The 22 Most Paused Movie Moments Of All Time

Have you ever watched a movie and spotted something on-screen and just had to pause it. We have all had the moment where we scrambled to find the remote to rewind it back to a specific spot. If you have then you’ll understand how certain scenes in movies become the most paused scenes of all time. From steamy on camera moments that we replay over and over to scenes where extras mess up big time, there are so many pause-worthy moments.  Some movies even give us clues as to what will happen later on in the film. Let’s face it, we love being detectives when it comes to our favorite movies.

1. Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982)

Topping almost every list of paused movie moments, you have Fast Times. Linda Barrett and Stacy Hamilton are going for an afternoon swim as Stacy’s older brother Brad is watching over them. When Phoebe Cates exits the pool in her skimpy red bikini, then removing it completely, every single tape stopped.

2. Wild Things (1998)

A movie basically plucked from a teenagers head, Wild Things takes the pool scene from Fast Times and turned it up. The moment Neve Campbell and Denise Richards kiss is one of the only reasons this movie was successful.

3. Total Recall (1990)


Arnold Schwarzenegger gave us many moments of violence and destruction through the years in film, but it’s a glimpse at a three-breasted woman that made viewers stop in awe.  

4. Scanners (1981)

David Cronenberg started off his success with this mystery horror film surrounding psychic powers. At one popular moment, Michael Ironside makes a man’s head explode with his powers. It happens so quickly and gruesomely that people had to watch again and again.

5. Cabin in the Woods (2012)


During the movie, a white board is filled with lists of monsters and bad guys behind them. Viewers stopped it time and again to read what other kind of weird creatures the lab had planned creating.

6. Wizard of Oz (1939)

The background of one scene has caused controversy over the years. It appears as if one of the munchkins has hung himself, but the official story is that it’s just a bird.

7. Teen Wolf (1985)

A frame featuring a background actor with his pants pulled down made it into the family-friendly movie. Right before the credits start to roll was the most paused scene in the movie. In the scene, a group of spectators were standing up and cheering. In the background you can make out a gentleman with his zipper down.

8. The Little Mermaid (1989)


When Ariel and her Prince are finally getting married, something about the priest caused a few double-takes. Let’s just say he was pretty excited that they finally got together.

9. Fight Club (1999)


It’s not just the spliced in pornographic material that made views stop the David Fincher film, it’s also the brief appearances of Brad Pitt in places he shouldn’t be, before we’ve even met him.

10. Basic Instinct (1992)

Sharon Stone proved it wasn’t only topless scenes that got paused throughout movie history. When her character crosses her legs during an interrogation and revealed more than just an underwear line, the movie made history.  

11. Psycho (1960)

In the classic horror film, Alfred Hitchcock gives us plenty of pause-able moments. The one that sticks out is when Norman Bates is eventually arrested, he looks directly into the camera and a human skull is superimposed over his face for just a moment.

12. Wolf of Wall Street (2013)


Margot Robbie had a turn as the sex icon in this Martin Scorsese film. She has a handful of heart-stopping moments, including showing off to the mansion security team.

13. The Lion King (1994)


There were a few frames in the Disney classic that were questionable. There is one that fans will swear spells “SEX” in the dust. Some say it’s actually “SFX” but everyone has their doubts.

14. Boogie Nights (1997)

When Mark Wahlberg drops his drawers for the camera in the adult-film, audiences gasped at the size of his equipment and quickly stopped the tape to have a look. Yes, it was a prosthetic.

15. Tron (1982)

A movie filled with Easter eggs for the arcade culture of the 80’s is Tron. If you pause it at a certain point you can even see Pac-Man in the computer with Jeff Bridges.

16. She’s The Man (2006)

The 2006 comedy flick starred Amanda Bynes and Channing Tatum who plays Viola Johnson and Duke Orsino respectively. Amanda pretends to be her twin brother Sebastian and attends his boarding school where she is roommates with Channing Tatum. There is one scene where she flashes everyone. This scene was definitely a paused moment by many.

17. Star Wars: The Phantom Menace (1999)

George Lucas decided to throw a reference to his friend Steven Spielberg into the first of the prequels when he added E.T and his family into the Galactic Senate.

18. Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015)

At one moment in the film, Rey hands Luke Skywalker his old lightsaber. There is a small stone to his right that looks like it may be a gravestone. Fans everywhere have come up with a million reasons why Luke was standing up there alone.

19. Who Framed Roger Rabbit? (1988)

One of the most sexualized cartoons in history is Jessica Rabbit. She was thought to go commando in a certain scene. In the movie, there was a scene where Jessica Rabbit had to perform a variety of dance moves.

20. Three Men and a Baby (1987)

There is a scene that had people clicking pause over and over. That’s when it looks like a boy is standing behind the characters, watching from another dimension. Turns out it’s just a cardboard cutout of Ted Danson.

21. Jurassic World (2015)

While the Pterodactyls attack and terrorize the park, one man is seen saving two giant margaritas. That’s none other than Jimmy Buffett himself, still searching for that lost shaker of salt.

22. Iron Man (2008)

Before Marvel filled up their movies with references to one another, they slipped in a few that went relatively unnoticed. In this scene, a prototype of Captain America’s shield sits unfinished. Chris Evans wouldn’t debut as the character for another three years.

23. Man of Steel (2013)

A moment was slipped into their reboot of the Superman franchise that told fans to expect a Batman crossover in the future. The satellite that Supes grabs while fighting in outer space has a Wayne Enterprises logo on it.

24. The Rescuers (1977)

Disney animators slipped in something a little naughty again, when in the window of a building the characters are flying by has a couple of frames of a naked woman.

25. Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)