Last Updated on August 2, 2021
These days part of the fun of watching a movie in theaters or at home with the ability to freeze frames, is finding the hidden Easter eggs hidden within. For the history buffs out there, the origin of the cinematic Easter egg dates back to THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW. Supposedly one day on the set, the cast decided to have a traditional Easter egg hunt, as you do, but some of the eggs were never found and actually appeared in frames of the movie! So if you're obsessed with finding hidden messages, jokes, and ways to make you look smart in front of your friends, check out these Easter eggs!
Understandably some of these have been around for a while, but some may be new to other readers; there’s no expiration date on sharing so enjoy and have fun!
**POSSIBLE SPOILERS**
JASON GOES TO HELL – Jason, meet Kane
The confusing August release of the ninth installment in the FRIDAY THE 13TH film series had all the intentions of being the last in the Friday series. They literally went out with a bang in the first few minutes of the movie you will recall. Also early in the movie, we have a scene where Jason’s body (or most of it) is wheeled into the morgue by a doctor who has to pass a checkpoint. This checkpoint is being run by two security guards and security guard #2 is none other than Kane Hodder, the man behind the mask (in four of the films at least).
Even cooler is that fact that he plays Freddy Krueger's arm in the final shot of the film:
EVIL DEAD / EVIL DEAD II – Craving some Craven
This particular set of Easter eggs begin back in 1977 with Wes Craven’s THE HILLS HAVE EYES (pictured above). Now many people suggest the ripped movie poster for JAWS was Craven’s way of saying something about "pop horror" when it was probably just a slighter nod than what would have been with a full poster. Jump ahead to 1981, Sam Raimi’s EVIL DEAD, and you will see a torn poster for Wes Craven's film THE HILLS HAVE EYES is in the basement where Ash finds the book. This could be a nod at the JAWS gesture but is more likely a thank you for Craven’s EVIL DEAD cameo in A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET. In that movie, Nancy is trying to stay awake and just so happens to be watching the horror flick in her room.
Shit gets real though when EVIL DEAD II showcases says to hell with subtlety and we see Freddy Krueger’s glove when Ash goes into the cellar to kill the witch. You have had over 40 years, your move Spielberg.
NIGHT OF THE CREEPS – School sprit
Fred Dekker hasn't directed a movie since ROBOCOP 3 in 1993; before that he was renowned for such horror movie classics like NIGHT OF THE CREEPS and THE MONSTER SQUAD. The man must have had some insight while making Creeps in 1986, a year before the release of Squad, because you might have noticed his shout out to the upcoming classic. The graffiti on a bathroom stall never lies.
PREDATOR 2 – That's a tremendous looking trophy you have there
This egg is well known but deserves recognition for no other reason than to mention Danny Glover, he's just a cool dude. When his character, Lieutenant Mike Harrigan, enters the Predator’s trophy room, the skull of an Alien Xenomorph can be seen. Not a big deal? Well consider this is when it all started: the comics, graphic novels, movies, and video game crossovers between the Alien and Predator franchises. You could argue those movies are terrible though, I’m fine with that.
SCREAM – Wes goes full meta
Meet Fred the janitor played by Wes Craven in a cameo from a movie directed by Wes Craven. Fred is made to look like Freddy Krueger, a character from A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET which was written and directed by Wes Craven. If your head didn’t just explode, you win.
THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW – All hail the king!
As mentioned in my nifty little introduction above, the origin of the cinematic Easter egg dates back to THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW. As legend would have it, the cast and crew had traditional Easter egg hunt and left some eggs around the set. Some of these eggs actually made their way into the film as seen under Frank's throne. If you want to go hunting yourself next time you watch the movie, look for one as the group goes up in the elevator to the lab, in the lamp that’s shaped like a dragon, and in the main hall (where they dance the time warp, in the dragons eye).
Got a cool Easter Egg discovery? E-mail us at: [email protected] with any you'd like to see featured in future columns!
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