Top 20 Creepiest Things Found in Movie Backgrounds
#20: Ghost Boy
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“Insidious” (2010)
After the Lamberts move into a new home to escape the supernatural activity, Renai spots a little ghost boy through the window dancing to “Tiptoe Through the Tulips.” It’s a creepy sequence, and it establishes that the supernatural activity has followed them to their new house. But did you know that the ghost can actually be seen before Renai spots him? After Renai starts the record, the camera follows her through the house as she tidies up. As she’s tossing clothes in the laundry hamper, you can see the boy standing just to her left and facing the wall. Why he was doing that, we have no idea. But it made our hearts freeze, we can tell you that.
#19: An Ambiguous Figure
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“It Follows” (2014)
One of the most haunting moments of “It Follows” comes at the very end. Viewers are led to believe that Paul has passed on the sexually-transmitted supernatural curse to a sex worker. But as Jay and Paul walk down a suburban street, seemingly safe at last, a figure soon appears in the distance, falling into step behind them. Is it someone out for a stroll or is it the killer entity? Did Paul pass it on or not? Has the entity killed the sex worker and now returned for Paul? There’s a lot of ambiguity to this scene, but that’s what makes it so scary. If there’s one thing the ending proves, it’s that there are some things you can’t outrun.
#18: A Pale Face
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“The Woman in Black” (2012)
This old fashioned gothic horror story is complete with an Edwardian setting and a haunted estate called Eel Marsh House. The movie strikes a great balance between “in your face” jump scares and more subtle threats, as is the case with this scene. Daniel Radcliffe’s Arthur Kipps sees a creepy face in an upstairs window, so he goes to investigate. He finds nothing in the room, but when he looks outside, the woman’s face suddenly appears behind him in the window. The soundtrack definitely draws attention to it, but it’s still a super creepy scene, and that pale, ghostly face will stick with you long after the credits roll.
#17: Demon in the Picture Frame
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“Poltergeist” (1982)
To watch Poltergeist is to discover a world of often disquieting behind-the-scenes insights. This horror franchise has had influence for more than thirty years and can still be felt in pop culture today. One particularly horrific moment in the film occurs in the background in the scene just before the spirits wreak havoc on the house. A group of normal family photos sit behind Jobeth Williams as she innocently blow-dries her hair but after the clown attacks her son Robbie, a ghost-like face has taken over one of the pictures.
#16: Toshio in the Door
“Ju-On: The Grudge” (2002)
Few villains can compare to the horrifying, pale, and wide-eyed Kayako Saeki. Saeki is the vengeful ghost that haunts the house in Nerima, and many of her scenes - like crawling down the staircase and hiding under the bed sheets - are now iconic. But there are also many subtle scares that are littered throughout. One of the best involves Toshio, AKA the little boy ghost. While getting some fresh air outside the nursing home, Saito starts playing peek-a-boo with no one in particular, much to the concern of Rika. When the camera cuts to the glass door, we get a very brief glimpse of Toshio standing next to Saito in the reflection. It’s enough to send chills down your spine.
#15: The “Psycho” Car
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“Halloween H20: 20 Years Later” (1998)
This slasher sequel was riddled with easter eggs and nods to horror history. One of the best comes when Laurie’s secretary Norma drops by for a visit. Norma is played by Jamie Lee Curtis’s mother Janet Leigh, who starred in the seminal “Psycho” as Marion Crane. The iconic “Psycho” car can be spotted in the background as Norma talks to Laurie at the Academy. The car is later made the clear focus of attention as Norma departs and wishes Laurie a happy Halloween. It’s a creepy, self-referential nod to both Leigh and the genre’s past. Even her character’s name, Norma, is a not-so-subtle allusion to “Psycho’s” famed antagonist, Norman Bates.
#14: The Party
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“Jacob’s Ladder” (1990)
Adrian Lyne’s classic “Jacob’s Ladder” is full of surreal sequences, including this scene in which Jacob attends a party. Things begin innocently enough as everyone dances to the glorious funk of James Brown. But things inevitably go to hell, and Jacob begins experiencing disturbing visions. The main focus of the scene is Jezzie dancing with some kind of tentacle monster. That’s certainly disturbing, but what makes the sequence even scarier are the people innocently dancing in the background, completely oblivious to Jezzie and the tentacle. It makes the scene that much more surreal and unsettling, capturing that distinctly helpless feeling often experienced when having a nightmare.
