Shocking twists and horror pretty much go hand-in-hand. Pulling the rug out from the audience is what horror films thrive on, as all it needs is that one reaction from the theater to know it was a success.
Throughout the years, the horror genre has had its fair share of plot twists that viewers did not see coming. Perhaps the film excelled at hiding the reveal in plain sight. Maybe the filmmakers used tropes of the horror genre against the audience, as they were expecting one thing and got something completely different. These twists did just that. This should go without saying but... spoiler warning!
Don’t Breathe
In Don’t Breathe, Rocky, with her two friends Alex and Money, attempt to rob blind veteran, Norman Nordstrom, who recently received a large settlement after his daughter was killed in a car accident. What seems like an easy heist turns out to be a nightmare since Norman is a skilled killer despite his disability.
What follows is an atmospheric thriller where the intruders become the hunted. As Rocky is hiding in Norman’s basement, she discovers that Norman has a woman tied up and imprisoned there, the same woman that had killed Norman’s daughter.
You’re Next
In You're Next, Erin comes to visit her boyfriend Crispin’s wealthy family for a reunion. Unfortunately, their night is ruined by a bunch of masked killers. What the killers don’t know is that Erin is an expert survivalist, having grown up on a compound with her father.
Erin soon becomes the true hunter, using her surroundings to take on the killers in a brutal fashion. It's first revealed that one of the brothers, Felix, had hired these killers in order to inherit their family’s fortune. By the end of the film, Erin has successfully dispatched all the killers, including Felix. Except, there’s one more twist; Erin discovers that her boyfriend Crispin was also working with Felix on this deadly scheme. It's clear that Crispin had no knowledge of Erin's particular set of skills.
Get Out
As audiences follow Chris in Get Out, there is a constant sense of unease. Since this is a horror film, it was inevitable that something was going to go wrong when Chris visits his girlfriend's family for the weekend. One could also expect some social commentary from writer and director Jorden Peele.
After being hypnotized by Missy for his smoking habit, Chris enters what is called "The Sunken Place." It turns out that this was the start of The Coagula, where a cult of wealthy white people bid on black people to take over their bodies through brain surgery. The original host's subconscious would only be a enger as the new host gets to live out in the body. Not only this, but you also find out the house groundskeeper and maid are actually the original Grandma and Grandpa Armitage.
Final Destination 5
The Final Destination series always had a simple premise that played out over five films. Final Destination 5 started off just like any other where a group of co-workers narrowly avoid a bridge collapse, only to be picked off later by Death itself.
Thankfully, Final Destination 5 ended up being one of the better entries, with suspenseful death sequences and the unique premise of the survivors being able to kill someone to take their life span. The film had one last kicker, as well; it turns out that this is a prequel, taking place before the first film. The remaining characters ended up boarding the dreaded Flight 180 at the end of the film.
Identity
Identity focuses on a group of people stranded at a motel during a rainstorm who soon begin to get killed off one by one. At the same time, there is a man named Malcolm Rivers who is awaiting execution after he murdered several people prior.
The controversial twist is that everyone at the motel is a manifestation of Malcolm's multiple personalities, with one of them being evil. Malcolm's psychiatrist, Dr. Malick, hopes to find which one is the evil so it can be killed. After having believed they succeeded, Malcolm is no longer up for execution. However, it turns out that they failed, as the personality of a young boy named Timmy, who was thought to be killed off, as well, was the actual evil personality. Now, Malcolm's sole personality is Timmy. It's a very unique take on the "it was all in their head" twist.
Orphan
Orphan is a very weird and disturbing film, but it's effective nonetheless—especially in regard to the twist. It revolves around Kate and John, a couple who adopt a nine-year-old girl named Esther. Since this is a horror film, there is obviously something much more sinister behind Esther’s innocent personality.
After a series of violent events, Kate begins to grow suspicious of Esther. After digging a little deeper, Kate finds out that Esther is not a little girl. She is, in fact, a 33-year-old woman named Leena with hypopituitarism, a rare disease that has caused her to look like a little girl.
Psycho
This twist may seem tame by today’s standards, but audiences in 1960 were completely stunned by the ending of Psycho. Viewers were even asked to not talk about the ending so the twist wouldn’t be spoiled for later audiences.
During the infamous shower scene, Marion is killed by a figure that would resemble Norman’s mother. The audience was led to believe she’s been the killer the entire film, as Norman has routine conversations with her behind closed doors. As everyone knows now, it was Norman all along, dres his mother, whom he had killed.
April Fools Day
April Fools Day came out in the slew of 80s slasher films, so audiences thought they knew what to expect. It was also common to make a slasher flick from just about any other holiday, so April Fools Day seemed par for the course.
The film has the usual slasher tropes, with the bodies of the characters being found. By the end of the film, it’s revealed to have been just one giant elaborate April Fools joke and that none of the characters were actually dead. The joke was actually one the audience the entire time, playing on their expectations of the 80s slasher craze.
The Mist
Frank Darabont’s adaptation of Stephen King’s The Mist has one of the cruelest and bleakest twist endings in all of cinema. It revolves around a small town overtaken by a mysterious mist that releases deadly creatures from another dimension.
The controversial ending shows David and his son Billy, along with three other survivors, driving into the endless mist. In order to avoid a slow and painful death from the monsters, David shoots everyone in the car, including his own son. With no bullet for himself, David begs the creatures to take him, only to find out that the military was just minutes away from arriving and saving them.
Sleepaway Camp
After an accident that kills her brother Peter and their father, Angela is taken in by her Aunt Martha. Years later, Angela is at a summer camp where other counselors meet their gruesome end. Audiences were not prepared for the twist ending, though. It’s revealed that the innocent Angela has been the killer the whole time. Except, she’s not Angela; Angela is Peter, her brother. Angela was actually the one killed in the accident and Peter was raised as a girl by his aunt.
