Looking back, it’s difficult to overstate how much of a major effect Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction had on our collective pop culture. On the surface level, the movie quickly seeped into our vernacular, and all these decades are the film came out, fans are still swapping its clever lines back and forth during daily conversation.
On a deeper level, the success of the stylish film changed how movies were made. Its success also cemented Quentin Tarantino as a director who could reliably deliver sexy, over-the-top films that we can easily enjoy from beginning to end.
Understandably, fans of Tarantino think they know everything there is to know about this film. If that sounds like you, we’re here to see if we can stump you with our knowledge of all things Tarantino. Keep reading to discover the Pulp Fiction secrets that even the biggest fans don’t know!
Another legendary director helped make the film
Ask anyone who directed Pulp Fiction and they’ll tell you the answer: Quentin Tarantino. However, did you know another legendary director actually helped out with the film? That director is Robert Rodriguez, and he stepped in as director for one very important scene.
In the movie, Tarantino makes a cameo appearance as a minor character. He and Rodriguez are close friends, so Tarantino hired his buddy to temporarily work as director while Tarantino was behind the camera. The two ended up working so well together that they would later collaborate on other projects, including the violent vampire hit From Dusk Till Dawn.
A stoner-friendly secret message?
Ever pay attention to the clocks in the background of your favorite films? Most people don’t, but those scrutinizing the background of Pulp Fiction discovered an amusing secret. It turns out that Tarantino set many of the clocks in the film to read 4:20.
This eventually led to a rumor that all clocks in the film are set to 4:20, but that’s not true. However, if you revisit the pawn shop scene, take a look at the time. This is the one scene in the movie in which all the clocks do, in fact, read 4:20 at all times!
One pricy poster
Pulp Fiction fans of a certain age likely remember the iconic poster for the film. At one point, that poster was a staple of dorm rooms everywhere. As it turns out, if any of those former students held onto their posters, they might have an easy way to pay off some student debt!
The original posters (the ones featuring Uma Thurman staring into the camera while smoking Lucky Strikes cigarettes) have only grown in value over time. These days, the poster sells for upwards of $4,000, which is more money than most fans can turn down. If nothing else, the characters from the film would likely agree that $4,000 can buy quite a few Big Kahuna burgers in America or even McDonalds’ “Royales with cheese” in Paris!
The insane story behind Vincent’s beautiful car
Pulp Fiction is a movie filled with iconic images, but few are more iconic or memorable than John Travolta’s car. Fans often wondered where this sexy Chevelle Malibu came from, and it turns out that it belonged to Quentin Tarantino himself!
The director had loaned his ride to the production of the film, but days after Pulp Fiction came out, the car was stolen. Twenty years later, police retrieved the vehicle, and we imagine Tarantino was as happy to get the keys back as well as Marcellus Wallace was to receive that funky briefcase.
A movie absolutely filled with F-bombs
One of the hallmarks of a Quentin Tarantino film is the profanity. His characters say what they mean and mean what they say, and that often results in more foul language than you’d normally find from a dozen other films combined.
In case you were curious, Pulp Fiction has the dubious honor of 265 “f-bombs” in which characters use the F-word. That’s more than any other film released in 1994 (when Pulp Fiction first came out), and it’s still more than you can find in almost any modern film.
The director’s secret board game obsession
Because Pulp Fiction is full of so much death, violence, and vulgarity, most people imagine that Quentin Tarantino’s imagination must be a very dark place indeed. However, it turns out that he feeds that imagination with something that everybody’s inner child would approve of: board games!
The director loves board games so much that a couple of very iconic ones make their own cameos in the film. Pay close attention to the background of certain scenes and you’ll see games like Life and Operation pop up. The director’s love of board games eventually led to a legend that he ended up playing board games with Pulp Fiction star John Travolta all day while they watched some of the star’s hit films like Grease and Saturday Night Fever.