April Fools’ movie quiz: 11 best twists that fooled audiences

I vividly remember the first time a movie conned me.

It was toward the end of “The Sting,” and Robert Redford was sprawled on the floor in a tuxedo, eyes shut, blood seeping from his mouth. Over by the bar, an immobile Paul Newman wasn’t doing any better. And then, and then … well, I won’t spoil it.

Suffice to say, it was a memorable surprise for a gullible kid — and adults, too. I’d place it right up there with “The Sixth Sense,” “The Usual Suspects” and other films set to be enshrined in the new Shock Hall of Fame, which is under construction now in Burbank, Calif.

OK, April Fools’, there’s no such place. But there should be. So, in honor of April Fools’ Day falling on Friday movie day, we’ve created our own Hall of Fame of the best films that tricked audiences. But, keeping in that tricky spirit, they’re presented in the form of a true/false quiz.

Here are 11 “facts” about movies that fooled audiences. You decide which statements are real. The answers are below.

And don’t worry, there are no spoilers in this story, just some foolish trivia. (But, spoiler alert, some “aha” moments are revealed in the film clips.)

“The Sting”

1973

The whole movie is a buildup to an elaborate swindle against a greedy mobster who killed a good man.

True or false: The diner where Robert Redford’s character likes to hang out as he’s preparing the con is the same diner — on the backlot of Universal Studios — where Marty McFly meets his teenage father in “Back to the Future.”

“Psycho”

1960

First, star Janet Leigh is killed off early in the infamous shower scene at the Bates Motel. But the reveal of who the murderer was is perhaps even more disturbing.

True or false: To simulate blood going down the drain in this black-and-white film, Alfred Hitchcock used chocolate syrup.

“The Planet of the Apes”

1968

Astronaut Charlton Heston crash lands in a world where primates rule and humans are a lesser species. But the iconic twist at the end has our hero cursing all of humanity.

True or false: All the ape actors and extras were required to wear their masks even during breaks because it took so much time to make them up. So their meals were liquefied and drunk through straws.

“Chinatown”

1974

Rich Faye Dunaway hires private eye Jack Nicholson to spy on her husband, but she has plenty of her own secrets.

True or false: Producer Robert Evans wanted his wife, “Love Story” star Ali MacGraw, for Dunaway’s part, but when she had an affair with Steve McQueen, he did away with that idea.

“The Empire Strikes Back”

1980

Luke Skywalker is locked in a duel with Darth Vader in the floating Cloud City when, son of a gun, he learns a Big Secret. “Nooooooo!”

True or false: The scenes where R2-D2 is submerged in mud were shot in George Lucas’ unfinished swimming pool.

“The Crying Game”

1992

No one really remembers what this movie was about — a British soldier (Steven Rea) is kidnapped by IRA terrorists and falls in love (with Oscar-nominated Jaye Davidson). All we remember is The Scene in the bedroom.

True or false: A casting associate spotted Davidson in a bar. Davidson had no prior acting experience or training.

“The Usual Suspects”

1995

Who is Keyser Soze? Kevin Spacey plays the sole surviving member of a gang of criminals who unwittingly became the pawns of this mysterious mastermind. And when we find out who he is … wow.

True or false: To make his character’s disability seem more realistic, Spacey had his fingers glued together.

“Fight Club”

1999

Edward Norton is the Narrator who gets pulled into the world of crazed, charismatic Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt) and his Fight Club (which we don’t talk about). But just who is Tyler Durden?

True or false: Before we meet Tyler we see him subliminally: He flashes briefly in single frames (that’s 1/24th of a second) in several scenes.

“The Sixth Sense”

1999

Bruce Willis is a children’s therapist whose latest patient has a peculiar issue: He sees dead people. And then Doc discovers something even more shocking.

True or false: It’s one of only five best picture nominees that many would consider to be horror films. The other four: “The Exorcist,” “Jaws,” “The Silence of the Lambs” and “Black Swan.”

“Memento”

2000

This plot and its surprises are as twisted as the brain of Leonard (Guy Pearce), who has no short-term memory. His story is told backward, as we head into the past to find out who killed Leonard’s wife.

True or false: Leonard’s medical condition is real, with the name anterograde amnesia, the inability to form new memories after damage to the hippocampus.

“Gone Girl”

2014

Thank Kansas City’s own Gillian Flynn for creating the epic surprise in the middle of the mystery novel the film is based on.

True or false: The story is set in the fictional North Carthage, Mo., but was filmed in Cape Girardeau.

This story was originally published April 1, 2016 at 2:00 AM with the headline "April Fools’ movie quiz: 11 best twists that fooled audiences."