The Crappiest Twist Endings of All Time
Filed under: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Thrillers, Mystery & Suspense, Johnny Depp, Remakes and Sequels, Lists
Over at Cracked.com, they've made a list of the top ten worst twist endings of all time. Obviously that list has a lot of spoilers, but I'm going to attempt to write this post without revealing any of them. Why? To make sure you go over there, of course. So, if you're not worried about ruining the endings to some movies you probably shouldn't see anyway, then head over and read the hilariously confusing explanations, or attempts at explanations, and/or how some endings don't make enough sense to bother with explanations. I will let you in on the titles of the movies, just in case you are interested in seeing any of them in the future and would like to go in spoiler free. The ten, in order from "least asinine" to "most asinine", are: Stay (2005); High Tension (2003); Signs (2002); Hide and Seek (2005) and Secret Window (2004), which tie for #7, because they're considered the exact same plot (is that spoiling it for you guys? probably -- oh well, I tried); The Forgotten (2004); Basic (2003); Perfect Stranger (2007); The Number 23 (2007); Planet of the Apes (2001); and The Life of David Gale (2003).I haven't seen the number one movie, but I can't imagine it's worse than the others that I have seen, especially Planet of the Apes. Basically, I think Cracked.com considers it the worst because it stars Kevin Spacey, who also starred in The Usual Suspects, which pretty much, along with The Sixth Sense, obviously, got Hollywood on this crappy twist kick to begin with (He was also in Se7en, which had another so-so twist ending). Look at those films; they all came out between 2001 and 2007. And what was the most common twist? The main character did it. Either he or she has a split personality, or amnesia, or suffers from some other psychological ailment. Other idiotic yet easily written twists include: aliens did it; it's all a dream (as if you need to steal from Bob Newhart, come on!); and, in the fashion of Suspects, it's all just made-up stories. Personally, I'm upset to not see my least favorite twist ending. It involved a whole crop of great actors who just so happened to be explained as existing inside the imagination of some mental patient. That one had the split personality plus the dream plus the Suspects idea that none of what we watched is real. Can you name it?










Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
10-16-2007 @ 7:11PM
Tyler said...
Identity - which really wasn't that bad of a movie.
The Forgotten should take the #1 spot on my list because it's just ridiculous. Perhaps The Fountain would make my list because the twist is there is no twist, it just ends in a confusing, self-inflated mess.
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10-16-2007 @ 7:14PM
Gina said...
I thought you were talking about "St. Elsewhere." :-) But then, I guess this IS a movie blog, not a TV blog!
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10-16-2007 @ 9:39PM
glyn said...
To be fair to planet of the apes (and dear lord, I HATED THAT MOVIE) the twist is actually more faithful to the novel than that of the original movie was. The novel also has a further twist afterwards. (which i won't spoil here)
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10-16-2007 @ 7:36PM
Joe said...
se7en had a so-so ending? maybe we watched different movies
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10-16-2007 @ 7:40PM
MCW said...
I got a good one for this list. "PREMONITION" with Sandra Bullock is the exact same lousy movie as "Secret Window". Same stupid twist ending, waste of a Netflix rental and 2 hours of my life. Yargh.
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10-16-2007 @ 7:42PM
b0ring said...
I considered this list rubbish as soon as I saw the first choice. Sure the ending is cliche, but I loved "Stay" (and amazingly didn't see the ending coming). But then I could watch Ryan Gosling silently read a book to himself and be mesmerised...
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10-16-2007 @ 10:15PM
Iqbal Singh said...
I haaated Identity, but I didn't think that Planet of the Apes was that bad. The sequels without charlton heston though, those were god awful and hour of my life that I will never get back.
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10-16-2007 @ 9:53PM
donny said...
The list lost all credibility for me when I saw #10 as well - Stay isn't any where near a surprise ending. It's more about the crazy shit that goes on in your mind as you die. I thought it was genius.
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10-16-2007 @ 11:05PM
Ernie said...
