Best thriller movie questions of all time

Please vote as you browse around to help the best rise to the top.

Alien picture

Question: Question about the Director's Cut of the film. The scene where Brett is looking for Jones has been altered slightly - when he looks up at where the water is dripping from, you can actually see the Alien hanging motionlessly from one of the chains. Has Ridley Scott given an explanation as to why he added this new dynamic to the scene? It's easy enough to speculate why, but a link to an 'official' explanation would be appreciated.

Answer: According to the commentary on the DVD, Ridley didn't add this scene to the original cinematic release because he thought it revealed the true horror of the Alien too soon in the film. The scene is quite early in the film and he thought revealing the fully matured Alien at that time would reduce the viewer's fear.

I had watched Alien several times before I noticed the Alien hanging there.At this point the Audience have no idea what the Alien looks like, they're looking at pieces of science fiction equipment put in by the production crew that they can't relate to, so for all they know the Alien could just be a piece of kit hanging there.

More Alien questions
The Relic picture

Question: How big is the Kothoga? In some scenes, the Kothoga is about the size of a tiger but in other scenes, it's almost the size of a horse. During the Kothoga's attack during the Supernatural exhibit, it is seen chasing a SWAT officer and it's very huge but in another scene, when it crashes through a skylight and lands in front of some computers, it's not very large.

Answer: While the size is never explicitly stated, the creature does seem to be somewhat larger than a tiger and approaching the size of a horse when the scene needs it to be. Perhaps its size changes as it eats and needs sustenance?

Erik M.

More The Relic questions
Fright Night picture

Question: When Evil is walking down the alley, why did Jerry chase after him? Evil didn't believe in the existence of vampires, so he wouldn't have been a threat to Jerry at all.

Answer: Peter's odd behavior at Jerry's house made Jerry suspicious. When he discovers the shard of the mirror on the ground he finds out why Peter was spooked: Jerry doesn't cast a reflection. Jerry then decided that Charley's friends must be dealt with. In Ed, Jerry sees something which would lead him to believe Ed would make a good servant. Jerry turns Ed into a vampire and sets him against Peter while he himself deals with Charley and Amy.

BaconIsMyBFF

More Fright Night questions
Alien 3 picture

Question: How did the alien egg get on board the Sulaco? I thought it was by the Queen but she did not have that organ that she was connected to when we first see her and so she couldn't reproduce eggs.

Answer: Agreed the Queen could have stowed the eggs away on her body as Alien bodies, especially one her size, could easily have a couple of eggs hidden upon her, and we would not know. They are masters of disguise these creatures and can merge in with their own environments or others...what's to say an egg can't look like part of the Queen's body? In addition, could Facehuggers not attach themselves to the Queen's body and merge with it somehow? Flatten themselves against her skin maybe?

Answer: As we don't know the precise details of the Alien reproductive cycle, we don't know for a fact that the Queen would be unable to produce eggs without the sac seen in the film. The only other possibility is that somebody got the egg up there somehow. The only possible candidate would seem to be Bishop, who would have had to somehow have got the egg from somewhere, and flown it up to the Sulaco while Ripley was off rescuing Newt. There doesn't seem to have been time for this, so the only remaining option seems to be that they did indeed arrive with the Queen in some fashion, either laid while up there or, possibly more plausibly, rescued intact from the destruction caused by Ripley and carried somewhere on the Queen's body.

Tailkinker

More Alien 3 questions
Jaws picture

Question: There are two scenes on the boat after they have seen the shark and Brody has a panicked look, while in the background a shooting star passes right behind him. This happens twice, but it's in the day time. Was it real?

Answer: Although the 1995 documentary "The Making of Jaws" claims that the shooting star was real, the fact is that the shooting-star background effect is a Steven Spielberg trademark in most of his films (first noticed in "Jaws," but also appearing in "Close Encounters," "E.T. The Extraterrestrial," "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom," "Saving Private Ryan" and others). Spielberg has always had a fascination with shooting stars, dating back to his childhood, and he works them into almost every film. Http://americanprofile.com/articles/steven-spielberg-shooting-stars-movies/.

