Top 5 Horror Movie Twists

Call it hackneyed, cliche and overused or call it creative, ingenious and original; no matter which way one sides, it's hard to deny the impact of a twist ending. A ludicrous twist ending can destroy a movie just as easily as a fantastic twist can elevate a film into classic status. Personally, great twist endings are something I live for.

While some of the best twists to ever appear in cinema have happened in other genres (The Usual Suspects, Fight Club, Empire Strikes Back) it's horror that fits the mold perfectly to dramatic twists, turns and "Oh, I never saw that coming" type stories. To that end, I've assorted what I believe are the top five horror movie twists to date.

It should go without saying but just in case, I'm going to go ahead and warn readers that spoilers are ahead.

Number 5 - SE7EN


Se7en was an absolutely brilliant movie from the very start, one that didn't need a twist ending to "save" it. But oh, what an ending it was. From the minute that John Doe (excellently played by Kevin Spacey) turns himself in after committing five murders symbolizing the deadly sins - gluttony, lust, greed, sloth and pride, the audience is immediately forced to ask "What about envy and wrath?" while being thrust forward onto the edge of their seats. Needless to say, John Doe has plunged the protagonists into a trap, involving a certain character's loved one, which all leads to a stunning conclusion that's hard to forget.


Number 4 - ANGEL HEART

This is a lesser known, very underrated one so I'm going to try to avoid giving it away, as many summaries of this film often do. Regardless, Angel Heart is the story of private investigator Harry Angel, hired by the wealthy Louis Cyphre to locate an old crooner by the name of Johnny Favorite, who was injured in WWII. At first glance and then throughout the film, it hardly seems apt to describe this movie was horror or anything other than a hardboiled detective story. However, in the final act, just as the viewer is convinced they've figured things out, the tables turn completely out of left field and Angel finds himself in a horrifying, gut-wrenching predicament worse than any of his worst nightmares.

Number 3 - SAW


Saw is a fairly recent movie but that shouldn't disqualify it from the rankings. Even if one disagrees with the direction of the later sequels or dislikes the series all together, the ending of the original film truly is worth commending for its sheer shock value. Right at the end, it seems the Jigsaw Killer has been killed and one of the protagonists, Dr. Lawrence, has been driven to the point of sawing off his own foot to escape the trap. As Lawrence tells Adam, still chained to the wall, that he'll find help, he stumbles away (never to be seen again, except in fan message boards). Then, the unthinkable happens. The presumed corpse that has been lying in the room from the start of the film stands up, fully alive, reveals himself to be the true Jigsaw Killer, slams the door shut on Adam and in the process, gives birth to the biggest ongoing franchise in horror today.

Number 2 - FRIDAY THE 13TH


Okay, so nowadays a "gotcha" ending like this is practically an expected part of any horror movie. But it's only become so traditional because Friday the 13th did it so perfectly. Sure, I'm not the biggest fan of the first movie--the series only really kicks off once Jason gets the hockeymask in Part 3--but the ending is a true classic. It's enough enough of a twist that the killer of the movie is an old lady but nothing can top that finale on the lake, where everything seems safe...until the decomposed, previously thought dead Jason Voorhees launches himself from the water, making his big debut on the silver screen.


And finally, that brings us to numero uno...


Number 1 - NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD


I'm sure some may have expected Psycho to be here but overall, I really have to give it to George Romero's 1968 masterpiece. There's a huge amount to commend about Night of the Living Dead, from its creation of those lumbering, undead zombies, to the eerie black and white atmosphere and especially to Romero's undercover social commentary. Nowhere is this commentary more evident than the ending of the film. After all the survivors except one, Ben, are killed, Ben takes refuge in the basement as the zombies flood into the house. The next day a glimmer of hope seems to arrive, as a band of rednecks are going across the country shooting up all the undead creatures roaming the field. Finally, they arrive at the house and kill all the remaining zombies and Ben, finally saved, rushes out to freedom...only to mistaken for a zombie himself and shot instantly. The social implications of this act alone are fascinating, made only more bleak by the fact that Ben was an African American and his death by other humans can easily be seen as a sly comment on racial attitudes of the time. Romero would take his social commentary and ideas even farther in Night of the Living Dead's four sequels but truly, his first movie made the strongest statements of them all.


Now, of course, there's many more great twist endings that couldn't fit onto the list, so honorable mentions go to the previously-mentioned Psycho, as well as Scream and The Sixth Sense.

Have any other movies you think are worth mentioning? Disagree with any of my choices? Either way, comments are welcome and appreciated.

- Nicholas Conley