Summary

• Powerful final scenes in horror movies stick with audiences long after the credits roll.
• Endings in horror films can be unpredictable and provide memorable conclusions.
• Characters in horror movies often face fate and final moments that are both triumphant and terrifying.

The best final scenes from horror movies were powerful moments that stuck with audiences well after the credits rolled. A satisfying conclusion to a scary story was always a great thing, and horror movies can be notoriously difficult to end in a way that was both unpredictable and did the overall narrative justice. However, several horror movies managed to do just that and effectively used their final scenes to provide moments that would go down in horror history as some of the best conclusions ever depicted on the big screen.

The greatest final scenes from horror movies varied greatly and, while some used those moments as opportunities to set up sequels or franchises, others simply let the story end right there and sealed the fate of its characters forever. Final horror scenes can sometimes be triumphant moments for characters who, against the odds, managed to survive, or other times can be the last nail in the coffin of their doomed fate. No matter what, the best final horror movie scenes were always memorable and have stood the test of time.

12 The Shining (1980)

Jack Torrance left frozen and trapped at Overlook Hotel forever

The Shining was one of the greatest horror movies ever made, and, even if the novel’s original writer Stephen King has his issues with Stanley Kubrick’s version, it still stood as a truly effective horror movie with an incredible ending. After being driven mad at the Overlook Hotel and attempting to kill his entire family, Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson) found himself desperately hunting his loved ones with an axe in a giant hedge maze. The tense atmosphere and suspenseful setting of the final act of The Shining only added to all the unnerving horror that came before.

After being unable to track down his victims Jack froze to death in the hedge maze, and in the final moments of The Shining, viewers caught a glimpse of a picture dated July 4, 1921, with Jack in among the hotel’s part guests. This cryptic ending hinted that Jack would remain just another spirit in the Overlook Hotel, remaining forever to haunt whichever unfortunate soul took up his position next. A powerful end to a deeply influential horror movie, The Shining was truly a cinematic triumph.

11 The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)

Leatherface still chasing his victim and flailing his chainsaw as the sun rose

The low-budget independent slasher movie The Texas Chain Saw Massacre was a horror cult classic that was made even more frightening by its real-life inspiration. Drawing on the horrific story of the serial killer Ed Gein, the antagonist of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre Leatherface was a fearsome killer who ruthlessly pursued his unfortunate victims. As a large hulking figure who used power to tools to kill his victims, the masked villain Leatherface was truly the stuff of nightmares.

Leatherface’s threatening demeanor was made more effective by the final scene of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, which saw him still chasing his victim. After having escaped the horror that was Leatherface’s home his planned victim Sally Hardestry made it to safety in a ing truck, but this did not stop Leatherface from running after her as he flailed his chainsaw before the credits rolled. The fact that The Texas Chain Saw Massacre ended with Leatherface still alive and out for blood set the series up for sequels but also left viewers with the unnerving feeling he could be anywhere.

10 Carrie (1976)

Sue Snell was haunted by the guilt she felt for the death of Carrie White

Carrie told a powerful story about a shy girl who was pushed too far by her bullying peers and contained an ending that was liable to keep viewers up at night. With an exceptional performance from Sissy Spacek in the title role, Carrie was a bittersweet movie that played with audiences’ emotions as Carrie was built up by those around her, only to be brought crashing down by mean vindictiveness. In the lead to the final dream sequence conclusion, Carrie caused havoc in her high school and used her telekinesis powers to destroy her house, killing her mother and herself.

In the final scene of Carrie viewers followed Sue Snell, the popular high school student whose remorseful goodwill led to Carrie’s ultimate demise. In an effective dream sequence, Sue visited Carrie’s grave only for her bloodied arm to reach out from the rubble and grab her in the movie’s most effective jump scare. A fiercely powerful ending, Sue was left screaming as her mother consoled her and audiences were left with the perception that the sad story of Carrie White will haunt those effected for the rest of their lives.

9 Drag Me To Hell (2009)

Drag Me to Hell delivered on its title

After three consecutive Spider-Man movies, director Sam Rami returned to the horror genre where he first made a name for himself and delivered a fun and satirical mortality tale called Drag Me to Hell. Telling the story of a young loan officer refusing an elderly lady's request for an extension on her mortgage, Drag Me to Hell showcased the consequences of a deadly curse that the old woman placed on her. Made shortly after the financial crash of 2008, Drag Me to Hell highlighted contemporaries' anxieties about money with a powerful ending that viewers should have seen coming.

The title was a dead giveaway for the final scene of Drag Me to Hell as, just when everything appeared to have worked out for loan officer Christine Brown, she came face-to-face with her past sins and paid the deadly price for them. The final scene of Drag Me to Hell revealed that the curse was never lifted the gates of fiery gates of hell opened and Christine was dragged in to suffer for eternity. A shocking ending that confounded all expectations, audiences were left in absolute shock as the credits to Drag Me to Hell rolled.

8 The Wicker Man (1973)

The ritual sacrifice takes place

The British folk horror movie The Wicker Man was a cult classic that bore plenty of similarities to the later Ari Aster sleeper horror hit Midsommar. An atmospheric horror movie that told the story of a police officer investigating a missing girl on an isolated Scottish island, The Wicker Man slowly built towards its epic conclusion as the unnerving reality of the island revealed itself bit by bit. With a population that had abandoned Christianity in favor of pagan beliefs, The Wicker Man was a fearful story a man in the wrong place at the wrong time.

