New Julia Roberts movie includes hidden reference to Lake Shawnee Abandoned Amusement Park

Dec. 13—A new motion picture starring Julia Roberts includes a hidden reference to the Lake Shawnee Haunted Amusement Park in Mercer County.

Hundreds of sharp-eyed viewers have found a hidden QR code in "Leave the World Behind" that directs them to the Mercer County Convention and Visitor Bureau's website listing for the Lake Shawnee Abandoned Amusement Park. The hidden QR code, or Easter Egg, can be found during a newscast in the movie that includes a map of the United States where cyber attacks are occurring.

The movie, which has an apocalyptic narrative, stars Julia Roberts, Ethan Hawke, Kevin Bacon and several other well-known actors. It is currently streaming on Netflix where you can pause the cyber attack screen and scan the QR code with your cellphone. The movie also is currently playing in select theaters across the country.

The hidden QR code that takes you to the Lake Shawnee Haunted Amusement Park website can actually be found in the movie's trailer as well, according to Mercer County CVB Executive Director Jamie Null.

"The trailer came out, and in the trailer, it is about cyber attacks occurring across the country," Null said. "When you look at the map there is a code sitting on that map kind of on top of where Appalachia would be. If you take a screenshot of that, and scan the QR code with your phone, it goes to our website. We tried it out. It worked."

Null said she doesn't know why the movie includes a hidden reference to Mercer County, but she welcomes the attention it is creating for the area.

"We are going to use it showcase the area," Null said. "We are going to milk it for all it is worth."

Null said someone associated with the movie must have read a story online about the Lake Shawnee Haunted Amusement Park, and decided to include it as an Easter Egg in the movie.

According to Null, the director of the movie, Sam Esmail, is known for including hidden Easter Eggs in his movies. Easter Eggs are hidden details left in a movie by a filmmaker. It is also a common practice used in video games.

The movie was released on Netflix last week, and since that time the CVB has received several calls from viewers inquiring about the Lake Shawnee Abandoned Amusement Park.

Some have asked if the movie was filmed there. Others are simply seeking information about the abandoned amusement park, which according to local legend, is haunted.

Since the movie was launched on Netflix last week, more than 500 people have already visited the CVB's Lake Shawnee Abandoned Amusement Park website.

"We know this is directly related to the movie's release," Null said. "It's like this huge leap up in (website) views. We also had a phone call from a lady in Arkansas who saw the movie and said it was pretty obvious to her there as a QR code in the movie. She streamed it. She rewinded it and hit the pause (button) and there it was."

According to Associated Press narrative of the new movie, "an ad executive (Julia Roberts), her college professor husband (Ethan Hawke) and kids (Charlie Evans and Farrah Mackenzie) are spending the weekend in a luxurious rental on Long Island. Late one night two strangers show up with news of a cyberattack and blackout, claiming that the house is theirs and seeking refuge. No one is quite sure who to trust as the apocalypse looms."

The movie is currently streaming on Netflix. It has received mixed reviews so far from viewers.

Online viewers also have reported finding numerous other Easter Eggs in the movie.

— Contact Charles Owens at cowens@bdtonline.com. Follow him @BDTOwens

— Contact Charles Owens at cowens@bdtonline.com. Follow him @BDTOwens