13 Times Moviemakers Sent a Hidden Message to the Audience

Moviemakers love to test viewers’ attention and hide messages and Easter eggs in their movies. Some of them reveal the past or the nature of the characters, others remind us of other movies or provide clues for the story development.

At CHEERY, we decided to find hidden messages in several famous movies and prove that talented movie directors know how to use them.

1. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay — Part 1

There is a scene in the movie where Katniss is talking to Peeta over a teleconference. Later, we find out that the Capitol has taken him hostage and is using him as a tool for propaganda. The fact that Peeta makes a speech against his will is hinted by the detail in his outfit: his collar has a pointed shape, which symbolizes a life threat.

2. The Batman

On the table next to the Penguin, we can see the famous Pipistrello lamp, created by designer Martinelli Luce. “Pipistrello” means “bat” in Italian.

3. 13 Going on 30

When adult Jenna mistakes her boyfriend for a robber, she grabs an umbrella to protect herself. Later, her dad does the same thing when he mistakes Jenna for a robber. It looks like this runs in the family.

4. 500 Days of Summer

Each one of Summer’s outfits is a tone of blue. The movie director wanted to emphasize the amazing blue color of Zooey Deschanel’s eyes this way. Besides, he instructed the costume designers to ensure that no other character in the movie wore blue.

5. Once Upon a Time in... Hollywood

There is a scene in the movie where Sharon Tate, played by Margot Robbie, is sitting in a movie theater with her feet bare. This is not because of Quentin Tarantino’s love for women’s feet (although it’s one of the possible reasons): Sharon Tate really loved to walk barefoot and seized every opportunity to take off her shoes.

6. Knocked Up

There is a scene in the movie where Dr. Howard assures Ben and Alison that he will deliver the baby because he doesn’t go on vacation and doesn’t like to travel at all. However, his office is full of his photos from various places, which makes it clear that he’s lying.

7. Venom: Let There Be Carnage

Before meeting Carnage, Venom throws away all the red M&M’s. This is because Venom is afraid of "red ones"—he refers to red aliens, including Carnage this way. He manages to overcome this fear only after meeting his enemy.

8. X-Men: Dark Phoenix

In the scene where Professor X is talking to Magneto, we can see him wearing the Rolex Milgauss. This is not accidental, given that this model is resistant to magnetic interference.

9. Twilight

If you track the changes of Bella’s style throughout the Twilight film series, you’ll see that she opts for more feminine clothes after meeting Edward. This way, the moviemakers wanted to show the development of the character and how falling in love affects her.

10. Love Actually

The only movie DVD we can see in Mark’s apartment is Rear Window which is about a man who observes the life of others through the lens of his camera. The same can be said about Mark himself.

11. Avatar

We can tell how much time has passed in the story from the beginning by the length of Jake’s hair.

12. Birds of Prey: And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn

The scene where Harley and Cass are walking down the hill carrying their stuff is a homage to the same scene in Léon: The Professional. When outlining the mentor/mentee relationship between these characters, movie director Cathy Yan got inspired by Luc Besson’s characters.

13. Pretty Woman and The Princess Diaries

When Vivian in Pretty Woman tries to open a snail and it flies off, a waiter catches it and says, “It happens all the time.” A similar scene can be seen in the movie The Princess Diaries. Mia breaks a glass, and a waiter approaches her and says, “It happens all the time.” Both movies were directed by Garry Marshall, and the waiter was played by the same actor: Allan Kent.

Have you ever found hidden messages in other movies? Tell us about them in the comments below.