6 Saltburn Details That You Didn’t Realize Foreshadowed The Ending

Nobody could have predicted the wild twists and turns in Saltburn — well, unless you knew where to look. Tucked behind the ostentatious wealth and jaw-dropping displays of psychosexual obsession, the movie actually hid a bunch of subtle details that foreshadowed how the whole story would play out. Yep, each character’s fate was hiding in plain sight, and these surprising Easter eggs will have you wanting to rewatch Saltburn ASAP.

You may have loved the dark dramedy the first time you saw it, but to fully appreciate what Saltburn is doing, you need to watch it again with the whole story in mind. It’s then that you’ll start to notice little background moments that actually have a much bigger impact than you realized.

From eyebrow-raising pub names to very familiar-looking art pieces — and a whole new outlook on that rock-throwing scene with Oliver and Felix — here are the clever details that you should look out for on your next Saltburn rewatch.

1. Felix’s Doppelgänger

You probably missed this the first time you watched Saltburn, but next time you get to the breakfast scene, keep an eye on the window behind Venetia as she tells the story about Percy Bysshe Shelley’s doppelgänger.

The morbid tale is of Shelley’s housekeeper waving to a being who looked just like the poet through a window, only to learn he was away in another country, and that he drowned just a few hours later. Just as Venetia gets to the end of the story, a person who looks just like Felix — even down to the exact shirt he’s wearing in the scene — walks by the window.

Later in the movie, Felix’s corpse is carried past that same window as his family struggles to keep their grief contained.

2. Oliver’s Rock

Oliver’s lie about his father’s death was actually hinted at early on. When Felix encourages his friend to throw a rock with his dad’s name written on it in a stream to help process his grief, Oliver’s stone misses the water and instead lands in a puddle of vomit.

The botched toss symbolizes that not only is Oliver’s father still alive, but that Oliver was willing to completely soil his relationship with his dad in order to execute his master plan.

3. Venetia’s Wine

Venetia’s bloody end was forecasted in a couple standout visual moments from Saltburn. First, after Oliver’s vampiric escapade with Venetia, he washes off her menstrual blood by lowering his mouth in the bathtub — the same tub that would later once again fill with Venetia’s blood upon her death.

The death scene is nodded to again after Felix’s death, when Venetia over-pours her wine in shock. The image of the red wine spilling out from the sides of the cup directly mirrors Venetia’s blood spilling out from the bathtub.

4. Elspeth’s Choking

The whole post-funeral meal scene is full of allusions to each character’s fate. Right after Venetia’s wine pouring, Elspeth begins coughing and choking on her food. Of course, this is also how she will end up dying after Oliver rips out her ventilator at the end of the movie.

5. The Statue

Speaking of Elspeth’s death scene, the gruesome moment was also subtly referenced during one of her first conversations with Oliver. As the two spoke in the yard, a statue of a man preparing to slaughter an animal was prominently featured in the background. The man’s pose is almost exactly the same as Oliver’s when he kills Elspeth.

6. The Bull

Once you know to look for them, you’ll find a ton of bull and minotaur references scattered throughout Saltburn in relation to Oliver. The bar at Oxford he frequents is called The Bull, and a photo of horned man is shown next to Oliver’s face as he looks inside to see Felix has ditched him.

Of course, all these little clues point to both Oliver dressing in horns at his birthday party, and then killing Felix underneath the minotaur statue in his hedge maze.