The interrogation scene in this movie actually dropped jaws as Sharon Stone’s character relaxed in her chair and casually uncrossed/recrossed her legs. Obviously, the big deal here is the, um, lack of clothing that Ms. Stone was wearing.
Even after 29 years, this remains the most paused moment of all time, although controversy still remains as to whether it was supposed to happen at all. The movie came close to a higher rating because of this scene.
The challenge with most Marvel movies is searching for the easter egg within the movie. In this instance, it’s the sheer number of them in one location. The Collector, as you may guess from his moniker, collects rare artifacts from the universe.
Cue up Howard the Duck, the infinity stones, Cosmo the Spacedog, the Sovereign cocoon, a Chitaruri alien, a dark elf, and a frost giant. If you’re well-versed in the MCU, then you understand the significance of all those things and their backstories. If not, you’ve got some reading to do.
In 1989’s The Little Mermaid, we think we’re watching the simple story of a mermaid who wants to be a princess on land. The movie won an Oscar for best song, but that’s not why it gets paused. It’s the wedding scene, when the evil Ursula attempts to marry Prince Eric, and the priest seems to be a little "overexcited."
In a later shot, we see that it’s actually his knobby knees sticking out from under the cloak. However, the film had to be altered for future generations, removing the offending knee from the shot.
First of all, it's an M. Night Shyamalan movie, so you know there will be a moment that scares the bejeezus out of you. It’s what he does. You know the minute you walk in that something’s gonna happen, but you’re still not ready for this movie about crop circles in the Midwest.
The first big reveal of the aliens comes from a television newscast of video shot during a birthday party that scares the kids at the party and the audience all at the same time.
By all accounts, The Exorcist is one of the scariest movies ever made. The possession of a 12-year-old-girl is nothing to sneeze at, and lets you know exactly why you don’t play with the Ouija Board. From backward talking to backward head-turning and behavior, actress Linda Blair does it all to scare us all.
But it’s during the actual exorcism that things get really terrifying—with the priest becoming the demon's victim. In the midst of all the madness, there's a split-second shot of Pazuzu, the demon, that haunts us all to this day.
Those pesky Disney animators and illustrators are back to their wily ways. In this literal blink-and-miss-it from Disney, it’s not a hidden Mickey you’re looking for. As Gaston tumbles to his death in Beauty and the Beast, those super clever illustrators added tiny skulls to his eyes.
Rewind it and look for yourself--you’ll never see the character of Gaston the same way ever again.
There are so many scenes in this film that warrant a pause button simply because of the sheer brilliance of technology applied. You can pause when Trinity’s first fight scene leaves you breathless as you watch it in super slo-mo. You can stop it when Neo’s mouth morphs. You can stop it when Neo stops bullets mid-air. You can stop it when Neo does the gravity-defying dodge.
But the funniest blink-and-you'll-miss it moment has to be the brief scene where we see Neo reach for a doorknob. It's close up, and because you could see the camera in the reflection of the shiny metal, they threw a coat and tie on it to make it look more "human".
As terrifying as Peter Benchley’s classic novel is, Steven Spielberg took scaring people out of the water to the next level. The opening scene showing the demise of Chrissie caused folks to leave the theatre in distress.
It wasn’t just the music that foreshadowed the event. It was the hunt; the sheer terror you felt. You kept yelling, but the swimmer couldn't hear you. But rabid fans paused it and watched it again- thinking, “Did that just happen?”
In this creative 2011 horror flick, looks can be deceiving. It takes all the tropes of horror movies and turns them on their heads. And in the process, they managed to throw in a few clever easter eggs too.
One in particular involved a whiteboard. It’s the whiteboard where all the possible ways for the teens to die in the movie were listed out one by one.
It’s hard to blame Jessica Rabbit for anything--she’s not bad; she was drawn that way. However, as an old urban legend has it, the lovely Jessica loses her...coverings. And how do we know this?
It’s all due to a scene in the movie when she’s thrown from a vehicle in a car crash and her “animated assets” are showing. Many people pause this scene and swear they see something, but it's still never been definitively proven.
David Fincher set out to create a movie that completely screws the audience over upon watching. It’s literally unavoidable. There are so many moments that you think you’re going crazy and you don’t understand what is happening, only that someone named Tyler Durden is involved.
But it’s in the careful, single-frame slicing of Pitt’s character in weird places that makes you blink and think--what was that? Turns out, it’s a clue to the movie that’s not revealed until the end--and wow...what a reveal.
