Knives Out director reveals the hidden detail in TV shows and movies that tells you exactly who the villain is: 'This ruins every twist'

Filmmakers are not allowed to let villains use a specific propREAD MORE: Disney fans spot flaw in movies that reveals what's about to happen

Film buffs are reeling after discovering a subtle tell-tale sign that reveals which character is the secret villain in a movie or TV show.

Rian Johnson, who is behind the hit murder mystery film Knives Out, said directors are not allowed to let their bad guys use a specific prop.

But movie fans should turn away now to avoid huge spoilers as many have said the little-known fact has ‘ruined’ many films.

Apple has a ‘villain clause’ in which it sends out its phones for characters to use in films and programs on one condition – that the baddies don’t use them.

Johnston said he wasn’t sure if he should have spilled the secret as he fears it could ruin his next mystery movie but said fans would find it ‘interesting’.

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Director Rian Johnson who is behind the hit murder mystery film Knives Out said movie makers are not allowed to let their bad guys use a specific prop

‘Apple, they let you use iPhones in movies, but – and this is very pivotal – if you’re ever watching a mystery movie, bad guys cannot have iPhones on camera,’ Johnson explained in a 2020 interview with Vanity Fair.

‘Every single filmmaker who has a bad guy in their movie that’s supposed to be a secret wants to murder me right now.’

Knives Out is about a detective investigating a man’s mysterious murder as he questions all the characters who were in the house at the time of the death.

Every suspect uses an iPhone at some stage of the movie except for the suspected killer and the actual culprit who was revealed at the end.

Fans noticed in Johnson’s next film Glass Onion, a sequel to Knives Out, none of the characters used Apple devices leaving the villain a secret to eagle-eyed viewers.

Apple has a ‘villain clause’ in which it send outs their phones for characters to use in films on one condition – that the baddies do not use them

The villain clause is not mentioned in Apple’s official guidelines however there are caveats on how its devices can be depicted in promotional or advertising materials.

‘The Apple product is shown only in the best light, in a manner or context that reflects favourably on the Apple products and on Apple Inc,’ the guidelines read.

Many were wowed by the fact however others said they wish they never learnt about the detail as it will now ‘ruin’ every mystery movie or program they watch.

‘Honestly, wish I could unlearn this,’ one user complained.

‘This is the worst thing I ever learned. Now I look for it to try to find a secret bad guy,’ a second said.

‘There needs to be a spy thriller where someone’s phone breaks partway through and they switch from iPhone to Android and they end up being a traitor,’ suggested a third.

‘I knew this!! I worked in an art department. It was a cool secret,’ a fourth replied and someone added: ‘Ever since I’ve learned about it, I look for it in EVERY movie’.

However others said they have noticed some inconsistencies in the rule pointing out shows and movies where they’ve observed the bad guys using iPhones or Apple Macs.

‘Apple has no control over who uses iPhones in movies,’ one person explained.

‘However, Apple will sometimes supply iPhones for use in movies for free, but only if they are not used by the bad guys. So if you see a bad guy using an iPhone in a movie, that means Apple did not give free iPhones for the movie.’