What Was Really Inside The Briefcase In Pulp Fiction

The director is famed for his status as the ultimate cinephile, often stealing scenes and ideas from movies that inspired him in his youth in celebratory fanboy homage, with everything from Psycho to Batman cited as sources in Pulp Fiction alone. Some have claimed that the briefcase must be another addition on the long list of references Tarantino has chalked up over the years - namely, a replication of the briefcase from Kiss Me Deadly containing a nuclear bomb, that glows with the same almost supernatural aura as elicited by the golden lightbulb.

Another option is that by never naming the contents throughout the duration of the film, it’s simply a MacGuffin - a plot device that means nothing and something at the same time. Hitchcock popularised the term and utilised the device many times throughout his filmography, something that Tarantino would be acutely aware of. The emptiness of the briefcase makes it all the more self-aware.