Behind the scenes photos and making-of documentaries can be a fantastic supplement to any film. Getting the chance to shift focus from what’s on-screen to what’s behind the camera is a wonderful opportunity. It can add clarity to the filmmaker’s intentions, and provide insight into the filmmaking process. It also gives fans an opportunity to explore the movie even further, and build a comprehensive world around the story.
Spoilers are a massively controversial topic. While some people don’t mind having a movie spoiled for them, many others frantically avoid spoilers. Some fans will even refuse to see trailers for an anticipated movie or avoid all conversation about a movie until they’ve had a chance to see it.
Unfortunately for spoiler-phobes, there is often one avenue for spoilers that are easy to accidentally access: set photos. Many behind the scenes photos and making-of featurettes are meant for marketing purposes, and are included in the film’s electronic press kit. Whether you like it or not, behind the scenes photos of movies in the making often leads to revelations that the audience isn’t supposed to have.
Here are 15 Set Photos That Spoiled The Movie.
The Avengers
These days, seeing a major fight between two superheroes in a movie is no big deal. Captain America: Civil War featured a prolonged battle between almost all of The Avengers and was also the focal point of much of the marketing for Thor: Ragnarok.
When The Avengers debuted in 2012 it was seen as a much bigger deal.
This was the first movie where the hard work that Marvel put into the Marvel Cinematic Universe paid off. Less than two weeks after the release of the film, production photos and behind the scenes video revealed how the special effects helped transform Mark Ruffalo into The Hulk.
Unfortunately for those who hadn’t seen the movie, these photos also spoiled the fight between The Hulk and Thor that later happens.
Alien
There are a number of incredibly tense scenes in Ridley Scott’s Alien. Few movies are able to so effectively capture the same feeling of fear and isolation. As an audience member, you are sucked into the ship with Ripley, and even start to believe that her danger is yours.
In a scene that was later cut from the movie (and re-inserted for the director’s cut), Ripley finds Dallas and Brett who have been cocooned by the Alien. At first, she intends to save them, but ultimately has to grant them mercy and destroy the entire nest with her flamethrower.
This production photo shows Sigourney Weaver test-firing the flamethrower on the lawn at Shepperton Studios. The flamethrower would go on to be one of the most effective weapons against the Xenomorphs and became a weapon that was regularly used in the franchise.
Django Unchained
With a score of 87% on Rotten Tomatoes, Django Unchained is the story of a freed slave, played by Jamie Foxx, who sets out to free his wife from a brutal plantation owner, with the help of a German bounty hunter. The movie earned over $425 million at the box office, following that up with two Oscars wins and three nominations.
Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained was a critically acclaimed box office smash.
One of the production photos for Django Unchained showed Jamie Foxx standing with his hands up in an entryway. For those who have seen the film, this is obviously a behind-the-scenes shot of Django’s final confrontation at Candyland with the last of Calvin Candie's henchmen. For anyone who hasn’t seen the movie, this is a major spoiler that reveals much of the climax of the movie.
Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi
Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi was a massive project for Disney and director Rian Johnson. Hundreds of millions of dollars were spent creating elaborate sets, casting big name actors, and launching a monumental marketing campaign.
The result was a colossal success in many aspects. Still being shown in a handful of theaters, the movie has become one of the top ten highest grossing movies of all time. It also received overwhelming critical praise, holding a 91% score on Rotten Tomatoes.
One of the most surprising moments in The Last Jedi is the destruction of the Ahch-To temple by Yoda’s ghost. While it would be difficult to figure out exactly how the scene played out, the presence of the Millennium Falcon on such an elaborate set implies a great deal of significance.
Ghostbusters
Ghostbusters is one of the most iconic comedies ever made. The story of a ragtag group of paranormal investigators struck a chord with a lot of people in the '80s and has become synonymous with '80s nostalgia. While the more recent Ghostbusters remake relied heavily on computer-generated graphics, the original Ghostbusters didn’t have that option. Instead, the filmmakers had to rely on practical effects to realize their ghostly creations; this included the use of miniatures and forced perspectives.
This picture would detract an element of surprise from a beloved scene.
This picture depicts the iconic scene in which the Stay Puft Marshmallow man rampages down the streets of New York City. Spoilers such as this one would most likely be completely nonsensical to anyone who hasn’t seen the movie.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
It is arguably impossible to spoil a movie that is based on a massively popular book series. By the time Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix debuted in 2007, most of the movie’s fans had already read the books. This behind the scenes photo from Order of the Phoenix shows actress Maggie Smith as Professor McGonagall sitting in a wheelchair and reading a paper with a headline that reads, “He Who Must Not Be Named Returns”.
The return of Lord Voldemort certainly was not a surprise to anyone who had read any of the books or seen any of the movies. The potential spoiler lies in the fact that his return has now become public knowledge.
Iron Man 3
Iron Man 3 was the first Marvel movie to come out after the release of The Avengers and it was a box office smash. With a $200 million production budget, the movie managed to gross over $1.2 billion world-wide and remains one of the biggest successes that Marvel has ever had. One of the most thrilling scenes in the movie is the dramatic plane rescue scene. After an explosion on a passenger plane, Tony Stark has to save thirteen people who are plummeting to their demise, but can only carry four. His solution is to create a “barrel of monkeys” by having all of the passengers grab onto each other.
Actors were hung from a wire and dangled above the Disney lot to create the scene.
The scene uses a great deal of very convincing computer-generated effects, but as the screenshot shows, it wasn't all CGI.
