Answered questions about specific movies, TV shows and more

These are questions relating to specific titles. General questions for movies and TV shows are here. Members get e-mailed when any of their questions are answered.

Question: At the beginning, why did Jo's dad try to hold the storm cellar door against the raging winds of a tornado when he could have just scooted them into the farthest corner of the cellar – and even shielded them with himself if necessary? It was almost foreseen what had happened when he held the door.

Answer: His impulse thinking was to close the cellar door to best protect him and his family. He likely didn't believe they could survive if it was left open, even if they were all huddled in the furthest corner.

raywest

Question: Where exactly is Empire Bay supposed to be located?

Answer: The fictional town is supposedly located somewhere on New York's coast, near the mouth of the Culver River, also fictional.

raywest

Question: If Jay does know about the village in the woods, why wouldn't he have done something about it?

Answer: Do what about it? He's been hired by the Walker Corporation to maintain and protect the preserve and the village inside. He makes sure the junior guards do their job without asking too many questions. The village could not otherwise exist if it didn't have the support and protection of Edward Walker's money. Edward likely put his late father's corporation into a blind trust, to be run in his absence. Key people within the company would also know about the village and provide whatever is needed like the preserve's round-the-clock protection and maintenance, the medicine that is on hand in the event of an emergency, etc.

raywest

Question: Who exactly did MJ want Harry to help in the fight between Peter and Flash? I'd assume Peter since she didn't want Flash to attack him but Peter wasn't exactly in trouble during that fight.

Questionasker800

Answer: She meant Peter. Flash was hell-bent on beating Peter up, and Peter had a reputation for being a feeble nerd, so it's not like anyone early in the fight thought he could actually stand a chance against Flash. He was merely dodging Flash's attacks until the very end.

Phaneron

Question: Wouldn't betting on yourself be illegal? I get that betting on yourself to lose would be a no-no, but wouldn't betting on yourself at all be against gambling rules?

The_Iceman

Answer: Short answer is no, it's not illegal. For example, boxers are allowed to bet on themselves. There may be leagues or clubs that prohibit their players (and even staff) from any form of gambling, not just betting on themselves or their team. But it doesn't mean it's illegal. Some casinos or bookies may not take players' bets unless it's a straight bet to win, as opposed to a player betting he'll win in the 6th round.

Bishop73

Question: I don't think the elders of the village, upon creating the village, took into account things like horns, honking, or the explosions of fireworks on 4th of July and New Year's Eve. So, how would the elders have explained that one?

Answer: They've set up the village as a nature preserve, so isolated that not even airplanes are allowed to fly over. Soundwise, they're far away from civilization, so they can't hear modern noises.

Brian Katcher

Answer: It was mentioned that the Walker Corporation had paid a lot of money to have the airspace above the village restricted so that no planes flew overhead. Fireworks, horns, and other human-made sounds have been around for centuries and were easily explainable and would barely be heard because the village is so isolated. It's all rather far-fetched, plot-wise, however.

raywest

Question: After the events of this movie, why does Darth Sidious call himself Emperor Palpatine? Vader was expected to ignore his old life as Anakin Skywalker. Or was that a personal choice of Vader's?

Answer: Anakin, renamed Darth Vader, is a choice by Palpatine/Sidious. It is a Sith name. Darth Sidious, however, has two roles to play as both a Sith Lord and occupying an official position as the Emperor, so he uses his real name for that. The rest of the universe cannot know him as Darth Sidious.

lionhead

Question: When Blade is getting ready to leave the morgue and Karen is lying on the ground after being attacked by Quinn, Blade is about to walk by and leave her there. However, a flashback of his mom reaching out for help appears twice, triggering Blade to save her. This represents his mom, which I understand. But his mom's death occurred in the opening scene or at the beginning of the movie, and Blade was only a baby. How could he possibly have a memory of that as an adult from being a baby? (00:14:35 - 00:15:03)

Answer: I don't think it's so much a memory as it is Blade just equating Karen with his mother in that moment. The only way to convey his thought process to the audience, though, is to show his mother onscreen.

Phaneron

Question: At the very end where Lou is visited by the cops and Joyce, couldn't one of them smell the gasoline everywhere? Lou drenched the entire house before they arrived.

sunfox35

Answer: They most certainly should have. Even a small amount would be detectable. This seems to be a "plot hole".

raywest

Question: Does anyone know what Rusty Nail is saying to the guy in room 17? I can hear them talking but can't make anything out.

Answer: The conversation before the banging and gasping sounds is as follows: Ronald: "Who the hell is it?" Rusty: "I bought the drink. I bought the pink champagne". Ronald: "Is this a god damn joke? I swear to god". Rusty: "Are you Black Sheep?" Ronald: "Why don't you come over here? Are you f**king with me, standing in the dark like that? Show your face."

Answer: In the late 90s and 2000s, she was reported to be dating several different men. She was often called a "serial dater."

Question: What exactly was "The Flight of the Birds" that was mentioned during one of the elders' meetings before Lucius was first introduced?

Answer: The "Flight of the Birds" is a metaphor for the village elders. They fled modern society and established the isolated village to escape societal violence. In some scenes, such as when Noah finds an elders' costume under the floor - loose feathers are seen. The feathers are a clue and symbolise the elders.

raywest

Answer: He still had control over them, that's why they've never been able to move on.

Question: What were all the cities that were attacked during the invasion?

Answer: Most likely, coastal cities or cities near a large body of water.

Answer: She was African American, most likely the daughter of slaves. He felt she would have brought shame and disgrace to the mansion and the family name.

Answer: Madame Leote's spirit was encased in the crystal. The singing busts were inanimate objects brought to life.

Question: What's with all the baby corpses that Monica found in the hidden tunnels?

Trainman

Answer: Early on, Ariel tells Monica that the old tunnels beneath the church are the burial site of many babies (the results of years of illicit sex between the nuns and priests), and that's what Monica comes across. It's possible the earthquake/aftershocks were meant to have exposed the tombs. The reason some of the bodies look bloody and more 'fresh' is most likely for shock value, typical of Eli Roth films.

Purple_Girl

Question: Why on one DVD cover for this did they remove the axe Harriet's holding behind her back?

Rob245

Answer: The version without the axe is the original version. It was a later version that "shopped" in the weapon, presumably to even up the picture and mirror the fact that Charlie has something behind his back. Technically, the axe version doesn't even make sense since Harriet is not, in fact, an axe murderer.

Purple_Girl

Question: How did the girls survive for five whole years in an abandoned house in the woods? Did Mama help them to survive by giving them things to eat like cherries?

Answer: I'm pretty sure that they ate cherries because of all the pits shown when the two men enter the house. They probably ate other things as well because Lily is shown eating a moth in one scene.

Answer: Yes, Mama kept them alive. We see a wild apple rolling across to the floor to the huddled girls, implying that Mama gave it to them, and would have continued to give them forest fruits. She undoubtedly also showed them where to find water.

Purple_Girl

Question: When Finton is underneath the strung-up shelter with Ivy during the rain, it is made to believe he saw something in the woods. Did he really? And, do we get any glimpse of what he saw - or what he thought he saw? Or, was his mind playing tricks on him from him "knowing" those things were out there, possibly watching them?

Answer: He apparently saw something-movement or the red color-but it's left ambiguous, so the audience never knows for sure if something is there or if it's his imagination because he's frightened. He likely saw some movement or a shape that was Noah disguised as a monster.

raywest

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