What are some great examples of horror movies hiding things in the background?

Submitted by chazinabox t3_10nwap9 in movies

I'm currently researching for a project I'm working on about the technique of hiding things (ghosts, subtle imagery, etc) in the background of movie shots. I already know the more obvious stuff like Midsommar/Hereditary, Hill House/Bly Manor and was also super surprised when I found out there were hidden ghosts in a few scenes of Tár. I was wondering what some older or more obscure examples of this technique are that you guys love, it would be really cool to hear about them!

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garrisontweed t1_j6bhyn2 wrote

In The Descent you can see the creatures in the background early on.

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PinkPebbleUniverse t1_j6bvq3b wrote

What! Where? I wanna see it!

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garrisontweed t1_j6bxzot wrote

https://gfycat.com/welloffaliveasianelephant

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bob1689321 t1_j6dspi2 wrote

Well off alive Asian elephant haha. I miss when gfycat was big because those URLs always entertained me

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PinkPebbleUniverse t1_j6d8i0v wrote

Ohhhhhhhhh yes yes yes! I remember that… I was thinking maybe I missed a scene where they were scattered stealthily around the women at some point in the beginning 🙈 thanks for the link!! :)

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T-408 t1_j6bct2z wrote

Scream features a scene where Sidney is chased by Ghostface through Stu’s house. While Sidney is running from GF (Stu), there is a doll in the attic which bears a resemblance to Casey (Stu’s ex girlfriend who is killed early in the film). The doll is hung from the attic ceiling, much like Casey was gutted and hung from a tree outside her house. This is a very quick visual cue that Stu is one of the killers

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lemontrout85 t1_j6cq73o wrote

Speaking of Casey, there's a nice bit of foreshadowing before the calls get nasty. What seems to an exterior establishing shot of the house, we see an innocent looking swing hanging from the tree swaying. 10 minutes later Casey's hanging from that swing.

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chazinabox OP t1_j6bd7we wrote

seen this movie a few times and never knew this, really cool detail!

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Arfguy t1_j6ba90w wrote

There was a scene in Andy Muschetti's IT Chapter One where Ben is in the library and Pennywise is clearly watching him, but the presence of Pennywise is so subtle, I think a lot of viewers missed it.

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5of1of2 t1_j6bsktv wrote

That was not subtle lol people were pointing it out in the trailer

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Blacklax10 t1_j6e3l65 wrote

Almost every scene of IT has pennywise in it iicc

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Arfguy t1_j6e59vu wrote

True...this one was more subtle than a lot of the others, IMO.

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profound_whatever t1_j6c8ou6 wrote

MAMA (also directed by Andy Muschetti) does this too.

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Moffee t1_j6g0x5h wrote

I did not know muschetti did that... I knew del toto produced. Explains why it was somewhat good - such a shame, there's huge chunks of that film missing.

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MissingLink101 t1_j6b942l wrote

Might not be quite what you're looking for but the boy standing in the corner in this scene from Insidious

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chazinabox OP t1_j6b9mws wrote

yeah this is terrifying. how does she not notice though lol.

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MissingLink101 t1_j6ban16 wrote

I guess she's just pre-occupied and absent mindedly doing chores so not really paying attention.

I remember in the cinema you could hear half the people reacting with a whispered but shocked "did you see that?!" to whoever they were with. Was a cool moment!

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chazinabox OP t1_j6bb441 wrote

this is why i need to start watching horror in the cinema more often

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Final-___X t1_j6bcau2 wrote

There's plenty of shots in Halloween (1978) where Michael is in the background of a shot and his mask illuminates his presence.

*Rosemary's Baby and Jacob's ladder have subtle background compositing of images if memory serves me correctly.

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MissingLink101 t1_j6bcriz wrote

When you rewatch it is almost comical how obvious he is in a lot of those scenes

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Final-___X t1_j6be8b1 wrote

True, that I think about it more so. I was thinking of obvious examples, but saw that OP wanted obscure examples. I better put my thinking cap on and think of more subtle ones.