Charles Austin Miller

More Jaws questions
Scream picture

Question: A small thing that I was curious about: when Billy and Sidney are in the police station, they are in two rooms/areas that are only separated by a glass wall. In real life, would a suspect be kept so close to the person they are accused of attacking?

Answer: No, this is completely incorrect from the film makers. US police stations by law have to have an interrogation cell deliberately so as to avoid the accused person intimidating witnesses or the victim, as billy does to Sydney. Even if the interrogation cell were being used when Billy is brought into the station, he would then be put in a holding cell to wait his turn - they categorically would not just allow him to sit in the public, non guarded part of the station near the accuser.

swordfish

More Scream questions
Seven picture

Question: When shaving their chests by the end of the movie, Mills and Somerset are joking and then Mills gets serious, says "You know...?" and then stops. What do you think he was going to say? Maybe he was going to be nice to Somerset, but then refrained himself?

xerop

Answer: I've seen se7en hundreds of times, and I've always wondered what Mills was trying to say to Somerset, and here's my take. If you've noticed, the recurring theme between the two was their conflicting views on how they see the world around them. Somerset is the grizzled, experienced detective who has been through the ringer, so he's views are more pessimistic in nature. Which I can sympathize with. Mills being the rookie detective that he is, was the optimistic, "I'll be the hero" kind of guy. So much so that Somerset called him out for being too Naive, and that he can't be like that. So getting back to the question at hand. During the chest shaving scene, I believe Mills was about to tell Somerset that his dark pessimistic view of the world around them makes sense. Mills wanted to say that Somerset was right, which he wasn't able to bring himself to do.

Answer: I've always wondered this question as well. I think he was gonna say something along the line of "you know I haven't talked to my wife all day And that's very weird." Especially since Somerset just said be prepared for anything while transporting Doe. Speculation at best though.

When Mills and Somerset enter the station building just before John Doe gives himself up the female desk sergeant tells Mills his wife had phoned this puts Mills' wife into the mind of the viewer. When Mills says to Somerset during the chest shaving scene 'if I keep coming home late my wifes gonna think something up' is placing Traci again in the mind of the viewer. Then Mills says 'You know?' prompts the question what has happened to Traci.

Answer: Since he stands for wrath in the plot, in the said scene he was probably going to acknowledge his short-tempered nature. He doesn't and therefore he looses a chance of confession. What say?

Could be right. He certainly has explosive episodes of anger throughout the film. He may, just for an instant believe himself to be wrath. I think he ignores the thought because he is always optimistic, caring and believes in good. Therefore, due to these virtues he cannot be wrath. Somerset, the calmer, more laid back character is the pessimist who sees evil everywhere. One would think he would be angry at the world. Maybe he was like Mills when he was younger.

Answer: I've also seen Seven hundreds of times. I've spent hours breaking down each and every scene inside my own head and I still have a hard time fathoming how insanely perfect the relationship Andrew Kevin Walker created between Mills and Somerset. Somerset's ability to pick up on the smallest comments Mills makes helps reinvigorate his passion for being a detective at a point in his career where he has all but given up hope for the world around him. Mills shows moments of vulnerability many times during the film but maybe not more so than the chest shaving scene. Personally I don't think his statement of "you know?" has any literal reference to anything physically happening in the story. I think he's merely gathering the courage to thank Somerset for his help, guidance and mentorship over the course of the past Seven days. I think he stops because he feels simply saying "thank you" will make him appear weak in front of a man he's no yet ready to open up to.

More Seven questions
Cube picture

Question: How did Quentin find others in the last scene? he was left unconscious and he had no way to figure out where others went after that (considering his lack of knowledge in mathematics) so how could he possibly make his way to the bridge room?

Answer: It's established that sound travels throughout the structure reasonably well. Also, they didn't travel relatively far, even with the rooms shifting.

