10 Terrifying Secrets Hidden In Famous Movies

7. Picture Change - Poltergeist

Cloverfield 2008
MGM

1980s classic Poltergeist has oodles of nightmare-inducing imagery, including the face-melting sequence, the child-eating tree, and the shudder-inducing jump-scare with the clown doll. (Never getting over that.)

However, one of the creepiest moments in Tobe Hooper's supernatural horror went mostly undetected. After the ghosts appear to vacate the house, the Freeling family presume the worst has passed.

Little do they know the enraged apparitions are far from finished. While Diane (JoBeth Williams) blowdries her hair in her bedroom, she's suddenly and viciously attacked by an unseen force.

But that's not the only paranormal factor occurring in this scene. Right before Diane is assaulted, three framed photos are visible on the dresser, one of which is of her daughter, Carol Anne (Heather O' Rourke).

When the dark presence makes itself known, the photo of Carol Anne is replaced with a picture of a sinister face. Even though it's a spine-tingling image, it's pretty hard to notice, especially while Diane is screaming hysterically and flailing around on the other side of the room.

This photograph isn't as traumatic as some of the other sequences, but it's still pretty freaky.

 
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James Egan has been with Whatculture for five years and prominently works on Horror, Film, and Video Games. He's written over 80 books including 1000 Facts about Horror Movies Vol. 1-3 1000 Facts about The Greatest Films Ever Made Vol. 1-3 1000 Facts about Video Games Vol. 1-3 1000 Facts About James Bond 1000 Facts About TV Shows