Top 20 Worst Horror Movie Endings
#20: "The Turning" (2020)
Top 10 Horror Movie Endings That Made Fans RAGE QUIT
Some movie fans like their endings neat and tidy, fastened with a bow and without any ambiguity. If you're one of those fans, "The Turning" is...not for you. Many viewers felt consternated and let down by the final scene of this adaptation of the classic ghost story, "The Turn of the Screw," despite its comparisons to the source material. After all, the original story is a benchmark of inconclusive storytelling, demanding that the reader come to their own opinions about the end. "The Turning" also does this, ending on a look of shocked horror and screaming by its lead protagonist, before cutting to black and forcing us to ask the question of ourselves. "How DID that movie end?" You listening, “Sopranos”?
#19: "Rats: Night of Terror" (1984)
Italian horror is not for everyone. This gruesome and unique subgenre of horror often demands a lot of leaps in the departments of logic, faith and good taste in order to properly appreciate its penchant for dreamlike logic and style-over-substance. "Rats: Night of Terror" was a low budget affair helmed by Italian directors Bruno Mattei and Claudio Fragasso, and is a mish-mash of post-apocalyptic, sci-fi and horror tropes about killer mutated rats taking over a bombed-out city. The ending is the stuff of bad movie legend, with a group of bipedal rat-men in hazmat suits saving the last two survivors from their doom. The origin really exceeds the execution here, though… uh, we mean, we LOVE those rat costumes, guys. Really we do...
#18: "Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones" (2014)
Top 20 Creepiest Paranormal Events On Movie Shoots
Shaky cam, oh shaky cam: where would the found-footage film genre be without you? The "Paranormal Activity" franchise has made a, well, killing on the technique, ever since films like "Cannibal Holocaust" and "The Blair Witch Project" pioneered the genre. "The Marked Ones" is one of the most egregious examples of how disorienting shaky cam can be for the viewer, despite the obvious cost-saving advantages it has from a production standpoint. What should be a finale full of tension and thrills, instead devolves into a loud and nauseating mess, before even cheaper jump scares and one final, deflating reveal ends things on a sour note.
#17: "Unfriended" (2014)
In order to get down with the ending of "Unfriended," you have to first get down with the CONCEPT of "Unfriended." A horror movie that's shot with so much laptop footage is only going to appeal to a certain demographic, and we're not going to say that this decision wasn't unique, as "Unfriended" does have its defenders. Many found it difficult getting through a feature-length film shot in this fashion, however, and this definitely applies to the ending. We once again are viewing images on Blaire's laptop, as it's revealed she was the one filming an embarrassing video that resulted in the suicide of her "friend" Laura. Then, the computer is slammed shut by Laura's ghost and she jumps at the camera. Movie over.
#16: "Jigsaw" (2017)
Hannibal Lector (Silence of the Lambs) vs Jigsaw (Saw)
The "Saw" franchise was already suffering a case of diminishing returns by the time the head-scratching finale of "Saw 3D" saw Cary Elwes making an ill-advised return to the series. "Jigsaw" was an attempt at righting these wrongs, but it didn't really work out that way. This is primarily due to the dense, and we mean DENSE, amounts of back stories, motivations and double crosses that have defined this messy, convoluted series. If you haven't followed the films to this point, it's highly likely that you have NO idea what's going on, and even if you do, the final reveal and laser collar death-match between Halloran and Logan is neither exciting nor satisfying, even for longtime "Saw" fans.
#15: "47 Meters Down: Uncaged" (2019)
Top 10 Worst Horror Movie Trailers
Ok, and people think the shark in "Jaws" looked fake? The endings of both films in the "47 Meters Down" franchise were letdowns for different reasons. The original film had a lame fake-out ending of Mandy Moore's Lisa hallucinating most of the movie, due to being trapped by a shark cage. Meanwhile, "47 Meters Down: Uncaged" attempts to go full action movie mode with some hyper-slick CGI sequences and excitement, complete with underwater flare guns and shark eye stabs. It honestly sounds more exciting than it is, with "47 Meters Down: Uncaged" being just another guppy in an ocean full of bad shark movies.
#14: "The Descent Part 2" (2009)
Top 20 Greatest Modern Horror Movie Endings
Jump scares: they're the ultimate cheap shot and cop out, especially for a franchise as otherwise solid as "The Descent." It all comes back to the American ending of the original film, which saw protagonist Sarah survive her ordeal in the caves after leaving her companion Juno to die. This is the jumping off point for the sequel, which reunites Sarah and Juno in another fight against the horrific, subterranean crawlers. The crawlers are truly terrifying villains, and don't need to leap out at the screen to make an impact, as evidenced by the wonderful practical gore effects found in both films. Unfortunately, the final zoom into a dark hole and the accompanying cheesy jump scare ending just leave this franchise with a whimper instead of a bang.