With a need to offer a ritual sacrifice to their pagan gods, Sgt. Neil Howie found himself at the center of a ceremony that saw him burn to death inside a giant wicker man statue while the creepy population sang ancient English folk music. This unnerving conclusion came as a terror-inducing shock, as The Wicker Man subjected horror tropes of the noble lawman making it out alive. A majorly effective ending, in the years since its release, The Wicker Man has imbued itself in popular culture and even influenced modern festivals like Burning Man in the United States.

The Wicker Man received an American remake in 2006 which was directed by Neil LaBute and starred Nicolas Cage as the doomed police officer.

7 The Sixth Sense (1999)

A classic M. Night Shyamalan twist is revealed

Today, the twist ending of The Sixth Sense has solidified itself as a touchstone of popular culture as the phrase “I see dead people” stood as one of cinema’s most famous quotes. However, when The Sixth Sense was first released this psychological horror kept viewers on the edge of their seats and left them gobsmacked with its surprise conclusion. After it was revealed that Malcolm Crowe (Bruce Willis) had been dead for much of the film, it recontextualized the entire narrative of The Sixth Sense and signaled writer and director M. Night Shyamalan as a major new voice in Hollywood.

While Shyamalan would later become known for his twist endings, when The Sixth Sense was released, nobody saw it coming.

The conclusion of The Sixth Sense saw Crowe finally come to with his true fate as he returned home to his wife and discovered he was no longer wearing his wedding ring and that he did not survive the shooting earlier in the movie. This mic drop moment was the most memorable part of The Sixth Sense as the modern ghost story came full circle with a satisfyingly spooking ending. While Shyamalan would later become known for his twist endings, when The Sixth Sense was released, nobody saw it coming.

6 Rosemary’s Baby (1968)

Rosemary bore the child of Satan

Roman Polanski’s Rosemary’s Baby was truly one of the most unnerving movies to come out of the 1960s and has maintained its power to frighten and horrify viewers right up to modern times. Starring Mia Farrow as the unfortunate Rosemary, a woman whose Satanic neighbors groomed her to bear the child of Satan, Rosemary’s Baby was a psychological horror that got to the very heart of human fear and anxiety. As Rosemary’s Baby built toward its terrifying conclusion all the groundwork had been laid for it to scare with maximum effect.

The final scene of Rosemary’s Baby saw Rosemary coming face-to-face with her child and in shock and horror she realized that her worst nightmare had come true. As she screamed “what have you done to its eyes?” a neighbor told her the baby had his father’s eyes, which showcased that Rosemary had given birth to the offspring of the Devil himself. The fact that the baby was never shown on screen made this conclusion all the more terrifying, as viewers could only imagine what kind of horrid creature had entered the world.

5 Hereditary (2018)

Hail Paimon!

While the ending of Hereditary was open to interpretation when taken at its most literal it was still a shocking conclusion that spread fear and terror into the minds of horrified viewers. Ari Aster’s story of a grief-stricken family had many shocking moments throughout, which as the sudden decapitation of 13-year-old Charlie Graham, but nothing compared to the unnerving horror of the final scene in Hereditary. As all the pieces of its complex story came together, the ending of Hereditary proved just how much its characters had been manipulated.

The final scene of Hereditary showcased that Annie’s mother was deeply involved in the occult as her son Peter Graham was revealed to be a vessel for the return of the demon king Paimon. At its core Hereditary was the story of a family in crisis and this shocking supernatural and demonic ending brought up as many as it answered. While plenty of audience have been left dumbfounded by what it all meant, the ending of Hereditary was rife with symbolic meaning and its terrifying end note was a memorably bleak conclusion.

4 The Mist (2007)

David Drayton’s devastating choice

Having already directed the excellent Stephen King adaptations The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile, director Frank Darabont told an exceedingly bleak tale with his version of The Mist. As a terrifying monster movie that exploited the fear of the unknown, The Mist built toward its shocking ending scene with so slow calculated precision, as viewers gradually realized the doomed nature of its characters. With seemingly no other choice, the final moments of The Mist were far more horrific than most horror movies dared to portray.

Having done everything he could to escape the mysterious mist that shrouded sinister creatures from another dimension, David Drayton felt he was left with no other choice than to kill his son and three companions to avoid them falling victim to a far more gruesome death at the hands of the monsters. However, after David killed his child, he was confronted by the U.S. army who had arrived to save the day. The dour final scene of The Mist showcased that if David had waited a few moments longer, his son and the rest of the survivors could have lived.

3 The Blair Witch Project (1999)

An ambiguous ending

The found-footage horror of The Blair Witch Project ended on an ambiguous note that left many questions about what had actually occurred. Through the story of three student filmmakers who wandered through the woods to investigate the legend of the Blair Witch, the film was a surprise horror hit that led to countless imitators in the years since its release. The power of The Blair Witch Project came from the ingenious way it utilized the fear of the unknown, as the titular Blair Witch remained unseen throughout the movie.

The Blair Witch Project presented itself as the real found footage of the three investigating students as they interviewed locals about the legend and stepped ever closer toward danger. The final scene saw the group get split up from one another as fearful screams hinted that the creature had finally caught up with them and as the camera cuts out the fate of its characters was never revealed. This ambiguous ending allowed audiences to fill in the gaps themselves, and as was usually the case, the horrors that can be conjured in the mind were always the most terrifying.