Horror movies are designed to keep audiences on the edge of their seats, wondering what is coming next. Sometimes this results in a well-timed jump scare, but there are also some iconic horror movie plot twists that can catch the audience off guard.
Of course, pulling off a good plot twist is harder than it seems. Sometimes the identity of the killer is a lot more obvious than the filmmakers think. Sometimes that final scare can be seen coming a mile away. While these obvious plot twists might not necessarily ruin a movie, they don't exactly leave audiences shocked either.
Us (2019)
Though Jordan Peele's follow-up to Us is still a brilliant and original horror movie. It follows a family, led by Adelaide, who encounter a family of evil doppelgangers.
Once it's revealed that the doppelgangers want to take the place of their more privileged counterparts, it becomes clear what the truth is. Seeing as Adelaide encountered her doppelganger as a child, it's no surprise when it turns out she and her counterpart already traded places years ago.
Army Of The Dead (2021)
Zack Snyder's recent zombie action movie Army of the Dead is a fun take on the genre. When Las Vegas is sealed off as a zombie containment site, a group of mercenaries are hired to sneak in and steal money from one of the casino vaults.
The Netflix movie has more than a few plot holes and a wild premise, but it is also quite obvious that the heist is not as simple as that. As soon as the mission's benefactor insists on sending his own man along, it's easy to guess that this is not about the money but rather about harnessing the zombies.
The Others (2001)
Period horror movies are always interesting as the setting adds an interesting layer to the story. The Others stars Nicole Kidman as a woman looking after her children while her husband is fighting in World War II. Soon, she begins to feel that their house is haunted.
In movies like this, it's always obvious that it is not just a simple ghost story, so the audience starts looking for the truth. With the strict rules that the kids can't go outside and the limited connection with the outside world, it's not hard to figure out that Kidman and her kids are actually the ghosts.
The Meg (2018)
There's something about the summer season that puts audiences in the mood The Meg is an entertaining enough adventure, even if it is a bit predictable.
After the heroes confront the giant shark and kill it, they begin celebrating about having saved the day. But it feels quite obvious that there is still a lot more story left and that there is clearly another shark who makes what is meant to be a surprise appearance.
Hide And Seek (2005)
It is rare to see Robert De Niro popping up in a horror movie and, unfortunately, Hide and Seek isn't a very memorable movie to welcome him into the genre. De Niro plays a widower raising his young daughter, played by Dakota Fanning, who talks to an imaginary friend who may be dangerous.
Though De Niro acts concerned for his daughter's behavior, the audience can already see where this is heading long before the reveal. It turns out De Niro's character has dissociative identity disorder and is the murderous friend his daughter speaks of.
1408 (2007)
Though there 1408 is a somewhat forgotten one. Still, it is an appropriately chilling horror story even if it doesn't reinvent the genre. It stars John Cusack as a man who debunks supernatural occurrences who spends a night in a supposed haunted hotel room and gets more than he bargained for.
It doesn't take long to discover that the room is the real deal, but then Cusack wakes up apparently having dreamed all the strange occurrences and leaves. But since the room had shown it can destroy reality, it's hard to buy and not very surprising when it is revealed he is still trapped in the room.
Secret Window (2004)
At the height of his Secret Window finds Depp playing an author staying in a secluded cabin where he is stalked by a man claiming that he stole his book.
The movie feels like a fairly pointless thriller especially since the audience can see the ending coming a mile away. From the author's own personal issues to the obvious foreshadowing, it is clear the man claiming he is a fraud is all inside the author's head.
10 Cloverfield Lane (2016)
In an unexpected continuation of the 10 Cloverfield Lane stars Mary Elizabeth Winstead as a young woman who wakes up following a car accident to find herself in a bunker. John Goodman plays the man who built the bunker who claims to protect her from an alien invasion.
The question of whether Goodman is a hero or villain adds a lot of tension leading to the climax when Winstead escapes the bunker and sees there is an actual invasion. But with Cloverfield in the title, that final reveal is sort of expected.
Scream (1996)
Though it is now dismissed by many as a cliched slasher movie, the first Scream movie is a brilliant horror game-changer that played with many of those cliches of the genre. That includes the suspicious boyfriend possibly being the killer.
Billy Loomis remains a prime suspect for much of the movie even though there are questions raised about how he could have done it. And despite a clever reveal that there are two killers, the fact that Billy is one of them is no surprise at all.
Spiral: From The Book Of Saw (2021)
Instead of being a reboot of the a continuation of Jigsaw's story with a copycat killer targeting police officers. Chris Rock plays a detective investigating the series of murders of his colleagues, including his young partner, William.
The problem is that with all the very graphic and gory deaths in the movie, William's is the only one not actually shown. That, and the fact that he very suspiciously borrowed his partner's phone makes it not very shocking when he is revealed to be alive and the killer.