#13: "Seed of Chucky" (2004)
The bloom was truly off the rose at this point in the "Child's Play" franchise, with even the meta commentary by the Chucky and Tiffany dolls referencing how convoluted the plotlines had become by the time 2004's "Seed of Chucky" hit theaters. The ending is basically split into two parts, the first being a face-off between Chucky and his son Glen after a bloody bust-up with Tiffany. It's campy and cheesy, far removed from the franchise's original harrowing roots, but does possess decent doll effects. The postscript birthday party scene featuring a human Glen peeing himself at the sight of Chucky's severed arm, however? Not so much. Re-watch the original "Child's Play" and leave this one in the basement of the doll house.
#12: "Would You Rather" (2012)
Another Top 10 Worst Horror Movie Remakes
Hey, does the idea of developing a horror movie around the childhood game of "would you rather?" sound appealing to you? Or, wait for it..."would you rather" watch another movie?" Dad jokes aside, the ending of this 2012 flick attempts to go for some sort of dark, "Twilight Zone" sort of misdirection, but it ends up being more dour and depressing than anything else. Our protagonist Iris’ goal in becoming involved in this violent game of "Would You Rather?" is to save the life of her sick brother, who’s promised a bone marrow donor if she wins. Then, while she's committing murder and winning the game, it's revealed that her brother has overdosed, making the entire affair a waste of time.
#11: "Truth or Dare" (2018)
Top 10 Movies That Were Ruined Once We Found Out the Truth
Hey, since we're already on the parlor game train, why don't we continue this theme with 2018's "Truth Or Dare?" The marketing for this film already earned some chuckles from horror fans, thanks to the cheesy, CGI-enhanced grins slapped onto the faces of its actors. The full film didn't fare much better when it was released, with its ending sort of piggybacking on some of the logic presented in the superior 2014 film "It Follows." Whereas the characters in that film escape death by passing on their curse via sex, Olivia and Markie in "Truth Or Dare?" do something similar when they upload a YouTube video that passes their turn on to whomever is watching the clip. We wonder how long that will take, exactly?
#10: "Devil" (2010)
Top 10 Iconic The Devil Wears Prada Outfits
M. Night Shyamalan was in the middle of a career slump when he wrote the story treatment for the 2010 film "Devil." Although Shyamalan didn't direct the film, his attachment to the project fell in line with his disappointments of that era, including "The Happening" (more on that later). This film is a basic "bad people stuck in a small space" scenario, with the added horror element of the Biblical Devil tossed into the mix for good (or bad) measure. This...never quite pays off, for when Old Scratch actually reveals himself in the body of an older woman, he's rendered impotent pretty quickly by the power of penitence and forgiveness. It's anticlimactic, lame and...well, not very scary.
#9: "Quarantine" (2008)
Man, talk about spoiler alert. This 2008 remake of the Spanish film "Rec" gave away its ending not only in its trailer, but even on the home video box art! "Quarantine" is your basic found-footage style shocker with effective, tension-filled scenes in an apartment complex ravaged by an aggressive, zombie-esque virus. The end is telegraphed a mile away, as we get a lot of disorienting and dark shots that flitter about, and we know what's about to go down. Jennifer Carpenter's Angela scrambles in front of the night vision camera, but is dragged away screaming before everything cuts to black. This one would've been unoriginal and predictable, even if it wasn't spoiled in advance.
#8: "Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare" (1991)
Top 10 Greatest Freddy Krueger Scenes
The "Nightmare on Elm Street" franchise has countless memorable moments going for it, and it deserved a satisfying and epic end for its long-running antagonist, Freddy Krueger. Unfortunately, what we got (before the franchise awoke again) was a half-baked and anticlimactic excuse to utilize some dated 3-D gags and Looney Tunes puns for sending off that terrifying Man of Our Dreams. The fight sequence between Krueger and his daughter Maggie is poorly choreographed and clumsy, without even some satisfying gore to sweeten the pot. By the time Maggie wishes Freddy "Happy Father's Day" and blows him up? Well, let's just say we wish WE could wake up from this nightmare of an ending.
#7: "The Unborn" (2009)
Another Top 10 Worst Movie Endings
The actual idea behind "The Unborn" isn't the worst, attempting to adapt the ancient Judaic myth of the dybbuk into a horror movie framework. It's the execution here that really sinks the film, as there's nothing in the form of frights or tension to be seen as "The Unborn" comes to a close. The CGI effects are wonky, the choreography is ho-hum, and there isn't any real payoff that justifies our journey of vengeful demonic sibling-babies out for revenge. Not even Gary Oldman can save "The Unborn" from wallowing in mediocrity....wait, Gary Oldman is in this mess? Hey, nothing wrong with cashing checks, we suppose....
#6: "Secret Window" (2004)
Top 10 Movie Towns That Hiding A Dark Secret
D’oh! We fell for the old "split personality" trick AGAIN! 2004's "Secret Window" does have its share of defenders out there, but we just can't help but roll our eyes at the ending of this Stephen King adaptation. It's revealed that Johnny Depp's writer Mort has actually invented the character of Shooter the entire time, and has been committing murders and arson the whole time, due to his dissociative personality disorder. The execution is more cheesy than frightening, (Shooter? Shoot Her? SHOOT HER? Get it?) and the reveal just isn't shocking enough to make any lasting impact at the end of the day.
#5: "Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation" (1995)
Top 10 Scariest Texas Chainsaw Moments
The Saw may be Family, but this generation has some serious explaining to do to their elders. This fourth entry in the "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" franchise is best known for featuring Renée Zellweger and Matthew McConaughey early in their careers. Truth be told, McConaughey is absolutely bonkers in his performance as Vilmer Slaughter, but even his beyond-the-pale craziness can't save TCM "The Next Generation" from being a hot mess. There's a mysterious man in black who's never fully explained and an ineffectual Leatherface that shouts and whines more than he slices and dices. Oh, and never mind the airplane that literally comes out of nowhere to take out Vilmer, leaving Leatherface to throw a panicky tantrum in the dust.
#4: "The Last House on the Left" (2009)
Top 10 Worst Horror Movie Remakes
Wes Craven's 1972 horror classic "The Last House on the Left" was a riff on the Ingmar Bergman film "The Virgin Spring." In both films, a young woman is tortured and murdered not far from her house, while her killers unsuspectingly take shelter at the home of their victim's parents. The fatality present in both versions is what drives the parents to take brutal revenge upon those responsible for their daughter's demise. It's a key ingredient into pushing each situation over the edge. The filmmakers behind the 2009 remake apparently didn't understand this, however, as their version allows Mari Collingwood to survive her ordeal, reuniting with her parents against the Krug gang. Sometimes, you just need a downer ending.
#3: "Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers" (1995)
Top 10 Dark Theories about the Halloween Franchise
Ok, so the "Halloween" franchise is home to a number of controversial endings, from the eye-rolling eye-open of "Halloween: Resurrection" to the Thorn cult jailbreak sequence of "Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers." It's the infamous sixth entry in the franchise, "The Curse of Michael Myers" that's perhaps the most convoluted, however, as it depends on which version you happen to watch. The theatrical cut is a bloody, fast-moving affair, but possesses a confusing ending involving Paul Rudd, a pipe and the echoing screams of Dr. Sam Loomis. The producer's cut makes a bit more sense, but it's also unsatisfying in the ending department, adding a Myers incest subplot and Loomis taking over the Thorn Cult. May we suggest something in a "Halloween III," perhaps?
#2: "The Happening" (2008)
Top 10 Worst Movie Endings
It may be difficult to believe, but there was a genuine hope in the air when M. Night Shyamalan released his R-rated film, "The Happening" in 2008. We already mentioned Shyamalan's rising star was beginning to fall after a number of unevenly received films, so fans were anticipating a dark and visceral return to form with this hard R rating. Unfortunately, as interesting as the initial idea of plant life taking aim on human life was in theory, the practice and execution led to more laughs than screams. The ending is particularly anticlimactic, as the threat just basically goes away, although it IS teased that another wave of toxin-induced suicides might be on the horizon to threaten science teacher Mark Wahlberg in the future.
Before we name our number one pick, here are a few dis-honorable mentions!
"I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House" (2016)
Scared to Death or Bored to Death?
"The Houses October Built" (2014)
Our Interest Level Was Also Buried
"Hide and Seek" (2005)
This Film Has Five Endings...and All of Them Suck
"The Gallows" (2015)
Don't Bother Hanging Around to Watch The End of This Lame Found-Footage Flick
#1: "The Devil Inside" (2012)
Top 10 Horror Movies Ruined by Terrible Endings!
C'mon, you know we were going here for our number one pick. "The Devil Inside" has the ignoble reputation of possessing, indeed, the worst and most hated ending in horror movie history. By the year 2012, the possession genre had been done every way one could imagine, yet some still held out hope that "The Devil Inside" could make good on the promise of its intriguing trailer. Unfortunately, the film decided to end an otherwise harrowing scene of devil possession in a moving vehicle with a url for a website that would apparently provide "more information on the Rossi case." Audiences were understandably pissed, and "The Devil Inside" never could recover from this unwise decision for any type of potential sequel.
