Unraveling Deception: The Top 9 Clues to Saltburn's Sinister Twist

9. The Garden Statue's Ominous Pose

Saltburn's lush estate hides more than just opulence; it conceals forewarnings of the dark events to unfold. Among the various sculptures adorning its grounds, one particular statue captures a man in the act of overpowering and preparing to deliver a fatal blow to another. This chilling tableau goes unnoticed by many until it finds its dreadful echo in the demise of Lady Elspeth at Oliver's hands. The statue's earlier encounter with Elspeth now emerges not just as a passive background piece but as an artistic prelude to her untimely end, a foreshadowing carved in stone.

Oliver's face is inches from Elspeth's, who has a breathing tube in her nose and mouth in Saltburn.

8. The Pub At Oxford's Bullish Symbolism

The seemingly innocuous name of an Oxford pub, The Bull, takes on a sinister significance in Saltburn. As Oliver strolls by, viewers are subtly invited to contemplate the pub's emblem. This bull, a symbol of strength and dominance, prefigures the gruesome fate of Felix under the Minotaur statue within the Saltburn maze. Oliver's later choice to don horns at a party intertwines with this motif, reinforcing the bull's recurrent theme and underscoring the narrative's dark undercurrents.

Barry Keoghan as Oliver standing in a doorway wearing his party attire and antlers in Saltburn

7. The Pebble With The Name Of Oliver's Father

A seemingly tender scene in Saltburn is laced with deceit when Felix encourages Oliver to inscribe his father's name on a pebble and cast it into the water as a form of catharsis. However, the gesture is marred by irony as Felix's pebble fails to reach the water, mirroring the lie Oliver has spun about his father's death. This moment, initially brushed off as an innocuous act, gains weight in retrospect as one of the earliest breadcrumbs leading to the revelation of Oliver's true nature.

saltburn barry keoghan

6. Flies Trapped In The Chandelier's Web

In the grandeur of the Saltburn estate, a flytrap dangling from a chandelier ensnares several unsuspecting flies. This grotesque image, although minor, is a harbinger of the Cattons' fate, who, unbeknownst to them, are similarly ensnared in Oliver's web of deceit. The trapped flies symbolize the impending doom awaiting the family, while also casting a light on the moral decay festering beneath Saltburn's polished veneer.

A shot of Oliver (Barry Keoghan) from behind, wearing a robe while looking out at the messy lawn on the Saltburn estate grounds in Saltburn.

5. Venetia's Prophetic Wine Glass

In a moment of distress, Venetia seeks solace in wine, inadvertently creating a visual metaphor for the film's climax. Her glass overflows with the crimson liquid, spilling over the edges in a vivid representation of bloodshed. This scene, which at first glance appears to be a mere depiction of excess, is later understood as a foretelling of the violent end that awaits her, encapsulating the film's theme of overindulgence leading to ruin.

Venetia Catton (Alison Oliver) looking deeply disturbed while pouring wine into an overflowing glass in Saltburn.

4. The Sinister Choking of Lady Elspeth

Lady Elspeth's sudden choking episode during a post-funeral dinner is a disconcerting event that initially appears to be a mere mishap. However, this scene is a dark portent of her ultimate fate. Elspeth's struggle to breathe is a subtle yet deliberate prefiguration of her death by suffocation at the hands of the duplicitous Oliver, embedding a clue to the narrative's climax within an everyday occurrence.

Rosamund Pike as Lady Elspeth Catton holds a cocktail and looks serious in Saltburn

3. The Doppelgänger's Silent Warning

In a surreal moment, a man bearing an uncanny resemblance to Felix passes by a window, unnoticed by all but the most observant viewers. This doppelgänger, wearing a shirt identical to Felix's, not only hints at the latter's demise but also casts a shadow over the breakfast scene, marking it with an eerie sense of foreboding. The doppelgänger's eerie presence foreshadows the tragedy that will soon befall Felix, serving as a visual echo of the impending murder.

Venetia in the breakfast scene in Saltburn with Felix doppelganger behind her

2. 'My Last Duchess' Poem's Deadly Parallel

Saltburn embeds a literary clue to its twist ending through Oliver's discussion of the poem 'My Last Duchess.' The poem's narrative of a duke reflecting on his late wife, rumored to have been poisoned by him, runs parallel to Oliver's own murderous plot. This choice of literature is no casual inclusion; it is a deliberate nod to Oliver's scheming and his eventual poisoning of Felix, aligning Saltburn's fiction with historical intrigue.

Oliver Quick (Barry Keoghan) showing the sleeves of his tuxedo to Farleigh Start (Archie Madekwe) in Saltburn.

1. The Devil in the Details: Oliver's Horns

The most overt indication of Oliver's true intentions is embodied in the horns he wears during a pivotal party scene. This costume choice not only resonates with the bull imagery woven throughout Saltburn but also casts Oliver in a devilish light, presaging his role as the architect of the Catton family's downfall. The horns serve as a visual metaphor for Oliver's predatory nature and foreshadow the violence he will inflict, solidifying his character as the malevolent force within the narrative.