Kill Bill
Kill Bill was the first time Quentin Tarantino really let his love for cult cinema show in his filmmaking. Prior to 2003, the director was best known for Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction and Jackie Brown. All three of these movies were relatively low budget projects with enough of a bizarre bend to make themselves stand out. With Kill Bill, Tarantino unleashed his love for martial arts movies onto the public and started a new phase of his career. The movie had a $30 million dollar budget, nearly three times bigger than any budget Tarantino had been given in the past, and relied heavily on spectacle and special effects.
In the climactic fight scene at the end of the movie, The Bride takes on O-Ren Ishii and ultimately finishes her off. This picture (where part is cut off showing Ishii missing part of her head) would most certainly spoil not only the end of the fight, but the end of the movie.
The Monuments Men
Before it was released in 2014, The Monuments Men looked like it had all of the tools in place to be a massive success. Directed by George Clooney, the movie boasted an all-star cast that included, Matt Damon, Bill Murray, John Goodman, Jean Dujardin, and Cate Blanchett. When it was released, it received a mixed bag of opinions. Despite earning over $150 million at the box office, it was panned by critics and received middling reactions from audiences. Despite receiving a moderate amount of Oscar buzz before it came out, the movie holds a below average 30% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
The climax of the movie was revealed not only in this production photo, but in the trailers as well.
While it's debatable if revealing a historical event counts as a spoiler, it sure did on this occasion.
Spartacus
Stanley Kubrick has a reputation for being a meticulous director with a massive amount of ambition, who created some of the greatest movies ever made. Despite being one of his earlier films, Spartacus is no exception.
Prior to the advent of computer-generated special effects, shooting was an incredibly difficult task. Some shots could be achieved with the use of miniatures and practical effects, but to achieve a full sense of scale, filmmakers had to recruit and manage hundreds, if not thousands of extras. This could be a monumental task and meticulous organization was a necessity.
This photo shows one organizational technique used to maintain continuity in the aftermath of the final confrontation in Spartacus. While it’s an interesting look behind the scenes, it’s also a major spoiler.
Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
Because it was the culmination of the trilogy, there wasn’t much to spoil about Star Wars III: Revenge of the Sith. Audiences already knew that Anakin was going to become Darth Vader, but the question remained: how?
This behind the scenes photo depicts Anakin after his confrontation with Obi-Wan on Mustafar.
The makeup process was tough. “Recreating things that you saw in the original three movies is really quite difficult,” said Dave Elsey the Creatures Supervisor for Revenge of the Sith in a behind the scenes interview. “Anytime that we put makeup on, really, was the only time that makeup could be used. When the makeup is removed, the whole piece is destroyed and it usually takes about a day to paint up one set of appliances to be stuck on the actor.”
Psycho
Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho is an undeniable classic of American film history. The story of a young secretary from Phoenix who goes on the run after stealing $40,000 from her employer takes a number of terrifying twists and turns that nobody could have seen coming after she meets the creepy motel manager Norman Bates.
The movie completely turns on its head after its main character is done away with in the infamous “shower scene.” While the scene has since become a part of pop culture and been spoofed in countless ways, it originally was completely shocking.
This behind the scenes photo shows Alfred Hitchcock directing actress Janet Leigh right before the now well-known scene. If anyone saw this photo before watching the movie, it would ruin one of the most surprising moments in film history.
The Matrix
The Matrix revolutionized filmmaking when it was released in 1999. Not only was it a technological marvel, but it was a high minded concept that captivated audiences. It grossed over $463 million and became an instant cult classic. Directed by Lana and Lilly Wachowski, The Matrix is the story of a computer hacker who learns that his entire life has been a computer simulation and that he is the only one who can overthrow humanity’s robot overlords.
This behind the scenes photo shows how some of the more elaborate shots were achieved.
While it is by no means the final confrontation between the two in the series, the first movie ends in a prolonged battle between Neo and Agent Smith. This scene also serves as a major spoiler to anyone who hasn’t seen the movie.
The Shining
The Shining is one of the creepiest and most meticulously made movies of all time. It tells the story of Jack Torrance, played by Jack Nicholson, who takes his family up to a secluded hotel for the winter where he is going to work as a caretaker. An evil presence in the hotel slowly influences Jack until he tries to go on a violent rampage.
Ultimately, Jack is thwarted by his wife and child when they lure him outside and are able to trick him in a frozen hedge maze, to then escape in a snowmobile. Jack is left outside to freeze.
This behind the scenes photo shows Jack Nicholson preparing for that climactic scene in the snow. While the image of Jack Torrance has since been used in numerous references and memes, it still constitutes a major spoiler.
Titanic
James Cameron’s Titanic was once the highest grossing movie of all time before it was overtaken by James Cameron’s Avatar. This historical fiction film tells the tragic tale of a love story on the famously disastrous ship, the Titanic. Jack, played by Leonardo DiCaprio, is a poor but lovable artist who falls in love with Rose, a young aristocratic woman who is engaged to a wealthy heir.
It’s not a spoiler to say that the Titanic sinks at the end of the movie, as it remains one of the best-known tragedies of the early 1900s. What is a spoiler is the ultimate fate of the movie’s protagonists. This behind the scenes photo of director James Cameron reveals that not only do Jack and Rose miss the lifeboats, but they also can’t both fit on the panel that would save Rose’s life.
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Did any of these spoil the movie for you? Let us know in the comments!