15 Fun Movie References You’ll Get if You’re Paying Attention
Movies have always rewarded people who pay a little too much attention to what’s happening in the background. A sign, a license plate, or a seemingly random prop can turn out to be a joke meant for viewers who recognize another movie entirely. Some filmmakers reference their friends’ work, while others hide callbacks to their own earlier films or sneak familiar characters into places where they definitely don’t belong. None of these details are necessary to understand the story, and plenty are on screen for only a few seconds. That’s part of the fun. Whether you caught them immediately or needed several rewatches, these movie Easter eggs give eagle-eyed viewers something extra to discover.
Raiders of the Lost Ark Hides Two Star Wars Characters
Look closely at the hieroglyphics inside the Well of Souls and you’ll find some very familiar droids. R2-D2 and C-3PO are carved into the wall, creating a tiny Star Wars crossover courtesy of George Lucas and Steven Spielberg.
Toy Story Borrowed Its Carpet From The Shining
Sid’s house was already creepy enough without this detail. The carpet has the same distinctive geometric pattern seen in the Overlook Hotel in The Shining, a movie that Toy Story editor Lee Unkrich famously loves.
Tron Has Pac-Man Hiding in Its Grid
During a scene inside Tron’s digital world, Pac-Man can briefly be spotted on one of the computer maps. The arcade character was only a couple of years old when the movie came out, making this a very 1982 Easter egg.
The Departed Warns You Who’s in Trouble
Martin Scorsese repeatedly places an X somewhere in the frame around characters headed for a bad end. It’s a visual reference to the original 1932 Scarface, which used the same trick to foreshadow deaths.
Back to the Future Quietly Changes a Mall’s Name
Marty begins at Twin Pines Mall, then travels to 1955 and accidentally destroys one of the two pine trees on the property. When he returns to 1985, look at the sign again: it’s now Lone Pine Mall.
The Phantom Menace Gives E.T.’s Species a Senate Seat
During the Galactic Senate sequence, three aliens who look exactly like E.T. can be spotted among the delegates. It was George Lucas returning the favor after Spielberg had slipped Star Wars references into Indiana Jones.
Jurassic World Keeps Ian Malcolm’s Career Alive
Ian Malcolm isn’t physically hanging around Jurassic World, but his ideas apparently are. A copy of his book, “God Creates Dinosaurs”, sits on Lowery’s desk, providing a small connection to Jeff Goldblum’s Jurassic Park character.
Scream Has a Familiar Horror Reporter
One of the reporters covering the murders may look familiar to horror fans. It’s Linda Blair, who played Regan in The Exorcist, making a tiny uncredited cameo in another movie that knows its horror history very well.
Captain America: Civil War Parks a Very Familiar Stair Car
During the airport battle, the Bluth family’s unmistakable stair car from Arrested Development appears in the background. Directors Anthony and Joe Russo previously worked extensively on the sitcom, making it a little shout-out to their pre-Marvel days.
Aladdin Has a Tiny Beast in the Palace
When the Sultan plays with his collection of animal figurines, one of them is Beast from Beauty and the Beast. Considering that Disney released Beauty and the Beast only a year before Aladdin, audiences didn’t have to look too far back to get the joke.
Spider-Man Drives Sam Raimi’s Favorite Car
Uncle Ben’s Oldsmobile Delta 88 isn’t just some random old car. Director Sam Raimi has been putting the same model into his movies for decades, including The Evil Dead, Darkman, and eventually his Spider-Man trilogy.
Fight Club Can’t Escape Starbucks
Starbucks cups keep popping up throughout Fight Club, sometimes sitting quietly in the background where they’re easy to miss. David Fincher deliberately turned the familiar cups into a running visual joke in a movie with plenty to say about consumer culture.
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom Has a Star Wars Nightclub
At the beginning of Temple of Doom, Indy finds himself at a Shanghai nightclub called Club Obi Wan. The name is a not-so-subtle reference to Obi-Wan Kenobi and another little bridge between George Lucas’ two biggest franchises.
Finding Dory Sneaks in a Monsters, Inc. Favorite
Stick around during the credits and there’s an unexpected Pixar visitor waiting for you. Mike Wazowski from Monsters, Inc. briefly appears, because apparently even a trip across the ocean can’t keep Pixar characters out of one another’s movies.
The Rocky Horror Picture Show Has Literal Easter Eggs
This one takes the term unusually seriously. An Easter egg hunt reportedly took place around the set before filming, and several eggs that weren’t found can actually be spotted in the finished movie, including one beneath Frank-N-Furter’s throne.