10 Terrifying Secrets Hidden In Famous Movies

6. The Dead Crew Appear For A Split-Second - Sunshine

Cloverfield 2008
Fox Searchlight

In Danny Boyle's sci-fi horror, the crew of the Icarus II spaceship are tasked with reigniting the dying sun with a fission bomb.  

As our heroes pass by Mercury, they pick up a stress beacon from Icarus I - a ship that attempted the same mission seven years earlier. 

While the astronauts explore the dilapidated vessel, a flurry of faces flash on-screen. It happens so quickly, little time is given to process what was revealed. Although it's unexplained, these pictures are of the Icarus I team, all laughing and partying while dressed in Hawaiian shirts. 

We also get a brief shot of Captain Pinbacker (Mark Strong), who's later revealed to have sabotaged Icarus I's mainframe, leading to his team's deaths. Soon after, the ensemble discovers the deranged commander is still alive and has snuck onto their ship.

Since Pinbacker has been left horrifically burned by the sun's rays, it's easy to see him as a monster. But after spotting his cheerful face during the blink-and-you-will-miss-it sequence, Pinbacker is viewed as a tragic figure, since he was a regular person before he lost his mind.

 
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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