The most chilling content in your favorite horror films
For those who don’t know, Easter eggs are hidden messages, characters, images or sounds that hold some of a film’s best-kept secrets and since they’re sprinkled in the least obvious places, they often encourage fans to re-watch the movies to hunt them down and interpret their meanings. So, if you’re a horror fan who enjoys combing through some of the most spooktacular scenes of the genre, then chances are the examples below are already on your radar, but if you’re someone who undeniably gets caught up in the hype of the chilling plot sequences, then you may have missed these clever cornerstones to some of the best horror films of all time. Needless to say, did you want to join our Easter egg hunt?
The Exorcist (1973)
Just because this ‘70s classic is almost 50-years-old, doesn’t mean that it holds less of a place among other horror masterpieces. In fact, the effects are considered to be monumental for their time and paved the way for decades of inspiration for the best horror films! That being said, this demonic franchise has a few Easter eggs tucked away for the fan’s enjoyment. Director William Friedkin added subliminal sounds and images to the final cut of the movie to assist in keeping the audience on edge, even after they left the theatre. The vibrations of heavy machines operating and the resonance of buzzing bees were a couple of examples of what he used to trigger the unconscious fight-or-flight mechanisms of the human psyche. Also, frightening faces of evil beings were hidden throughout the entire film — too fast for the naked eye to spot, but prominent enough when the movie was placed on pause. So, if you’re a fan of this unnerving film, it’s worth orchestrating a re-watch to see what sounds and images you’re able to spot! Shop: Regan exorcist figure.
Saw (2004)
Many of the best horror films ever made focus on setting the scene to stir up terror among their audiences, whereas Saw shifted the spotlight onto other elements such as blood, gore, and the dispersal of fearsome clues. Nevertheless, the ending of the flick remains one of the most shocking plots in horror history, but if audiences paid attention in the first place, the hidden Easter eggs could have given away many of the story’s mysterious details. For example, do you remember the scene where John Kramer (Jigsaw) is brought to the hospital where Dr. Gordon works? Well, if you look closely at the frame, there is a sketchbook next to Kramer’s bed that shows the inner workings of an image closely resembling the infamous reverse beartrap contraption. Who knew this crafty serial killer had all the evidence to his plans right under our noses?
IT: Chapter One (2017)
While the king of horror has adapted many feature films, miniseries, television series, and comic books from his suspenseful, fiction novels, IT is arguably one of the most well-known, and terrifying, in the horror genre. Pennywise the dancing clown has a new look in his latest adaptation and this diabolical creature’s embellishments are not easy to forget. In fact, one of the Easter eggs in the first installment of the two-part movie is that he possesses this creepy ability to change his eye colour at will. While there are many features about Pennywise that make your skin crawl, his power to adjust his eye colour is part of his convincing, friendly nature — since yellow would likely be associated as “evil”, blue represents just the amount of comfort Pennywise needs to convince his prey to inch a little bit closer!
What are the best horror films containing otherworldly Easter eggs that you can name? Drop a comment below to share with our readers.