Top 10 Most Shocking Movie Endings
#10: “Enemy” (2013)
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This thriller follows two seemingly identical men, Adam Bell and Anthony Claire, who become increasingly entangled in each other’s lives. While it’s hard enough keeping track of who’s who in the movie, the ending really throws us for a loop. After each becomes involved with the other’s partner, Anthony seemingly causes the death of both Adam’s girlfriend and himself. As for Adam, the end of the film finds him preparing to visit a sex club that Anthony frequents. But when he first checks in on Anthony’s wife, Helen, he finds a giant tarantula in her place. Uh…WHAT?! Is Adam insane? Hallucinating? Or is the director just a big Kafka fan?
#9: “Prisoners” (2013)
While we’re on the subject of 2013 thriller movies directed by Denis Villeneuve and starring Jake Gyllenhaal... Wait, seriously? “Prisoners” follows a desperate father, played by Hugh Jackman, whose daughter has been abducted. On the case is Detective Loki, played by Gyllenhaal. Both Keller Dover, the father, and Loki are able to discover the culprit, and Dover’s children are saved, but not before Dover is trapped. Just as Loki is preparing to leave, he hears Dover blowing his daughter’s emergency whistle and…cut to black! No after credits scene to wrap things up, that’s all folks! Sure, Loki might save Dover, but maybe he unwittingly leaves the man to starve to death. We just don’t know.
#8: “Get Out” (2017)
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A unique horror film and provocative depiction of American race relations, “Get Out” has shocking moments galore. The film follows a young man named Chris on a visit to the parents of his white girlfriend. Things go from uncomfortable to horrifying, however, when it's revealed that her family is transferring the minds of their aging white peers into the bodies of younger Black people to extend their lives. Chris manages to escape, taking out practically the whole family in the process. But just when it seems like Chris is home free, siren lights flash. While the expectation is that he’ll be arrested or killed for defending himself, in a pleasant subversion of expectations, it’s actually his goofy buddy Rod coming to the rescue.
#7: “Uncut Gems” (2019)
Given his track record, some would argue that the most shocking thing about this Adam Sandler movie is how good it is, but its ending is pretty surprising too. Sandler plays Howard Ratner, a jeweler and gambling addict who owes substantial debts to his brother-in-law, Arno. The movie’s conclusion sees Howard use the sale of a black opal to basketball player Kevin Garnett to bet on Garnett’s performance in a game; earning him a huge payday of a million dollars. However, soon after letting Arno and his bodyguards back into his store, Howard is shot by one of Arno’s men, who then kills his employer. We certainly wouldn’t have placed our own bets on this outcome!
#6: “Carrie” (1976)
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When school bullies decide to pull a prank on social outcast Carrie White, the results are infamously dark. After having pig’s blood poured over her head onstage at prom, Carrie’s latent psychic powers run wild, killing many of her classmates at the dance. Carrie’s return home is similarly gruesome, where she kills her abusive mother and proceeds to burn their house down. The film concludes with Carrie’s classmate laying flowers on the site of her former house, only for a bloody hand to burst out of the ground to grab her arm. We soon see that this is a dream, however. While this kind of ending has been frequently imitated, “Carrie” still does it best.
#5: “The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas” (2008)
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This historical drama follows the unlikely friendship between the son of a Nazi party member, Bruno, and a Jewish boy imprisoned in a concentration camp, Shmuel. After Shmuel’s father goes missing, Bruno tries to help his friend locate him by changing into the prison uniform that lends the movie its name and aiding in the search. Eventually, however, the boys are rounded up and told they will be entering a shower. In truth, it’s a gas chamber and both are murdered along with dozens of others. While the film is a work of historical fiction, the realistic depiction of the Holocaust is shockingly brutal and affecting.
#4: “American History X” (1998)
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This movie primarily follows former Neo Nazi Derek Vinyard, played by Edward Norton. However, his story is told in part through the titular essay written by his brother Danny, who holds onto the racist views Derek instilled in him. By examining his brother’s life, Danny’s beliefs begin to change, only for he and his brother to be threatened by the local chapter of Neo Nazis. Sadly, Danny’s change of heart proves to be too little too late; he’s shot at school by a black student he’d antagonized previously and dies in his brother’s arms. Given that the whole film had been building towards Danny becoming a better person, seeing his life cut short like this was a definite surprise.
#3: “The Departed” (2006)
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A thrilling battle of wits between an undercover cop and a criminal undercover in the police, “The Departed” has plenty of twists and shocking moments. It’s surprising enough when Billy Costigan, the undercover cop, arrests Colin Sullivan, only to be unceremoniously killed in an elevator by a third party. But the movie’s conclusion proved to be a double tap of a shocker – Sullivan is killed soon after coming home, where Sgt. Dignam, one of Costigan’s handlers, is waiting for him. Just when we thought the villain would get away with everything, he got exactly what was coming to him!
#2: “Inglourious Basterds” (2009)
Quentin Tarantino films run on hyper violence and great dialogue, and “Inglourious Basterds” transposes the director’s hallmarks into a World War II setting. The movie has plenty of bombshell moments throughout, from the famous bar shootout, to the successful killing of Hitler. But the ending sees the despicable and crafty SS officer, Hans Landa, cut a deal with the Americans to be granted immunity. While making his escape with some of the remaining Basterds, however, Landa finally runs out of bargaining chips when they gruesomely carve a swastika into the smug Nazi’s forehead. A disturbing moment for its brutality, this ending also hits hard because, after the Führer gets gunned down, we thought the movie had run out of surprises. Before we get to our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions: “The Witch” (2015) Quite the Ritual! “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” (1975) What’s All This Then? “Layer Cake” (2005) The New King - Taken Down by the Loser Ex of His New Girlfriend
#1: “Avengers: Infinity War” (2018)
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This massive crossover movie saw heroes from across the Marvel Cinematic Universe come together to stop an unprecedented threat in the form of Thanos. In order to save countless lives, they seek to prevent him from acquiring the Infinity Stones, powerful artifacts that when joined would allow him to wipe out half of life in the universe. Naturally, because it’s a Marvel movie, audiences were sure that good would triumph over evil. Except – it doesn’t. Thanos wins, he snaps his fingers, and half the heroes (and everyone else) dissolve into dust. Granted, anyone who’d read the comics wasn’t surprised, but for those of us exclusively riding the MCU train, our jaws were all on the floor.