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Ok-Fig6407 t1_j6dent3 wrote

Where in Rosemary’s Baby? I’ve seen it so many times but can’t think of anything like that.

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Final-___X t1_j6dg4ms wrote

Isn't there a shot where a character sneaks into the room in the background?

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66towtruck t1_j6bwmha wrote

Tha Haunting of Hill House. Ghosts all over the place in the background but not really noticeable. I didnt notice them when I watched it the first time but there were scenes that gave me chills for reason I couldn’t understand. Later I saw an article that listed each scene that had a ghost in the background and I realized why I thought some of the scenes were super creepy.

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Random_Belter t1_j6boba7 wrote

In Hereditary the cult members are standing around the house near the end. Some can't be seen unless you turn up the brightness. Also some of the cult members can be seen earlier in the movie as regular townspeople.

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IAmSomnabula t1_j6cvjbj wrote

In Alien you can see the Xenomorph hiding in plain sight. It just looks like a piece of equipment in the cargo area.

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Cake-Over t1_j6bkh71 wrote

1408 especially with the painting of the sailing ship on the wall.

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profound_whatever t1_j6c9lyu wrote

Three Men and a Baby famously has an accidental version of this; a cardboard cutout in the background that some people think is a ghost.

The video game Until Dawn has figures in the background in certain cutscenes.

I think Lake Mungo and The Witch in the Window have moments like this too?

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satluvscheese t1_j6d5v6m wrote

Three Men and a Baby a cardboard cutout in the background that some people think is a ghost.

Ohh yeah and can't forget the line which leads up to it by Ted Dancings mother:

"Look at the way shes looking at me"

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charleyismyhero t1_j6dcyvt wrote

So waaaaaaay back in the old days when that movie came out on VHS my family had heard the rumor and rented it one weekend. We found the spot and spent hours rewinding and FFW around and debating it. Finally gave up after no consensus and went ahead and finished the movie, (where the true culprit is officially revealed). Man, that was a fun night though and a great memory.

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AdmiralCharleston t1_j6cr8fq wrote

Ghostwatch and the inside number 9 Halloween special are the only pieces of media where I've been too afraid to look for the hidden details because of how subtle and terrifying they are

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HardSteelRain t1_j6bccb3 wrote

Shadows and door moving slightly in Paranormal Activity

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DaikaijuSokogeki01 t1_j6c4jj0 wrote

Hideo Nakata's Ghost Actress has some great moments where the ghost is just lingering in the background.

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Old_Understanding325 t1_j6cwqxs wrote

It took me over 25 years to spot it, but in Halloween 4 just after deputy Logan reassures Rachel that the troopers will be there soon you see Michael Myers's face in the background and then fade into the darkness when Logan turns in his direction.

It's very quick and subtle.

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ey3s0re_christ t1_j6e7kv0 wrote

Blair Witch 2: Book of Shadows had the whole "Secret of Esrever" marketing campaign during the dvd/vhs release. It was like 5 hidden/subliminal images throughout the movie.

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littleoctagon t1_j6ekcry wrote

There's a bunch of hidden stuff in The Conjuring. I seem to recall that the name of the ghost is spelled out in letters on bookshelves.

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StudBoi69 t1_j6caaar wrote

The Eye (2002) - the reflection in the subway train

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djangoman2k t1_j6dtn0o wrote

Lake Mungo did this super well. That's a very interesting horror flick you should definitely check out.

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Doppelfrio t1_j6e5sn7 wrote

There’s a specific scene in Memories of Murder that had me freaking out

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HagbardCelineHere t1_j6emre7 wrote

I'll give you one more off the beaten path, a little Australian found-footage movie called Lake Mungo has a couple of great twists in it, and does you the service of giving you a post-credits scene showing you everything you "should" have noticed the first time around.

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chazinabox OP t1_j6fyaca wrote

a few people have mentioned this, i'll look into it, sounds cool

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satluvscheese t1_j6d6aiq wrote

"Fear" 1996.... you can find a small version of a "Chucky doll" in Mark Wahlbergs room...it's on a shelf and not so hard to miss

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