DVD Easter Eggs

Easter egg, n.
1) A hardboiled egg dyed and then often hidden to celebrate Easter. Sometimes a candy egg filled with rich nougat, etc.
2) A hidden feature in computer software, DVDs and video games

While I enjoy sleuthing out eggs, and I’m certainly a big fan of nougat and nougat-like substances, today I’ll be discussing the second definition of Easter eggs: the cool little features hidden inside DVD menus.

More and more DVDs have these now that the disc is the primary medium for movies. Some are just weird little messages or pictures, some are entire behind-the-scenes features. I’ve rounded up a few of the cooler DVD Easter eggs I’ve seen or heard about for you, the people. Please note: I found some of these on the internets, and haven’t had time to ascertain their truthiness. Don’t sue me or anything if they don’t work.

Fight Club
After the FBI and Attention warnings, there is another fine-print warning. If you read closely, you’ll see it’s actually a secret message from Tyler Durden.

Star Wars
Access a hidden bloopers reel by typing 1138 on the Options menu.

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
Go to the scene selection menu and scroll over to the last scene. Press down once, and a ring will appear next to New Scene. Select the ring to see the Jack Black parody of LOTR from the 2002 MTV Movie Awards.

The Matrix
To see a montage of concept art and test footage, go to Special Features, then Cast and Crew biographies. The page on Larry and Andy Wachowski has a red pill you need to highlight and then select.

Ocean’s Eleven
Click on the map of Las Vegas in the Special Features section. Select The Sands and watch the segment. Click it again to see a hidden video of the casino’s 1996 implosion.

Reservoir Dogs
Go to the Special Features section and move the cursor over the policeman’s ear. A bloody ear will appear. Click it to access the Hidden Features section, which includes a special interview with Quentin Tarantino.

The Ring
If you scroll all the way to the bottom of the main menu, the cursor will disappear. Hit select to see the deadly videotape from the movie in its entirety.

Predator
To see a hidden documentary about the cast getting sick from drinking water on location in Mexico, go to the photo gallery on the second disc. Scroll over to the 16th photo (Hawkins with glasses on his head). Highlight and select the targeting triangle on the right side of the screen.

Serenity
To see a short feature on the making of the Fruity Oaty Bar commercial and then watch it in its entirety, highlight Play on the main menu, then hit left.

For more super-secret fun, check out our list of DVDs with Easter eggs.