Alien made a splash in 1979 with a moment so raw and scary that it had folks leaving the theater. It’s not for the squeamish and made dinner time memorable. A baby alien burst onto the scene, well, literally during a meal from the stomach of another actor, and appetites were never the same again on the ship.
The most interesting fact is that the co-stars were unaware of the timing of the scene, leaving the horror revealed on everyone’s face real. That’s Ridley Scott’s genius, and it led to one of the most rewatchable scenes, albeit gory, in film history.
There are plenty of grown, middle-aged men that will tell you the first time they saw her without her bikini top in real life, and it will be this moment. While shot as a fantasy scene for the long-suffering Judge Reinhold character, the moment that Phoebe Cates exits the pool and walks directly towards the camera, and removes her bikini top is one of the most paused moments of all time.
It’s the first thing men and women will tell you happened in the film, with the second being Sean Penn’s Spicolli.
In a movie that scares die-hard movie fans, it’s about the subtly of the scare that Hitchcock gets you with. We never actually see Norman Bates un-aliving people--we see shadows, screaming, and blood. What we do finally see is Norman dressed as his mother un-aliving people. But that’s not all, because that sly Hitchcock has one last scene for you.
And it’s in the last scene when Bates ends up in a mental institution--where you see a skull superimposed on top of Norman’s face while we hear him in his mother’s voice. Blink and you miss it, but you can go back as see for yourself.
In a children’s movie as lauded and famous as The Lion King, you might wonder--exactly what crazy stuff happened in that movie? Its animated, so it's innocent, right? However, leave it to the illustrators to hide a thing or two in broad daylight if you’re looking for them.
In the scene where teen Simba is seemingly depressed, he blows out a bunch of leaves that mingle with the stars. And the result? The letters eluding to a rather adult act appear in the sky momentarily. Disney execs say it was SFX (for special effects), but of course they would say that!
The Senate is a great scene for any Star Wars enthusiast. Anyone who’s a true fan noticed that a delegation showed up in the Galactic Senate that were very memorable and required a pause button for home viewers.
Aliens of same species as the famous E.T. can be seen cheering. It's possibly Lucas repaying the favor after Spielberg featured a child dressed as Yoda in the movie E.T. It’s a worthy shout-out and confirms what we knew all along--that E.T. had peeps somewhere looking out for him.
You might think Nick Fury appearing in the post-credits is what we’re discussing here, but no, it’s so much more than that. Iron Man was originally thought to be a standalone movie, but the MCU was launched with it.
As the billionaire play boygenius philanthropist builds versions of his iconic suit, a prototype star-spangled shield belonging to Captain America lurks in the background on a worktable--kicking off the MCU and letting us know just how large it would loom in our pop culture lives.
Bucky Barnes has done a LOT of bad things while under the spell of HYDRA--things that he felt terribly bad for after he was rescued. But it’s the list that he carries that is so darn interesting.
Once belonging to Captain Steve Rogers, who kept a list of things to do or experience so that he became more acquainted with the modern world, he turned over the notebook to Bucky Barnes, who created the list of amends. In both films, the list is paused multiple times to see exactly what Cap and Bucky need to do.
You come for the dinosaurs but stay for the margaritas. In Jurassic World, we see that the commercializing of this fantasy dinosaur land--we see a famous eatery, bookstores, and many famous outlets while exploring.
However, when those mean pterodactyls descend upon the merry tourists, one in particular stands out. It’s the most famous of beach bums, preserving that most sacred of drinks--two margaritas. Parrotheads rejoice, it appears that not a drop was spilled.
It was the bonk heard round the world. Being a stormtrooper has got to be tough--you’re in that restrictive outfit with little in the way for vision. So, it comes as no surprise that in 1977, no one thought to check that all stormtroopers would fit through the doors.
However, when a Stormtrooper bangs his head on the door above it became a rewindable, meme-able moment. So funny in fact that George Lucas amplified a sound effect for the film’s 2004 DVD and even had tough-acting Jango Fett bump his head.
In this live-action remake of the original movie and really popular 80’s video game, we game-loving people are treated to a sight gag/cameo.
The film pays homage to one of the most known video games ever. Pac-Man himself showed up on the grid and ate some dots while the future of the world was pondered.
This is the moment that launched thousands of photos and set the standard for “exposed” stars—the iconic shot of Marilyn Monroe above a subway grate with her floaty skirt flying around her waist.
As modest as this seems now, it stirred up quite a controversy in 1955. However, the beauty still lies in the simplicity of the shot, with Marilyn laughing as she manages her skirt.