My number 1, is an oldie, but so bad I can't forget it, Fight Club! We saw his alter ego the whole movie then find out the truth.
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10-16-2007 @ 11:34PM
Norm Schrager said...
I'm glad The Usual Suspects pops up on the list -- not that the ending is so terrible, but its execution is.
I couldn't wait to see the film when it opened, and I was immensely disappointed. It wallows in its own ridiculous coolness (and when has Kevin Pollak EVER been cool?...) so much that even if the fairly funky ending was ruined by a heavy handed style that was far more concerned with being full of itself.
Yet, I enjoy the rest of Bryan Singer's movies. Even Apt Pupil.
Norm S.
http://www.meetinthelobby.com
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10-17-2007 @ 1:41AM
matthew m. barnes said...
the Sixth Sense and The Usual Suspects did start the trend, but they did it well. as for Identity, i frakkin' loved that movie. mostly because it wasn't so much of a twist ending (though there is a bit of a twist there at the end), but because they revealed the twist 1/2 way through and we got to watch the rest play out from a different viewpoint.
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10-17-2007 @ 3:42AM
tv junkie said...
"Stay" has a pretty lame twist, I was able to overlook the slow-moving plot because I enjoyed the cinematography and the eerie but dreamy feel of the film (very stylishly shot,) but then, the ending comes, and it was not satisfying at all, especially when the characters have to explain about the twist to the viewers. (kind of like "St. Elsewhere" or maybe even "Roseanne" for the TV fans.)
"The Life of David Gale" was trying to make a point with its ambiguous twist ending, but it was pretty predictable since the entire movie was just trying way too hard on making the viewers think. in the end, though, the film felt pretty lame because of the many cheap tricks it used with its setup. (the whole "everything is not what it seems to be" kind of thing)
But i gotta admit, I'm a sucker for twist endings...even though they just don't work most of the time, at least, in Hollywood movies.
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10-17-2007 @ 8:35AM
Tor said...
How does "The Forgotten" make the list, but not "The Village"? That makes no sense.
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10-17-2007 @ 9:50AM
Jonathan said...
I actually liked David Gale - thought the 'rape' was because they had a relationship and he had sex with her prior to her death. But my memory fades...
And I think you are referencing "St. Elsewhere" as that was THE lamest twist ending of all time in any media.
It did give hope to parents of autistic children though, that if you could get those stories out of their heads somehow, you could win a bunch of Emmys.
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10-17-2007 @ 10:03AM
farfisa said...
I think Taking Lives was the worst. I admit that I hate Ethan Hawke so that gives it a little bias, but this was one of those movies that basically makes you feel like an ass for watching it. There weren't enough characters in the movie to even make you think that the killer could have been somebody else, and oh, god, the ending. Joke's on the audience again!
Sure, Angelina got naked and Keifer surfed a guy through a window but even that didn't make up for it.
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10-17-2007 @ 10:11AM
E said...
Whoa!? Se7en was a great movie and has the greatest opening credit sequence ever (nine inch nails - hello?!).
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10-17-2007 @ 12:25PM
Robobagins said...
Fight Club isn't on the list because it has a good twist ending. Re-watch the film and you see it holds up. Hell when watching it the first time, halfway through you're asking just who the hell Tyler Durden is before the main character does.
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10-17-2007 @ 2:28PM
dana said...
Pretty damn good list. I know a lot of people who would add Saw to that list, but not me. I wouldn't say Fight Club, either, because that seemingly unfilmable twist is done remarkably well in Fincher's hands.
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10-17-2007 @ 3:19PM
ML said...
Identity? I couldn't believe so many people loved that movie so much. I often see twists coming and it doesn't bother me as long as the journey is interesting, but this one was incredibly boring. The movie relied on your not guessing the twist. I guessed the twist in The Sixth Sense right off, but that movie was interesting. (BTW, I'm slightly surprised that The Village is not on this list, speaking of lame twists. "No, it's not what it seems ... and it's not interesting, either." Maybe it's that the twist is revealed way before the end?)
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