Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Saltburn!
Saltburn‘s final twist is one of the film’s most shocking moments, but the movie actually contains 10 major clues that hint at Oliver’s real plans and deceptions. While Saltburn may initially seem like a simple romance movie at first, the film quickly goes down a dark and twisted path, bringing viewers to places that they would never have guessed at first. Interestingly, it is possible for viewers to deduce Saltburn‘s shocking twist ending before it is even revealed, as the film sets up Oliver’s true final plan in 10 major ways.
Emerald Fennell’s 2023 film Saltburn is one of the most talked-about movies of the past year, with the controversial movie being a huge topic in online film circles. This is mostly due to Saltburn‘s shocking and twisted moments of violence and sex, with the film pushing the limits of modern cinema. However, the film also concludes with a massive twist, revealing that Oliver has spent the entire film killing off the various members of the Catton family in order to steal their wealth as well as the Saltburn estate. At first, it seems like this twist comes out of nowhere, but it was actually set up perfectly.
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10 Saltburn’s Opening Song
Saltburn opens with a rendition of the British song “Zodak the Priest,” with it playing throughout the opening title card. However, many viewers didn’t notice a subtle lyrical change to the song. When the title card appears, instead of singing “Zadok the Priest,” the choir sings “Oliver Quick,” the name of Saltburn‘s main character. This hints at how Oliver will come out of top at the end of the film after killing off the Cattons, with the song highlighting how he will become a metaphorical king after taking over Saltburn.
9 The Pub At Oxford
In Saltburn, pubs are a big deal at Oxford, with one of the most important scenes in the film’s opening act taking place in a pub. One shot in Saltburn features Oliver walking past the sign for a pub named The Bull, with this name being seemingly innocuous at first. However, this is clearly foreshadowing at how Oliver will eventually kill Felix under the Minotaur statue that is at the center of Saltburn’s maze. It also parallels the horns that Oliver is seen wearing later in the film, with bulls being a recurring theme throughout the movie.
8 Oliver Discussing The “My Last Duchess” Poem
One way that Saltburn secretly gave away its twist ending was by having Oliver talk about the poem “My Last Duchess.” During Oliver and Farleigh’s scene with the tutor, the trio discusses a seemingly random poem. The poem tells the story of a wealthy narrator who is reminiscing on the time he spent with his dead wife, with the poem being based on the real-world figures Duke Alfonso of Ferrera and Lucrezia de Medici. Some believe that the Duke actually poisoned Lucrezia de Medici, with this parallel towards Oliver poisoning Felix clearly being an intentional choice.
7 The Garden Statue
One of the several statues seen at the Saltburn estate shows a man pinning someone else down, with his arm being raised up in preparation to stab and kill his foe. This pose is almost perfectly mirrored in the scene in which Oliver kills Lady Elspeth, with the statue’s presence in the earlier scene with Elspeth foreshadowing her demise.
6 The Pebble With The Name Of Oliver’s Father
One of the first obvious hints that Oliver isn’t quite who he seems is the scene in which Oliver reveals that he has lied to Felix about his father’s addiction and death, with Oliver’s dad actually still being alive. This was hinted at even earlier in the film, however, during the pebble-throwing scene. In the scene, Felix encourages Oliver to write his father’s name on a rock and throw it into the water, with this being a coping mechanism. However, Felix’s throw misses, hinting at Oliver’s lies about the death of his father.
5 The Flies In The Chandelier
While at Saltburn, a flytrap hanging from a chandelier can be seen, with the sticky paper trapping several dead flies. This may not be the grossest visual in Saltburn, but it clearly sets up the themes of Oliver’s future plans. The flies signal that the Cattons are trapped and are simply waiting on their deaths, with Oliver being the trap in this metaphor. The nasty visual of the dead flies also signals to the audience how dead the Cattons are inside, with the posh Saltburn estate only covering up how rotten the family actually is.
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4 Felix’s Doppelgänger
One of the weirdest but most obvious clues to Oliver’s real plans and deceptions is Felix’s doppelgänger. While eating breakfast, Felix’s Saltburn fate is subtly foreshadowed when a man who looks exactly like Felix walks by the window, with the doppelgänger even wearing the same pink shirt. Felix’s dead body is later carried by this exact same window while the Catton family is sitting at the table, with the doppelgänger hinting at Oliver’s first murder long before it actually happens.
3 Venetia’s Overflowing Wine Glass
One of the most obvious visual metaphors for Oliver’s future Saltburn plans is Venetia’s overflowing wine glass. In an attempt to cope, Venetia pours a massive glass of wine, filling the glass far more than it should be. The glass then overflows, with the red wine pouring out on the table. This is clearly meant to invoke the image of blood overflowing the bathtub, which happens later in the film when Venetia dies.
2 Lady Elspeth Choking
Similarly to her daughter, Elspeth’s death at the hands of Oliver is also foreshadowed while she is eating a meal. While at dinner after Felix’s funeral, Lady Elspeth begins choking on her food seemingly randomly. Interestingly, Elspeth’s death is caused by Oliver suffocating Elspeth, with the choking scene foreshadowing how she will die due to her not being able to breathe.
1 Oliver’s Horns
The final and most obvious sign of Oliver’s deception is his horns. While at the party at Saltburn, Oliver’s costume involves him wearing a massive set of horns. These horns are an obvious reference to the Minotaur statue that Felix is later killed under, continuing Saltburn‘s motif of bulls. However, these horns also give Oliver an unmistakably devilish appearance, something that is paid off when Oliver begins to kill off the Cattons. While the exact mechanisms of Oliver’s real plans aren’t revealed until the end of the film, Saltburn makes Oliver’s deception clear through the use of thematic devices much earlier in the movie.
Saltburn
Written and directed by Emerald Fennell, Saltburn is a 2023 comedy-thriller film. When Oxford student Oliver Quick is invited to his friend Felix’s family’s wealthy estate, Saltburn, for a summer vacation, he is drawn into the world of eccentric characters and increasingly chaotic events as his obsession with Felix comes to a head.
- Release Date
- November 17, 2023
- Director
- Emerald Fennell
- Cast
- Barry Keoghan , Jacob Elordi , Rosamund Pike , Richard E. Grant , Alison Oliver , Archie Madekwe , Carey Mulligan
- Rating
- R
- Runtime
- 131 Minutes
- Genres
- Comedy , Thriller
- Writers
- Emerald Fennell
- Studio(s)
- Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer , MRC , LuckyChap Entertainment , Lie Still
- Distributor(s)
- Amazon MGM Studios