Actually, considering the distance that they travelled and the injuries he sustained, Quentin would have had extreme difficulty catching up. It looks like the 3 travelled upwards at least 12 cubes, meaning Quentin would have had to climb up each one with the chance that any of the rooms could be trapped fast enough to catch up to them with enough strength left over to kill Leaven.

Adrenaline is an extremely driving force, so I'd still consider it entirely possible it happened that way.

More Cube questions
Hannibal picture

Question: How did Hannibal manage to make it onto a commercial airplane at the end of the movie? Even if he had a fake ID, wouldn't being on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted list make it virtually impossible for him to get through a high security place like an airport, where the feds would likely instruct security staff to stop anyone that even remotely resembles him? The fact that he cut off his own hand at the end of the film would make him easier to spot, as the FBI would definitely share that new detail about him.

Phaneron

Answer: As seen in the first film and in this one, Lecter demonstrates an almost supernatural ability for eluding the law and seemingly being in two places at once. This film was made in the year 2000, before airport security became extremely tight in late 2001. At that time (before 9/11), it was still possible to enter an airport's main concourse through the baggage claim or even from the tarmac without passing through rigorous security. As ingenious as Lecter was, he could have accessed the airport in a number of ways back then. Relieving another passenger of his boarding pass and identification would be no problem for Lecter, either (simply leave the passenger's body in an airport toilet and assume his identity). For the most part, it was Lecter's calm, self-confident charm that allowed him to slither through society always ten steps ahead of the law.

Charles Austin Miller

Answer: Perhaps he bribed his way through security onto the plane. Or maybe he murdered anyone who even remotely challenged him. He was probably wearing a disguise. It's possible that he had been planning this whole thing for an unspecified amount of time. And don't forget: he is a genius. And determined. He wouldn't let a little thing like protocol get in the way of his escape.

Alan Keddie

Answer: There is an assumption that he cut his hand off in the end. Ask yourself this for a very graphic movie why did they not show the chopped of hand. You just hear the chop but no sound from Lecter and only an emotional reaction from Starling. It is only alluded to and even if he did happen to chop it off he would be in so much pain as he acknowledged this was going to hurt he would not have been able to escape without help from Starling.

On the plane, you only see him use his right hand, and his left arm is in a sling. Further explaining, he did cut his own hand off to be freed. If he cut Starling's hand off, she would have possibly bled to death, or at least enough that she couldn't have run for him.

More Hannibal questions
Copland picture

Question: Did Ray set up the killing of Joey Randone because of what he saw them do, or was it just luck on Ray's part that he was attacked and left hanging from a TV aerial to then plunge to his death, and this is why he stalled for time with the door lock?

The_Iceman

Answer: I would think this would just have been random luck. There is no way you can just pay some random criminal to find and single out Joey and his partner to attack. With all the cops on patrol anyone of them could have responded to that call, so that was just pure luck that Joey and his partner encountered the criminal that threw him to his death on the roof.

More Copland questions
Gothika picture

Question: Why does Miranda see a dead boy at the end? Her husband didn't "do" boys according to the Sherriff. Will she see every missing person now?

Answer: Probably, she has a sixth sense which will most likely help angry spirits bring down the person or persons who killed them or caused them to die.

T Poston

More Gothika questions
Thirteen picture

Question: I read that Evan Rachel Wood's character, Tracy, is supposed to be Nikki Reed at the age when she was having the experiences that Tracy went through. Was the character Evie based on a girl that Nikki knew in real life?

Answer: Evie was based off several people in Nikki Reed's life.

More Thirteen questions
The Usual Suspects picture

Question: How did Soze end up in the police station after he escaped the boat in the first place? If he had vanished after the bombing, he wouldn't have to make up the stories and he wouldn't have been identified by Kujan.

Answer: Kint/Soze ended up in the police station because he simply didn't get away in time.

Answer: Soze ended up back under arrest and for some questioning as 'Verbal Kint'. He never really vanished, he's just playing two parts/people. He really vanishes off the scene by the end of the movie after he tricks Kujan.

