These 5 movie Mandela Effects are proof we’re living in a simulation

Have you ever so confidentially quoted a movie line, only to find out you got it completely wrong? Or you distinctly remember a character using a particular prop, but when you go back and rewatch it, the prop doesn't even exist? You're not alone. Welcome to the Mandela Effect, a phenomenon where millions of people share the same false memory with such conviction and such clarity, only to later learn that what they remembered isn't correct at all...

The term "Mandela Effect" was coined by author and paranormal researcher Fiona Broome, who is one of many people who remembers Nelson Mandela dying in prison in the 1980s. But the thing is: he didn't die in prison. Instead, he went on to become South Africa’s first post-apartheid president before his death in 2013. So why do so many people collectively remember him dying 30 years before his actual death?

Do we just have terrible memories? Maybe. Is it a glitch in the Matrix? Can't rule it out.

Regardless, it's a phenomenon that has even infiltrated Hollywood. From quotes that were never spoken to films that seemed to have vanished off the face of the earth, here are 5 examples of the Mandela Effect in movies that have us all scratching our heads and hitting the rewind button.

"Hello, Clarice" is not in said in The Silence of the Lambs

It's one of the best horror movies of the 1990s, and yet it contains one instance of a Mandela Effect that has left people confused, myself included. When I watched The Silence of the Lambs for the first time a few years ago, you can bet that I was primed and ready to hear arguably one of the most famous movie lines in cinema history: "Hello, Clarice." But I waited and waited, and it never came.

Instead, the real line said by Hannibal Lecter (as seen below) is a simple "good morning." Still chill-inducing, but, in my opinion, not as impactful as "Hello, Clarice."

Why do so many people and I misquote this movie? Where did “hello, Clarice” even come from?! Well, after some digging, there's no definitive culprit; however, there have been many impressions of the cannibalistic serial killer over the years. One notable example is in 1996's The Cable Guy, where Jim Carrey imitates Hannibal Lecter and delivers the "hello, Clarice" misquote while at a Medieval Times restaurant.

It's also important to note that the line was eventually said in the 2001 sequel, but it's primarily the original film people are referencing and ultimately misquoting. So, is Jim Carrey to blame for all of us not quoting The Silence of the Lambs correctly? Honestly? Probably! But the world may never know...

Sinbad's Shazaam movie is not real

Remember the classic 1990s movie Shazaam, where comedian Sinbad plays a genie who helps two kids? Such a classic '90s staple, right? I hate to break it to you, but it's not real. It never existed. (I know! My entire life is a lie!) Yet millions of people swear they remember renting Shazaam from Blockbuster, owning the VHS, or watching it during Saturday morning TV marathons.

I've checked, and there’s no record of Shazaam anywhere. I did, however, find a real movie called Kazaam, released in 1996, starring Shaquille O'Neal as a genie who helps a boy find his father. I also learned that Sinbad hosted a marathon of his favorite movies on the television network TNT back in 1994, all while donning a turban and a genie-inspired outfit, mind you. With the movie titles and premises being similar and Sinbad in that particular costume, maybe it was just the memories fusing together?

Well, to add even more fuel to the fire, back in 2017, Sinbad teamed up with the folks at Dropout (formally known as College Humor) and posted a YouTube video of the "lost footage" of Shazaam with the comedian donning the full genie garb.

Ask any millennial if they remember Sinbad's Shazaam movie, and you're more likely than not to get a resounding, "yes!" Do you remember the Shazaam movie? Or is it another case of the Mandela Effect?

"Luke, I am your father" is the incorrect line from Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back

Perhaps one of the biggest plot twists in movie history occurs in The Empire Strikes Back, where Darth Vader reveals that he is Luke Skywalker's father after their intense lightsaber duel and delivers the iconic "Luke, I am your father" line. But what if I told you that's not how that line goes? The line is actually "No, I am your father." Check it out below:

Like the other movie Mandela Effects on this list, why do we all remember this quote differently? I think it's because the real version doesn’t make much sense out of context, so people added it in. And then, over time, that version became iconic and even more memorable than the original.

Tom Cruise doesn't wear sunglasses in the infamous Risky Business "Old Time Rock and Roll" dance scene

We've seen the Halloween costumes and the dance recreations of the "Old Time Rock and Roll" dancing scene in Risky Business. What do they all have in common? If you said a white button-down shirt and sunglasses, you'd be correct. But think back, was that what Tom Cruise was wearing in the scene?

That's right. No sunglasses. No white button-down shirt. Instead, he dons a light pink striped shirt sans sunglasses.

Why do we change the costume entirely when recreating or thinking back on the dance scene, then? Like with the others on this list, it could be a combination of impressions/recreations of the character that became so iconic in their own right that they overtook the memory of the original. For example, this incredible scene from the 1990s TV sitcom The Nanny, where Niles (the usually reserved butler) dances in sunglasses and a white button-down, further cementing this Mandela Effect in our minds:

It's also important to note that the promotional movie poster for Risky Business did feature Tom Cruise in the sunglasses, so maybe that's where our signals got crossed?

"Mirror, mirror on the wall..." isn't the line in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

This quote is synonymous with the 1937 Disney classic Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. You can't have one without the other. And yet, again, it isn't the correct line from the movie. The real line is "Magic mirror..." which makes sense, seeing as the Evil Queen is talking to a magic mirror.

To be fair, in the original Little Snow-White Brothers Grimm fairytale, the line is "mirror, mirror on the wall..." Plus, with movies like Mirror Mirror (2012) being released and entering the public consciousness recently, maybe that's what continues to contribute to this Mandela Effect?

Why are our brains like this? Why do we fill in gaps where there weren't any to begin with? Why do we add movie props and misquote movie lines? Maybe it's because we see what we want and expect to see, or it's just a case of foggy memories? Who knows?? At the end of the day, it's super fascinating, and I can't get enough of it!

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