a demon. Jennifer’s best friend, Anita “Needy” Lesnicki (Amanda Seyfried), tries to thwart the succubus' efforts. In one scene, Jennifer and Needy unexpectedly kiss, cementingJennifer’s Bodyas a queer cult classic. Similarly, Carpenter and Ortega briefly kiss in “Taste,” prompting Ortega to chainsaw Carpenter and push her into a pool.
2Halloween Ends
Rohan Campbell Plays The Boyfriend In Sabrina Carpenter’s Taste Music Video
Another Easter egg comes in the form of the decision to cast Rohan Campbell in this bloody, darkly comic romp. Aside from his stint on The Hardy Boys,Campbell is most well-known for playing Corey Cunningham inHalloween Ends, the third film in the Jamie Lee Curtis-starringHalloweensequel trilogy. Diverging from the iconic slasher franchise’s use of Campbell, Carpenter’s music video casts the actor as a victim who’s caught up in the violent cat-and-mouse game unfolding between Carpenter and Ortega’s characters.
1Please Please Please
Taste Features An Easter Egg From Sabrina Carpenter’s Music Video With Barry Keoghan
Finally,Sabrina Carpenter’s “Taste” references another one of the singer’s music videos — “Please Please Please.” As mentioned, “Please Please Please” includes its own list of film references and, notably, co-stars actor Barry Keoghan as a criminal that Carpenter’s character falls in love with. At one point,Keoghan wears lipstick-marked tape over his mouth. The same prop can be seen in the opening shot of “Taste,” but instead of covering Keoghan’s mouth, the tape covers a teddy bear’s face.
Sabrina Carpenter’s"Taste"is now available to stream on Spotify, Apple Music, and other platforms.