Anyone who’s over the age of 30 still believes there’s only one Superman: Christopher Reeve. And this film paid homage to the incredible legacy of Reeve--when Superman changed before our eyes. You're going to want to grab your remote.
In once scene, you see a glimpse of Reeve’s face that begins to shine through, if only for a fleeting instant. DC fans rejoiced that their true Man of Steel was honored.
This movie is chock-full of easter eggs, jokes, and plays on words that are probably more than you can even acknowledge, and it often requires a second viewing.
However, for those Spanish speaking audiences, the name of the restaurant was especially for them. The restaurant Escupimos en su Alimento translated means “we spit in your food,” a funny detail for people who speak the language, or a deserving reward for those who looked it up after.
Anything called The Ring should be your first clue that it’s not going to be all fun and games. And it’s definitely not for sissies. The climactic scene in The Ring is horrifying--on the big or small screen.
But think first about seeing it on the big screen--it truly looked like Samara was coming through after you. So, it should come as no surprise that this film moment has been paused just to see that effect over and over and over. Truly for the lovers of the macabre.
When Ben Stiller’s character, Ted, gets his “business” trapped in his zipper, men around the world groaned in agony and misery. Stiller’s comedic genius, description, and faces alone are enough to relay the actual feeling of zipper teeth on his cherries.
However, being above a PG-13 rated film, the filmmakers also showed the whole ordeal in graphic detail. No one wants to say it, but the glory of the cinematic pause is this: how did that poor man get his “junk” safely stowed?
Having a secret alien space force agency on Earth was comedic enough with Will Smith as J and Tommy Lee Jones as K. And the HQ is an absolute marvel upon first inspection--it’s iconic, weird, and wonderful to behold.
However, it’s not all the alien species that freak you out and warrant a second look. It was the list and map of known alien species that has everyone pausing the film for a closer look.
Following an action-packed, freewheeling bus ride, it’s easy to see how Speed lived up to its name. However, given that the smartest villain ever, Payne (played brilliantly by Dennis Hopper) has masterminded 2+ hours of hell for people, it’s ironic that he’s freed of his upper portion by an overhead light.
People paused the scene to ensure that a dummy, and not the incredibly famous Dennis Hopper himself, suffered the cruel fate.
In a film full of twisty, awful horror and malice, there are multiple moments to pause and gasp. You can pause this movie when they discover the pet rabbit or just wait until the very end when Glenn Close’s desperate Alex meets her destiny in a tub of water--seemingly drowning by the hands of Anne Archer.
But make no mistake, Alex will not be ignored. What follows next is not only one of the biggest jump scares ever in movie making but also one of the most paused.
In a film of fantastic one-liners, physical comedy, and outstanding special effects, you may be surprised why people pause this movie at all--if not for the sheer amount of fast banter and humor. But who are ya gonna call?
When the Stay Puffed Marshmallow Man ravages NYC and those scientific heroes don their plasma proton packs, a crowd gathers to watch. And who just happens to be in that crowd? None other than Ron Jeremy--in his most family friendly cameo to date.
I know you’re shaking your head and saying “really?” But yes, really. These innocent mice were flying around, and a fully ahm...exposed...woman was in the cityscape background.
Those tricky Imagineers never imagined the evolution of film to include digital enhancements and pause capability. Only a well-executed pause would show this scene, but it was enough for Disney to recall all of the videotapes and edit the scene.
One of the darkest rumors in Hollywood surrounds this beloved classic, and a shadow on set perpetuated it. During the upbeat musical scene as Dorothy, the Scarecrow, and the Tin Man sing on down the yellow brick road, a scary shadow lurks in the distance--which at first glance appears to be a munchkin dangling...
The remaster editions show it’s a stork stretching, but be honest, the rumor makes the film much more sinister than we originally thought it to be.
Considered a juggernaut for the LGBTQ community, Jaye Davidson’s performance in this movie took what you perceived about gender in this film and turned it on its head. In a fascinating turn of events, Dil and Fergus take up with one another; Dil is a woman who has been seeking truth, and Jimmy has a secret.
The reveal, and it's above a PG-13 rating for a reason, is that Dil shows she’s transgender, and folks gasped and did a double take. The fame of this movie was sealed for all time.
In this p*rn-based biopic, you are told over and over about Dirk Diggler’s extraordinarily large...package--to the point that it becomes its own character, one that people in the film consider the Star. Dirk works hard to create a career that is worthy of his larger-than-life status, through the excess of free lifestyle of the 1970s disco era.
As for the scene, audiences are left to wonder just what is real and are rewarded at the end with the exposure of a giant prosthetic. People paused this numerous times just to work out that it WASN’T real.
