How movies pulled it off
0Loading crowd target
Questions and sources
How Movies Pulled it Off — Daily trivia Thursday, September 24, 2026: questions and answers
All 10 questions with answers and explanations. Play this daily
Q 01Which movie alien got its raspy voice from a woman who smoked two packs a day?
- AE.T.
- BStitch
- CYoda
- DGroot
Show answer
E.T.
E.T. Its voice mixed Pat Welsh with recordings of other people and animals, including raccoons and otters.
Q 02Which Wizard of Oz character vanished on a hidden lift in a burst of fire and smoke?
- AGlinda the Good Witch
- BThe Tin Man
- CThe Cowardly Lion
- DThe Wicked Witch
Show answer
The Wicked Witch
The Wicked Witch. On a second take the fire erupted too soon and burned Margaret Hamilton's face and hand.
Q 03Which director used chocolate syrup for blood in a famous shower scene?
- ABrian De Palma
- BAlfred Hitchcock
- CJohn Carpenter
- DWes Craven
Show answer
Alfred Hitchcock
Alfred Hitchcock, for Psycho. The stabbing sound was a knife plunged into a melon.
Q 04It's a Wonderful Life replaced Hollywood's usual cornflake snow. What was wrong with the cornflakes?
- AThey melted under the lights
- BThey crunched too loudly
- CThey looked brown on film
- DThey cost too much
Show answer
They crunched too loudly
They crunched too loudly, so dialogue had to be redubbed. RKO's effects team mixed foamite, sugar and water instead, and won a technical Academy Award.
Q 05Which Jurassic Park moment did the effects crew pull off by plucking a guitar string?
- AThe rippling cup of water
- BThe sneezing Brachiosaurus
- CThe Dilophosaurus's frill
- DThe sick Triceratops
Show answer
The rippling cup of water
The rippling cup of water. With his whole team stumped, special effects supervisor Michael Lantieri found the right note one night by setting a glass on a guitar and playing.
Q 06The Exorcist refrigerated its possessed girl's bedroom set far below freezing. Why?
- ATo stop makeup melting
- BTo cool the hot lights
- CSo breath would show
- DSo smoke would linger
Show answer
So breath would show
So the actors' breath would show. A $50,000 refrigeration system chilled the set to about −20°F.
Q 07Which Ghostbusters moment was done by crew blowing air through copper pipes?
- AThe floating books
- BSlimer's slime attack
- CThe swirling library cards
- DStay Puft's marshmallow rain
Show answer
The swirling library cards
The swirling library cards. After every take, the crew had to gather them up and put them back by hand.
Q 08Which space film shot actors floating in real weightlessness, aboard a NASA training jet?
- AThe Martian
- BArmageddon
- CAd Astra
- DApollo 13
Show answer
Apollo 13
Apollo 13. Each climb-and-dive arc gave under half a minute of floating, so scenes were shot over hundreds of arcs.
Q 09How did James Cameron film Titanic's boarding when his replica lacked the side facing the dock?
- AShot it in mirror image
- BTurned the replica around
- CFilmed its sister ship
- DBuilt a second hull
Show answer
Shot it in mirror image
Shot in mirror image. Lettering and costumes were made backward and actors walked left for right, then the film was flipped.
Q 10Which Christopher Nolan film crashed a real Boeing 747 because buying one was cheaper than faking it?
- AInterstellar
- BDunkirk
- CTenet
- DOppenheimer
Show answer
Tenet
Tenet. Nolan called it “a kind of impulse buying”, and the crew crashed the jet into a hangar for real.
How to play
- One question at a time, four options. Tap an answer to lock it in.
- You see the answer and a short explanation right away.
- Harder questions and faster answers earn more points. Share your score at the end.