Throughout cinematic history, there have always been movie moments and unforgettable scenes that viewers have wanted to come back to relive again and again. There have been several reasons to rewind and re-watch frame by frame–whether it be because of a confusing plot point, a steamy clip, or a strange movie mistake.
Whatever the case, viewers love to go back and hit pause on these iconic movie scenes…
Basic Instinct
This 1992 film skyrocketed Sharon Stone into superstardom as an iconic actress and sex symbol. The most paused scene in this film is when she’s in the interrogation room and she crosses and uncrosses her legs while wearing a tiny mini dress.
The Dark Knight
In The Dark Knight when the Joker dresses as a nurse, the name tag on his nurse uniform says “Matilda,” which is the name of Heath Ledger’s daughter in real life.
Baby Driver
Eiza Gonzalez plays Monica "Darling" Castello, one of Doc's gang of bank robbers. For obvious reasons, this became a popular paused and GIF'd scene.
Iron Man
This 2008 film launched the Marvel Movies Series franchise and was filled with Easter eggs. In the background of this scene is the shield of Captain America.
Bridesmaids
In many of Melissa McCarthy’s films and tv shows her real-life husband, Ben Falcone, often makes appearances as someone that McCarthy degrades. In Bridesmaids he plays the man that McCarthy seduces on the plane and accuses of being an Air Marshal, which turns out to be true.
Star Wars: The Phantom Menace
In this movie, George Lucas decided to pay homage to his good friend, Steven Spielberg by including E.T. and his family as one of the many alien species to attend the galactic senate.
Psycho
In this 1960 Hitchcock horror film, Bates is arrested and as he looks into the camera a human skull flashes over his face for just one split-second for a chilling ending scene.
Fast Times at Ridgemont High
The iconic scene in Fast Times one of the characters is daydreaming about Phoebe Cates climbing out of the pool in a red bikini and removing her top is one that many can relate to and have probably also fantasized about themselves.
Fight Club
“Fight Club” is based on the novel of the same name by Chuck Palahniuk. In David Fincher’s adaptation is filled with Easter Eggs, one of which shows Brad Pitts character in the background before he is even introduced in the movie.
Wolf of Wall Street
While Leonardo DiCaprio was a star in this film, the world was also introduced to Margot Robbie. One of her most played and paused scenes in the movie is when Robbie seduces Leo.
Tron
Even in the ’80s, filmmakers threw Easter eggs into major films. There are several scenes in this cult classic where Pac-man can be seen eating his dots.
The Little Mermaid
It seems like there’s always something inappropriate about a Disney film. In The Little Mermaid, during the wedding scene, the priest that marries the couple is a little…well…excited.
Three Men and a Baby
In this ’80s film, there’s a scene that looks like a young boy is peeking in behind the window drapes. The rumor mill ran wild with this saying there was a ghost that haunted them on set, but according to the cast and crew, it was just a cardboard cutout of Ted Danson as a kid.
She’s the Man
This teen flick inspired by Shakespeare, starred Amanda Bynes pretending to be a boy to play on the men’s soccer team. When she confesses in the end, nobody believes her, until she finally flashes them to prove herself. People paused this scene a lot, but ultimately all you can see is her face.
The Simpsons
All the characters in The Simpsons have four fingers, everyone except God. It’s one of those hidden messages that you don’t really notice the first time around.
Wizard of Oz
This classic film is shrouded in controversy. In the last scene, one paused quite frequently, it appears that a body is hanging in the woods behind the characters. It was rumored that it was one of the munchkins, but the studio claims it was a large bird that got free onset.
The Lion King
In the beloved Disney film, The Lion King, Simba flops down in the grass and flower petals fly away in the wind. The petals, if you look closely, seem to form the word “sex.” Disney argues it was supposed to be “SFX” but… we’re not too sure about that one.
Star Wars: A New Hope
This epic scene is a classic part that gets rewound and paused over and over again. The scene is at the start of the movie when a stormtrooper in the background hits his head on a low hanging door because the actors in the uniforms apparently couldn’t see well out of their helmets.
Who Framed Roger Rabbit
Jessica Rabbit is already one of the most sexualized cartoon characters of all time, and in one scene of the film, that is often paused, it looks like you can see under her dress.
Signs
This M. Night Shyamalan horror-thriller really creeped audiences out when they caught the first glimpse of the alien beings. This scene has been paused many times to really get a good look at the invaders.
Jurassic World
In this movie, when the pterodactyls are attacking the tourists one man hilariously saves two margaritas before he rushes for safety — that man is none other than Jimmy Buffet.
Man of Steel
While a small Easter egg, in this scene where Superman grabs onto a satellite, you can see the Wayne Enterprise logo on it, Bruce Wayne aka Batman’s company.
Wild Things
While there are many steamy and pause-worthy scenes in this 1998 film, the one that gets the most attention is when Neve Campbell and Denise Richards kiss in the pool.
Burn After Reading
In this dark 2008 comedy with Brad Pitt and George Clooney, Clooney’s character returns home and Pitt quickly hides in his closet. Clooney heads to the closet to return his gun and is so surprised to see Pitt in there that he shoots him in the head. It happens so fast that you could miss it — thank goodness for pause and rewind.
Toy Story
In the Pixar film, Toy Story, as with most Pixar movies, there’s a hidden Mickey Mouse. In this scene, in Andy’s room, there’s a watch clock with Mickey Mouse on it.
Frozen
At Elsa’s coronation, two recognizable guests can be seen entering the palace grounds. Rapunzel and Flynn are spotted entering the castle grounds, Rapunzel with her short hair as seen at the end of Tangled.
