As a cinephile with over three decades of cinematic adventures under my belt, I can confidently say that few films have left as profound an impact on me as David Fincher‘s masterpiece, Se7en. The film’s haunting imagery, gripping narrative, and unforgettable performances have etched it into the annals of horror and crime cinema.
The enigma that is the contents of John Doe’s box has always been a subject of fascination for many, myself included. While some may argue that seeing what was in the box would have added to the shock value, I am one who believes that Fincher’s decision to leave it to our imagination only amplifies the terror. The anticipation and dread as Detective Somerset opens the box is palpable, making the climax all the more harrowing.
It was a delightful surprise to learn about the details behind what actually lay within that mysterious container. The weight, the wig, and the bloodied hair strands only serve to further cement the power of the moment. As for the rumors suggesting a prosthetic head, I’m grateful they were just that – rumors.
In the grand tradition of filmmakers like Alfred Hitchcock, Fincher knows that sometimes less is more. The mystery of what was in the box remains an integral part of Se7en‘s enduring legacy, and I can’t help but chuckle at the thought of poor Jeremiah Chechik, who wanted to remove that very element from the story. If only he knew how much more potent the final product would become with that chilling twist!
In a tense moment during the movie “Se7en” from 1995, Detective David Mills (played by Brad Pitt) wonders aloud about the contents of serial killer John Doe’s (Kevin Spacey) mysterious box. In the heart-wrenching climax, it is revealed that the box contained the severed head of Mills’ pregnant wife Tracy (Gwyneth Paltrow), a tragic act designed to drive Mills to wrath, one of the seven deadly sins. To commemorate the film’s 30th anniversary this month, director David Fincher is addressing a frequently asked question: What truly lay inside the box?
Since Tracy’s real head is never revealed within the box, speculations have continued that the box held a dummy head resembling Paltrow. However, Fincher debunked this theory, labeling it as “absurd,” when talking to Entertainment Weekly. Instead, it remains a mystery, as portrayed through Detective Somerset’s (Morgan Freeman) perspective, leaving room for our imagination.
In his explanation, Fincher shared that our prop bag weighed either seven or eight pounds. We calculated this based on Gwyneth Paltrow’s body mass index to determine approximately how much her head would weigh. This helped us estimate the weight of what we put in the bag. He also mentioned that a wig was included, so when Morgan opens the box, some of the tape used to seal it might stick to the wig, which had a small amount of blood, causing some of the hair to clump together. To recall, Morgan opened approximately 16 or 17 such bags.
Fincher went on to say, “Just as I’ve often pointed out, it doesn’t matter what’s inside the box when you have Morgan Freeman along.
If you’re director Jeremiah Chechik, who was initially assigned to direct the project before David Fincher took over, you wouldn’t have had to look inside the box because you weren’t involved in the filming of the now-famous ending where Doe gives Mills his wife’s head in a box. In 2017, Andrew Kevin Walker, the screenwriter for “Christmas Vacation,” shared with The Hollywood Reporter that Chechik requested him to delete this iconic ending from the script.
Turns out, what reached Fincher was the script containing Walker’s initial conclusion, not the revised one.
According to Walker, [Fincher] showed some curiosity, but when he conveyed his curiosity, he mentioned finding a head inside a box. To which they replied, “Oh, no, no, no. You received the incorrect draft.” Then they sent him a revised script by Jeremiah Chechik, which had a completely different conclusion. Fincher responded, “No, I wouldn’t be interested in working on that revision.
The classic movie “Se7en” is coming back to cinemas for a brief run starting January 3rd. Its freshly remastered 4K version will be available on both physical and digital platforms from January 7th, offering these exclusive features such as the original “test” ending and animatics from an unfilmed ending.
- Commentaries —
- The Stars: David Fincher, Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman
- The Story: Richard Dyer, Andrew Kevin Walker, Richard Francis-Bruce, Michael De Luca, David Fincher
- The Picture: Darius Khondji, Arthur Max, Richard Francis-Bruce, Richard Dyer, David Fincher
- The Sound: Ren Klyce, Howard Shore, Richard Dyer, David Fincher
- Deleted Scenes –
- Car Ride in from Gluttony
- My Future
- Raid on Victor’s
- Spare Some Change?
- Tracy Wakes from Light Sleep
- Pride
- Alternate endings –
- Animated storyboards of un-shot ending
- Original “Test” ending
- Still Photographs (featurettes) –
- John Doe’s Photographs
- Victor’s Decomposition
- Police Crime Scene Photographs
- Production Photographs
- The Notebooks
- Production Design (featurette)
- Mastering for the Home Theater (featurette)
- Exploration of the Opening Title Sequence: Early Storyboards (featurette)
- Exploration of the Opening Title Sequence: Rough Version (featurette)
- Exploration of the Opening Title Sequence: Final Edit (featurette)
- Exploration of the Opening Title Sequence: Stereo Audio Commentary One – The Concept – Designer Kyle Cooper (featurette)
- Exploration of the Opening Title Sequence: Stereo Audio Commentary Two – The Sound – Brant Biles & Robert Margouleff (featurette)
- Theatrical EPK
You can rent or buy Se7en digitally wherever movies are sold.
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2025-01-03 04:39