Hidden References in the Once Upon a Time in Hollywood Trailer

In this new trailer, we hilariously get a look at some fake movies that feature our lead character, Rick Dalton, played by Leonardo DiCaprio. In one of these sneak peeks we see Dalton as an American soldier raining fire down upon Nazi soldiers while letting out a ridiculous quip. This isn’t the first time a group of Nazis has been met with a fiery fate in a Tarantino film. This could easily be a nod to the finale of “Inglorious Basterds,” where a screening of a Nazi propaganda film is interrupted by a surprise fire attack. Here’s hoping the rest of Dalton’s filmography features more nods to Tarantino’s resume.

The summer of ’69 in LA ended abruptly on August 8th, when Charles Manson sent six members of his Family to murder everyone at 10050 Cielo Drive. Tarantino is recreating the events surrounding this famous crime, and this trailer showcases a few true-to-life details that eagle-eyed viewers might catch: aside from the obvious inclusion of Manson victim Sharon Tate, we see a Cielo Drive street sign, as well as Spahn’s Movie Ranch, where the Manson Family set up camp IRL. At the ranch, we even see a VW bug in the background – perhaps a nod to the dune buggies Manson planned to use during his prophesied race war? Here’s hoping Tarantino pulls an “Inglourious Basterds” and rewrites the history of the Manson Family murders.

It’s no secret that Tarantino has begun crafting an entire universe of his own. Several of his past movies have referenced each other in some facet, most notably with the Vega family in both Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction. The trailer for Once Upon a Time in Hollywood could push this universe further through Kurt Russell’s character. While currently unnamed, Russell is seen in the trailer talking to Brad Pitt’s Cliff Booth about his career as a stuntman. Hmmm… Kurt Russell and stuntmen? Sound familiar? Russell notably played Stuntman Mike in Tarantino’s film Death Proof. Perhaps this new character is Mike’s father or some sort of long lost relative. Charles Manson may not be the only serial killer to watch out for in this new flick.