9 most baffling examples of the Mandela Effect in films that'll have you questioning everything

Watching films is a favourite pastime for many, and some films have become so iconic that they are remembered for the famous phrases that the characters utter. But, we might not be remembering all of our favourite film quotes - and it’s all down to something called the Mandela Effect.

The Mandela Effect is a supposed ‘fact’ that isn’t true at all, but as it’s misremembered by a huge group of people many believe it to be fact. The naming of the phenomenon comes from the idea which many people think to be true surrounding the death of South African anti-apartheid activist Nelson Mandela. Most accept he died while he was in prison in the 1980s, but he actually died in 2013 - over two decades after his release.

Take a look through our list of 9 of the most perplexing examples of the Mandela Effects in some of our most loved and best known films. Prepare to be surprised by what you read.

E.T.

Everyone knows that E.T. raises his finger and says “E.T. phone home”, or does he? What everyone’s favourite Extra-Terrestrial actually says is “E.T. home phone”, but that doesn’t make much sense so we’ve all made the collective - but unspoken choice - to swap those words around.

The Silence of the Lambs

When we hear the name Clarice, many of us tend to think of Anthony Hopkins creepy character Hannibal Lecter, a psychopathic serial killer and former psychiatrist, meeting Jodie Foster’s FBI Agent Clarice Starling in The Silence of the Lambs and saying “hello Clarice” in a suitably disturbing manner. Except he never says that at all, he just says “good morning”.

Jaws

One word can make all the difference, and while many remember Roy Schnieder's Martin Brody as saying “we’re gonna need a bigger boat” what he really says is “you’re gonna need a bigger boat”.

Casablanca

People seem to think that one of the most iconic lines in Casablanca is “play it again, Sam”, which was apparently said by Humphrey Bogart’s Rick Blaine. However, he doesn’t say this at all. What he actually says is “play it once, Sam, for old times' sake . . . play it, Sam”. 

Wizard of Oz

The Wizard of Oz has many famed lines, but one of them isn’t generally remembered quite right. When Dorothy first leaves her home in Kansas and is taken to the magical land of Oz she speaks of her shock to her little dog Toto. Most think she says “I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore”, but what she really says is “I've a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore”.

Gremlins

Now this isn’t about a line in the film, but rather the name of one of the key characters. Everyone will know the story of the Gremlins, the scary creatures who come to life after three rules about their care are not followed. But, what’s the name of the lead gremlin? Most think he’s called Spike, but actually he’s called Stripe.

Sinbad

In one of the most extreme examples of the Mandela Effect in film, lots of people seem to remember a film that simply does not exist. They believe that comedian Sinbad played a genie in the film, but there’s no record of such a film being made. Sinad even spoke about the idea himself on Twitter in 2016. He wrote: “Have you noticed no one my age has seen this so-called Sinbad Genie movie, only you people who were kids in the 90's. The young mind!”

Risky Business

This example of the Mandela Effect is all about a costume in the film. People think of Tom Cruise’s character Joel Goodsen celebrating being home alone and sliding along the floor in and wearing a white shirt, socks, his boxers and sunglasses. But, he’s wearing a pink shirt in reality and he’s not wearing sunglasses at all.

A Nightmare on Elm Street

If you ask most people what colour and style the jumper Freddie Krueger wears in horror film A Nightmare on Elm Street, they would say it's striped and black and red. That’s only partly correct, however. The jumper is indeed striped, but it’s dark green and red. This might be misremembered simply because the green is so dark it could look like it’s black in certain lights.