We are given a list of plot descriptions and what appears to be edited screenshots from movies. Through googling and reverse image search (e.g. Yandex), we should be able to identify a list of the sources (the screenshots are given in alphabetical order by movie name). Notably, each movie features a specific cipher or encoding. However, the encoding does not match the encrypted text in each screenshot.
Using the encoding from one movie, we can decode encrypted text in a different screenshot. This forms a cycle which we can use to reorder.
| Movie | Plot | Resource | Code | Ciphertext (in Next Movie’s Image) | Plaintext |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IQ | I pretend to be a prodigy with the help of a famous physicist | I.Q. (7/9) Movie CLIP - A, B, C, D, or E (1994) HD | Multiple choice questions with options labelled A-E, take position of genius making noise | A5 B12 C1 D7 E9 | ONE (1) |
| Miss Congeniality | I grudgingly dress up for a contest to find a serial killer | Script (starting from “But this time, he used a signifier…”) | Letter after the “mis” sound in words | ordered miso soup first because I am no misfit | OF |
| The Da Vinci Code | On the run, we visit a museum for some art | The Da Vinci Code: A clue on Da Vinci's Mona Lisa (HD CLIP) | Anagram | ethos | THOSE |
| Under the Silver Lake | Reading a video game periodical and a cereal box helps me track down my neighbor | Reddit thread | Copiale Code | [see image]≠mÿ∆¡ | JUNIOR |
| A Christmas Story | Finally, I’m able to read this… ad? | A Crummy Commercial | A Christmas Story | TBS; blog post | Decoder Ring | 26 9 25 4 23 11 25 | PARTNER |
| The Prestige | This notebook might help me with the key to the new invention | Blog post[1] | Vigenere with TESLA | WISWS | DEALS |
| National Treasure 2 | I take a page out of an assassin's book | National Treasure: Book of Secrets - The Debt That All Men Pay (HD) | Playfair, key=DEATH | FXUZKT | AROUND |
| The Imitation Game | I was passing notes to my friend at boarding school… too bad he died. | StackExchange answer | Caesar +4 | FPERO | BLANK |
| 21 | I repeatedly tap the table and stand while doing basic arithmetic in my head | Blog post | Word <-> number association | Cat | NINE |
Reading the decrypted plaintext, we spell out a cluephrase: ONE OF THOSE JUNIOR PARTNER DEALS AROUND BLANK (NINE). This is a quote from another movie, Miracle on 34th Street, and gives us the answer MANHASSET.
This puzzle got started during an impromptu movie night after a MH puzzle-writing retreat. We ended up choosing to watch Miss Congeniality (some of our friends kept telling us that their idea of a perfect date is April 25th); about 15 minutes in we saw a “coded letter from a serial killer,” so naturally we paused the movie to decode it. To our surprise, it actually was a real solvable puzzle with a real answer, complete with a do-it-again mechanic. If you’re unspoiled or you want to give it to your friends to solve, here’s a transcription of the letter: