In this day and age of rapid-fire frame-by-frame analysis, there's not much that goes unnoticed
in modern movies.
"Secretly I'm just like, hey man, where is the chase and how do I cut to it?"
But there've been some cinematic easter eggs that were so subtle they slipped right by
us until years later, when eagle-eyed fans finally spotted something new in film favorites.
Here are a few movie easter eggs that went unnoticed for a surprisingly long time.
Go Red Wings?
It took decades for one not-so-minor detail from John Hughes' 1986 existential comedy
Ferris Bueller's Day Off to finally be explained.
In the movie, teen slacker Ferris takes his girlfriend Sloan and best friend Cameron on
a senior skip day adventure through Chicago.
Together, the trio hit some of the Windy City's most iconic sites, including Wrigley Field
and the Art Institute of Chicago.
All the while, Cameron wore a Detroit Red Wings hockey jersey, which was nothing short
of blasphemy since the team is an old rival of the Chicago Blackhawks.
It wasn't until the film's 30th Anniversary celebration in 2016 that the reason for Cam's
peculiar thread selection was finally revealed.
Actor Alan Ruck explained that his iconic shirt was actually a nod to the friction he
had with his dad in the movie.
Ruck said that the director "decided that Cameron had a horrible relationship with his
father, but a great relationship with his grandfather, who lived in Detroit and could
take Cameron to Red Wings games.
That's all it was, and it was never explained in the movie."
Holy Groot
In late 2015, Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn revealed a cut image from the movie
on his Facebook page in which his animated tree hero Groot presided over a table full
of characters arranged just like Leonardo Da Vinci's The Last Supper.
After one fan joked that Groot could "be his own cross" because he's a tree, and thusly
made of wood, Gunn mentioned that the fan wasn't far off, and there was a similarly
Christ-themed Easter egg that fans had not yet notice.
Then someone found it: As the team's ship is about to crash, Groot stretches his arms
out in a shape resembling Christ on the cross, shielding the other Guardians, which is a
pretty Christ-like gesture as well, if you think about it.
Medication Memo
Hannibal Lecter has definitely had his share of memorable moments over the years.
Arguably the most memorable of all came in Silence of the Lambs, when he told Clarice
Starling about another government official who tried to match wits with him.
"A census taker once tried to test me.
I ate his liver with some fava beans a nice chianti.
Phphphphph."
It may not have been obvious to everyone, but that maniacal menu description might have
contained a sinister clue.
See, the movie was based on Thomas Harris' 1988 novel of the same name, which was published
at a time when a certain antidepressant was popularly prescribed.
That medication, known as an MAOI, just so happened to have advised against patients
ingesting items eerily similar to the ones he described — namely, foods like liver,
fava beans, and red wine.
Hannibal himself would've known this, since he was a psychiatrist.
So maybe he was giving Clarice a hint that he'd gone off his meds and planned his big
escape from the cell that separated him from the rest of the world...
The Potato Strikes Back
The Star Wars franchise might just be the most watched in history.
Needless to say, over the years, keen eyes have spotted occasional gaffes and mistakes…and
an in-joke or two.
The making of The Empire Strikes Back pushed the cast and crew to their limits.
George Lucas, wanting a break from directing and daunted by the pressure of following up
Star Wars, might not have directed the sequel, but he still took a hands-on approach during
the production process — especially when it came to the special effects.
The film's famed asteroid chase became a particular sticking point for Lucas, who reportedly ordered
the effects crew to redo it several times.
Bored, frustrated, and inspired by a passing comment remarking that the asteroids looked
like potatoes, the effects team decided to hide an actual potato in an asteroid field
during a chase scene.
"And I think uh Ken Ralston said 'Ah, hell, looks like a potato.
We should put some potatoes in-'"
"The ones in the very distant."
"The ones in the very distance were actual potatoes."
Lucas himself apparently didn't notice the prank until years later.
Audiences took their time too.
It wasn't until the days of video and laserdisc that viewers could freeze-frame the scene
and play spot the spud.
Thanks for watching!
Subscribe to our YouTube channel for more videos like the one you've just watched, and
let us know which little-known easter eggs you've noticed in movies...