We all love watching movies. The thrill, action, drama all put together is like a pack of entertainment. But ever so often a writer or director crafts a movie with much, much more than what we notice. And Hollywood does it great! They focus on frames text and audio to insert that little detail. Just for fun, maybe to laugh at the secrets that no one will notice, or maybe to leave their mark. And these are not just simple Easter eggs, one really has to look close.
So here are 14 amazing examples of hidden messages in your favourite Hollywood movies that you have probably not noticed.
1. I Am Legend
During the Times Square hunting sequence in I Am Legend , Will Smith passes a billboard advertising a Batman and Superman team up all set to release in 2010. Given the 2007 release, had the hidden message come true, the film would have likely featured Brandon Routh and Christian Bale. Even though it took Warner Bros a few more years to pit together the two superheroes, their Man of Steel sequel of Batman Vs Superman starring Henry Cavill and Ben Affleck is on its way, and we can’t really wait to check it out!
2. Fight Club
Director David Fincher spliced in a penis picture as well as four brief flashes of dirt in scenes prior to the Brad Pitt’s official introduction. According to Fincher, the purpose of the frames was to show that “our hero is creating Tyler Durden in his own mind, so at this point he remains only on the periphery of the narrator’s consciousness.” The director also foreshadows the film’s twist with a ‘blink and you’ll miss it label’ on a pay phone that the narrator uses which reads “no incoming calls.” Moments later, Tyler Durden calls the pay phone.
3. The Social Network
Fincher’s love for Fight Club was subtly revealed in The Social Network . When Zuckerberg is on the computer checking out Facebook, t he words “Tyler Durden’s Photos” are briefly visible.
4. The Matrix Reloaded
Typically in movies no one cares about the licence plate unless you’re Bond. But in the Matrix trilogy, many of the plates are short hand references to religious scripture. For example, at the beginning of the movie agent Smith’s licence plate reads IS5416 which correspond to Isaiah 54:16 “Behold, I have created the smith, who blows the fire of coals, and produces weapons for it’s purpose. I have also created the ravager to destroy.” And this is not just a lone example. Even during the highway chase sequence, Trinity’s Cadillac plate reads DA203, corresponding to Daniel 2.03!
5. Terminator 2
When James Cameron’s sci-fi sequel hit the theatres in 1991, it had a theme song: You Could be Mine By Guns N’ Roses. Cameron never admitted that he had the band in mind, but left some obvious clues. John Connor’s friend is wearing an LA Guns T-shirt, one of the two bands that later made GNR, and when the terminator finally arrives to take down the villain, he pulls out his gun from guess what? A box of roses!
6. Jurassic Park
Before the scientists of Jurassic Park had learnt the dangers of growing dinosaurs, they had come up with a unique way of controlling breeding. Ian Malcom warned that growing only female dinosaurs wasn’t going to work forever, but Alan Grant had already worked a theory to audiences. Only if we had looked closer! During the group’s ride to the island, Alan struggles with his seat belt. Why? He tries to connect two female ends, rather than swapping buckles or giving up, he fashions his own solution by tying them up. Just as mother nature would later in the movie, Alan too “finds a way.”
7. King Kong
While watching a movie, we hardly think twice about a Morse code. That’s where the makers of King Kong got us. Just before reaching Skull Island, SS Venture’s captain Englehom intercepts a coded message calling for the arrest of Carl Denham. Yet the audio said nothing about the arrest, and instead reads “show me the monkey.” A campy hidden message in honour of the film’s famous ape.
8. Robocop
With the plot revolving around a character who is half man, half machine, it is difficult to point the references from the Bible, but the events of the movie is a clear match. Alex Murphy, the hero of a corrupt city is killed, resurrected and then emerges as a robotic saviour. Later, director Paul Verhoeven confirmed that this biblical allegory was his idea of an American Jesus, but meant to be concealed from the audiences. He even inserted a scene where Murphy was made to walk on water!
9. Sunshine
While on a mission to the sun, the Icarus II crew receives a distress signal from the missing Icarus I and decides to rendezvous with the ship. When the group boards the Icarus I, their flashlights periodically shine into the camera. Each time, with roughly a gap of 49 minutes, director Danny Boyle has spliced in hidden frames showing images of the now deceased Icarus I crew members. What’s actually creepy about this is that he took the pictures from a happy Hawaiian party the crew members once went to. Boyle hasn’t discussed the frames directly but the flashes definitely work as a subliminal way of putting the audience on edge without revealing the fate of the Icarus I crew.
10. Anchorman: The Legend Of Ron Burgundy
This hilarious movie had one of it’s funniest gags craftily concealed. Veronica Corningstone visits a Mexican restaurant with her colleagues which is called Escupimos en su Alimento . The name of the restaurant, when translated in Spanish, it actually means “we spit in your food,” something that most ordinary movie goers would fail to notice.
11. The Lion King
When Simba flops down on a cliff side, a cloud of dust is pushed into the air and three controversial letters appear – SEX. For years, filmmakers scrutinized that this message was meant to promote sexuality to children, though Disney special effects people claim that it was meant to be SFX.
12. Cloverfield
In the final moments of Cloverfield , Beth and Rob seek refuge from the creature under an arch of a grey bridge at Central Park. Moments later, an air raid strike buries the couple and the camera, presumably killing the monster. But following the film credits, director Matt Reeves included a short garbed audio that states a different outcome. When reversed, the audio that sounds like a military report says “it’s still alive.”
13. Batman Begins
When Jim Gordon reveals to Batman that a new criminal has surfaced in the closing scenes of this movie, the Jokers calling cards thrilled fans, making it clear that the clown prince of crime would appear in the sequel. But a closer look shows that the playing card were signed into evidence by someone called J Kerr. Short for Joe Kerr an alias the villain has adopted over the years, which means he might have been tempting Batman to bring him down for longer than fans ever knew.
14. Man Of Steel
For Batman vs Superman and his Justice league universe, Director Zack Snyder decided that he needed an older, battle-hardened Batman. But it was the Superman special effects team who established that Batman was already a pop culture icon. Remember when Zod discovers his heat vision in a battle and causes a skyscraper to fall apart on Superman? Just then on one of the cubicles can be seen reading “Keep Calm and Call Batman.” He might not have planted the Easter egg himself, but Snyder took the advice to heart!