Warning: This article contains spoilers for Pretty Little Liars: Summer School.

Summary

• Pretty Little Liars: Summer School sets up a major villain twist inspired by a 44-year-old horror franchise, putting the Liars in grave danger.
• Bloody Rose, a new villain, may be Archie Waters in disguise, building tension and mystery in the series.
• The show could be following the Friday the 13th twist with hidden identities and mask-wearing characters like Archie and Bloody Rose.

Pretty Little Liars: Summer School sets up a major villain twist that's similar to a popular 44-year-old horror franchise. The newest addition to the Pretty Little Liars franchise leans into the horror genre, putting the Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin main characters – Imogen, Noa, Tabby, Faren, and Mouse – face-to-face with a murderous villain. They find themselves stalked, mentally tormented, and running for their lives.

The first season's villain was nicknamed A, but his real name is Archie Waters. The second season introduces Pretty Little Liars' new villain Bloody Rose, the mother of Archie, who starts attacking after her son Archie is sentenced to death row for his murders. In the first two episodes of Summer School, Bloody Rose is shown to be just as violent and amoral as her son, Archie. The similarities in behavior between the two could be because they are genetically related. However, this could also be building up to a villain plot twist used in a beloved 44-year-old horror franchise.

Pretty Little Liars: Summer School Could Borrow A Villain Plot Twist From Friday The 13th

The Villain In The First Friday The 13th Isn't Who They Seem To Be

Because Pretty Little Liars: Summer School leans so heavily into the slasher genre, it seems natural that it would pull inspiration from the greats. One of the best horror movie franchises of all time is Friday the 13th. Almost all the movies feature the masked machete man, Jason Voorhees. However, the first Friday the 13th introduced an incredible plot twist by making the villain Pamela Voorhees disguised as Jason. Pretty Little Liars: Summer School could easily borrow the villain's plot twist, flipping it on its head by making the villain Archie Waters, who is pretending to be his mother Bloody Rose Waters.

The twist is also fitting since Pretty Little Liars: Summer School episode 5 is titled “Friday the 13th.”

This would help explain why Bloody Rose would be going after the Liars. At this point, there is no clear reason why she’s trying to kill them. However, the Liars escaped Archie, helped them capture him, and sent him to death row. These are compelling motivations for Archie to go after the Liars. Moreover, this would erase the confusion about why Summer School revealed and took down A so quickly. In the original show, A lasted for two seasons before being unmasked. The twist is also fitting since Pretty Little Liars: Summer School episode 5 is titled “Friday the 13th.”

How Bloody Rose Could Really Be Archie Waters

Archie Waters And Bloody Rose Both Hide Their Faces With Masks

Even if there were a person shown in a jail cell, it could be anyone since Archie’s face isn't ever visible.

There is one major hint that the new Pretty Little Liars season is building up to a reverse Friday the 13th twist. Throughout Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin, Archie’s real face is never shown, and neither is Bloody Rose’s face in Summer School. Both wear masks that make only their eyes visible. The latter is supposedly in jail on death row, but there’s no visual confirmation of this. Even if there were a person shown in a jail cell, it could be anyone since Archie’s face isn't ever visible.

The idea of switching places would also fit in with the established tone of Pretty Little Liars. Different people on the A-Team frequently pretended to be one another or acted like a single person. Based on this established pattern, it’s plausible that Archie Waters could be both himself and Bloody Rose in Pretty Little Liars: Summer School.