The 80s was an unprecedented time for filmmaking . It’s a proverbial Golden Age of action movies, science fiction, horror, and everything in between.
With so much going on, it’s easy for one or two little details from your favorite classic film to slip by you. Have a look below and check out all of these 80s movies’ details that fans likely didn’t notice.
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Just how does Humperdinck know Westley used iocaine powder in *The Princess Bride*?
It’s supposed to be both odorless and tasteless, so how on earth could he have possibly figured it out? Unless he already had experience with the deadly substance from his own nefarious dealings.
The TV news anchors in Tim Burton’s *Batman* stop wearing make-up and hygiene products.
This happens in response to The Joker poisoning certain cosmetics companies in Gotham City. Rather than risk harm, Gotham citizens decide to go without their usual cosmetic routine.
Harrison Ford’s real life scar is explained in *Indiana Jones: The Last Crusade*.
If you look closely, you can see that actor Harrison Ford has a noticeable scar on his chin ; it happened years ago when Ford accidentally hit a telephone pole. The film explains this at the beginning of Indiana Jones: The Last Crusade when young Indy cracks a whip that leaves him bloodied and permanently scarred.
There’s a lot of interesting things happening in Dana’s kitchen in *Ghostbusters*.
Right before the carton of eggs start boiling on the counter, a large bag of Stay-Puft marshmallows can be seen just to the right — foreshadowing the events to come with the Stay-Puft marshmallow man!
You can see Meg Ryan break character in *When Harry met Sally*.
Right after Harry (Billy Crystal) says “But I would be proud to partake of your pecan pie!”, Meg begins laughing and looks off-screen, expecting the director to yell “Cut!” Instead, the scene keeps going and Meg has to quickly recover.
When Darth Vader gets electrocuted by Force lightning in *Star Wars: Episode VI – Return Of The Jedi* you can see how he’s “more machine than man.”
You’re going to need to be an expert with the pause button but at the precise moment when the Emperor strikes Vader down, you can see that his spine, as well as his entire arm, is entirely mechanical.
The timeline of Jack’s drinking in *The Shining* doesn’t add up.
Wendy tells the doctor that after Jack hurt Danny, he swore to stop drinking and hadn’t had a drop in 5 months. But when Jack tells the same story to Lloyd and drinks to “five miserable months on the wagon,” he says that the accident happened three years ago. Thus confirming that he has been secretly drinking for years.
In *Back To The Future* George McFly’s taste in beer changes as he becomes more confident.
At the beginning of the movie, Biff chastises George for having nothing to offer him but Miller Lite. After Marty altars the timeline and returns to 1985, George now drinks Miller High Life: “The Champagne of Beers.”
Also, in *Back To The Future*, the drummer plays “Johnny B. Goode” in swing-time.
Modern rock drumming is usually played with a straight rhythm and emphasizes the bass drum, snare, and hi-hat. Since this style wasn’t popularized in 1955, the drummer instead can be seen keeping a swing rhythm on the ride cymbal and snare.
Ellis wanted a different kind of coke in *Die Hard*
Earlier in the movie, we catch Ellis sneaking cocaine in Holly’s office. Later on in the film, while talking to John on the phone, the terrorists inexplicably give him a can of coke. Clearly, he must have asked for “coke” and they misinterpreted what he was saying.
The clock tower in *Back To The Future II* still isnt fixed.
Back in 1955, Doc Brown breaks off a piece of the ledge after precariously trying to walk across the clock tower. If you look just below where the clock hangs in the sequel (2015), you can see the chunk is still missing.
Pay close attention to the license plates in *The Breakfast Club*.
The car that Brian (Anthony Michael Hall) gets out of at the beginning of the movie has the license plate EMC2 or E = MC². Similarly, the car that Andrew (Emilio Estevez) climbs out of has a OHIOST (Ohio State) plate.
Ursula uses a butterfly to turn into Vanessa in *The Little Mermaid*.
Butterflies have often been used as a symbol of transformation. Ursula uses one to turn herself into a human and takes the name Vanessa as her own. It just so happens that Vanessa is also a genus of butterflies.
The color of the Statue of Liberty in *An American Tail* is historically accurate.
Keep in mind that the film takes place in the year 1885. Back then, the statue still had its brilliant copper finish intact. It wasn’t until after the year 1900 that Lady Liberty turned green due to oxidation.
At the end of *The Shining*, Jack Torrance strikes a devilish pose.
Baphomet is a goat-headed god, worshipped by Satanists and occultists alike. The fingers on the right hand, as well as the fingers pointing down on the left, are meant to symbolize the statement “As above, so below.”