Love, Simon
Martin makes a joke at the lunch table to Abby that actually gives a clue as to the identity of Blue. He says, “Hey, what do you get when you mix black and. Jewish? It’s Blue-ish.”
The Departed
In the Leonardo DiCaprio film, The Departed, an “X” can always be found on the screen right before a character dies.
Ace Ventura: Pet Detective
Two apples are placed alongside a banana on Lt. Lois Einhorn’s desk, foreshadowing the reveal that she was born with male genitalia.
Iron Man 2
The little kid in the mask that Tony Stark saves in Iron Man 2 actually grows up to be Spider-Man.
Toy Story 3
If you look closely at the garbage man’s shirt in Toy Story 3, you’ll recognize it as matching the one that the terrifying bully character, Sid, wears in the first film.
Frozen
The intro to the song “Love is an Open Door” in Frozen when the characters say “We finish each other’s…sandwiches!” is actually a bit that first appeared on Arrested Development.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
The passage on Nick Fury’s tombstone quotes a passage from Ezekial 25:17, which is also a famous speech from Samuel L. Jackson’s other role in Pulp Fiction.
Back to the Future
When Marty travels back to 1955 the name of the mall changes from Twin Pines to Lone Pine Mall. They even took away one of the pine trees on the sign.
Fight Club
Another pausable moment in Fight Club happens, well, throughout the whole film. David Fincher sneaks a Starbucks coffee cup in almost every scene throughout.
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Hieroglyphics of C-3PO and R2-D2 are snuck into the background of the scene on one of the columns.
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
In this Indiana Jones film, the characters drive past a club named “Club Obi-Wan,” another nod to Star Wars.
Beauty and the Beast
In Beauty and the Beast, when Gaston falls to his death, you can see skulls in the pupils of his eyes — not creepy or anything…
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
During the scene where Harry and Draco are dueling, you can see a cameraman clearly in the shot.
Never Been Kissed
In the “famous couples” prom scene, a pregnant Mary and Joseph try to sit at Kirsten’s table, but she tells them there’s no room for them, a Biblical reference to there not being any room at the Inn during the birth of Jesus.
The Rocky Horror Picture Show
In this film, there are actual Easter eggs hidden within certain scenes. The rumor is that the cast and crew had an actual Easter egg hunt on set and couldn’t find them all.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
While this is so far unproven, there’s a theory from the silent scene with Rey and an older Luke Skywalker, that a gravestone can be seen in the background.
The Rescuers
In this 1977 film, animators clearly had dirty minds. In The Rescuers, for example, a nude woman is seen in the background.
Anchorman
The Mexican restaurant that Veronica visits with her female colleagues has quite an interesting name. If you speak Spanish you’ll know that “Escupimos en su Alimento” translates to “We Spit in your Food.”
Fast Five
Does the character Han Seoul-Oh ring any bells? This just proves that theory that no matter what film or TV show you’re watching, you’re never too far from a Star Wars reference.
Harry Potter & The Prisoner of Azkaban
In the credit at the end of the film, the Marauder’s Map shows two people in a bit of a suspicious arrangement. Make your own assumptions…
I am Legend
When Will Smith is in Times Square during the hunting sequence, he passes a billboard advertising a Batman and Superman team-up.
The Matrix Reloaded
In The Matrix Reloaded many of the license plates are references to biblical scripture. Smith’s plate reads IS5416 which corresponds to Isaiah 54:16, “Behold, I have created the smith, who blows the fire of coals, and produces weapons for its purpose. I have also created the ravager to destroy.”
Terminator 2
The theme song for James Cameron’s Terminator 2 was “You Could be Mine” by Guns N’ Roses, and although he never stated that publicly he left clues throughout the film including in the scene when terminator pulls out his fun from a box of roses.
Jurassic Park
In the film, Ian Malcolm warns that a park of only female dinosaurs wasn’t going to work forever, and this was foreshadowed when Alan Grant rides to the island and he is struggling with his seatbelt. He struggles because he’s trying to put two “female” ends together. In the end, he fashions his own solution, just as mother nature would later in the movie.
Robocop
The plot of this film references the Bible. Even though he is half man half machine, he is the hero of a corrupt city that is killed, resurrected, and emerges as a robotic savior. He even walks on water!
Cloverfield
In the final scene of the film, Beth and Rob hide under a bridge in Central Park, moments after, an air raid strike buries the couple and presumably kills the creature. In the credits, though, there’s garbed audio that, when reversed, sounds like a military report saying “it’s still alive.”
Batman Begins
When Jim Gordon reveals to Batman that a new criminal has surfaced in the closing scenes of this movie, the Jokers calling card is shown, making it clear that he would appear in the sequel. But a closer look shows that the playing card was signed into evidence by someone called J Kerr. Short for Joe Kerr an alias the villain has adopted over the years, which means he might have been tempting Batman to bring him down for much longer.
Man of Steel
When Zod discovers his heat vision in a battle and causes a skyscraper to fall apart on Superman, on one of the cubicles you can see a poster that reads “Keep Calm and Call Batman.”
Boogie Nights
This final scene in the 1997 Paul Thomas Anderson movie Boogie Nights shocked audiences when Mark Wahlberg dropped his pants for a shocking reveal. Let’s just say he’s pretty well endowed.
Scanner
In this mystery-horror flick about the psychic powers of Michael Ironside, he gets angry and uses his powers to make a man’s head explode. The scene is gruesome and seriously bloody.