Though The Lost Boys came out over 35 years ago, there’s still a very active fanbase of horror lovers who keep this vampire classic at the tops of their must-watch lists. And rightfully so! Few vampires are as badass as David and the rest of his gang of 80’s glam rock wannabe blood-suckers. Even with all the re-watching fans have been doing for decades, they’ve still found a Mandela Effect in one of The Lost Boys‘ most iconic scenes: When Michael eats Chinese food with David and the gang. Are you remembering this scene all wrong, too?

A Mandela Effect is when a large group of people misremember something. They swear they saw something or heard something, yet all proof says otherwise. Many believe this is a sign of an alternate universe. So, is there a sign of an alternate universe in The Lost Boys? Let’s see: How do you remember the scene when David offers some Chinese food to Michael?

Worms or Maggots?

Ask a bunch of horror fans and they’ll say that the scene goes a little something like this: David hands Michael a to-go box of noodles. Michael tucks in, munching on the Americanized Chinese delicacy. Mid-munch, David asks, “How do you like your worms, Michael?” When Michael asks “What?” in confusion, David responds, “Worms. You’re eating worms.” Michael looks down to find a fistful of worms writhing in his to-go box.

Is that how you remember the scene? Congratulations; you’re remembering it wrong.

Michael never eats worms, or noodles that have been vampire-magicked into looking like worms. In the scene you’ll find in any copy or version of The Lost Boys, this scene plays out with a to-go box of rice that turns into maggots. Yep. Maggots, not worms.

Truly, a lot of people have fallen for this Mandela Effect. Like this person:

I asked my friend, who also loves The Lost Boys. “Hey, in Lost Boys, you know the joke about the worms in Chinese food?” He looks at me, and without even missing a beat, says in the same tone and inflection I vividly remember, “How do you like your worms Michael?” I told him I thought that was it, and explained everything I just did to you. He said I was full of it and looked it up. He was as shocked as me. He called a friend of his who he said that was his all time favorite movie. Same thing. u/themoviehero

So why is everyone remembering it wrong? Let’s figure this out.

A Case for Maggots

First of all, there are worms in this scene. After Michael thinks he eats maggots, David then offers him a container of noodles. When Michael looks at the noodles, he sees worms. He mentions this to David, but David–not Michael–munches on the noodles, showing him they aren’t worms. Michael never even holds that container, but it could be a good reason why some people are mixed up. They saw the full scene and assumed it was the worms Michael ate, and not the maggots.

Of course, the people who believe in this Mandela Effect insist there were never maggots in that scene to begin with. Weird, right?

Here’s another interesting tidbit. Have you seen the movie What We Do in the Shadows? It looks like the writers might have been a victim of this Mandela Effect as well. Check out a scene from the movie below. https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=TAnWmVmDYG8

“We stole that idea from The Lost Boys,” says Deacon after convincing Nick that his “buhsghetti” is worms.

If you’re still unsure of what you really saw in the original The Lost Boys, here’s the iconic scene for proof. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0A80j2BuMaU

You can also watch the whole thing on Amazon Video.