#13: The Approaching Truck
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“Jeepers Creepers” (2001)
This monster movie received mediocre reviews from critics, who mostly denounced the clichés and silly monster action. That said, most agreed that the film had a very encouraging start, and that’s largely due to the brilliant opening sequence. As Trish and Darry drive home for spring break, they are tormented by an erratic driver in a rusty truck. That alone is scary enough, but what makes the sequence even more unsettling is the subtle way in which the truck approaches the protagonists. It begins as an indistinct blur in the background before slowly growing in stature, coming into focus, and blaring its horn. It’s a wonderful way to introduce the movie’s villain, and it makes for a gloriously creepy opening scene.
#12; The Ghost
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“Lake Mungo” (2008)
At its core, “Lake Mungo” is a ghost story about a deceased girl named Alice attempting to communicate with her family. Believing that her ghost has passed on, Alice’s family decides to move out of the family home to start a new life. However, the ending photo shows Alice’s ghost forlornly looking from the window, a creepy background detail that proves Alice hasn’t moved on. What makes the ending even better are the credits themselves, which show various sightings of Alice’s ghost throughout the movie that went unnoticed by the characters and viewer. It’s meant as a thematic statement, but it’s also utterly shocking and terrifying to realize that the ghost was there the entire time - right under your nose.
#11: The Club
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“Black Swan” (2010)
Darren Aronofsky’s psychological horror film “Black Swan” is another movie with a terrifying dance sequence, though this one is much more difficult to make out owing to the darkness, strobing lights, and rapid cuts. The scene is packed with subtle scares that risk going unnoticed. These include Rothbart and the White Swan standing in the background behind Nina; Beth standing between Nina and Lily; and Thomas eerily changing into Rothbart. It represents fantastic directing from Darren Aronofsky and editing by Andrew Weisblum, disorienting and disturbing viewers in ways both apparent and subliminal.
#10: The “Hanging Munchkin”
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“The Wizard of Oz” (1939)
This movie is historic, and it just happens to contain one of the most ubiquitous legends in film history. We’re talking, of course, about the so-called hanging munchkin. As Dorothy and her ragtag group head towards Emerald City, you can supposedly see a munchkin hanging from a tree. Legend says that an actor had committed suicide during filming, and his hanging corpse had accidentally made its way into the movie. In actuality, the “corpse” is just a big bird that was borrowed from the Los Angeles Zoo and allowed to roam the set to give it a more authentic appearance. Regardless of the truth, there’s no denying the staying power and inherent creepiness of the suicidal munchkin legend.
#9: Tyler Durden
“Fight Club” (1999)
Sure, “Fight Club” isn’t a scary movie, per se, but there’s some creepy stuff going on. Before we’re introduced to Tyler Durden on the plane, he can be spotted in the hospital, the support group, on the street, and in the Narrator’s office. Each flash is very brief - almost imperceptible - but it would surely come as quite an eerie shock for those who did manage to spot him. It’s enough to make viewers question their sanity, especially since, at this point, they don’t know who this man is or why he keeps popping up. Of course, it’s meant to foreshadow the Narrator’s mental disorder and the eventual plot twist - hammering home the absolute brilliance of director David Fincher.
#8: The Demon’s Face
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“The Exorcist” (1973)
“The Exorcist” is widely heralded as the scariest movie of all time, yet it isn’t really about the exorcism itself. It’s more about Father Damien Karras’s crisis of faith and the deep feelings of guilt that he harbors regarding his mother’s death. In one of Karras’s creepy dreams, he tries waving to his deceased mother as she emerges from the subway. Right before Karras runs towards her, the screen very briefly flashes with the ghastly white face of the demon. It’s incredibly subtle, and it makes viewers question if they even saw anything in the first place. This was fully intentional by director William Friedkin.
#7: The Doll
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“Blue Velvet” (1986)
Dennis Hopper gives one of the finest performances of his storied career in David Lynch’s “Blue Velvet.” He plays Frank Booth, an extremely violent and unhinged criminal who keeps Dorothy Vallens’ family hostage so he can use her as a sex slave. He keeps them confined in the apartment belonging to a criminal associate named Ben. Ben’s apartment contains a creepy doll with a white face, black eyes, and women’s clothes. Like the upside down paintings in Lynch’s “Lost Highway,” this doll is given no explanation and is never acknowledged within the context of the movie. It’s just another one of Lynch’s creepy and mysterious details that lends the movie a disturbing atmosphere.
#6: The “Ghost” Boy
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“Three Men and a Baby” (1987)
This movie contains what is perhaps the greatest urban legend in movie history - even greater than that of the Hanging Munchkin. During a scene in which Jack and his mother walk through the house, a very creepy human figure can be seen standing behind the curtains and staring at the passing characters. For unsuspecting viewers, it’s enough to make you scream, and an urban legend quickly spread claiming that the figure was the ghost of a young boy who committed suicide in the house. However, the “ghost boy” is actually just a cardboard cutout of Ted Danson’s character. The cutout is clearly seen later in the film, this time in far less creepy form.
#5: Michael Drives By
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“Halloween” (1978)
Michael Myers is one of the most iconic killers in movie history. As such, it’s kind of hard to imagine him just driving through town like any other citizen, but that’s exactly what he does throughout the movie. One of the most creative scares comes when Sheriff Brackett and Loomis are talking on the sidewalk. Just before Brackett leaves the shot, a car can be seen stopping at the train tracks in the background. Keen viewers may spot Michael’s iconic mask looking out from the windshield, but he becomes even more obvious when he drives by Loomis. It’s a perfect representation of the movie’s horror; evil is always here, lurking and watching - even in broad daylight.
#4: Annie on the Ceiling
“Hereditary” (2018)
Horror movies have different ways of scaring its audience, and “Hereditary” uses just about all of them. There are upfront, in-your-face scares, there are grotesque images, and there are scenes requiring audience perception. After Annie inadvertently burns Steve alive and gets possessed, Peter wakes up in the darkened and eerily silent house. As the camera cuts to a long shot of his bedroom, viewers can spot Annie hovering in the corner of the ceiling and staring at Peter. What’s great about this sequence is that it doesn’t draw attention to Annie’s presence - the audience is simply left to spot her on their own, and when they do, they are given the scare of a lifetime.
#3: The Stranger
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“The Strangers” (2008)
There have been many slasher and home invasion movies throughout the years, but there’s something particularly unsettling about Bryan Bertino’s “The Strangers.” Inspired by the infamous Tate murders, this movie cuts to the core of our most primal fears. This is exemplified in the shot of a shadowed Stranger standing behind Kristen. It’s easily the most famous image from the movie, even making the theatrical poster. It not only plays on our fear of domestic intrusion, but also of being watched without our knowledge. It’s the reaction of looking over your shoulder made into visual form, and it is absolutely horrifying
#2:The Falling Satellite
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“Cloverfield” (2008)
This is the mother of all background details, so subdued and indistinguishable that we wonder how anyone even spotted at all. The movie ends with old footage of Rob and Beth filming themselves at a carnival. It seems like a bittersweet ending, reminding viewers of happier times. But there’s another reason behind its inclusion. If you look very closely (and we mean very closely), you can see a satellite falling from the sky and crashing into the ocean. This is a satellite called ChimpanzIII, and it was included as a reference to the movie’s viral marketing campaign. However, others posit that it could be the monster itself arriving from space, the escape pod from “The Cloverfield Paradox,” or even a fragment of the Shepard.
#1: The Librarian
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“It” (2017)
Most people know “It” for Pennywise’s abrasive and confrontational method of horror. But there’s one scene in the movie that takes a far more subdued approach, and it’s arguably scarier than anything Pennywise could have concocted. While Ben is reading about Derry’s past in the library, the elder librarian can be seen in the background turning towards Ben and staring at him with a deeply unsettling grin. She remains out of focus the whole time, and the movie never highlights her disconcerting behavior. It’s an ingenious little detail that shows the evil permeating throughout Derry, and it proves that no one is ever safe - even when they think they are. Now that’s how you do horror.
