Seven director David Fincher shares what was actually in the box, though he says "you don't need to see what's in the box if you have Morgan Freeman"

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David Fincher has dispelled a "ridiculous" rumor

seven
(Image credit: New Line Cinema)

What's in the box? It's one of the most famous questions asked in cinema, and Seven director David Fincher has answered it for real.

In the dramatic scene, Brad Pitt's Mills demands to know what's in a box delivered to him on the orders of Kevin Spacey's murderous John Doe, which Morgan Freeman's Somerset opens. Inside is the severed head of Gwyneth Paltrow's Tracy – we never see it, but it's obvious that this is the grisly discovery made by Somerset.

Since Seven (one of the best thriller movies of all time) was released, a rumor has abounded that a prosthetic of Paltrow's head – or whole body – was created, but ultimately didn't make it into the movie.

"And we did put a wig in there, so that when Morgan rips the box open if there were some of this tape that was used to seal the box – I think it was a shot bag and a wig, and I think the wig had a little bit of blood in it, so some of the hair would stick together," he continued. "Remember, I think Morgan opened 16 or 17 of those things. But as I always say, you don't need to see what's in the box if you have Morgan Freeman."

Molly Edwards
Molly Edwards
Deputy Entertainment Editor

I'm the Deputy Entertainment Editor here at GamesRadar+, covering all things film and TV for the site's Total Film and SFX sections. I previously worked on the Disney magazines team at Immediate Media, and also wrote on the CBeebies, MEGA!, and Star Wars Galaxy titles after graduating with a BA in English.