April Fool's Day is a cruel, cruel mistress. Although many people engage in friendly jokes over the course of the mischievous holiday, all too often the pranks are mean-spirited and, in some cases, deadly. It's something that the movie industry knows all too well — while April Fool's isn't necessarily a commonly celebrated holiday in Hollywood, the tradition of pulling a fast one on audiences is hardly unusual.
After the jump, we've listed several movie hoaxes and pranks created not just by filmmakers, but also formulated by moviegoers themselves.
"The Blair Witch Project"
Although I would certainly argue that it had many fine qualities, "The Blair Witch Project" was so successful for one simple reason — nobody knew whether or not it was real. Thanks to a brilliant marketing campaign that confused the general masses about the film's adherence to the truth, moviegoers were drawn to "The Blair Witch Project" and devoted millions of dollars as a result.
"Clue"
The criminally underrated "Clue," one of my all-time favorite comedies, understandably frustrated some viewers due to its use of multiple endings. In order to complete the full "Clue" experience, moviegoers had to go to three separate theaters to see all three conclusions, each one culminating with a different killer. I guess I can see how someone might think of that as an inconvenience — to me, it's just hilarious and inventive.
Disney Movies
What do "The Little Mermaid" and sexual intercourse have in common? Well, quite a lot, depending on your perspective. Several film enthusiasts claim that the Walt Disney Company fill their films with sexual innuendo, as seen in the aforementioned "Mermaid," "Aladdin" and others. Personally, the only one I've personally witnessed is the puff of dust spelling out "SEX" in "The Lion King." I can neither confirm nor deny the other allegations.
"Three Men and a Baby"
"Terrifying" is not the first word I think of when asked about "Three Men and a Baby," but apparently, there are plenty of people who would disagree with me. Some claim that a ghost is visible during a scene in which Ted Danson and his character's mother are fawning over the titular baby. While it sounds as if the "ghost" is actually just a cardboard cutout of Danson, I have to admit that "Three Men and a Baby Ghost" is a rather compelling sequel idea.
"The Wizard of Oz"
Perhaps the most infamous movie hoax of all time stems from the unlikeliest of places — the wonderful land of Oz. It's a long held myth that one of the movie's many Munchkins hanged himself during a background scene in "The Wizard of Oz," but further scrutiny reveals that the hanging object is actually a bird borrowed from the Los Angeles Zoo in order to give the forest scene a more authentic feel.
Let us know of some other notable movie hoaxes in the comments and on Twitter!
Tags April Fool's Day
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APRIL FOOLS: Five Movie Hoaxes Reflective Of The Holiday
Posted 4/1/10 3:55 pm EST by Josh Wigler in Commentary
April Fool's Day is a cruel, cruel mistress. Although many people engage in friendly jokes over the course of the mischievous holiday, all too often the pranks are mean-spirited and, in some cases, deadly. It's something that the movie industry knows all too well — while April Fool's isn't necessarily a commonly celebrated holiday in Hollywood, the tradition of pulling a fast one on audiences is hardly unusual.
After the jump, we've listed several movie hoaxes and pranks created not just by filmmakers, but also formulated by moviegoers themselves.
"The Blair Witch Project"
Although I would certainly argue that it had many fine qualities, "The Blair Witch Project" was so successful for one simple reason — nobody knew whether or not it was real. Thanks to a brilliant marketing campaign that confused the general masses about the film's adherence to the truth, moviegoers were drawn to "The Blair Witch Project" and devoted millions of dollars as a result.
"Clue"
The criminally underrated "Clue," one of my all-time favorite comedies, understandably frustrated some viewers due to its use of multiple endings. In order to complete the full "Clue" experience, moviegoers had to go to three separate theaters to see all three conclusions, each one culminating with a different killer. I guess I can see how someone might think of that as an inconvenience — to me, it's just hilarious and inventive.
Disney Movies
What do "The Little Mermaid" and sexual intercourse have in common? Well, quite a lot, depending on your perspective. Several film enthusiasts claim that the Walt Disney Company fill their films with sexual innuendo, as seen in the aforementioned "Mermaid," "Aladdin" and others. Personally, the only one I've personally witnessed is the puff of dust spelling out "SEX" in "The Lion King." I can neither confirm nor deny the other allegations.
"Three Men and a Baby"
"Terrifying" is not the first word I think of when asked about "Three Men and a Baby," but apparently, there are plenty of people who would disagree with me. Some claim that a ghost is visible during a scene in which Ted Danson and his character's mother are fawning over the titular baby. While it sounds as if the "ghost" is actually just a cardboard cutout of Danson, I have to admit that "Three Men and a Baby Ghost" is a rather compelling sequel idea.
"The Wizard of Oz"
Perhaps the most infamous movie hoax of all time stems from the unlikeliest of places — the wonderful land of Oz. It's a long held myth that one of the movie's many Munchkins hanged himself during a background scene in "The Wizard of Oz," but further scrutiny reveals that the hanging object is actually a bird borrowed from the Los Angeles Zoo in order to give the forest scene a more authentic feel.
Let us know of some other notable movie hoaxes in the comments and on Twitter!
Tags April Fool's Day
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