With the exception of what's known to have happened on the dock, the entire story is a lie told by Verbal Kint to Agent Kujon. Kujon realises this after Kint leaves the office but not in time to catch up. The entire movie is about a habitual liar making up a story about what happened on the dock. He may be Keyser Soze or an alter-ego variant but even Keysers rep is subject to question as it was told by the same liar. Verbal himself said about Keaton, "He was a grounded guy, a cop. If you think the husband did it then you're right." He was telling on himself as sociopaths will do when they think they're smarter than everyone around them.

More The Usual Suspects questions
Dreamcatcher picture

Question: What kind of power did each of the four friends have? Pete can locate things, but what about the other besides reading people's minds?

Answer: Each of the 4 main characters; Jonsie, Pete, Beaver and Henry could communicate with one another telepathically. In addition to this power, Jonie also possessed a photographic memory. Pete could find or locate things. Henry could read other people's minds. Beaver had premonitions or some sort of sixth sense. He made a phonecall to Jonsie, knowing something was wrong and wrote ssdd on the phone booth.

More Dreamcatcher questions
Transformers picture

Question: Throughout Transformer history, has it ever been known who or what was responsible for the creation of the Autobots and Decepticons and for what purpose?

Answer: Primus created the original Thirteen Transformers, later known as the Thirteen Primes, to help him defeat his nemesis, Unicron. The Thirteen Primes were the start of the Cybertronian race, which eventually turned on itself when Megatron, formerly Megatronus, started the War and his Decepticon faction.

More Transformers questions
The Departed picture

Question: What is the tune that is playing when we first see Billy going into jail?

Answer: It is called "Shipping Up to Boston" by the band The Dropkick Murphys, from their "Warrior's Code" album.

Vin15Nets

More The Departed questions
Scream 4 picture

Question: In the final shot, we see Jill's head move a little. Was that suppose to let the viewers know that she's alive or was it just a mistake?

Answer: I personally submitted this as a revealing mistake. There is no official statement from Wes Craven or anyone else involved in the making of the movie about it being deliberate. So in my eyes, it's a mistake.

THGhost

Answer: I actually read that they noticed this before the movie came out and left it in to keep the ending ambiguous and since they were planning to make Scream 5, they felt that would possibly be the way to go.

That's very interesting, especially now that Scream 5 is finally getting made. Although it doesn't appear that Emma Roberts is returning.

THGhost

More Scream 4 questions

Answer: It really was all down to James Cameron having already written the script and proving himself capable of directing with 'The Terminator.' It was just a quicker, easier, and almost certainly cheaper decision to let him direct his own script rather than get someone else, even Ridley Scott. While the producers had wanted to make an 'Alien' sequel almost immediately, at the time the head of 20th Century Fox didn't want to pursue it fearing it would be seen as an obvious cash-in and flop. When a new executive at the studio came in a couple years later, the project was put back on track, and I believe Cameron was the first to be approached to write the script.

TonyPH

Chosen answer: The studio was considering a sequel before Cameron was involved, but regarding directing it, Ridley Scott told "The Hollywood" in a 2008 interview, "They didn't ask me! To this day I have no idea why. It hurt my feelings, really, because I thought we did quite a good job on the first one." The studio liked Cameron's script and at that time he had enough clout to be able to insist on directing it.

raywest

More Aliens questions
Saw II picture

Question: How is it that all the dead victims (except Adam and Lawrence) are found? What kind of clues could the police follow to find those secret locations and still don't have any about the jigsaw?

Answer: Perhaps someone in the vicinity smelled the bodies and called the police. Each of the victims shown on screen appears to have been dead for at least a few days.

alex garrido

Lawrence didn't also die, as he was shown to have survived in Saw 3D. I'm assuming you are talking about Zep.

More Saw II questions
Hulk picture

Question: There are two scenes in the movie when the Hulk talks. Who did the voice for this?

Answer: That is an altered version of Eric Bana's voice.

More Hulk questions

Join the mailing list

Separate from membership, this is to get updates about mistakes in recent releases. Addresses are not passed on to any third party, and are used solely for direct communication from this site. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Check out the mistake & trivia books, on Kindle and in paperback.