18 Small Movie Details We Almost Missed

Kasia Mikolajczak
person holding movie clapper in front of their face
Unsplash | Jon Tyson

Let me ask you something: are you detail-oriented? I sure am. I don't know about you, but I definitely appreciate particular features that make something even better.

You can say the same about movies. Have you ever seen a flick and thought, if only they did this to make it better? Or the opposite, you saw a film and were amazed by a specific detail that made it even more special? This is precisely the case with these movies, and I'm sure you can agree with me once you see what I mean.

This Connection In 'The Dark Tower'

scene from movie The Dark Tower
reddit | u/Corndogeveryday

"In the movie The Dark Tower (2017) when Jake visits his psychiatrist Dr. Hotchkiss, a picture of the Overlook Hotel from the movie The Shining (1980) is shown. Both stories are written by Stephen King."

Oh, wow! Did you catch that? That's pretty neat, huh?

This Cool Cameo In 'Land Of The Dead'

scene from Land of the Dead
reddit | u/Corndogeveryday

"In Land of the Dead (2005) Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright make a cameo as the photo booth zombies. George Romero was a big fan of Shaun of the Dead (2004) and asked them to be in his film."

Is that right? How cool is that? I loved Shaun of the Dead!

This Shadow Homage

scene from Psycho II
reddit | u/Corndogeveryday

"In the movie Psycho II (1983) when the characters Norman and Mary first enter Norman’s mother’s room, a silhouette of Alfred Hitchcock can be seen on the wall to the right. Alfred Hitchcock passed away three years before the movie came out.

It's nice that the new director played homage to Hitchcock, no?

This Subtle Detail In 'Moonrise Kingdom'

scene from Bad Lieutenant
reddit | u/Physical-Ride

"In Moonrise Kingdom (2012), Harvey Keitel’s character, Commander Pierce, appears in the scouts’ publication next to the words 'Are we Men or are we Mice?' This is a reference to Keitel’s line in Bad Lieutenant (1992) said to his character’s children while driving them to school."

Oh, I love when filmmakers do that.

This Awesome Find In 'Spy Kids 2'

scene from Spy Kids: 2
reddit | u/Frenchitwist

"In Spy Kids 2: Island of Lost Dreams (2002) Carmen finds the golden idol from Raiders of the Lost Ark in a pirate cave."

Oh, my! Did you know that? I haven't watched Spy Kids: 2, so this is such a cool easter egg for sure.

This Spooky Reference

charater from Jason Goes to Hell holding the Necronomicon book from The Evil Dead
reddit | u/Corndogeveryday

"In Jason Goes to Hell (1993), a character discovers the Necronomicon from The Evil Dead (1981)."

Oh gosh! I had no idea about this as I haven't seen Jason Goes to Hell yet but I'm such a huge fan of The Evil Dead movies, hee-hee.

This Flashback In 'Austin Powers'

Michael Caine in Hurry Sundown (1967)
reddit | u/Numerous-Lemon

"In Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002), the flashback scene featuring a younger Nigel Powers is actually footage from the early Michael Caine movie Hurry Sundown (1967).

Okay, how did I not know about that? That's such a cool idea, huh?

This Neat Prop In 'The Batman'

scene from The Batman with Penguin and the Pipistrello Lamp
reddit | u/IMakeMyOwnLunch

"In The Batman (2022), The Penguin is seen with the famous Pipistrello Lamp, designed by Martinelli Luce. 'Pipistrello' means 'bat' in Italian."

Aha! I haven't seen the new Batman yet but now I will be on the lookout for that.

This Super Cool Connection In 'Slither'

scene from Slither in front of MacReady Funeral Home
reddit | u/Corndogeveryday

"In the movie Slither (2006) there is a scene that shows the R.J. MacReady Funeral Home. R.J. MacReady was the name of Kurt Russell's character from the movie The Thing (1982)."

Oh, you don't say? Such a cool reference, huh?

This Scene Of Art Imitating Life

spit screen of convenience store scene from Battleship and the real life footage of the robbery the scene is based on
reddit | Reddit | u/brandondsantos

"The 'chicken burrito' scene from Battleship (2012) is reenacted from a 2008 YouTube video showing footage from a convenience store robbery."

No way! Ha, ha! How funny is that? Judging from comments on Reddit, not everybody was impressed by that.

These Awesome References In 'Howard The Duck'

split screen of scenes from Howard the Duck
reddit | u/DJA1982

"In Howard the Duck (1986), produced by George Lucas, patrons in the diner scene can be seen wearing Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984) and The Empire Strikes Back (1983) T-Shirts, which were also produced by George Lucas.

I really want to rewatch Howard the Duck now!

This Accuracy In 'A League Of Their Own'

split screen of scenes from A League of their Own
reddit | u/ShiningJizzard

"In A League of Their Own (1992), Dottie, Kit, and Marla’s reactions to Doris’s throw are all indicative of the position they play. Marla takes a baseman’s crouch. Kit ducks, being a pitcher. Dottie catches the ball without flinching because she’s used to catching all sorts of throws."

Oh, nice!

This Homage In 'Little Women'

scene from Little Women when Jo is writing
reddit | u/thedronk

"In Little Women (2019), Jo switches writing hands as her left gets tired, an homage to the novel’s author, Louisa May Alcott, who trained herself to be ambidextrous when her hand got tired."

Oh, man! I wish I could do that, ha, ha.

This Paradox In 'Bill And Ted's Excellent Adevnture'

scene from Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure with Rufus
reddit | u/herrfrosteus

"In Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989), Rufus never introduces himself. His name is given to the present Bill and Ted by the future Bill and Ted creating a bootstrap paradox as the information has no traceable origin."

Well, the movie is a running gag about bootstrap paradoxes. The idea that if we go back to give ourselves keys after we escape using the keys we've left for ourselves, etc. makes total sense in that universe, no?

This Neat Cameo In 'Anchorman'

scene from Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy
reddit | Reddit | u/Weirdassmustache

"In Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004) Dave Allen, who portrayed guidance counselor Jeff Rosso on the Apatow-produced Freaks and Geeks, can be seen in the background of the dinner scene."

What do you know? I didn't realize that.

These 'Star Wars' Details

split screen of scenes from Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope
reddit | Reddit | u/DarthSyphilis

"In Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977) you can see Luke's T16 Skyhopper outside the Lars garage. In the prequel Attack of the Clones (2002) the ship is slightly changed to an older model. Bonus detail: Padme wears the necklace Anakin gave her in the previous movie."

Those are some nice catches, huh?

This Fun Fact From 'Never Been Kissed'

scene from Never Been Kissed
reddit | u/Str33twise84

"In Never Been Kissed (1999) when the editor-in-chief, played by Garry Marshall, is briefing his staff before assigning the undercover feature to Josie, he says, 'Holy [expletive]! I don’t even know my own kids.' Marshall’s real-life daughter, Kathleen Marshall, is sitting directly to his left."

Ha, ha!

This Continuity In 'Suicide Squad'

Harley Quinn tattoos from both Suicide Squad and Birds of Prey
reddit | u/CORVlN

"In Birds of Prey (2020), Harley alters several of her tattoos after her breakup with Joker. In The Suicide Squad (2021) we see more of what she changed."

Oh, I never noticed that, ha, ha.

So, was this fun or what?

man raising his hand with "anohter fun fact..." written
Giphy | Liverpool FC

I love discovering these cool fun facts about the movies. I honestly don't know who people pick up on all that? I'm usually just enthralled with the film's plot to notice stuff like that. I guess I need to pay more attention, huh? How about you? Are you very perceptive when it comes to spotting things like that?