Everyone loves Easter Eggs, whether it be the chocolate ones that seem to be sold earlier and earlier every year, or those hidden secrets, references, or details in films that only the most astute can see.
We’re going to focus on the second one.
Just like in the real world, Easter Eggs come in a variety of shapes and sizes, whether it be a cameo, callback, foreshadowing, or even a hidden message. If you rarely notice them, don’t worry – that’s kind of the point, but now we have a chance to show you some of our favourites.
So grab your popcorn or chocolate if you feel festive, and let’s get going.
1. The Original King of Cameos.
Before Stan Lee became the modern-day “King of Cameos”- appearing in over 60 different places in the Marvel Movies, the original holder of that crow was Alfred Hitchcock.
Appearing in 40 of his 55 films, including a handful of appearances outside of them, Hitchcock was the pioneer of creator self-inserts, a practice which has gone on to be normalised across the silver screen with creators like Zack Synder, and Peter Jackson repeating the gag in their own respective franchises. But like a lot of things in modern cinema, it all started with Hitchcock.
2. Do those numbers seem familiar?
Before Star Wars, George Lucas created the dystopian world of THX 1138. While it might not be as well known as its younger siblings, THX 1138 has evidently made an impact.
As a loving tribute, both Lucas and other creators continue to make references to the film years later. Leia’s cell in Star Wars bares the 1138 designation, The yellow hot rod in Lucas’ 1973 film American Graffiti shows the license plate THX 138, and even the band The Misfits has a song called “We are 138”.
3. Wait, I know that song.
Everyone remembers those iconic opening notes from Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining. Well, they are not only a lot older than the film, but also you’ve probably heard it more recently than you think.
Those opening notes are sampled from a piece of music known as the Dies Irae, a Latin song written in the 1200s.
It began to crop up in Operas and various productions throughout early human history and eventually became synonyms with the concept of death. It’s since appeared in everything from Star Wars, to Frozen, to Metropolis, to Home Alone.
It’s probably one of the most well known, yet obscure Easter Eggs ever to be hidden in cinema.
4. We’re not supposed to talk about it…
Easter Eggs don’t have to just be obscure references though. Sometimes they can directly foreshadow events in your film, or even be thematically relevant to them.
Unlike the recent errors on Game of Thrones, the frequent appearance of Coffee cups in Fight Club is by design. With a film so driven by looking at, and scrutinising, consumerism David Fincher made sure to pack as many Starbucks cups of coffee into the film as possible, claiming one appears in every scene.
5. An actual Easter Egg Hunt?
To end on a more light-hearted note, The Rocky Horror Picture Show might be the first film to take the term Easter Egg literally. According to stories, before Production began the cast and crew had an actual Easter Egg hunt on the set – but were unable to find all of them, meaning that when production began there are still a few literal Easter eggs hidden throughout the film, so well hidden the people making it didn’t even know they were there.
That’s only a small listing of some of the greatest Easter Eggs out there, and there’s probably, even more, to be discovered. Some productions go years without all of their hidden references getting noticed, And they’re not just limited to feature films either, anything can have an easter egg and it can be a fun way to make references, pay homage, or even just include a hidden feature that you can point out to your friends and family. As detail-oriented filmmakers ourselves – we love the chance to not only find them but to work with our clients and include some of our own in their future work.
