The Departed, 2006
Martin Scorsese used the symbol of a cross in the Oscar-winning movie The Departed. Every time you see something that looks like a cross, you can be sure that something bloody will follow soon. A similar trick was used in The Godfather, but in this movie, oranges appear on the screen before the death of another character.
And the movie where this trick was used for the first time is Scarface that was released in 1932. The director of this movie also used the symbol of a cross.