ladbible homepage
ladbible homepage
  • iconNews
  • videos
  • entertainment
  • Home
  • News
    • UK
    • US
    • World
    • Ireland
    • Australia
    • Science
    • Crime
    • Weather
  • Entertainment
    • Celebrity
    • TV
    • Film
    • Music
    • Gaming
    • Netflix
    • Disney
  • Sport
  • Technology
  • Travel
  • Lifestyle
  • Money
  • Originals
    • FFS PRODUCTIONS
    • Say Maaate to a Mate
    • Daily Ladness
    • UOKM8?
    • FreeToBe
    • Citizen Reef
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Archive
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
Snapchat
TikTok
YouTube
Submit Your Content Here
  • SPORTbible
  • Tyla
  • GAMINGbible
  • LADbible Group
  • UNILAD
  • FOODbible
  • UNILAD Tech
Se7en fans finally got to see what was 'in the box' in another movie 16 years later

Home> Entertainment> Film

Published 12:52 18 Dec 2024 GMT

Se7en fans finally got to see what was 'in the box' in another movie 16 years later

David Fincher's Se7en is one of the most highly-rated movies of all time

Anish Vij

Anish Vij

google discoverFollow us on Google Discover

"What's in the box?!" is one of the most quotable lines of all time, still being asked nearly 30 years later.

David Fincher's Seven (often stylised as Se7en) came out when I was born in 1995, and I only got round to watching it for the first time last year.

Being a great film and all, the final twist is something that I never saw coming in a million years.

Advert

The crime thriller sees retired police detective William Somerset (Morgan Freeman) working on his last ever case. Reluctantly, he is forced to work with newly transferred David Mills, played by Brad Pitt, in what was one of his stand-out early roles.

Their target is serial killer John Doe (Kevin Spacey) who is brutally killing people he thinks represents one of the seven deadly sins.

Slowly but surely, the detectives become increasingly friendly with one another after Mills' character invites Somerset over for dinner where he befriends Mills' wife, Tracy (Gwyneth Paltrow).

After a long and hard case reaches a close, Spacey's character hands himself in and the pair think they've finally cracked it.

However, in the final act, the killer lures the detectives to a secure location, bringing along with him a box containing Tracy’s severed head.

The highly rated film helped launch Brad Pitt's career (New Line Cinema)
The highly rated film helped launch Brad Pitt's career (New Line Cinema)

Mills obviously loses it after releasing the head of his pregnant wife is in the box. He shoots and kills Spacey's character, which was the killer's wish all along.

Now, it has emerged that a prop of Paltrow's head was created for Seven, and although we don't see it in the movie, we do in another film.

Taking to TikTok, film expert Glittering Ghostwriter revealed that Paltrow's head prop was actually used in the 2011 movie Contagion.

The film follows healthcare professionals, government officials and everyday people who find themselves in the midst of a pandemic as the CDC works to find a cure.

The likes of Matt Damon, Kate Winslet, Jude Law and Paltrow, all star in the thriller.

This is what was in the box... (Warner Bros. Pictures)
This is what was in the box... (Warner Bros. Pictures)

"I mean, obviously in Se7en we technically know what is in the box. We just never physically see what's in the box," the TikToker explains.

"But that's not because the box was empty. The creators of Se7en actually did intend to show us Gwyneth Paltrow's severed head, but in the end, they decided it would build up more tension and mystery if we just never saw it.

"And I have to agree with the creators on this, but like I also am, personally, curious to see the prop that they created. And if you are too you can, as long as you watch the movie Contagion. Because the prop from Se7en was actually used in Contagion.

"In the scene where Gwyneth Paltrow's character has an autopsy done on her, they have to like cut into her head.

"And since they already had a perfectly good unused prop of Gwyneth Paltrow's severed head they just use that for the scene in Contagion."

Featured Image Credit: New Line Cinema/Warner Bros. Pictures

Topics: Film, Brad Pitt, Celebrity

Anish Vij
Anish Vij

Anish is a Journalist at LADbible Group and is a GG2 Young Journalist of the Year 2025. He has a Master's degree in Multimedia Journalism and a Bachelor's degree in International Business Management. Apart from that, his life revolves around the ‘Four F’s’ - family, friends, football and food. Email: [email protected]

X

@Anish_Vij

Recommended reads

Man drinks alcohol and lifts weight for 90 days straight to see how bad it actually is(YouTube/@Clawhammer Supply)How much a pint costs at the 2026 Grand National, get your overdraft readyCarl De Souza/GettyNASA 'anxious' as Artemis crew approach fireball return reaching 23,839 mph speeds(NASA via Getty Images)Extreme physical changes to Artemis II crew's body after 10 days in spaceNASA via Getty Images

Advert

Choose your content:

12 hours ago
13 hours ago
  • Disney+
    12 hours ago

    Malcolm in the Middle creator on why having non-binary sibling in reboot was 'so important'

    Malcolm's younger sibling is non-binary and uses they/them pronouns in the reboot

    Entertainment
  • Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty Images
    12 hours ago

    Why Michael Jackson's kids never received inheritance as Paris calls out dad's estate

    When will they get to finally split that $2 billion?

    Entertainment
  • (ITV)
    13 hours ago

    Sir Mo Farah leaves I'm A Celeb campmates in tears after confessing real name while detailing being trafficked into UK

    The ex-Olympian first shared his story with the public in 2022

    Entertainment
  • Toby Shepheard/Getty
    13 hours ago

    Millions of Netflix users risk £1,000 fine for watching Tyson Fury fight

    Tyson Fury's upcoming fight with Arslanbek Makhmudov will stream live on Netflix

    Entertainment
  • What actor who played Elliot from E.T. looks like now more than 45 years later
  • Angelina Jolie's daughter Shiloh bares striking resemblance to mum in surprise music video cameo
  • Brad Pitt ‘didn’t talk’ to Christina Applegate ‘for years’ after she dumped him for rockstar
  • Max Verstappen refused to film scene with Brad Pitt in new F1 movie