The Best Twist Endings in Horror Movies, Ranked
In horror movies, it’s the twist ending that often makes all the difference. Where a less imaginative filmmaker might just go for the jump scare, thoughtful filmmakers use the twist ending to deliver a lasting impact that can leave audiences reeling even long after they leave the theater. Here, ranked in order, are some of the best horror movie twist endings of recent times.
10: “The Village”
M. Night Shyamalan’s “The Village” begins with either an idyllic or decidedly creepy atmosphere, depending on how you look at it. Set in a small town in the middle of the woods in the late 19th century, we slowly discover a dark secret – the village is part of a social experiment, with the citizens living in fear of monsters they believe inhabit the nearby woods. At the climax, the twist ending reveals that the villagers were actually fearful of modern society, and the monsters were just an invention of the village elders in order to keep the citizens – including their children – in isolation.
9: “Devil’s Backbone”
The 2001 Spanish horror film “The Devil’s Backbone” is a classic ghost story set during the Spanish Civil War. The tale follows orphan Carlos at a boarding school that is haunted by the ghost of Santi, a boy who disappeared from the school some years before. The twist reveals that Santi’s ghost was still seeking revenge for his murder by Jauma, one of the school staff who had killed him for the boy’s hidden fortune – which was hidden in the same room Santi haunts.
8: “Shutter Island”
In this 2010 psychological thriller directed by Martin Scorsese, US Marshal Teddy Daniels travels to the eerie Shutter Island Mental Institution to investigate a mysterious disappearance. While on the island, Teddy has strange visions, leading him to believe he is not who he seems. At the end of the movie, Teddy discovers that he has been a patient of the facility all along, and his trips to the island were part of an elaborate therapy experiment to help him come to terms with the horrific events that he witnessed in war.
7: “Final Destination”
The 2000 slasher-horror “Final Destination” follows a group of teenagers who narrowly escape death in a horrific plane crash, only to soon discover that their premonition of their own deaths was real. What follows is a string of increasingly creative and gory death scenes. The twist ending reveals that Death itself is a personified force which purposely put the characters in life-or-death situations in order to bring about their predetermined demise.
6: “Scream”
One of the most iconic horror-movie twist endings of all time has to be from Wes Craven’s 1996 classic “Scream.” After a media frenzy is whipped up around the identity of a mysterious killer, the movie reveals not just one but two killers – mother and son duo Maureen and Billy. In one of the most iconic scenes, Billy reveals his own identity, turns the tables on Sidney – the movie’s protagonist – and ties her up in the house which Maureen has set alight, only for Sidney to then dispatch Billy in a satisfyingly gory climax.
5: “The Sixth Sense”
In this 1999 classic from M. Night Shyamalan, Bruce Willis stars as Dr. Malcolm Crowe, a child psychologist trying to help a youngster who claims he can talk to the dead. Throughout the course of the movie, it is revealed that Malcolm himself is actually dead and is only able to interact with the world through the boy and another ghostly woman. The twist cliff-hanger of the film has Malcolm revealing with a satisfied smile that he was dead all along.
4: “Psycho”
This horror classic from Alfred Hitchcock is renowned for its twist ending, which sees Nancy – the movie’s heroine – fall victim to a murder committed by the seemingly mild-mannered Norman Bates, who turns out to be suffering from multiple-personality disorder. The movie cuts away from Norman and to a psychiatrist discussing his condition and we are left to draw our own conclusions.
3: “The Others”
A dark and mysterious period thriller, “The Others” tells the story of a family who inhabit an isolated mansion on a creepy island. As the movie progresses, it is revealed that the family’s mother, Grace, is suffering from a mental disorder and the family are in fact dead and her delusions are keeping them alive. The twist ending – that Grace is actually a ghost too – completes the cycle.
2: “Saw”
Released in 2004 and directed by James Wan, “Saw” spawned a long-running series of sequels and made its mark on its debut by delivering a nail-biting climax. Protagonist Adam is given a mysterious box with an instruction manual and then forced to choose his fate: save himself or his ex-wife. The twist ending reveals that Adam had already died earlier in the movie, and the whole situation was a test of his faith.
1: “Get Out”
Jordan Peele’s 2017 horror-comedy smash hit “Get Out” is a classic of the genre, and its twist ending is one of the most powerful reveals of recent years. What begins as a seemingly straightforward horror movie slowly unravels to reveal a sinister brainwashing plot against protagonist Chris. At the climax, the audience discovers that Chris is still living, albeit in the body of his hypnotized girlfriend, and must escape from the terrifying family.
A twist ending can be the perfect way to deliver an unexpected punch and make a horror movie memorable. From M. Night Shyamalan’s “The Village” to Jordan Peele’s “Get Out”, there have been some incredible horror movie twist endings in recent years. These, ranked in order, are some of the best, most shocking and brilliantly clever horror movie twist endings of recent times.
