It's Called ForeshadowingHindsight is 20/20, and "Easter eggs" are inside jokes and references hidden for observant audiences, but there's a different name for the hints writers give at what's to come later in the story.
Updated July 26, 2021 11.1K votes 3.0K voters 425.2K views
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Vote up the sneaky foreshadowing you can't believe you missed.
M. Night Shyamalan’s filmography is littered with surprise twist endings. At the end of The Sixth Sense audiences learn Dr. Malcolm Crowe was dead all along, while in The Village the twist is the film’s events are set during modern times.
Thankfully, after a few critical disasters, Shyamalan triumphantly returned to the genre that kicked off his career. More recent Shyamalan films - such as The Visit and Split - make excellent use of Shyamalan’s signature twist endings.
When Shyamalan is at the top of his game, his films have a unique ability to shock an audience and force them to rethink each scene that came prior. In retrospect, the ending can seem almost obvious, yet somehow audiences always fail to notice those little signs and clues foreshadowing each film’s conclusion.
It can be difficult to hold a conversation with somebody who is no longer living. And though audiences could be excused for thinking that Dr. Malcolm’s wife in The Sixth Sense didn’t speak to him during their dinner because she hated it him, looking back it was clearly because he was, you know, not alive.
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1,607 VOTES
In 'The Sixth Sense,' When Cole Says, “I See Dead People,” The Camera Cuts To Dr. Malcolm
The ending of The Sixth Sense is arguably the most famous film twist of all time, but maybe it should have been more obvious. When Cole utters his famous line to Dr. Malcolm, the camera immediately cuts to Dr. Malcolm.
Cole clearly sees Dr. Malcolm, and the camera makes it apparent. Malcolm is one of those people.
1,607 votes
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772 VOTES
In 'Unbreakable,' Elijah Mentions A Comic Book Criminal Has A Larger Head, And His Own Head Is Exaggerated In A Reflection
At the conclusion of Unbreakable, it’s revealed Elijah is actually a villain, and he’s been staging massive disasters in the hopes it’ll somehow create a superhero. But there’s a scene early in the film when Elijah explains to a customer that sometimes criminals are drawn with larger heads to accentuate their criminal nature.
Elijah’s own head appears larger and distorted in the frame’s glass reflection. Elijah’s own reflection attempts to give away his villainous nature.
772 votes
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386 VOTES
The Kids In ‘The Visit’ Make Up A Story About Officer Jerry, But When Their Mom Calls The Police, She’s Told Officer Jerry Can’t Come To The Phone
Early in The Visit, the kids drive around town with Pop Pop and explain to him their favorite driving game. The gist is they pick a random building and then make up a story about somebody inside. As an example, Becca points to the police station and tells a story about Officer Jerry who is always late.
Later in the film, the kids’ mom calls the police to try and find out what’s going on. She’s told nobody can help her because Officer Jerry isn’t in at the moment. Clearly that implies that Pop Pop is on the other end, telling her a lie based on the fake story Becca came up with.
It’s one of the first clues that suggests there’s something sinister about the grandparents, and that they might not be who they say they are.
386 votes
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783 VOTES
Ivy Wasn’t Able To See Noah’s “Aura” When He Hid In The Closet In 'The Village'
Although Ivy is blind in The Village, she can still see the “auras” of certain people, like Lucius or her father. We know she can’t see Noah, however, because early in the film he manages to sneak up on her.
This is important because later in the movie, Ivy is also unable to see the monster who’s attacking her. That monster turns out to be Noah, who we already learned she’s unable to sense. It’s a clue these monsters might not be actual evil creatures and more just people in weird costumes.
783 votes
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1,008 VOTES
Elijah Explains Villains Are Usually Polar Opposites Of Heroes, Which He Is To David In 'Unbreakable'
Elijah spends a lot of time in Unbreakable explaining to David Dunn what the specific rules of comic books are. Elijah tells David villains tend to be polar opposites of the main heroes.
At this point in the movie it’s already obvious Elijah and David are entirely different: Elijah is a man with brittle bones, while David is a man with incredible strength. With that in mind, it almost feels as if Elijah is admitting to David his criminality.
