Leave The World Behind QR Code: Here's what it links to and what it means

19 December 2023, 09:38

Watch the Leave The World Behind trailer

By Katie Louise Smith

The hidden QR code in Leave The World Behind leads to a website about a creepy abandoned amusement park.

Did you spot the mysterious QR code hidden in Leave The World Behind? Here's where to find it, and what it links to.

Netflix's apocalyptic psychological thriller starring Julia Roberts, Ethan Hawke and Mahershala Ali is currently the most watched film on the platform, and viewers have been sharing their hot takes about that "weird" ending and what it all means.

But if you were paying close attention to the film, you might have noticed a few hidden easter eggs and details scattered throughout. Namely the QR code that appears for a split second, buried into the map of the United States on the TV.

If you were just casually watching there's no way you would have spotted it, but eagle-eyed viewers have now shared screenshots on social media and have figured out a way to scan it.

What does the Leave The World Behind QR code link to?

Around 34 minutes into the film, the camera pans to one of the TVs in the house which has been left on the 'Emergency Broadcast' screen. The screen briefly gains signal and a map of the U.S. is shown alongside a headline that reads: "Cyberattack across the country".

The image on the TV appears pixelated at first, but comes into focus a few seconds later before completely disappearing again. Upon closer inspection, hidden within the colour-blocked counties, there's a small QR code placed over the Kentucky/West Virginia area.

Because the QR code is so small and not clear enough to scan successfully, viewers have been desperate to find out what it actually links to. Someone has now enhanced the code, and it actually links to a website for a creepy abandoned amusement park.

The Leave The World Behind QR code links to a real life place called Lake Shawnee Abandoned Amusement Park in Mercer Country, West Virginia. Per the website's description, there’s something "unnatural" about the attraction's location, which is billed as "one of the world’s most haunted places".

"A Native American burial ground. Violent deaths. Freak accidents. Who knew a simple amusement park could have such a dark past?," the site writes.

What does the Leave The World Behind QR code mean?

Well, location wise, there doesn't appear to be any connection to the film's setting as that takes place in Long Island, NY.

Theories have also popped up among viewers, with some suggesting that it could be a hidden signal within the film, telling people to head to that location for safety.

However, others think it's likely intended to be an easter egg that links back to the film's ending and message. Leave The World Behind asks 'What are we left with once we lose our reliance on tech?' At the end of the film, we see Rose get completely distracted and forget all about the horrors that are happening in the real world after she finds a Friends DVD boxset in the bunker of the house nearby. She pops the disk in, settles in to watch the final episode and becomes blissfully ignorant to what's unfolding outside.

The amusement park built over land that saw countless violent deaths and burials, which now acts as a selling point for the attraction, could be a nod to that ending, reflecting the way society can easily ignore terrible things in place of a bit of fun and distraction.

So far, director Sam Esmail has not explained why that specific link was chosen for the QR code, but we'll update this article as soon as he explains more.

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